King'z Jewel

What happened to the fun in church? Where is the joy of Your salvation?

I remember being in churches where you can’t even clear your throat without being looked at with a raised eyebrow. I have also been to churches where the message is milk, but the people feel free to dance before the altar in unadulterated worship.

What do I miss from both extremes? The reverence for the living God and the joy of being in His presence.

Where is the balance? Where is the middle ground?

David danced out of his outer garments in worship to the Lord (2 Samuel 6:14), but yet he reverenced him like no other. Why are our churches not reflections of that?

We need to get rid of the status quo. We need to get rid of church as usual. We need to go back to the root and heart of why we ever wanted to be in church to begin with. We need to teach our children about the joy of salvation. How will they know if all they see are stern faces, disapproving looks, and are given no opportunity to enjoy being in the house of God? How are we going to secure the next generation if we don’t allow them to express their worship, making a JOYFUL noise unto the Lord?

We sing about dancing as David did, singing and worshiping and praying like he did. We sing about being free to run and dance. We sing about where the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. We sing about dancing in His freedom and liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17)…but do we really EVER do that? Sure, there are probably break out moments here and there…but why isn’t it a regular occurrence?

Don’t even get me started on the songs about surrender and sacrifice! The verses of the Bible where we talk about taking up our cross no matter the cost… you can already see where I am going with that.

I don’t want to just be on the pulpit singing words. I don’t want to be up there with stern faces and disapproving looks falling down on the congregation as they try to wrestle from under the tradition and religion that has been forced upon them from years of being abused in various forms of churches and religious sects who don’t believe in truly going all out for God in church.

I believe that God hears us singing these songs and professing these verses from the Bible out of our mouths and expects to see something happen, only to be disappointed. We are in essence HYPOCRITES every time we pronounce these things and then don’t follow through with them. I can just see God’s eyes light up when he hears the songs coming through or the words being read…He gets expectant…on the edge of His seat even… only to slump back in His chair, wiping his brow and thinking “they missed it AGAIN!”.

I am saying that we need to reevaluate our churches. Reevaluate the calling that God has placed on our lives. We need to stop pleasing people and start pleasing God. It’s time to break out, break free, and move forward with truth the way God intended!

Psalm 51:10-13 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.

(emphasis is mine)

This weekend was a time of spiritual revival and reconciliation. We attended the outreach that our old church was having in conjunction with other local churches on Friday night. I got to see my nephew rockin’ out for Jesus.

Then on Sunday I got to see him as he allowed God to use him mightily in the sanctuary, praying for people and meeting their needs. We also experienced this for ourselves, as God moved us to help and be helped in the prayer service. Truly amazing. I can’t even describe how great the service was. We were changed. Fantastic.

Last night I fought through the pain of an ear ache, the beating of the rain, and my own feelings of just plain NOT wanting to move to go to church. I knew I had to be there. I didn’t know what for. My ear started hurting more and more as I got closer to where I had to be. So much so that I was not only squinting through the raindrops, but through the SEARING pain.

I did make it to the church. My sister in law was having dizzy spells all day and didn’t feel like going either, but we both got to church. … and now I know why the evil one was trying so hard to keep us from there. We were used to bring God’s children back to the throne.

I was used to deliver a message to my friend and he gave his heart to God. I was able to pray for him. I prayed like I never prayed for anyone before, because I could feel death upon him.

One of my teen friends was about to leave church. I got to pray for her and she is still there.

The experience last night was so awesome. The pain from my earache left and has not returned. I can even hear more out of my ear than I have in about a week. I got it prayed for 4 times last night… and with each prayer more pressure was relieved, more pain left. I thank God that I was there last night. I was able to connect with God in a way I have not in a while. I am thankful that I was safely able to return home afterwards. I am thankful that my husband showed up only a few minutes after my return. I am so thankful. SO grateful right now…

I was shocked and horrified to read an article my mom sent me about Juanita Bynum and her husband Thomas Weeks. It’s not that the story is so unbelievable, it’s more that the people involved truly shocks me. Juanita Bynum is a strong woman. You could never dare to think that after all she has been through she would ever allow anyone to abuse her.

Truth be told, I have never been a fan of his. He always struck me as odd. Don’t ask me why. Maybe an abused person has woman beater radar or something. I am glad that she had the chance to file charges and get out before she got killed. I looked around for more information and found a good amount of that here. It’s not a rumor, not a joke. Prophetess Bynum even says on her own Myspace page that she is recovering from her injuries and preparing for what God has in store for her bright future.

The kicker for me is that she was so happy to finally have her husband. She waited so long to have the right one. I have said it many times, God can bring you together but it’s up to the individuals in the couple to keep it that way. If he wanted to act a fool, that was HIS decision. Her right was to press charges and get out.

AND HOW DARE HE cop out and blame Satan. Where does he get off? We have free will. He decided to try and beat that woman within an inch of her life, not Satan. Satan can only use the hands we give him. He has no real power unless we empower him. That “preacher” knows that better than most. He is just another black man trying to cop out on his GUILT. Get over yourself. Stop blaming Satan and take the blame for your actions. Your congregation has the wool pulled over their eyes if they think that your copping out is OKAY.

I’m praying for both of them right now.

Technorati Tags: Juanita Bynum, Thomas Weeks

I meant to tell you that I did go to church. Unfortunately, last Sunday and this Sunday I couldn’t. Tomorrow we are going to 2 events and last weekend we were just getting back from Puerto Rico. SO no church since the week before our vacation.

I did enjoy the Baptist church. The people there were warm and friendly. The kid didn’t want to stay very long, but we made it through the whole service. By the end, he was knocked out on my lap. I was hoping that they had children’s church during the service. Being Youth Sunday when I went, I didn’t really expect them to have it anyway. The service was great. The children were mega talented. I love how they define young adults as 34 to 11. HA! That surely includes most of the people in the church. It’s good, though, as that shows they want to include everyone. I felt the service in its entirety.

I am going to try and go again next Sunday before I go on my merry way to Texas.