Is Katrina God's Judgement?

This morning I stopped to get a cup of coffee and I overheard some people sitting at a table talking about hurricane Katrina and how she had done such destruction in New Orleans and in Biloxi, Mississippi. They were discussing how sinful these two cities are and that this was God pronouncing judgment on them. What was especially hard for me to take was the gleeful sounds of their voices and how one of them said, "Those homos and pervs got just what they deserved." Of course, if you know me, I could not leave that alone. I walked over to their table and asked if they all realized what they deserved. One of them spouted, "I guess you are one of them queer loving Democratic liberals." I simply said, "No, I am just a born again Christian who understands that without the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ I would be burning in hell."

I asked those sitting at that table a question that I would pose to anyone reading this blog and ask for your response.
"If God is pronouncing judgement on America, is it the sinner that he is judging, or is it the church, for not fulfilling the mission that Jesus gave to us?"

Think about this. Paul said, "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching?"

It sure is easy to sit in our safe "coffee house" environment and proclaim God's judgment on others who are suffering... but I wonder what we will do when his judgment is on us for being so negligent with this Gospel message we have been intrusted with?

Too Embarrassed to Praise?

It is obvious that there has been a real change over the past few months taking place in Harvest Church. It is actually a little difficult to put into words, but it is almost like an atmospheric change over the house. Divisions seem to be disappearing resulting in a new unity of the sort I have not witnessed since coming here as pastor. One of the most noticeable changes is in the area of worship. There seems to be a fresh wind hitting the house, and people are worshipping more openly and some with reckless abandon. I am not sure if the worship is ushering in the move of God, or if the move of God is inducing the worship; but either way, something is different. Still there are some (a good portion of the church) who just sit and observe, rather than participate. Last night during the worship, I looked out over the people, and I saw probably 40% of the people either sitting or standing and just watching the others worship. I wondered, "Why are they not worshipping too?" Suddenly the Holy Spirit spoke to my heart and said, "They are afraid of doing something which will embarrass themselves." I admonished the people to worship, and a few others did; still most remained in the role of observer.

After the service, I privately spoke to a few individuals and they confirmed that they were afraid to worship because they did not want anyone to laugh at them or think that they were odd. I pointed out first of all that they were admitting that this is a pride issue. They were more concerned with what people thought of them than they were with giving God the praise He deserves. Secondly, I asked them if they realized that they were actually in the minority of people in the house, that most people were in fact worshipping, and that they in fact stand out more for not worshipping than they would if they were participating. Isn't it funny that by not worshipping, they were in fact looking like the odd ones in the group? The devil plays this game with our minds and causes us not to see the obvious. He robs us from the freedom to worship God by telling us we will draw attention to ourselves, when in fact, people notice us more for sitting and not taking an active role in worship.

Church, it is time to stop letting the enemy of our souls put chains around us that not only rob us of the freedom and joy that our Lord wants us to live in, but those chains are also stealing the praise that our God deserves! You have no doubt heard me say this before, but it is well worth repeating. "You will never do in the church house what you are not accustomed to doing at home." What I mean by that is that you need to start worshipping God daily in your homes, in your car and where ever you go. If you are one who is too embarrassed to worship in public... start out by worshipping at home. Take time each day in the privacy of your home to praise the Lord. Put on some praise and worship music and just worship the King of Kings. Begin to lift your hands, speak of His goodness and give Him praise. Dance before the Lord. Before long, you will discover that it comes natural, because you were created for this!
A commercial from years ago said, "Try it... you'll like it!" Can I challenge you today to try praising the Lord... I promise you, you will like it. More importantly, our God will like it!