Favoritism is rife within the world and does much damage to people. The world encourages people to compete against each other. Parents can favour one child over others, bosses favour certain workers, teachers often have their favourites, and the list is very long! We can expect that in the world, but where favoritism is NOT allowed (but is often found) is within the Church. When favoritism is found within the Church is reaps devastating effects in the body of Christ. When leaders fall into the sin of favouring certain people over others Satan most certainly gains a foothold within the fellowship. Sheep are very observant with leaders and they know very quickly if others are receiving preferential treatment. I have been on both ends of this in the past. I've been ignored and dismissed as a young Christian and I've been "the best thing since sliced bread!" as I grew in Christ. At the time, being "passed over" really hurt, but on reflection, I'd rather be at that end of the scale than be elevated, as being elevated was far more dangerous to my walk and my soul. As leaders and as sheep we must stop and examine ourself before God, favoritism, preeminence and competition are forbidden amoung Christians in the bible. I'll attach a good teaching to this blog for any who wish to dig deeper into this neglected part of church life.
www.truthguard.com/articles/the-danger-of-favoritism-in-the-church-a15.html
Saturday 14 January 2012
Wednesday 4 January 2012
Who is Worship for anyway?
It is with much sadness that I write a post on the music side of Worship, as it's often a most abused area in church life. I'm not going to give an in depth teaching on it due to the fact that many other worship leaders have done so before and I totally agree with many of them. What I will do at the end of this note is add some very good teachings on worship thats really sound and sadly true for today.
Follow links at the end to read more on teaching.
I want to write on some of the worship I've encountered thoughout 20 years in various Chruches across the UK and the problems in the worship of a fellowship, problems that can often hinder Church growth and maturing. I want people who are called by God into that ministry, to have a much better and safer start than I had. My beginings in worship were quite horrendous mainly because the leaders had such a strangle hold on that area. It wasn't their gifting, but they dominated it. Don't get me wrong, I believe leaders should over-see the worship ministry in their (God's) Church, but they should let the people who are called and gifted in that area have the freedom to use their gifts and not stifle them. As time went on the Lord put me with some fantastic leaders who gave me the freedom to lead worship and grow in that, but they were the ones who recognised that call on my life (their words not mine) and worked with the Lord in that. They also had a very good understanding on worship themselves.
The first Church I was in was a Baptist Church and to do anything involved with leadership ment you needed to be a member of that Church, something I didn't question at the time as I was a very young Christian, but it's something I am totally against now. Why? Because it's not biblical! It's something that man demands, not something God requires. The truth is as soon as we become born again believers, we become part of God's Kingdom and part of the whole body.....that is the truth. Demanding membership to the local Church can even become a stumbling block for many.... there's no need for it! It doesn't keep people from leaving if they disagree with the leaders. I also believe it's man manipulating people, the carrot always being......."you become a member and we will let you use your gifts in this fellowship!" Really! Well, if God has gifted and called people into ministry, there should be no extra requirements from man ......and yet some leaders like to make them "you must be a member!" is one. Ask yourself this, exactly for who's benefit? I'd say to all Church leaders who insist on membership before allowing people to exercise their gift and call, " It really is your loss!" because people who won't be manipulated will just leave, move on, and the Lord will use them elsewhere, He always does.
Moving on to a little Pentecostal Church years ago. It had a lot going for it, but the one area that let them down was the worship. They had a problem that you'll find in many many Churches worldwide, the Pastor's wife was heading up the worship group and she was tone deaf!! No seriously, I'm not messing.....she couldn't get any where near any of the notes. It's a phenomena!! You'll find it in too many fellowships, because they are married to the Pastor it gives them some divine right to be in or even head up the worship team, whether they have any talent or not. And it can be crippling for the healthy worship life of a fellowship....and certainly that little church never grew in all the years it was there. In many of these cases the Pastors have very little understanding on worship themselves. They believe if someone wants to "have a go" at the worship they should let them. NEVER a good thing to do, never edifying for the Church. And yet....they are the Pastors, so often things don't change untill they are taken out. In that set up with the little fellowship, the Pastor didn't even consider what the Lord may have wanted within worship.....he simply put his wife first!
Too many churches allow people to 'HAVE A GO!' and it's just not right in the worship team area, or any other for that matter. Would Pastors let anyone have a go at teaching and preaching if they had no gifting? Well, I believe some of that happens today as well, but it shouldn't be so. God calls each of us to different areas of work and when leaders understand the dynamics of that, and encourage the right people into the right places...anything can and does happen. It's a case of doing things the Lord's way and not ours.
On coming up to the North of the UK I encountered another problem within two different worship teams.......they have no practice times. They are in that place of leading worship, but cannot be bothered to even get together to practice once a week! We had a rule in our first worship team and it was this "If you don't practice with the others....You don't play or sing on Sundays" it was as simple as that. You want to serve the King of Kings in this area? You need to put the time and effort into it, give Him the best we can give........or don't do it!! The practice time is the very best place to train others up in, if you don't have the practice times....where are you going to train them? It's not setting them the best example to follow!
"Do it well.....or don't do it!" something many leaders need to enforce if they are to over-see the worship.
So who is worship for anyway? It's suppose to be to and for God, and sadly in many fellowships it now seems to be an area full of golden calfs! It is fast becoming a ministry to please and serve man instead of a gift to God. I know of someone who use to be a worship leader, someone who rubs his hands together when the Lord is not first and foremost in His house. Someone who led worship in heaven....Satan himself! How he loves to keep the called and anointed out of that area, and how he hates it when they end up doing what God has called them to do. He'll use anything to FAKE the ministry of worship, inoculating people against the real act. He loves FAKE and POWERLESS worship within the house of God, because the only worship that is acceptable to the Lord our God is worship that is in Spirit and Truth............Jesus said it, and Satan knows it!!! Whats the aim of the enemy? To have something as close to the real deal as possible but that misses the target........God!
Another growing problem that comes from the front of Church on a Sunday.......MANIPULATION! The job of a worship team is to lead and encourage people to give the Lord real worship....thats ALL! They are NOT there to tell people what to do or where to sit, thats called MANIPULATING people. "do this, do that....stand on your head!" It's not good, it's not right. Imagine non-believers coming into a service where people are being manipulated from the front.......many would NEVER come back, because people know about manipulation they can identify it. My advice to all leaders .....stamp it out!! Respect the people who walk through the doors of the church, they are not puppets, they are individuals, treat them as such.
Of couse the first thing that leaders do when they read a report like this is REACT. But I would urge all leaders to think carefully about the things I'm pointing out, because I have also been on the best side of worship, worship that is ALL for God and has ALL it's focus on Him. Worship that is in Spirit and Truth and I've seen the blessings that comes with that. I've seen the windows of heaven open, the sick healed, those with unclean spirits set free, demons run screaming their way out of a anointed worship meetings, people truly saved and born again, and most of all ........the Lord's presence so tangible in the air around you that you felt like you'd just entered the most holy place .....His chamber. It's worth going through the fire of sorting out your present worship team to stand in the glory of His presence and works, believe me. I had to do that in the last Church I was worship leader in, and it wasn't pleasent but necessary.
Worship is living your life the way God wants you to and the goal? To please Him alone, give Him the very best we can. At times that will mean we upset people because people are not always in the right place with the right motives and in worship gifting does matter regardless of what you have been told!
All are called to worship........but not all are called to lead the rest of the body into worship. And worship is NEVER acceptable to God unless it is in spirit and in truth.
Follow links at the end to read more on teaching.
I want to write on some of the worship I've encountered thoughout 20 years in various Chruches across the UK and the problems in the worship of a fellowship, problems that can often hinder Church growth and maturing. I want people who are called by God into that ministry, to have a much better and safer start than I had. My beginings in worship were quite horrendous mainly because the leaders had such a strangle hold on that area. It wasn't their gifting, but they dominated it. Don't get me wrong, I believe leaders should over-see the worship ministry in their (God's) Church, but they should let the people who are called and gifted in that area have the freedom to use their gifts and not stifle them. As time went on the Lord put me with some fantastic leaders who gave me the freedom to lead worship and grow in that, but they were the ones who recognised that call on my life (their words not mine) and worked with the Lord in that. They also had a very good understanding on worship themselves.
The first Church I was in was a Baptist Church and to do anything involved with leadership ment you needed to be a member of that Church, something I didn't question at the time as I was a very young Christian, but it's something I am totally against now. Why? Because it's not biblical! It's something that man demands, not something God requires. The truth is as soon as we become born again believers, we become part of God's Kingdom and part of the whole body.....that is the truth. Demanding membership to the local Church can even become a stumbling block for many.... there's no need for it! It doesn't keep people from leaving if they disagree with the leaders. I also believe it's man manipulating people, the carrot always being......."you become a member and we will let you use your gifts in this fellowship!" Really! Well, if God has gifted and called people into ministry, there should be no extra requirements from man ......and yet some leaders like to make them "you must be a member!" is one. Ask yourself this, exactly for who's benefit? I'd say to all Church leaders who insist on membership before allowing people to exercise their gift and call, " It really is your loss!" because people who won't be manipulated will just leave, move on, and the Lord will use them elsewhere, He always does.
Moving on to a little Pentecostal Church years ago. It had a lot going for it, but the one area that let them down was the worship. They had a problem that you'll find in many many Churches worldwide, the Pastor's wife was heading up the worship group and she was tone deaf!! No seriously, I'm not messing.....she couldn't get any where near any of the notes. It's a phenomena!! You'll find it in too many fellowships, because they are married to the Pastor it gives them some divine right to be in or even head up the worship team, whether they have any talent or not. And it can be crippling for the healthy worship life of a fellowship....and certainly that little church never grew in all the years it was there. In many of these cases the Pastors have very little understanding on worship themselves. They believe if someone wants to "have a go" at the worship they should let them. NEVER a good thing to do, never edifying for the Church. And yet....they are the Pastors, so often things don't change untill they are taken out. In that set up with the little fellowship, the Pastor didn't even consider what the Lord may have wanted within worship.....he simply put his wife first!
Too many churches allow people to 'HAVE A GO!' and it's just not right in the worship team area, or any other for that matter. Would Pastors let anyone have a go at teaching and preaching if they had no gifting? Well, I believe some of that happens today as well, but it shouldn't be so. God calls each of us to different areas of work and when leaders understand the dynamics of that, and encourage the right people into the right places...anything can and does happen. It's a case of doing things the Lord's way and not ours.
On coming up to the North of the UK I encountered another problem within two different worship teams.......they have no practice times. They are in that place of leading worship, but cannot be bothered to even get together to practice once a week! We had a rule in our first worship team and it was this "If you don't practice with the others....You don't play or sing on Sundays" it was as simple as that. You want to serve the King of Kings in this area? You need to put the time and effort into it, give Him the best we can give........or don't do it!! The practice time is the very best place to train others up in, if you don't have the practice times....where are you going to train them? It's not setting them the best example to follow!
"Do it well.....or don't do it!" something many leaders need to enforce if they are to over-see the worship.
So who is worship for anyway? It's suppose to be to and for God, and sadly in many fellowships it now seems to be an area full of golden calfs! It is fast becoming a ministry to please and serve man instead of a gift to God. I know of someone who use to be a worship leader, someone who rubs his hands together when the Lord is not first and foremost in His house. Someone who led worship in heaven....Satan himself! How he loves to keep the called and anointed out of that area, and how he hates it when they end up doing what God has called them to do. He'll use anything to FAKE the ministry of worship, inoculating people against the real act. He loves FAKE and POWERLESS worship within the house of God, because the only worship that is acceptable to the Lord our God is worship that is in Spirit and Truth............Jesus said it, and Satan knows it!!! Whats the aim of the enemy? To have something as close to the real deal as possible but that misses the target........God!
Another growing problem that comes from the front of Church on a Sunday.......MANIPULATION! The job of a worship team is to lead and encourage people to give the Lord real worship....thats ALL! They are NOT there to tell people what to do or where to sit, thats called MANIPULATING people. "do this, do that....stand on your head!" It's not good, it's not right. Imagine non-believers coming into a service where people are being manipulated from the front.......many would NEVER come back, because people know about manipulation they can identify it. My advice to all leaders .....stamp it out!! Respect the people who walk through the doors of the church, they are not puppets, they are individuals, treat them as such.
Of couse the first thing that leaders do when they read a report like this is REACT. But I would urge all leaders to think carefully about the things I'm pointing out, because I have also been on the best side of worship, worship that is ALL for God and has ALL it's focus on Him. Worship that is in Spirit and Truth and I've seen the blessings that comes with that. I've seen the windows of heaven open, the sick healed, those with unclean spirits set free, demons run screaming their way out of a anointed worship meetings, people truly saved and born again, and most of all ........the Lord's presence so tangible in the air around you that you felt like you'd just entered the most holy place .....His chamber. It's worth going through the fire of sorting out your present worship team to stand in the glory of His presence and works, believe me. I had to do that in the last Church I was worship leader in, and it wasn't pleasent but necessary.
Worship is living your life the way God wants you to and the goal? To please Him alone, give Him the very best we can. At times that will mean we upset people because people are not always in the right place with the right motives and in worship gifting does matter regardless of what you have been told!
All are called to worship........but not all are called to lead the rest of the body into worship. And worship is NEVER acceptable to God unless it is in spirit and in truth.
A message to all Christian fellowships joined to Church Organisations
Monday November 7th, 20011
I have been seeing the same picture for many days now and I'll try and paint it with words:
I see a vast dark open stormy sea with many large ships and small boats on it. The large ships are on the scale of Titanic, and just as grand. the little boats are all different sizes and all very different from each other, but one thing they all have in common, they all have a very long chain going from them to the huge ships, and the huge ships are pulling them along. The small boats have no sails up, they are totally dependant on the huge ships to move. In the distance there is a shore line that spans the horizon, it made up of dark jagged rocks as far as the eye can see, these rocks have a name and that name is 'APOSTASY!' The huge ships are heading for them and seem totally unaware of the danger they are in, infact they seem in a rush to get there. Some of the little boats have seen the rocks in the distance and are trying to break the chains that hold them captive. Some have broke free by using the word 'TRUTH' and they are now using their own sails to catch the wind and move independently, trusting only in that wind.
I see the huge ships have names written on them, and they are the names of large Church organisations around the world. The little boats are Churches of various sizes who have connected themselves to these organisations. I believe the Lord is calling to the little boats right now, "see the rocks and their name, once they hit them....so will you!" Don't ignore the warnings, if you know the word of God, you know the truth, you can set yourself free with the truth but you will be totally dependent on His Holy Spirit in the times to come. Many will shipwreck their faith, but be ready to pull men out of the deep waters when they've jumped overboard and have chosen to swim rather than remain in the boats held captive.......pull them on board and show them the truth. The Lord says "I know My own sheep and they know My voice and they will follow Me!"
I have been seeing the same picture for many days now and I'll try and paint it with words:
I see a vast dark open stormy sea with many large ships and small boats on it. The large ships are on the scale of Titanic, and just as grand. the little boats are all different sizes and all very different from each other, but one thing they all have in common, they all have a very long chain going from them to the huge ships, and the huge ships are pulling them along. The small boats have no sails up, they are totally dependant on the huge ships to move. In the distance there is a shore line that spans the horizon, it made up of dark jagged rocks as far as the eye can see, these rocks have a name and that name is 'APOSTASY!' The huge ships are heading for them and seem totally unaware of the danger they are in, infact they seem in a rush to get there. Some of the little boats have seen the rocks in the distance and are trying to break the chains that hold them captive. Some have broke free by using the word 'TRUTH' and they are now using their own sails to catch the wind and move independently, trusting only in that wind.
I see the huge ships have names written on them, and they are the names of large Church organisations around the world. The little boats are Churches of various sizes who have connected themselves to these organisations. I believe the Lord is calling to the little boats right now, "see the rocks and their name, once they hit them....so will you!" Don't ignore the warnings, if you know the word of God, you know the truth, you can set yourself free with the truth but you will be totally dependent on His Holy Spirit in the times to come. Many will shipwreck their faith, but be ready to pull men out of the deep waters when they've jumped overboard and have chosen to swim rather than remain in the boats held captive.......pull them on board and show them the truth. The Lord says "I know My own sheep and they know My voice and they will follow Me!"
The head covering for Christian women
I had to write a note on the use of a prayer shawl, as I have been using one for the first time this year. It started when I read Paul's teaching on it, I couldn't quite understand what he was saying because of the modern translation of the bible, but after asking my husband about the verses and going back to the Greek it became clear that the teaching I had recieved in the past was incorrect! This left me with a choice...to obey the teaching of Paul on the matter, or to dismiss it and carry on as normal. I found I couldn't dismiss it and decided I would follow scripture. I didn't know the blessing this would be to me.
So I went to church the following Sunday looking the odd one out, and it wasn't easy!!
The truth was I didn't understand that the Lord was wanting to bless me.....but I do understand that now. As a child I was always plugged in spiritualy and at night had horrid, vivid nightmares for years. I was so frightened I wouldn't close my eyes incase they would start up again. I went to school exhausted every day. I understand now that I was most probably being attacked by the enemy, as he knew I would be the Lord's in the future. My Mother brought a cross in one night and told me that Jesus would look after me, the nightmares stopped on that night and I didn't have any more.
Later when I became a Christian I started to move into the area of worship, it's then I came under heavy attack again, and at the begining of my Christian walk I suffered great spiritual attack in many ways. As the years went by I learn't to stand through the attacks and they became less and less but were always vicious when they did come.
The begining of this year was very difficult and I suffered great attack when going into hospital for an opperation. The drugs they had me on made things even worse because they acted as a door opener and I was already senitive to spiritual things! As people prayed for me things turned round and they let me out of hospital but I felt worse for wear!! It wasn't long after that I read the scripture on head coverings and started to wear one. On that day I found the deepest peace from God, I felt totally protected by God himself, and I felt shut off from the world when in prayer. I began to hear the Lord with more clarity than before as well, I began to see more clearly, everything became clearer than before. I was aware of a level of protection I'd been missing out on for years, seriously! I believe that women worship leaders can come under greater attack than men, I say this because it's not just I who has been attacked in this way, but I've seen it with many other women involved with worship. Wearing a head covering has been a wonderful blessing and I thank the Lord for leading me to wear one. Now people can and do mark you as being 'religious' but it really has nothing to do with that, all that comes from a women wearing a head covering within prayer times and worship is.......blessings and protection from on high. Be blessed :)
So I went to church the following Sunday looking the odd one out, and it wasn't easy!!
The truth was I didn't understand that the Lord was wanting to bless me.....but I do understand that now. As a child I was always plugged in spiritualy and at night had horrid, vivid nightmares for years. I was so frightened I wouldn't close my eyes incase they would start up again. I went to school exhausted every day. I understand now that I was most probably being attacked by the enemy, as he knew I would be the Lord's in the future. My Mother brought a cross in one night and told me that Jesus would look after me, the nightmares stopped on that night and I didn't have any more.
Later when I became a Christian I started to move into the area of worship, it's then I came under heavy attack again, and at the begining of my Christian walk I suffered great spiritual attack in many ways. As the years went by I learn't to stand through the attacks and they became less and less but were always vicious when they did come.
The begining of this year was very difficult and I suffered great attack when going into hospital for an opperation. The drugs they had me on made things even worse because they acted as a door opener and I was already senitive to spiritual things! As people prayed for me things turned round and they let me out of hospital but I felt worse for wear!! It wasn't long after that I read the scripture on head coverings and started to wear one. On that day I found the deepest peace from God, I felt totally protected by God himself, and I felt shut off from the world when in prayer. I began to hear the Lord with more clarity than before as well, I began to see more clearly, everything became clearer than before. I was aware of a level of protection I'd been missing out on for years, seriously! I believe that women worship leaders can come under greater attack than men, I say this because it's not just I who has been attacked in this way, but I've seen it with many other women involved with worship. Wearing a head covering has been a wonderful blessing and I thank the Lord for leading me to wear one. Now people can and do mark you as being 'religious' but it really has nothing to do with that, all that comes from a women wearing a head covering within prayer times and worship is.......blessings and protection from on high. Be blessed :)
Saturday 1 January 2011
The Story of Joel: psalm 139
Story of Joel: psalm 139
by Colette Yallop on Wednesday, December 29, 2010 at 6:53pm
This all sarted off with finding out I was pregnant with a third baby. The very next day I was reading the set scripture for the day and it had psalm 139. I came across the words in verse 13 'You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.' It just hit me! the Holy Spirit made it totally personal to the baby I was carrying and I just sat there in tears.
We had booked a holiday with the older children and although I felt really rough. A few weeks later we still went away for a week. During that week away I lost my balance whilst out and had a fall, I also lost a little blood so when we got home I went straight to the doctor who then sent me straight to the hospital for a scan.
It was whilst we were waiting outside the consultant's room that the Lord spoke, not in an audible way but straight into every fibre of my being, he told me that the hospital were going to tell me that there was something wrong with the baby, He said 'do not believe a word they tell you, but stand on the word I gave you.' I just sat there thinking did I really just hear all that or was it me, then we got called in by the consultant.
We had all the chat to begin with and then he got down to the issue. He said 'we did a test on the back of the baby's neck and it looks very much like the baby has Downs Syndrome. With the measurements we have done along with your own age it's a very high percentage that it will be Downs, we can look at all of the options and take it from there.'
I said very little and we were passed on to the midwife she had about 4 or 5 others in the room with her, they were doing their training. I can't remember what she said, only the mention of abortion, apart from that I remember nothing. We than waited to see another doctor, I managed to tell John what I believed the Lord had said in the mean time. As we waited the Lord spoke again 'don't let them near him with a needle, keep him away from them.' then the doctor came across to us. It was all about abortion! They wanted to do an amniocentesis, I said NO! They went on and on about it but both John and myself made it quite clear that we were Christians and that it just wasn't going to happen. The only point of having an amniocentesis was with a view to abort and that wasn't an option.
So we went home and spent the next months on an emotional rollercoaster, but we kept reading psalm 139 and we believed God and not the Hospital.
Time went by and blood pressure went up until the day came they pulled me in to induce labour, it wasn't a bad time at all. Joel was born on the 25th Febuary 2003 he was just beautiful, the most handsome little thing and totally healthy and normal (whatever people class as normal) but even if he had been down's we would have loved and kept him, but the Lord was right and the hospital wrong and I saw the main midwife hanging around to see the outcome of it all!!
As Joel grows up we'll tell him all the story of how the Lord spoke about him before he was born and we'll pass on psalm 139 as that is for him.
Now it turns out that Joel has a mild form of dyspraxia so he's not perfect as the world would see it, but his teacher came up to me at the end of term and told me that he had asked the children in Joel's class to pick a role model out, someone they would most like to be like, he said 'all the class chose Joel.' That made me cry because I knew who was and remains behind it all, Our Lord and Saviour! what would we do without Him. I pray that Joel will grow up to give the Lord the Glory He so deserves.
Monday 25 June 2007
Worship
What a fantastic site this is, it has been an emense help to me in planning worship.
Just want to say hi to all brothers and sisters in the Lord
God bless all
Just want to say hi to all brothers and sisters in the Lord
God bless all
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