Stone Speak A symposium on worship, arts and the prophetic,
here and across the pond...

"Many people fall short of a divine encounter because they are satisfied with good theology." - Bill Johnson

This statement is unfortunately very true. It is very exciting to see young adults who are on fire for the Lord. They carry such a passion. As time goes on, why do they quickly fade away? As I began looking at this, I realized that they were living under their parents/elders view of who God is. They generally have never had a true experience with the Lord. Unfortunately, their lack of experiencing the goodness of God makes their views easily persuadable.

When these young adults enter college life and their views are challenged, they have no real answers for the questions that are being asked of their faith. When they find themselves unable to answer questions about their faith, they begin searching for the truth. In this search for truth, worldly arguments can seem very convincing. They get caught up in the "freedom" of these world views and foget that Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Jesus didn't say "I am one of the ways, one of the truths, and one way of life."

Unfortunately, losing sight of this profound truth that Jesus spoke is very easy to do. The only thing that I have found to plant our feet on solid ground is by experiencing Jesus. I like the way Kevin Dedmon put it in his book "The Ultimate Treasure Hunt." He said, "A man with an experience has more than a man with an argument, but a man with an argument is one experience away from changing his argument."

As Christians, we might be the only piece of God that people encounter. I am not saying that we are God. I am saying that God is in us and we are children of God. We are heirs to the throne. Therefore, we need to stop just being satisfied with good theology and start living in such a way that those whom we encounter in turn have an encounter with the Lord.

A word of knowledge was given to me about a month ago, and this concept pulls from what was spoken.

When someone is a chocolate lover, they are just that.  They are a lover of chocolate.

They do not love the shape of the chocolate. Any preference between a chocolate bar, a bunny or an egg is purely superficial because, at the end of the day, a true lover of this bitter sweet treat would eat and enjoy it regardless of form.

When someone loves God, they are just that.  They are a lover of God.
They do not rely on style, packaging, or people. They have a hunger for the Father, Son and Spirit and they will find His presence anytime, anywhere and with anyone. It is all about God, and the responsibility resides on us, the worshipers, to enter into his presence no matter the circumstances.

There are times where if faced with a choice, I might pick a chocolate bunny over an egg because there might be some subtle qualities that make it more appealing. When considering worship services, I do also have my preferences. I also appreciate the times where worship styles might serve a deeper familiarity that allows people to connect. However, as a growing believer, it is important that I not fall into saying, "I can only worship if..." or "I just can't worship if..." In the end, God is constant and never changing and my love toward him also needs to be constant and enduring.

This is my prayer for myself, my family, my church, community and country. I pray that the style does not matter, and that what does matter is a genuine, passionate hunger to praise God for all He has done in our lives.

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