God Arises

God arises. His enemies scatter, and those who hate Him flee from His presence.

-Psalm 68:1

Do you see God arising?  We pray, “God arises!”, as a declarative prayer.  He is arising, and we bless what we see the Father doing (John 5:19) just like Jesus.

“God arises”, is a statement of truth; like saying, “God is on the move”.  We are not petitioning God to come, but we see that he is already here.  We are announcing that God is here, so that we can do something.

We see and do.  We do not just see and enjoy the sight, nor do we just see and learn, all in the thinking realm.  Real learning is in the participation.

I declare, “God arises”.  Do you see?  I will help you see if you do not see God arising.

Can you see, can you hear, and can you sense God arising?   If so, what do we do?

When we see God arising, we:

1. Repent.  Jesus message was not to accept him into your heart as your personal savior.  Jesus message was not to believe in the cross and what he did (would do) there.  Jesus message was, “Repent: for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”.  To repent means to change, to change your mind, to change your purpose, to change your direction.  God does not give a catalog of sins we should stop doing, because ‘sin management’ has never been the message or God’s way.  Repent also means ‘reform’: Reform or die.  You must change and re-purpose your life or you will die: you are signing off on your death notice.  Many people are the living dead, because they refuse to repent when the call to do so has been given clearly.
2. Get out of the way.  There is a dance that reverences participating with God and in God, without ever taking God’s place of headship.  Jesus modeled how to be submissive to Father’s lead and rely upon the power of the Spirit.  He is the model for how to live and the only way to live.
3. Join in on what God is doing.  We get to participate with God in what God is doing in the earth.  We are co-missioned into God’s mission.  He calls us child, friend, and slave; and we get to learn how to enjoy life in those three roles or dimensions with God.  Jesus gives us authority and we need to know what it is and how it works and our responsibilities for and how we use our authority.

When God arises he gets himself between you and his enemies.  When God comes into a situation his enemies are exposed and must flee.  Selfishness and sinfulness in people will not stand or live in God’s presence either.

Every person that Jesus encountered, during his years of ministry, after he left the family’s business; had issues that came up, that Jesus had a word for, a key to help then unravel from selfishness, hopelessness, delusions, or misconceptions.  This same Jesus who preached the general “Repent!” message to all, had helpful counsel and instructions for individuals.  So, God calls us all to repent and he also has compassionate, loving, care filled counsel and instruction for us as individuals.

When God arises we do not want to delude ourselves to think, “God is on our side”.  It does not work that way, because “Repent” means that we all surrender to being on God’s side, realizing that God is the king and we are all his subjects.  Some people have not realized this or taken action to bow to the king yet.

If you have surrendered and have become a subject and child of the king, it means you are in the kingdom and under and on the side of the king.  The only other side is the side of God’s enemies.  People are either with God or with God’s enemies, even if they don’t know it.  When God arises, the enemy is exposed and must flee and the peoples who are not in the kingdom, under the king, but have been captives in the enemy’s kingdom, get to be delivered or set free.

And when God comes, people get to choose if they are in or out, get free and become king’s kids, or stay in bondage.

I declare, let God rise up!  God arises!  Up with God!

____________________________________________

-This post was previously published on 8/2/16

Honeycomb

Your lips drip sweetness like the honeycomb, my bride. Honey and milk are under your tongue. The fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon.

-Song of Solomon 4:11

Jesus sees his bride as the most loving force, of people, on the earth.  We have Christ and his words of life.  We have his love in our hearts to share with others, including people who hate us.

We speak well of people who are after us or have it in for us.  We say nice things about people who have us in their sights for ill will.  We have nothing but good things to say about them.

When people curse us, we love them with God’s love.  It is like we make an internal turn and let God love them through us, rather than curse back.  That is fundamental to the Christian life.

Our words and what we say out loud and in prayers, are perhaps our greatest tool for goodness and our greatest weapon against darkness.  If our enemy can get us to speak bad words against other people, we have been defeated and taken out.

We are not be be surprised when we are insulted, cursed or maligned.  We should not be surprised if everyone does not like us, and when otherwise nice people do not like us.

In fact, the further you go with Jesus, the better chance that otherwise upstanding people will call you “crazy” or a heretic or evil.  This has been what has been happening to Christ-followers since day one.  

It is hurtful when other Christians curse us and sometimes it is even members of our own families.  But Jesus warned us that this would happen.

The bride of Christ is a prophetic people who speak prophetic words.  The words of God that we speak, are prophetic words of how God sees people.  These words are not flattery, but a foretelling of what a person can truly be, in God’s eyes.

We speak loving words that say what God says people could be or were created or destined to be, if they will.  The bride of Christ is the mouth of God in the world today.  We preach the good news, the gospel of Christ everywhere we go and by the words we speak.

This has always been God’s plan, to have a prophetic, preaching people; who speak for Him in the world, to give the world the opportunity or invitation to be saved.

With our lips, we speak, breathe, eat and kiss.  If your lips drip with honey, it means you have been in contact with honey, with the sweet honey.  We have sweet words because we have been in contact with the sweetness of Christ.

I am and we are like a honeycomb, because God has said we are, and made us to be this way, in Christ.  Sweet words come from the well of Christ within us.  Sweet lips have been touched by the sweetness of Christ.

The bride who is kissed by Christ has sanctified lips that are sweet to the bridegroom.  How we speak and what we speak is a reflection of the affection that God has for us.  The bride of Christ is a people who bless and speak well of others, with words that build up, encourage and comfort.

The bride of Christ is lovely.  The bride reflects the love of the bride groom.  He says that we have sweet lips, that are like honeycombs.

Jesus loves people.  Those who become his bride are lovely to him.  And those who are his, who are his bride, will love people too.

Our hearts are captured with the love of Christ.  We love people the way he does.  We speak blessings with our lips, to people.

Amen.

————————————–

Here is a song, called Honeycomb, by Jimmie Rodgers:

Happy Days Are Here, Again

Happy days are here, again.  We are in a new season.  A road is opening up.

We are in a time of God’s favor.  We do not have to wait any longer for the new time.  It is here.    

God is doing turnarounds in the lives of people.  What people have been waiting for, saying, “how long oh Lord?”, is happening.  Authentic desires, requests and dreams that have seemed impossible are happening right now.

Optimism is overcoming pessimism.  Belief, trust and hope will drown out cynicism.  Mourning will give way to dancing.

Dreams are coming true.  There is an open invitation being given, for a happier life.

From 2 Corinthians and Isaiah 49:

Working together with Him, we also appeal to you, “Don’t receive God’s grace in vain.” For He says:

I heard you in an acceptable time,
and I helped you in the day of salvation.
Look, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation.

This is what the Lord says:

I will answer you in a time of favor,
and I will help you in the day of salvation.
I will keep you, and I will appoint you
to be a covenant for the people,
to restore the land,
to make them possess the desolate inheritances,
saying to the prisoners: Come out,
and to those who are in darkness: Show yourselves.
They will feed along the pathways,
and their pastures will be on all the barren heights.
They will not hunger or thirst,
the scorching heat or sun will not strike them;
for their compassionate One will guide them,
and lead them to springs of water.
I will make all My mountains into a road,
and My highways will be raised up.
See, these will come from far away,
from the north and from the west,
and from the land of Sinim.

Shout for joy, you heavens!
Earth, rejoice!
Mountains break into joyful shouts!
For the Lord has comforted His people,
and will have compassion on His afflicted ones.
-2 Corinthians 6:2, Isaiah 49:8-13

We are in a time of favor.  But some of us, and that may even be the vast majority of us, have not recognized this.  We are still shaking off the old season.

It does not work to act like it is winter when it is spring, nor summer when it is fall.  We are going to be like bear cubs, who were born during hibernation, who are awakening to a whole new life.

Some us are afraid of the new time, because we are so full of disappointment, from the old season, that we are afraid of being permanently passed over.

God is saying to us, “I have never forgotten you.  I have never stopped loving you.  I have been with you through all the suffering.  Your sorrow has been befor me all along.  Do not worry.  Continue to grow in trust.”

Take a look at the next three verses, in Isaiah 49:

Zion says, “The Lord has abandoned me;
The Lord has forgotten me!”
“Can a woman forget her nursing child,
or lack compassion for the child of her womb?
Even if these forget,
yet I will not forget you.
Look, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands;
your walls are continually before Me.
-Isaiah 49:14-16

We are realizing that God has been with us in unhappiness.  He never turned away.  This process or realization is like a catapult.

The more I know that God has been good to me, the more that I can enjoy Him and what He has for me in times going forward.  If I do not know that God has been with me in the desert, I will not know how to walk and receive and lay hold of the life God has for me in the land of promises fulfilled.

Happy days are here, again.  A time of favor is here, again.

Be consoled.  Your dreams are not cancelled.  Your prize or reward has always been God’s love.

See your life in God’s hands.  What will God do?

Now is The Time for Words of Grace

No foul language is to come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.

-Ephesians 4:29

We live in a time of corrupt, foul and unwholesome words.  In the world of non-believers, ‘trash-talking’ is commonplace, ‘par for the course’ and ‘normal’.  Believers know better.  And when we do engage in putrid, rotten speech, we apologize.

We, who are all called to be saints, do the opposite of what the worlds does; with our words.  We speak only words that are good words.  We speak what is good to others, for building them up.

In this time, in this climate of rotten words, we will speak with words of grace.

In the world, they tear each other down with their words to one another.  Christians, in contrast, build people up, with their words.

We see and hear what others need.  Then we speak words to people, that build them up, according to that need.  We are encouragers, blessing givers and word of grace speakers.

Everything about us is built on grace.  We are saved by grace and we live by grace.  We also speak in gracious ways.

We speak the language of grace.  We speak gracious words.  We speak words of grace to others, for their building up.

There is a stark contrast of how a believer in Christ functions and how someone who does not know Christ behaves.

In this time, in this climate of rotten words, we will speak with words of grace: To one another and to those we meet.

God Arises

God arises. His enemies scatter, and those who hate Him flee from His presence.

-Psalm 68:1

Do you see God arising?  We pray, “God arises!”, as a declarative prayer.  He is arising, and we bless what we see the Father doing (John 5:19) just like Jesus.

“God arises”, is a statement of truth; like saying, “God is on the move”.  We are not petitioning God to come, but we see that he is already here.  We are announcing that God is here, so that we can do something.

We see and do.  We do not just see and enjoy the sight, nor do we just see and learn, all in the thinking realm.  Real learning is in the participation.  

I declare, “God arises”.  Do you see?  I will help you see if you do not see God arising.

Can you see, can you hear, and can you sense God arising?   If so, what do we do?

When we see God arising, we:

1. Repent.  Jesus message was not to accept him into your heart as your personal savior.  Jesus message was not to believe in the cross and what he did (would do) there.  Jesus message was, “Repent: for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”.  To repent means to change, to change your mind, to change your purpose, to change your direction.  God does not give a catalog of sins we should stop doing, because ‘sin management’ has never been the message or God’s way.  Repent also means ‘reform’: Reform or die.  You must change and re-purpose your life or you will die: you are signing off on your death notice.  Many people are the living dead, because they refuse to repent when the call to do so has been given clearly.
2. Get out of the way.  There is a dance that reverences participating with God and in God, without ever taking God’s place of headship.  Jesus modeled how to be submissive to Father’s lead and rely upon the power of the Spirit.  He is the model for how to live and the only way to live.
3. Join in on what God is doing.  We get to participate with God in what God is doing in the earth.  We are co-missioned into God’s mission.  He calls us child, friend, and slave; and we get to learn how to enjoy life in those three roles or dimensions with God.  Jesus gives us authority and we need to know what it is and how it works and our responsibilities for and how we use our authority.

When God arises he gets himself between you and his enemies.  When God comes into a situation his enemies are exposed and must flee.  Selfishness and sinfulness in people will not stand or live in God’s presence either.

Every person that Jesus encountered, during his years of ministry, after he left the family’s business; had issues that came up, that Jesus had a word for, a key to help then unravel from selfishness, hopelessness, delusions, or misconceptions.  This same Jesus who preached the general “Repent!” message to all, had helpful counsel and instructions for individuals.  So, God calls us all to repent and he also has compassionate, loving, care filled counsel and instruction for us as individuals.

When God arises we do not want to delude ourselves to think, “God is on our side”.  It does not work that way, because “Repent” means that we all surrender to being on God’s side, realizing that God is the king and we are all his subjects.  Some people have not realized this or taken action to bow to the king yet.

If you have surrendered and have become a subject and child of the king, it means you are in the kingdom and under and on the side of the king.  The only other side is the side of God’s enemies.  People are either with God or with God’s enemies, even if they don’t know it.  When God arises, the enemy is exposed and must flee and the peoples who are not in the kingdom, under the king, but have been captives in the enemy’s kingdom, get to be delivered or set free.

And when God comes, people get to choose if they are in or out, get free and become king’s kids, or stay in bondage.

I declare, let God rise up!  God arises!  Up with God!

Complaining To God Is Good

God, hear my voice when I complain.

-Psalm 64:1a

Photo: Pixabay

Did you know that complaining to God is good?  You might think complaining is bad, as in saying, “stop complaining”, to someone.  You might think that complaining to God is sinful, that it is wrong to complain.

It is a huge insight to get, that God wants to hear your complaint.  It would actually be strange if God said he did not want to hear our complaints and had a ‘no complaining’ policy.  It is a mistake and a missed opportunity when we do not go to God with our complaints.

Complaining goes hand in hand with lamenting.  Lament means grieve, mourn, and sadness.  God wants to hear our heart, whatever it’s state.  Turn to God with your complaints and lament.

When we complain, we tell God the problem.  David wrote a song that starts off with, “God hear my voice when I complain”, and his problem was the terror, the dread, the threat, and the fear of the enemy.  When we are under attack, we don’t go into denial, but call out to God; in song, in worship.

We say to God that this is happening, I hurt a lot about this, and I am deeply grieved about this; and we might request God’s help or intervention.  Then, we tell God that we praise and worship him no matter what.  We go into intimacy (into-me-see) with God, being honest and sharing what is in our heart.

Out of that interaction, we worship.  Worship is putting God above everything.  When we air our complaint or express our lament, we come to God with our problems or needs and are completely transparent about our pain; and then put God and his love above it all.

We bring our red wagon of requests, trouble, or grief with us to the throne and worship.

The mistake is to say, “I am in so much pain or in so much trouble or need, that I just can not worship”.  That thought mistakes worship only with happy times, happy feelings.  Worship is not just praising God for the good, but also saying “though” and “yet”:  “Though I have these bad things and I ask you for help with them”, or, “Though I am in mourning, grief, or very painful circumstances, yet I will worship you”.

Another thing is that complaining is different from criticizing or judging.  Criticizing or judging God is wrong, is sin.  Complaining about your situation is completely different.

Complaining is transparent, honest, and humble.  We hurt or experience injustice, we have a problem like threats or terror or fear from the enemy, and we complain to God.  That is good and we need to voice these and tell God what we want and come to him as we are his children.

In life, we get angry.  If we react by criticizing God or others, by blaming God or others, or by standing in judgement of God or others, we are in trouble, are are headed for bondage.  When we get angry, we need to pour out our complaint before and to God, and not go to criticism, blame, and judgement.

Complaining (the complaint to God) is good and a must.  When life hands us hurt, sadness, anxiety, shame, or guilt; we often feel anger.  But beneath the anger is the loss, the hurt, sadness, anxiety, shame, or guilt.

When we feel anger, but deny the loss or hurt, and do not take the pain to God, but instead go into criticism and blame; we become disconnected from our authentic selves, others, and God.  And this is why complaining and lamenting to God is so important.  Good counselors help people to bring their complaints before God and release forgiveness and become free from the bondage created by freezing anger into criticism and blame and judgement

So, pouring out your complaints to God and expressing lament is good spiritual hygiene.  You may think it sounds silly to sing to God or recite the poem of your life right now, that contains words of mourning, grief, sadness, hurt, fear, anxiety, or shame.  But that is exactly what we are called to do, as God’s children.

Consider the fact that God already sees and by telling him, you are letting him know, know you, from your end, and you get to receive more grace and love from him.  When you do not tell God something that is on your heart, you are deliberately disconnecting yourself or that part of your self from the one who loves you, and from your authentic self that is connected to God.  The healthy, normal flow is for no disconnects and open communion.

Less Words

When there are many words, sin is unavoidable, but the one who controls his lips is wise.

-Proverbs 10:19

Photo: Pixabay

You can not think and talk at the same time.  We think and then speak.  If someone continues to talk, without thinking, their words are hollow and shallow; not thoughtful.

When you talk, before thinking, before weighing your words, without consideration; you are in danger of being in deception; a deceiver who deceives and propagates deception.  Over-talkers  who are under-thinkers are time wasting stinkers.

Talk without thought is just opinion or gossip.  Much of the time, we just gossip and give opinions.  Thoughtful talk is when we talk about divine principles or the Divine and our lives.

Here are a few examples of thoughtful topics that relate to divine principles:

• God is love, and how that impacts my life, today.
• Jesus loves me this I know, or that I don’t really know Jesus’ love, today.
• What I am afraid of, today.
• What I hope for, today.
• My anger and my forgiveness, today.
• God’s revelation of who he is to me, today.

What if people did not need to give their opinion or gossip so much in conversation?

Photo: Pixabay

What if we all talked less and listened more?

What if we left room for others to talk and for God to move, rather than having to compete or control?

What if we did not need to be the answer person, but instead helped others learn what the answers are and admitted that you don’t know everything?

What if we chose not to think about what we are going to say next, while the other person is speaking?

What if we just listen, as an act of love, and make sure we do our best to get it, before we share respond?

__________________________
Bibliography:

The Homilist; or, The pulpit for the people, conducted by D. Thomas. Vol. 1; p 226

Sand Well

Isaac dug out again the wells that were dug during the lifetime of his father Abraham. The Philistines had closed them up after Abraham’s death. Isaac gave them the same names his father had given them. Isaac’s servants dug wells in the valley and found a well there with fresh water.

-Genesis 26:18-19

Water gives life and we can not have life without water.  We take our water for granted most of the time, but to get the water is hard work, and that is part of why we get a water bill each moth.

Some people still have wells that they depend on and must maintain.  One thing that happens to wells is sand in the well water.  It must be filtered or the faucets and appliances get clogged and the water will not flow.  

Imagine that you had a well on your property that stopped flowing so long ago that you even forgot that it was there.  Perhaps it stopped flowing during your father’s lifetime, when you were little, and buying water from others is the only life you have known.  You now have a water pipe from your local municipality, that you pay for, to get your water, and you sometimes buy bottled water at the store.

Imagine that, not only are you paying for water, but the well water on your property has minerals in it that are very beneficial to anyone that drinks it.  Everything encourages you to look the other way and not remember that the well, your well, your family’s well is there; in your back yard.

Now, keep this picture of wells in your mind and think about the idea of inheritance.  God invented it.  We each have one and our families have them, as well as the tribes we belong to.  There is inheritance to be procured on all those levels.  There is gold in them there hills.

Much of our inheritances have been lost, stolen, or hidden; for many reasons.  God wants us to find our inheritances.  That is the green light.  All we have to do is some action.  Our actions are seeking and searching.  If you find something, it is because you searched, you went out and looked for it.  You searched because you desired what you wanted to find.

We have to get it that there is more, from God, and then seek it.  We might seek the well of God’s inheritance and find it.  We might also have to clean out a well that we find.  We might have to guard that well from the enemy.

Contrapunctus – Counterpoint – Singing Your Part

We have many parts in one body, but the parts don’t all have the same function.  In the same way, though there are many of us, we are one body in Christ, and individually we belong to each other.  We have different gifts that are consistent with God’s grace that has been given to us.
-Romans 12:4-6a

Did you know that you are music that is meant to be sung?  Did you know that your life contains a specific gift or destiny for you to uniquely minister or serve?

God has a creative voice that speaks out into every place.  God has also given each person a creative gift or voice.  When we express our gift, sing with our voice, or operate in our special gift, we voice something that is interdependent harmonically, but independent in rhythm and contour.

Interdependent means that you are aware of others, you take your turn, and you are a team player.  Independent means that you have your own goals you are going for, you express your uniqueness, and maintain your individuality.

Contrapunctus means, “melodic material that is added above or below an existing melody”.  Contrapunctus is Latin for counterpoint.  It also means, “the technique of combining two or more melodic lines in such a way that they establish a harmonic relationship while retaining their linear individuality.”

I believe that God designed us to harmonize with individual voices.  In other words, we all sing the song of Christ, but express different aspects of him.  Our voices sound different, our rhythm might be different, and that through which our sound comes may look different; yet we are all in harmony and unity.

Unity is not uniformity.  Choirs, bands, and orchestras; by definition, have sections that sing or have different notes, while harmonizing with the whole. 

Contrapuntal, counterpoint, or polyphony is when you have two or more melodies or parts going at the same time, that are different, yet complementary or harmonious; involving juxtaposition and contrast.  I believe that this is God’s plan or how God does it.  Music is made when voices sing together and complimentarily.  Music is rich when different voices are heard,

____________
Art credit:  Escher print

Church Like A Soiree

He has brought me to the house of wine (banqueting house or hall);
his banner raised over me is love.
-Song of Solomon 2:4

Soiree:
“An evening party or gathering, typically in a private house, for conversation or music.”

Celebrations, Parties, and Feasts

The Jewish culture is filled with celebrations that are like family reunions or mega block parties and there are ten of these every year, called the feasts.  Yes, God invented feasting.

If God instituted these feasts, it tells you something about what is good for God’s people.  When we party, we have enjoyment before God and with people.  It is that simple.

A soiree is in the evening (soir means evening), is typically at a private house, and it is for conversation or music.  Why the party (soiree)?  For conversation.  Why the conversation?  So people get to know each other?  Why?  We need people.  We all need to belong.  No one is an island, even if they act like it.

The Kingdom of God, as one author put it, is a party.

By the way, if most of this seems like, “duh”, common sense; I am writing this for myself and the minority of people who don’t get it.   If you have recently become a Christian, you probably know the feeling of celebration.  I personally, was raised in a Christian family, but chose to go my own way after high school and was a rebel and a prodigal son.  Through God’s amazing love, I was brought back to walking with Father, no-holds-barred.  Having gone away and come back, my life was a jaw-dropping celebration in God’s love.  My life was a celebration and conversation.

Celebration Services

Why do Christians gather in the greater gatherings?  To celebrate!  Many folks might think we gather to be taught, or to take holy communion (The Lord’s Supper, The Eucharist).  These are good things that are important.

But when you see Jesus, when you get saved, when you receive the love of God; what is the one thing you want to do more than anything else?  CELEBRATE!

Throw Parties

Think about it, in the parable of the two sons, sometimes called the parable of the prodigal son; when the prodigal son returned, what did his father do?  He threw a huge party!  He did not get out his scrolls and have a Bible study.  He did not gather everyone and give them a sermon.

Living Epistles Need To Testify

Do you understand that our lives are sermons, test-i-monies?  When did you last hear someone give their testimony.  Wasn’t it wonderful?  We are living epistles.  We are witnesses who testify.  Members of the body, telling of the wonders of God in their lives; that is the authentic Church.  That is what is supposed to happen when the church gathers.  The body of Christ comes alive and all the parts take part.  That’s church, that’s ecclesia.

The church should have soiree’s regularly.

Again, a soiree is an evening party or gathering, typically in a private house, for conversation or music.

Evening

Evening means it is the last activity of your day, before bedtime.  You are not pre-occupied with the next task after this gathering like lunch, shopping, or chores.  Evening also implies dressing up a bit: an evening gown, or evening attire.  These are not mandatory, but enjoyable.  There is something also different that is enjoyable about evening time.  Moonlight, candlelight, or festive lights outdoors.

Party

Party means celebration.  What are you celebrating?  As I said earlier, God created celebration and parties.  Like everything, the world has corrupted what is good.  Christ comes into our lives a renews us.  God’s people should be the ones who really know how to party, how to laugh, how to love, and how to be hospitable.

Hospitality

Soiree’s are gatherings that are typically in homes.  We Christians have gatherings, like teas, pot-lucks, harvest celebration parties, and picnics; in or around our church buildings; and that is good.  But soiree’s are in homes, usually.

Why in homes and what difference does that make?  When we have people into our homes, we are showing hospitality.  Some people think that hospitality is a spiritual gift that only a select few Christians have, but that is not true.  All Christians are commanded to be hospitable (Romans 12:13, 1 Peter 4:9).  It is also interesting that being hospitable (opening your home) is placed before being able to teach, as a qualification for elders (1 Timothy 3:2).

Hospitality also involves food.  Eating is in the Bible, from cover to cover.  Food facilitates fellowship.

Conversation

Soiree’s are for conversation.  We need to converse.  We each need to know each other and be known by each other.  God designed us like this.  The case could be made that the Christian life is done together.  We have many conversations where belonging is nurtured and growing occurs.  Learning occurs mainly in conversations.

Music

We gather or party to have conversation or for music.  Two things we do with music at a party or gathering are to listen to music and enjoy it, or we dance to music together and enjoy it.

Expression through Music

Music is a universal form of expression.  Christians, who are indwelt by God, are the most creative people on the planet.  Expression of worship, praise, lament, and poetic observation come through music.  Music at your soiree may be a small combo, a singer with one instrument, a harpist. a flute, or percussive instruments; just to name some examples.  People may read poetry also and display art.

Joy

How are you doing with joy?  How are you doing with expressing your joy through music and dance?  Did you know that you can worship the Lord through dancing?  If you wear a robe or a suit, you may have to take off that robe or that suit jacket, if you are a man.

Church like a Soiree

Take back the night.  Take back celebration, parties, and gatherings called Soiree’s.  What if life in heaven was closer to a soiree, as I have described it, than your average church service?  Remember when Jesus said to pray, “on earth as it is in heaven”?  Did you know that they celebrate in heaven when one of us down here repents (Luke 15:7)?

What if the blueprint for how to do church is already written in the NT and it boils down to gathering together for conversation and music, with food, at someones house?  We have communion together.  We listen to one another’s artistry in music and we might enter in to worship of the King, in a natural way, like breathing heaven’s air.

A new believer may get baptized as well and publicly acknowledge their new found faith in Christ.  Do you believe in natural, home births?  I’m glad we have hospitals and doctors, for when it is the exceptional, difficult birth.  Some people make new-birth very difficult, when the actual hard part was accomplished by Jesus.

I already mentioned that we may worship together to simple melodies shared by musicians or poets at the soiree gathering.  In our conversations, needs for prayer may come up, and right there, we will pray for one another, in a natural way.

It’s that simple.