Posts tagged ‘bible’
Functioning as a unified whole
Wayne GrudemSystematic Theology
Paul says that “to lead a life worth of the calling to which you have been called” (Ephesians 4:1) is to live in a special way in community – “with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2-3).
When that happens, the body of Christ functions as a unified whole, with each part “working properly,” so that corporate sanctification occurs as it “makes bodily growth and upbuilds itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16, cf. 1 Corinthians 12:12-26, Galatians 6:1-2).
It is significant that the fruit of the Spirit includes many things that build community (“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control,” Galatians 5:22-23), whereas “the works of the flesh” destroy community (“fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness, dissension, party spirit, envy, drunkenness, carousing, and the like,” Galatians 5:19-21).
~Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology
© 2011, Peter Park. All rights reserved.
The Bible says…
One of my biggest frustrations is when people in the church say things like, “The bible says…” or “This is part of the gospel message.” It’s frustrating because there’s a disconnect between what they’re actually saying and what Scripture might actually be saying.
For example, issues like abortion and sex trafficking are things we should be concerned about. But when we simply talk about them on the basis of right and wrong there’s disconnect when that person is trying to cast a vision for it to other church members, isn’t there?
I believe God really does care about those issues and wants the Church to care about those things, but we must connect them with Scripture. Where in Scripture does God talk about those kinds of issues?
I believe when the Church talks through these issues with Scripture and prayer in a safe environment God can do some awesome things. I believe God can urge the Church in a united effort.
The call for discipleship
I take my role as the worship director at our church very seriously. As such, some of the things that I try to convey to the team are a solid biblical foundation and prayer….and then we can talk about their gifts.
I come back to Matthew 28:19 which says:
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Notice the word “disciples” in the passage. Being a disciple requires us to have discipline. And having discipline means adhering to the teachings of Christ and His word.
This also means commitment and obedience to God and the things He has put into place.
What am I saying?
Discipleship is going to be very important when you’re part of a multicultural church. People come from so many different walks of life and ethnicities that we need to have leaders equipped to teach and shepherd them in God’s word and create a safe place to encourage one another through Scripture.
Question for you
What do you think about what I’ve talked about here?
Blog post by Peter Kihyun Park
© 2011, Peter Park. All rights reserved.
A must read book for multicultural worship ministry
I remember when I started in multicultural worship ministry in 2005 I was searching all over the place to find books to encourage me in my journey. I’ve been blessed by United by Faith, Let the Nations be Glad, Foreign to Familiar, and many others.
(All of my recommendations can be found on Amazon.com.)
However, the book that has had the most impact in my life, especially as I get more involved with multicultural worship ministry is the BIBLE.
God’s Word has insight into what multicultural worship is about. God’s Word is full of stories and people from different backgrounds, ethnicities, gender, and social status. God’s Word is what will make the biggest impact in the multicultural worship movement.
I’m not saying you can’t read those other books because we need encouragement and wisdom from other believers. However, I have seen God make the biggest impact on our worship team when we’ve studied the Word together.
In the past year I’ve tried to go through two different books with the team. Both times I felt like it left us with more questions than answers. Not that this is a bad thing, but again, I saw the team grow the most when we went through the Bible together.
Remember, the reason why we’re pursuing a multicultural church and worshiping together with people of all nations is because it’s at the heart of God, which is found in His Word and in prayer. We just need to awaken to that truth by allowing the Holy Spirit to guide us as we journey together.
Blog post by Peter Kihyun Park
© 2011, Peter Park. All rights reserved.