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Clothes Make The Man

Branon Dempsey
Published September 26, 2008
Spiritual Formation

A Linen Belt
Do clothes really make the man? We've heard this phrase time and again, yet the return on our investments cannot reciprocate our human need. How often God reveals and conceals us in His love moment by moment. His desire is to wrap us in his belt of mercy and grace to draw us in His loving kindness. Is he drawing you? Are you responding?

Have you ever felt used, thrown away and left in the dirt? Maybe, it’s the other way around when you were given someone or something. We used it and removed it, never to be touched again. Soon we try on another new set of clothes hoping it will change our identities. Tragically, we resort to be unsatisfied again as we further distance ourselves from the care of Christ. This is exactly what happened between the house of Israel and God. Take a listen to this passage in Jeremiah 13:

1 This is what the LORD said to me: "Go and buy a linen belt and put it around your waist, but do not let it touch water." 2 So I bought a belt, as the LORD directed, and put it around my waist.

3 Then the word of the LORD came to me a second time: 4 "Take the belt you bought and are wearing around your waist, and go now to Perath [a] and hide it there in a crevice in the rocks." 5 So I went and hid it at Perath, as the LORD told me.

6 Many days later the LORD said to me, "Go now to Perath and get the belt I told you to hide there." 7 So I went to Perath and dug up the belt and took it from the place where I had hidden it, but now it was ruined and completely useless.

8 Then the word of the LORD came to me: 9 "This is what the LORD says: 'In the same way I will ruin the pride of Judah and the great pride of Jerusalem. 10 These wicked people, who refuse to listen to my words, who follow the stubbornness of their hearts and go after other gods to serve and worship them, will be like this belt—completely useless! 11 For as a belt is bound around a man's waist, so I bound the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah to me,' declares the LORD, 'to be my people for my renown and praise and honor. But they have not listened.'

It is amazing to see how God has blessed us throughout history. From the early exile of Israel to present day, God in His mercy, surrounds his people and gives them peace, provision and restoration. He clothes us in his righteousness and girds us with the belt of truth. Then we turn away and remove our clothes of mercy and trade them in for stinky rags.

In reflection of my life, there have been countless times where I have destroyed either someone or something God has given me. Only to betray my conciseness, I leverage every attempt to avoid my weaknesses and frailty in the name of pride. There have been events, pain as well as blessings, relationships and opportunities that I have stuffed in the dirt. As God clothes us in his mercy and grace, everything about who we are stands under His canopy, ransomed by the blood of Christ. He hugs us in his wrapping of compassion, forgiveness and tenderly kindness only to pull us out of the dirt and into His marvelous light. In the clothing of God, He makes us to be who we really are as the workmanship of Christ.

How great a God you are Triune and Majestic God. You are the Alpha, Omega, Creator and Author of our faith and lives. O’ Father of Justice and Prince of Peace restore our senses that we may return to you as dirty as we were, only to be cleansed and purified by the waters of your Holy Spirit. Breathe within our souls O Giver of Life, so that our every pulse of vitality returns to you not in void but in fruitful praise. Help us to dust off blessings and people you have given us to be restored to the purposes of Your will. We know, hope and pray for your Return when you will make all things right in bringing the cosmos together in the consummation of Christ, restoring mankind in the way you originally invented. As we live the rest of our days here on earth, may we make the most of every opportunity for the praise of Your glory. Amen.

Worship Leader Week

Branon Dempsey
Published July 21, 2008
Worship Leading

Greetings Worship Leaders and Worship Teams: This week is Worship Leader Week. Below you will find a collection of our top ranking and new articles as well as worship reflections by our own PCLive Contributors to inspire your week in worship leading.

A. Enjoy the great selection of encouraging articles and videos to refresh your soul.

B. Words of Inspiration from our PraiseCharts Live Contributors and Artists (Read & Comment).
What has God spoken into your heart that is most "critical" to worship leading?

Cory Alstad - PraiseCharts Live Contributor, Worship Pastor:
"This week, God put the word 're-awaken' in my heart. I thought of a book that I've been reading, where our hero and his friends are on a great journey and they find themselves in a forest. They hear some beautiful, enchanting music and are slowly lulled into a dreamless, comatose state. The hero wakes up in alarm and discovers that it's a trap by the enemy and they're now ensnared by him. Fortunately they cry out for help and are rescued eventually.

I felt like God was saying that it's very easy in our culture to be 'lulled' into a sleepy kind of stupor - enjoying what we have, and being satisfied with just existing in that. And that it can become a trap in which we find ourselves ensnared. But he wants SO much more for us. His kingdom is advancing and we're invited to be active participants. And of course, it's not a kingdom like any earthly kingdom - in fact in a lot of ways it's the opposite. But, my prayer this last week was "God, re-awaken me to what you're doing in this world and what you want me to be about.""

Dan Collison - PraiseCharts Live Contributor, Worship Arts Pastor:
"Worship is intended by God to engage and involve the entire congregation for the entire worship experience...what did I plan that accomplished this...and where did I miss the mark? Those self evaluating questions are abrasive but important for us to ask as worship leaders. For me and this past weekend I believe that our worship hit the mark when there was good interaction between music, drama and the sermon. People appeared 'plugged in'. However, during the music specials the service began to feel a little more like worship entertainment than worship engagement. The congregation was less responsive and engaged. I need to think about the music specials in such a way that they ask more of the congregation....and work with my worship teams to interact more effectively with the congregation in such a way that keeps them more engaged in worship."

Kevin Pledger - PraiseCharts Live Contributor, Worship Pastor/Songwriter:
"To worship in the middle of a trial takes your focus off of you and the mountains you face. By changing the focus from you to Christ, you reduce your stress and worry levels. This allows the healing power of God to come in and strengthen you and encourage you. Worship no matter your circumstance!"

Terri Welch - PraiseCharts Live Contributor, Worship Production Coordinator:
"Fervency in worship leading."

Bob Kauflin - PraiseCharts Live Contributor, Worship Pastor:
"I only lead corporate worship in my church about twice a month. This past week I had the joy of being led by a group of younger musicians who were leading on Sunday for the first time. They did a great job leading us to magnify God’s greatness in Jesus Christ. Years ago the keyboard player and leader were part of a worship leading discipleship class I led. I was reminded that it’s critical for leaders and musicians to always be thinking about who they can train to replace them. Because that day is coming a lot sooner than we think. May we make the transition with joy, gratefulness, and humility."

Worship is a Response

Branon Dempsey
Published June 23, 2008
Worship Theology

Giving God Worth

Worship is: a response in giving worth to God (worth-ship).Ideal worship is an active authentic response to God, declaring and praising him for who he is according to Scripture; through that we celebrate the life, death, resurrection and the return of Christ – overthrowing the powers of evil.God is the seeker, we are the responders, and freely worship Him, knowing that He freely loves and receives us.Worship begins with two words: thank you. An authentic response to God defines worship; music and the arts are used when necessary. Worship is not about the person, but about the God who created all things, which have passed and exist. Worship is not about what a person gains from the experience, but what is given to God as a response. What God gives to man through worship is unconditional and by His choosing only. God does not base the amount of grace and/or gifts given to man on the determination of how much He is praised. God has already given grace and every spiritual blessing freely to man, on the account of His righteousness.

Man responds to His holiness, fullness and acts of His righteousness and faithfulness. What man could not do in the flesh, God did by sending Jesus and the Holy Spirit – in that we are justified by faith. God first choose us to become His children and to grow and to walk in the likeness of Jesus through grace. We respond as a result to this calling as articulated by Scripture. Because of His great love we give thanks and offer our bodies as living sacrifices – not dead works (Rm.12:1-2). Perspective comes when we worship. Whether read, prayed, spoken, acknowledged, sung, shouted, visualized, acted or in stillness and silence – all is a response in the context of worship. The responsibility of worship and worship leading is to maintain a biblical approach which upholds sound doctrine and biblical interpretation. Our action of worship is to engage, connect and respond to God through obedience and in joy not in compulsion – according to Scripture (Hos. 6:6).We are to acknowledge God rightfully by regarding Him in his respective place.

John Waskey - post
Branon, God must be smiling on you right now. This is huge what you are doing. It really encourages me. I was called to Worship Evangelism in 1998, aftre the Lord graciously had given me the gift of music when I was about 13 years old. I had received Christ as my Savior, but took a long walk in the dessert until 1998 and I had previously gotten off of all the drugs and liqour and was searching desperately for "The" answer to life - something to fill that great big God sized hole in the middle of my soul. Well, my Dad died that year and he was a godly man, as godly as he could be with no church body or fellowship of believers. But I knew that he was in the presence of The God Most high when I committed his spirit to Jesus that day...and, I met Jesus face to face. I actually felt the annointing oil of the Holy Spirit just dripping down through my hair and onto my face, and all that I could remember was - my Dad always wanting me to serve the Lord with the gifts that He had given me. I knew that I had salvation, but I also knew that I had no walk with the Lord Jesus. I turned around and despite my running away from Him and to my surprise He was right behind me the whole time. You see all the years of playing in the bars and parties and the partying and stuff...I never once forgot that it was a gift from God, in fact it used to humiliate me to the extreme when people would complement me on my performances. It used to sicken me because I knew that it was a gift from God even before I surrendered my like anew to Him and was re-born into a right and close relationship with Him. You really sound like kindred spirit to me. I will give anything to be able to spread the good news through the tools He has given me. No opportunity has arisen yet. I've been serving in an outreach band called "Holy Smoke" which is pretty cool but it's noy really where my heart is. We play a lot of Cristian coffee houses, but then occasionly we will do a bike show or car show and they seem much more apt tp reach the lost. But, I would really like to have the opportunity to reach the saints to inspire them to Live a life of worship more openly so people can visibly see the work of God by how they live and worship Him. Any way you probably don't even read these E-mail notes and i could probably go on and on, but I am so joyful with you that you are stepping out in faith into this ministry, and i will definitely be praying for you and with you. I keep telling myself ...if I could only find a way to pay my bills and still have time to do the work of the Lord, it would just bless me so incredibly, because I know that it is the fathers desire for me to just leap out in faith and trust in Him to provide the means to serve Him.

bdempsey - post
John, thank you for sharing your heart and testimony for minstry as well as the kind words of encouragement. Guys like you are who God's uses for his work; continue to press on my brother! Celebrate Recovery is a huge ministry that is close to my heart, family and friends. We all have come from brokenness as are fractures reveal its history. Praise the Lord, for he keeps his promises as lived through Christ to heal and bond are scars together. Those very scars serve as a two-folded reminder: His grace and our testimony. And like all scars, they actually become the stronger portion of our skin. His healing is in our scars. Continue to be faithful in the small things - where he is using you now. He has called you to be his workmanship - so be that very worker my bro. Love you and all who are able to relate.

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