Key Verses:
"And some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
(Acts 15:1)
Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses."
(Acts 15:5)
Central Truth:
Despite all of our differences, the only distinction that God makes is the distinction of faith: do you believe in Jesus?
CHRISTIAN TRADITION
Basically the Pharisees was telling the Gentiles, “unless you join our club and participate in our ceremonies and abide by our rules you cannot be saved. This is our Christian tradition.”
Have you ever experienced this type of “welcome” when trying to join a group or organization or perhaps even looking for a new church home? Connie and I have. We visited a couple of churches where we felt that the way we dressed, how we acted, who we knew, etc…was far more important than our desire to find a place to worship and better know God. Thank God we found Piedmont!
A perceived problem today in many churches is the debate over “Traditional vs. Contemporary” church services. The trend towards “contemporary” services continues to see more and more churches adopting its style of music and, in many cases, its form of dress and presentation. Still, many churches are quite satisfied staying with their “traditional” service, and others are just adopting two services in an attempt to satisfy everyone.
Perhaps the option of worship style is really not a problem as much as it may be an opportunity for growth by reaching out to a larger number of people seeking Christ. I believe that the Church will never please everyone; however, if the church demonstrates sincerity and faith, it can help others to find theirs. I also believe that God makes no distinction in the manner in which we worship: I can only imagine that the only distinction that God makes is between those who has faith in Him and those who do not. Our style of worship is our personal preference, and we should understand that coming to Jesus, accepting Him fully, and participating as a partner of the church is far more important than the form of worship - as long as it doesn’t compromise the word of God.
With all of that said, Connie and I love the “contemporary” service. We particularly love it for what we feel is energetic and spiritually uplifting music. Connie will tell you that I have always enjoyed loud music. The difference now is that my music preference has changed from Southern Rock i.e., Allman Brothers, Lynard Skynard, Stevie Ray Vaughn etc., for Contemporary Christian music i.e., Casting Crowns, Toby Mac, and MercyMe.
As I stated above; “I can only imagine the only distinction that God makes is between those who have faith in Him and those who do not.” This reminds me of the chorus of one of my favorite songs by MercyMe: "I Can Only Imagine."
Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! I can only imagine !
What will you do when you are standing in awe before Jesus?
So play and sing it loud, Gregg, Amanda, Katie and Praise Team! You know that Connie and I will be clapping, singing and Praising God.
"And some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
(Acts 15:1)
Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the Law of Moses."
(Acts 15:5)
Central Truth:
Despite all of our differences, the only distinction that God makes is the distinction of faith: do you believe in Jesus?
CHRISTIAN TRADITION
Basically the Pharisees was telling the Gentiles, “unless you join our club and participate in our ceremonies and abide by our rules you cannot be saved. This is our Christian tradition.”
Have you ever experienced this type of “welcome” when trying to join a group or organization or perhaps even looking for a new church home? Connie and I have. We visited a couple of churches where we felt that the way we dressed, how we acted, who we knew, etc…was far more important than our desire to find a place to worship and better know God. Thank God we found Piedmont!
A perceived problem today in many churches is the debate over “Traditional vs. Contemporary” church services. The trend towards “contemporary” services continues to see more and more churches adopting its style of music and, in many cases, its form of dress and presentation. Still, many churches are quite satisfied staying with their “traditional” service, and others are just adopting two services in an attempt to satisfy everyone.
Perhaps the option of worship style is really not a problem as much as it may be an opportunity for growth by reaching out to a larger number of people seeking Christ. I believe that the Church will never please everyone; however, if the church demonstrates sincerity and faith, it can help others to find theirs. I also believe that God makes no distinction in the manner in which we worship: I can only imagine that the only distinction that God makes is between those who has faith in Him and those who do not. Our style of worship is our personal preference, and we should understand that coming to Jesus, accepting Him fully, and participating as a partner of the church is far more important than the form of worship - as long as it doesn’t compromise the word of God.
With all of that said, Connie and I love the “contemporary” service. We particularly love it for what we feel is energetic and spiritually uplifting music. Connie will tell you that I have always enjoyed loud music. The difference now is that my music preference has changed from Southern Rock i.e., Allman Brothers, Lynard Skynard, Stevie Ray Vaughn etc., for Contemporary Christian music i.e., Casting Crowns, Toby Mac, and MercyMe.
As I stated above; “I can only imagine the only distinction that God makes is between those who have faith in Him and those who do not.” This reminds me of the chorus of one of my favorite songs by MercyMe: "I Can Only Imagine."
Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel?
Will I dance for you, Jesus? Or in awe of You, be still?
Will I stand in Your presence, or to my knees will I fall?
Will I sing 'Hallelujah!'? Will I be able to speak at all?
I can only imagine! I can only imagine !
What will you do when you are standing in awe before Jesus?
So play and sing it loud, Gregg, Amanda, Katie and Praise Team! You know that Connie and I will be clapping, singing and Praising God.
Can I get an AMEN!!!!! i love it brother! This brought tears to my eyes this morning. Not for personal reasons, but for the fact that you "get it". I agree with you that God is far more concerned with wether we know Him than what type or kind of Christian music we listen and worship to, or how loud it is for that matter. What an awesome and timely way to bring life to these verses. LOVE worshipping with ya'll! Katie
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