Episode Transcript
Keith Lancaster
Everybody wants to get their own way selfishly. Isn't that human nature? How we naturally desire to seek our own preferences? And yet, that can lead to all kinds of divisiveness, strife, resentment. Singing in worship is no different. Two words that should have never come together: worship wars -- which is due directly from people fighting to get their own way. What's the solution? Let's talk about that.
I'm Keith Lancaster with Acappella Ministries. "In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets, at many times and in various ways. But in these last days, He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He made the universe. The Son, Jesus, is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being." Jesus is the exact representation of God. "After He had provided purification for sin, He sat down at the right hand of the majesty in heaven. So He became superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs."
Jesus is the exact representation of God's being. And because He is God, well, what does that have to do with us fighting over preferences? I believe it has everything to do with that. And here's why.
There are countless followers of Jesus on this planet. What does it mean to be a follower of Jesus? Of course it means that those who want to be like Him. We want to emulate Jesus. In writing to the church at Philippi, Paul said, "Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus." You should have His attitude. Well, what was that? "Who being in very nature God did not consider equality with God something to be grasped (or held on to), but made himself nothing. Taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death, even death on a cross."
That passage basically says, if you want to be like Jesus, you need to be willing to give up some preferences. And I'm not talking about giving into heresy and false doctrine, but I'm talking about things that we would otherwise prefer, but we will give up for the sake of others. Notice that Jesus gave up his status and preferences to make himself nothing. He became a servant. Matthew 20: 28 says, "For the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."
And the Philippian passage clearly states he humbled himself. Boy, can't the world use a dose of humility right now? So if we want to be like Jesus, (which is the basic proposition of being a follower of Jesus, a Christian, a Christian,) we need to be willing to give up our preferences for the sake of unity, edification. So the next time you want to react and stand up for your rights and fight for your opinion, take a moment, take a breath, and see if this is really something worth destroying the unity that Jesus desperately prayed for his followers to have.
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I will praise the Lord all my life. I will sing praise to my God as long as I live. See you soon.
