Last week I talked about going to the doctor.  This week, I thought I'd talk about going to the optometrist.  Ha.  Yes, I recently went there too.  It has been several years since either Chrissy or I have had our eyes tested.  It was no surprise that both our prescriptions had changed and we set out to purchase new glasses.  I love my new glasses.  They're lighter than the old ones.  Slightly larger so I have a greater range of vision and I think we got a pretty good deal (although I've recently learned that the eye-wear industry is basically a huge monopoly controlled by one company in Italy...but that's another story).  But my new glasses do one more important thing...they help me see better!  It's subtle, but I can notice that I can see clearer with my new glasses.  Imagine that :)  I remember years ago my dad complaining about his glasses not feeling right on his face.  As he wore glasses all the time, he kept wearing them and they continued to bother him.  After this went one for quite awhile, he took them off and noticed that the nose pad was MISSING.  They were bothering him because there was a piece of metal stabbing him in the nose.  Of course, he promptly got them fixed.

These simple stories about vision remind me of what it means to see through eyes of faith.  There are times, in a spiritual sense, when we get new glasses.  The most significant being when we received Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, and we see the world through new eyes.  And there are times of spiritual renewal, when God speaks to us and we catch a fresh glimpse of who He is through eyes of faith.  But just as with physical glasses, our lenses get dirty over time, perhaps they break and need repair or we need to get a new prescription because our vision has become clouded.  I've seen this in my own life.  Things that once gave me great joy don't anymore because I don't see them the same way.

Faith is seeing things from God's perspective.  Do you remember Elisha and his servant when they were under siege in 2 Kings 6:13-18?  Elisha's servant looked outside and saw that the city was surrounded with horses and chariots.  But Elisha wasn't concerned, saying, "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them" (6:16).  The servant must have been confused at Elisha's words, because when he looked outside he saw a strong army bent on their capture.  But then Elisha prayed and said, "Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see" (6:17).  The an imagine unfolded that sparks the imagination and strengthens the heart.  "Then the LORD opened the servants eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha" (6:17).

When you look at your life, your church, your world...what do you see?  Do you need new glasses?

"I know who goes before me
I know who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side"

"Whom Shall I Fear" by Chris Tomlin

I recently went to the doctor.  It wasn't a serious issue but I was concerned about it none-the-less.  I had never been to this doctor before and as I sat in his office he asked a common question, "what do you do?"  For a pastor, that is often a dreaded question.  Not because I'm ashamed of being a pastor by any means, but because it sometimes shuts down a conversation rather than furthering it.  I answered the doctor's question, "I'm a pastor".  Looking back at this simple conversation, I realized his response was not one of disdain or an attitude of "I really don't want to talk about God", but of genuine interest.  I immediately said my church was Laurentian Wesleyan Church and proceeded to tell him where it was.  Then we quickly switched back to the purpose of my visit and the moment passed.  I say "the moment passed" because as I look back, I do believed I missed a moment to continue our conversation with a simple, "do you go to church?" or "are you a person of faith?"  I believe God may have opened the door, but, in hindsight, I didn't walk through it.

I was prepared.  If he had asked a question about our church or about faith in Christ, I was ready and willing to talk about it (1 Peter 3:15).  But I don't think I was something equally as important as being prepared.  I wasn't watching.  I didn't seize this simple opportunity because, let's face it, that visit was all about me.  My health.  My issues.  Nothing more.  But as a follower of Christ, I'm to put others first.  I'm reminded of Philippians 2:3-4, "Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too" (NLT).

My conversation that day may not have progressed beyond small talk...but you never know.  I'm going to be more attentive in the future.


Be prepared.  But be watching too.

In Christ,
-Jason

I love it when the church comes together and sings praises to God.  Several years ago, I saw a T-shirt that said, "Real Men Sing Real Loud".  Ha.  I love it!  One of the most fulfilling things in my life is to add my voice in worship and praise to our God.  But, I realize, music isn't everyone's "thing".  For some, hearing and reading God's Word helps you connect with God the most.  For others, you really connect to God the most through hearing a sermon.  In fact, you'd prefer if we just skipped to that part of our service.

We are all wired differently.  For some, music and singing isn't part of your wiring.  Should I, as your pastor, give you permission to skip that part of our service?  I suspect that you know I'm not going to say "yes" to that question.  Keith Getty wrote an article entitled, "Why You Need to Sing Loudly in Church".  So, here's a few reasons why you need to sing and why we (our church) needs your voice.  I've pulled quotes from the article and then commented on them below.

1. We are Commanded to Sing.
"...the Scriptures command us more than 250 times to sing.  It’s hardly one of those 'controversial' issues that is hard to ascertain precisely what scripture is saying. It’s not a choice. It’s not dependent on 'feeling like it.'"
I believe that God will honour a decision to sing His praise when we don't feel like it.  He will lift you up as you choose to honour Him with your voice.  Notice it doesn't say, "sing the songs you like".  I sing songs all the time that I don't necessarily like.  But then again, it's not really about me anyway.  What a good reminder.

2. Singing together completes our joy.
"...for the faithful, the joy of living, of praying, of studying Scripture cannot be complete until shared. Singing together reminds us — not just intellectually, but experientially — that we are not slaves to the rugged individualism promoted by society. We’re actually responsible to one another."
When believers join together in song, declaring the truths of scripture, there's nothing like it.  It's in those times I think the enemy runs.  There is spiritual power when we sing praises together.

3. Singing is an expression of brotherhood and unites generations.
"Singing together is a picture here on earth of the hope of heaven where every tribe, tongue, and nation will sing to God. Throughout history, God’s people have both discovered and affirmed their solidarity in times of celebration and in times of tragedy through singing."
It is very sad that what we sing so often divides us.  It shouldn't.  Young people need to ask "why is this old song so treasured by the older believers in the church?"  It just may lead you to powerful stories of God's faithfulness that need to be heard.  In the same way, older believers need to ask the same question, "why is this new song so treasured by the new believers in the church?"  It just may lead to powerful new testimonies of God's faithfulness.  I make great effort to choose singable songs that honour what God has done in the past but also what He is doing in the present.  There have always been new songs.  If we stop writing new songs as a Church (capital "C"), we've got bigger issues to deal with.  Instead of focusing on your own preference (and it often does just come down to personal preference), focus on what God is saying through the song whether old or new.  Familiar or unfamiliar.

4. We are what we sing.
"Singing affects how we pray, think, and feel. It influences our memory banks and even the deepest parts of our subconscious."
Music has a way of getting into you.  I dare say, even those who would say they don't like music, could recite lyrics from songs we sing at church.  Sometimes a song can cement the truth into our minds like nothing else.

5. Singing bears testimony to our faith.
"How we sing, if we sing, how passionately we sing — our singing itself — is a witness to those looking on. There is no choice in the matter. In the level of our engagement with the songs and participation in the singing, we testify to the joy of an excited believer or betray the chill of a disinterested spectator."
There are times for silent reflection.  There are times when your heart is broken and you find it hard to sing and you just need to listen to the voices of others around you to receive their faith.  I get that.  I honour that.  But I also know those should be the exceptions.

So, do we hear your voice on Sunday?  Remember, real men (and women :) sing real loud :)

"My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you—I whom you have delivered." -Psalm 71:23, NIV

To read the article by Keith Getty, click here.

I love you and welcome your comments.
-Jason

"Nabeel Qureshi describes his dramatic journey from Islam to Christianity, complete with friendships, investigations, and supernatural dreams along the way. Providing an intimate window into a loving Muslim home, Qureshi shares how he developed a passion for Islam before discovering, almost against his will, evidence that Jesus rose from the dead and claimed to be God. Unable to deny the arguments but not wanting to deny his family, Qureshi's inner turmoil will challenge Christians and Muslims alike."

I found this book helped me understand what it is like to grow up in a devout Muslim home.  It reminded me how much of what we believe about the world has been passed on by our parents and families and how often, as Christians, we take things for-granted as opposed to digging for the truth ourselves.  I learned that for many Muslims, critical thinking and questioning one's faith is not encouraged.  Honouring your elders and accepting the teachings from them is highly valued.  Hence, Muslims have very tight knit families.  To abandon the Muslim faith is more than just a personal decision.  For many, it means giving up one's family.

Several lessons I learned from this book:
1. Christians can be shallow at times.  Hard to hear, but sometimes true.  Nabeel found that many Christians he talked to didn't really know much about their faith.  What is the Trinity?  Is the Bible reliable? Was Jesus God or just a prophet?  I was challenged to go deeper in my understanding of my faith.  If a Muslim friend asked me those questions, what would I say?
2. To share Jesus with a Muslim, genuine friendship is critical.  This relates to my first lesson I learned from this book.  Am I willing to be a good, long-time friend to someone who I fundamentally disagree with?  Nabeel would not have found Jesus without a lasting, honest friendship with a Christian.  I had to ask myself if I'm open to a friendship like that.
3. Muslims are people like you and me.  I know this sounds silly.  "Of course they are" you may say.  I just think it's easy to start labeling people who you haven't taken any time to understand.  This book gave a glimpse into a young man's life who went through many of the struggles any young man goes through.  Relationships, purpose, disappointment, family, religion.  I wept as I heard the pain in Nebeel's voice as he recounted the day he told his parents he had become a Christian.  He knew he was hurting them very deeply and I'm not sure if I've ever really sympathized with how hard it would be.  Muslims turning to Christ are courageous indeed.

In closing.  I encourage our first response when we hear issues of the day involving the Muslim faith is to first pray, then seek to understand and most of all love unconditionally those God puts in our path.  There is no room in my theology for the popular attitude that "we're all one and on different paths to the same God".  No.  Jesus did not leave that venue open to us.  But I am reminded to not use that belief to help foster fear and prejudice.

I encourage you to take a look at this book.  Perhaps as we are obedient to God, others may find Jesus in us.

-Jason

Seeking Allah, Finding Jesus: A Devout Muslim Encounters Christianity.
By Nabeel Qureshi
*Available in print and audiobook.