Posts by Jimi Williams
Is Every Christian Called to “Go”?
Recently, I was reading a popular Christian book about living a radical life for Christ. Much of the writer’s point was how selfish we are sometimes, lavishing ourselves with nice homes and macked out church buildings, as we ignore the needs of others in far away places. While I agree with most of the writer’s points, I don’t believe that things are as black and white as he states.
I particularly differ with him on his idea that every Christian is called to serve abroad in foreign missions. Don’t get me wrong, I believe in foreign missions and taking the Gospel “to the ends of the earth”. I also believe Scripture compels us to stand up for the poor and care for the orphans. I’ve been on mission trips to Romania and Nicaragua. And my son Christian and I are leaving for Haiti this Friday with a team from the Bridge. So, I strongly support foreign missions. But I also know that it takes the whole Church to make foreign missions happen. That means for those who can “go”, there are many more at home who “send” them.
For our upcoming trip, Christian and I received money from Bridge givers along with several family members and friends. If it weren’t for those generous folks, this trip would not happen. So, even though those folks aren’t “going”, in a sense they are going.
When Jesus said to the 11 disciples in Matthew 28 to “go and make disciples of all nations”, I believe he was talking to the Church at large. And God has equipped the Church with every gift necessary to to carry out this task. He has given some the gift of evangelism, some of the gift giving, some the gift of teaching, some the gift of helping. So for every missionary that serves in a foreign land, there are multiple missionaries at home that have made a way for them.
Therefore, this Friday the Church is going on a mission trip. We will celebrate together the great things that God does as a result. We do missions together.
Jimi Williams
Worship Pastor, The Bridge
Lessons from Ultimate Frisbee for Worship Teams
I wrote an original blog post called “Lessons From Ultimate Frisbee” last June. And apparently it has driven more traffic to the Bridge Blog than any other post, until Josh’s post on Bin Laden a few weeks back.
So in order to regain the “Search Engine Optimization” crown from Mr. Howerton, I submit today’s blog post for your reading pleasure.
I just returned from a worship conference in Buffalo where I met a bunch of worship leaders and taught on building healthy worship teams. Here are a 5 of my thoughts from Ultimate Frisbee that can help you worship team:
1. Worship leading is a team sport. Sure you can stand up with a guitar and lead a few songs, but leading with a team is so much more fun and effective. God gave us the ability to hear a wide range of sound from booming lows to crisp highs. Incorporating a wide range of instruments in worship is like painting with a wide pallet. Also, there is a relational aspect to team. It’s good to rely on one another.
2. You are never as good as you think you are. Every weekend warrior has images of themselves during their glory years of athleticism. Likewise, as musicians, we often see ourselves as more skilled and better looking that we actually are. The solution to this is a video camera.
3. Pass the disc. As in Ultimate Frisbee, you won’t get very far in worship leading if you don’t hand off to others. Giving other leaders the chance to grow is a blessing for them, for the church and for you.
4. Don’t take yourself too seriously. There’s always “that guy” on the sports field that thinks you are playing for a gold ring or international fame. He’s hurting himself and everyone else. Worship leaders, relax and have fun. It’s music, not the Super Bowl.
5. And finally, shirts and skins NEVER works on a worship team. This might seem obvious, but just wanted to throw it out there.
I love you, church family!
Jimi Williams
Worship Pastor, The Bridge
You Don’t Even Know Who You Are
The last several weeks God has been wrecking me with grace. I know that sounds like an oxymoron, but it’s the best way I have to describe what I’m feeling. It is a good wreckage, however.
Josh’s teaching from Galatians has only added to the wreckage. Every week, God is revealing something new to my heart. And at every new revelation, I see more clearly how little I grasp of His grace.
Last week in our small group, we had a great discussion about who we are in Christ and what it means to have “Christ in us”. We all agreed that sometimes our perception does not match our reality.
Last week, Josh told the story of a young boy named Samuel who had been abused as a child by his foster parents. He was literally locked in a dog kennel all day long with the family pets while the adults were at work. This abuse caused Samuel to have dog-like habits such as licking people to show affection and devouring food when it was set before him.
Eventually, Samuel was rescued from that family by Godly, loving adoptive parents. And over time he flourished into a normal young boy. However, at times Samuel would revert back to his old habits of acting like a dog. He had been injured and it will take time and much love for those wounds to heal.
Brothers and sisters, we all are Samuel’s at some level. We’ve all been wounded. Sin has taken us places we never intended to go and hurt us more deeply that we ever could have imagined. Scripture says that we are “new creations in Christ” positionally, yet our habits still reflect the years we spent in the kennel.
One of my favorite Disney movies is The Lion King. There’s a scene where Simba has run away from home because he made a mistake. He is found by the wise monkey (why is the monkey always cast as the wise character?). Simba had forgotten that he is a son of the king. He had forsaken his inheritance and was living like a peasant. The monkey reminded Simba of who he is in hopes that he would return to fight for good.
We need to be reminded sometimes to whom we belong. Brothers and sisters, we are sons and daughters of the King of Kings. We will inherit the earth and a crown in heaven. We will sit in judgement over angels. When we get our perception in line with our reality, we will become as we are.
Hakuna Matata!
Jimi Williams
Worship Pastor, The Bridge
p.s. Here’s the audio clip from the Lion King. Enjoy! http://disneyfan.50megs.com/lionking/confused.wav
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Read MoreDefeating Sin
Josh’s message from last Sunday has really got me thinking. I’m a sucker for a good visual and I loved his chart on “practice” versus “position” (SEE HERE).
According to Scripture, we Christians are “positionally” righteous yet we are still sinful in our “practice”. However, our goal is to consistently be moving closer to practical righteousness.
This begs the questions, “Is it possible to defeat sin in our lives?” And if so, “How?”.
Regarding the first question, Jesus said to the lady caught in adultery, “Go and sin no more”. Also, Paul wrote to the Roman church “Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.” And when we do sin, Paul wrote, “So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.”
So if we can’t fully be delivered from sin in this life, it is clear that we should “resist the devil” with all our might.
So how so we resist? My answer goes back to Josh’s message about the Law. Scripture tells us that no one has ever kept the law perfectly. No matter how hard I try to obey the law, I succeed in one area only to fail in another.
But grace brings a new weapon to the fight against sin. Freedom. Because we are under grace and not under the law, we have forgiveness from past and future transgressions. This makes all the difference because this freedom gives me strength to stand up to sin.
What keeps you from stealing from your friend? It’s not that God said, do not steal. It’s because you love your friend and you don’t want to do anything to hurt them. The more we love the person, the less likely we are to hurt them.
That’s the key to overcoming sin. The more we love Christ, the less we will tolerate sin in our lives. And when we do sin, even sub-consciously, we are quick to repent and ask for forgiveness.
I can’t tell you how this truth has changed my life. It seems simple, but it’s super powerful. For me, it has been the key to a victorious life.
Jimi Williams
Worship Pastor, The Bridge
Who is the greatest?
At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them and said, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 18:1
Craig and I have spent the last couple of weeks talking about why we at the Bridge value having our kids involved in our Sunday morning worship. We often wrongly have the attitude of having to “put up” with our kids during worship because they distract us or don’t participate the way that we feel they should.
In Bible times the cultural view of children was much different than we know. Children were seen as “property” and could actually be given away or sold by the father. So Jesus’ proclamation about the value of children would have been controversial and shocking.
Over the last century, the Gospel has helped change much of the perception of children and their importance in our society. Even in child-unfriendly places like Africa and China, a powerful Gospel statement is made about children through organizations like World Vision and Compassion.
Along with this cultural change comes the temptation to over-rotate and begin to make children an idol. I see this in families that organize everything they do around a child’s happiness. It’s important to remember that even though children possess some unique God-like qualities, they are sinners like you and I and certainly not God.
Our view of children must balance delicately between their qualities that we adults need and the temptation to “exchange the truth of God for a lie, and worship and serve created things rather than the Creator.”
Jimi Williams
Worship Pastor, The Bridge
p.s. A parent this week requested the titles of some of the songs we sing on Sunday morning so that she could purchase them for their kids at house group. Here ya go!
Revelation Song – Kari Jobe
All Because of Jesus – Fee
All To Us – Chris Tomlin
Beautiful Exchange – Hillsong
Christ Is Risen – Matt Maher
Desert Song – Hillsong
Forever Reign – Hillsong
Glory to God Forever – Fee
Happy Day – Tim Hughes
Hosanna – Hillsong
How He Loves – David Crowder Band
How Marvelous – Passion
Jesus Saves – Tim Hughes
Mighty To Save – Hillsong
Oh For A Thousand Tongues to Sing – David Crowder Band
Our God – Chris Tomlin
Savior of the World – Ben Cantelon
Stronger – Hillsong
We Are Here For You – Passion
You Alone Can Rescue – Passion
You’ll Come – Hillsong
Your Love Never Fails – Jesus Culture
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