Willing
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem...how often I have longed to gather your children 
together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. (NLT) - Jesus, Mt. 23:37
Not long before God called Mitzi and I to Cedar Hills, I led worship at a missions event in the Pacific Northwest. A pretty big affair. After a morning session, two pastors invited me to join them at their table. I knew them both and considered them intelligent, well-trained men of the Word. One said, "Phil, we've been discussing what bothers us about your approach to worship."
How could I pass up a moment like this? I straddled a chair and gave them my ear.
They begin to explain: "your songs are generally about wanting to be near Christ. They talk about fondness for God, and how good a close relationship with God is."
I agreed. Guilty as charged.
Then the bomb went off. They told me the people in their churches weren't very close to God and generally didn't want to be, either. Since that was the case, these praise songs would be - at best - dishonest music in their churches. They went on to explain that they would be sticking with traditional music that reinforced the "more comfortable level" of Christianity enjoyed by their people.
I half-expected Rod Serling or Candid Camera to step out of the shadows, but - unfortunately - I was knee deep in reality. Hoping I'd misunderstood them, I repeated back what I'd heard: "The people in your churches don't desire a deeper life in Christ, so as pastors you feel the need to filter out songs that teach this."
They looked at each other and nodded.
I was familiar with the churches these men served. Both were located in vibrant, growing areas, but they were dying churches. Ministries that hadn't welcomed a new member in years. No children's ministries, no youth ministries, no salvations, no baptisms.
And no wonder.
Gathered under Christ's wing is where the life is, and - by their own admission - these shepherds declined to lead their people into that wonderful place.
You may wonder what I said in response, and I'll only tell you that it doesn't matter. My words drifted away like smoke-rings, and I left that experience with a sad understanding of how often the heart of Christ goes unfulfilled in Evangelical America.
I consider myself blessed to serve with pastors who - without compromise - preach the "Presence Driven Life" as a non-negotiable of God's Word. I consider myself blessed to lead worship among people who long for - and insist upon - a genuine encounter with Jesus Christ.
What can be said of Bible teachers around the world who reject intimacy with Christ as a value? As always, Jesus summed it up best: "How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing."
Let's always be willing, Saints. We can go there together.
Blessings,
Phil
