Redemption Boulevard A Multicultural Worship Ministry » conviction

The Lord’s purpose has not changed

Peter Park — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 13:00:23 +0000

It’s that time of year when people, churches, and ministries take some time to think about what our next steps are. I have to say that it’s hard not to think that way when so many people are making resolutions this time of year.

But I’m reminded of Proverbs 19:21, which says:

You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.

What is that purpose? It’s for God to bring more glory unto Himself. And guess what? We get to play a part in giving glory to God and boasting in Him.

For those of us very passionate and who have a burning conviction for multicultural worship/church I want to encourage you to keep that in mind as you rethink some goals, policies, procedures, songs, etc. I believe this is what will play a major role in sustaining us for another year of ministry…to give glory to God.

When we live out the message of reconciliation through our Church, our relationships, through music, through art, through serving…shouldn’t we keep the Lord’s purpose in mind?

To give glory to God.

1 Corinthians 10:17 encourages us in this way:

As the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord.”

Why do we do what we do?

I hope all of this really encourages you to think about WHY you’re working so hard to do ministry in multicultural worship, as a worship leader.

So, why are you?

Blog post by Peter Kihyun Park

What is your purpose on Earth?

Do I have to change who I am?

Peter Park — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 12:00:26 +0000

I think sometimes in multicultural ministry we ask this question:
Do I have to change who I am?

It’s a question that comes up because we start hearing all sorts of different things about how…

1. We need to give up our preferences
2. We need to sing a song in a certain style
3. We need certain instruments to make sure the music sounds real authentic
4. We need certain ethnicities on our leadership team

And, absolutely these are important things to do in multicultural ministry.

But we need to back up a little bit and ask this question:
Have I made a commitment to the things of God?

That commitment to Christ requires that I be obedient to the things of the Lord. It requires that I give up my preferences. It requires that I live outside my comfort zone.

Romans 12:1-2 says:

¹ I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. ² Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

So, the simple answer to the question…Do I have to change who I am?…is yes. However, we need to understand what we are changing into and why.

This will also help you discern whether multicultural worship is truly a conviction for you or not. I pray it will be.

Blog post by Peter Kihyun Park

Why are we on the pursuit to be an authentic community?

Peter Park — Tue, 10 May 2011 12:00:23 +0000

In a recent conversation with some friends we had a discussion about what it meant to be an authentic community. A lot of great ideas of what that might look like were passed around. Some people even shared their personal needs from an authentic worshiping community.

One of the conclusions that we came to was that being in an authentic/diverse/honest community requires that we be vulnerable/intentional/willing. But I needed to this question:

Do I want to know the Will of God?

I felt I needed to ask myself this question because I needed to have a good motivation for seeking to be part of an authentic worshiping community. I needed to ask myself if this was a conviction.

I believe many of the ideas that were shared in our discussion resonated with me because it’s what God intended and I find evidence of that in God’s Word.

I think it’s important that whatever we are pursuing in the name of Christ to ask hard questions, especially “Why?“ This will give us better perspective on our motivations and, if needed, correction from the Holy Spirit and the worshiping community itself.

I can’t tell you the number of times that I pursued something for Christ only to have it fall apart because, I believe in large part, of wrong motivations.

For example, I pursued a staff worship position at the age of 19 yrs. old. Yes, I felt God’s call to pursue that someday, but my heart was in the wrong place. I was really after the title and respect.

It took almost ten years since that time to actually be called to a church to lead worship, but I understand that it’s for God’s glory that I’m there…not for personal glory.

James 4:3 says:

And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.

So let me ask you…

Why is it important for you to be part of an authentic worshiping community? Explain.

Blog post by Peter Kihyun Park