When was the last time you intentionally entered into a moment of silence, especially at church? When was the last time you didn’t feel too busy to have a real conversation with someone? To really listen?
My church observed communion this week. Communion’s a great opportunity to remember the high price paid for my sin. I think it’s a great opportunity to examine my heart and the wickedness of it and how far I really am from being able to be holy before the Father without Jesus Christ. I think it’s a great time for me to meditate on the words of Jesus Christ regarding this observance and finally to pray for forgiveness of my sins. One brief unique moment to honor a sacrifice made for my sins and rededicate my life to Jesus Christ. However, I find this extremely difficult to do while the worship band is thrashing away and the pastor, in an effort to keep the service on time, immediately prays and begins to teach, after the elements have been distributed. Think about it, why does the worship band have to play during communion or for that matter when the offering plate’s passed around? The answer is they don’t and I don’t think they should. I also don’t understand why the teaching couldn’t be shortened to accommodate a quiet time during and after the communion. Then as I thought about it, when was the last time I experienced a quiet time during any church service. I can clearly remember. It was about 7 years ago at the church I was attending while I was living in OH. The pastor of this church made it a point to institute a quiet time during and after the distribution of the elements. I found this to be such a great time of silent meditation and self examination. I miss this. Our hearts should be examined before observing communion and we ought not rush through it.
1 Corinthians 11:26-30
For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes. Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the body rightly. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.
These words seem to indicate serious repercussions. Once again we gloss over the seriousness of words we are told will endure.
Matthew 24:35 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.
My point is that there is a necessity for quiet time, not only during our personal time with the Lord, but also our larger gatherings.
When was the last time you were in your car without the radio or the cell phone going? When was the last time you just sat by yourself and examined your heart? We allow so many distractions into our lives and yet somehow expect God to meet us in these distractions. We want answers from God, but are unwilling to really commune with Him. We look for God in all the wrong places and refuse to confront the uncomfortable reality of our fallen nature.
1 Kings 19:11-13
So He said, "Go forth and stand on the mountain before the LORD " And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave And behold, a voice came to him and said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"
Jesus Christ will ruin you to this world, if you’ll let Him. He’ll show you how to truly die to this world and raise you up again. We’re not called to be content with or find fulfillment in this life, nor are we called to run from this feeling, this hole in our very soul. Being ruined to this world leads to an inevitable conclusion and that is life is truly meaningless. Solomon, through the course of his life, learned this lesson all too well (Book of Ecclesiastes). Nothing in this world can satisfy and this includes mission work, marriage, work or any of the distractions and perversions of man. However you can find enough distractions in your short time in this world to fill it up and die without ever having faced this realization. You can’t get to the bottom of God’s deep waters without drowning in them. You can’t truly live without first dying. We can’t find joy, salvation, satisfaction or completion in anything other then Jesus Christ!
Stop trying to escape Jesus Christ through institutions or ministries or other things. God created all these things for His glory, which is always for our good. Be quiet long enough, be still long enough, be alone long enough, be focused on Jesus Christ long enough to allow Him to ruin you to this world. Is this a comfortable safe feeling, being ruined to the world? No, but I believe it leads to a place more beautiful then a sinner could ever imagine.
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