Forget the Hype
Looking at the Soul Survivor Online Magazine I came across this article.
It's so true.
Hype Free
By Mike Pilavachi
Taken from http://www.soulsurvivor.com/uk/IMAG/index.asp?CID=9
We really like being normal here at Soul Survivor. It's really important to me that we don't make things weird, don't hype things up and don't make out we're more spiritual than we really are.
John Wimber used to call it being 'naturally supernatural.' Having the power of God but using it in a normal way. John was the guy that set up a group of churches called the Vineyard. In the early 1980s, they hosted a number of conferences in the UK that were very influential for me. There were simply amazing things that God did that I will never forget.
But I will always remember the time when there was a whole bunch of people crowding round John wondering how he did it; what was the secret of his preparation? They were all expecting a spiritual answer, like he'd fasted for 40 days, or prayed for 6 hours a day to get so holy and anointed. His reply was amazing. In answer to how did he prepare for these events he said, 'I drink a Diet Coke.'
The Diet Coke of Holy
It was so not religious. In that reply he was saying that God uses us, just ordinary people and we don't have to be amazing spiritual giants, men in white suits on the stage or touched by an angel to do these things. And we want to be about that at Soul Survivor. We don't want to be formal, because everyone gets to take part in God's kingdom.
I really find it hard when you go to conferences and there are people who talk about how much they pray, how much they fast, how holy they are. That's what we don't want to do: it burdens young people with expectations they can't reach.
If you're a 13 year old boy going through puberty, you're trying your hardest not to be thinking about boobs every 25 seconds. You don't need to go to a meeting where the person at the front is asking you to make a holy shout of victory to affirm your commitment to sexual purity. All that does it set you up for failure. How is shouting at the air going to help the rush of hormones going through your body?
After a while, people feel they have to pretend that they're doing OK, or just start doing things to look good, and what's that about? That's horrible, it's burdensome and Jesus didn't come to do that.
Kill Religion
What we want to do is kill religion, kill the super-spiritual stereotype. We want to lower the hurdle. We're not talking about lowering the hurdle of holiness. Were not allowed to do that. We're not saying, 'its OK to be thinking about these things every 25 seconds, dont worry.' But we're saying that those things happen, and that they are real and God can help you out with it. You're not a pervert, and God doesn't reject you for it. We don't pretend there is no sin; we face it. Likewise, we don't pretend there's victory when there isn't. It's lowering the hurdles of where people need to be at to meet with Jesus. The whole point of Jesus life, death on the cross and resurrection was so that people like you and me, who couldn't make the grade, could come in and be a part of what he is doing!
Hype-free
That also means that we're not into hype. When we're at the festivals, there is an unavoidable amount of hype that goes with having thousands of young people in one place. But we're talking about if God doesn't move then we don't want to make something up. We'd rather go home early than manufacture something.I was recently at an event where one ministry time nothing was really happening. At this event, one person after another was coming up to the microphone getting people to do this, then that, in an attempt to hype things up. But we don't hype the Holy Spirit up; he comes down. And if he's not doing anything, then lets go and chill out; there's nothing more fruitless than pretending.
It's easy in a big crowd to do things that will get a response, or whip people into a frenzy. You can use soothing music, or be slightly hypnotic or suggestive over the microphone. We hate that sort of thing. It's totally wrong and tramples over the dignity of the individual. Our western culture is full of hype and gimmicks and so it is crucial that in the church we don't manipulate peoples emotions or minds.We can hype by making ourselves something we're not, bragging about spiritual disciplines and the like. If you have a rigorous prayer and bible reading life, don't comment on it. The bible says shut your door and do those things and don't let anyone but the father know. Talk about it from stage and people will get bummed out who feel that they can't do the same.
Super models or authentic recipes?
When we're on the stage at a Soul Survivor event we want to be honest about our own shortcomings. I look at Matt Redman; I've known him since he was a kid. I think it's totally odd that he's got the reputation he has. All he does it go up to a microphone, open his mouth, strum some chords, then sits down. He's a totally ordinary bloke and yet his names known all over the place. We could stick with that, and generate a super human myth, but it's all nonsense. Matt will often talk about his own story from the stage, about the damage caused to him by his step-dad, about his need for grace. It dispels the myth and brings our attention back on what God can do in real situations.
Likewise, I'm very open about the fact that I have a problem with food. Goodness knows I've got my fair share of hang-ups. I often tell about my own upbringing at conferences, painful though it is. I'm not sorted on it; its not a rag to riches story of 'I am now completely healed.'
But God has been very kind to me. There are still times I feel the immense loneliness of my childhood years, or feel tempted to revisit those places of depression, isolation or insecurity. I want to be honest about that, and from the front too. Because this is about how amazing God is, and not how amazing we are. He has been good to us.
We want to let young people know that whatever they're going through God can bring them to spiritual fulfilment from their places of weakness and brokenness. Not despite their weakness, but in it. This is about God's grace and in a hype-free, non-religious environment where we can be real, authentic and normal, that's where we see the real work of God in our lives. *
It's so true.
Hype Free
By Mike Pilavachi
Taken from http://www.soulsurvivor.com/uk/IMAG/index.asp?CID=9
We really like being normal here at Soul Survivor. It's really important to me that we don't make things weird, don't hype things up and don't make out we're more spiritual than we really are.
John Wimber used to call it being 'naturally supernatural.' Having the power of God but using it in a normal way. John was the guy that set up a group of churches called the Vineyard. In the early 1980s, they hosted a number of conferences in the UK that were very influential for me. There were simply amazing things that God did that I will never forget.
But I will always remember the time when there was a whole bunch of people crowding round John wondering how he did it; what was the secret of his preparation? They were all expecting a spiritual answer, like he'd fasted for 40 days, or prayed for 6 hours a day to get so holy and anointed. His reply was amazing. In answer to how did he prepare for these events he said, 'I drink a Diet Coke.'
The Diet Coke of Holy
It was so not religious. In that reply he was saying that God uses us, just ordinary people and we don't have to be amazing spiritual giants, men in white suits on the stage or touched by an angel to do these things. And we want to be about that at Soul Survivor. We don't want to be formal, because everyone gets to take part in God's kingdom.
I really find it hard when you go to conferences and there are people who talk about how much they pray, how much they fast, how holy they are. That's what we don't want to do: it burdens young people with expectations they can't reach.
If you're a 13 year old boy going through puberty, you're trying your hardest not to be thinking about boobs every 25 seconds. You don't need to go to a meeting where the person at the front is asking you to make a holy shout of victory to affirm your commitment to sexual purity. All that does it set you up for failure. How is shouting at the air going to help the rush of hormones going through your body?
After a while, people feel they have to pretend that they're doing OK, or just start doing things to look good, and what's that about? That's horrible, it's burdensome and Jesus didn't come to do that.
Kill Religion
What we want to do is kill religion, kill the super-spiritual stereotype. We want to lower the hurdle. We're not talking about lowering the hurdle of holiness. Were not allowed to do that. We're not saying, 'its OK to be thinking about these things every 25 seconds, dont worry.' But we're saying that those things happen, and that they are real and God can help you out with it. You're not a pervert, and God doesn't reject you for it. We don't pretend there is no sin; we face it. Likewise, we don't pretend there's victory when there isn't. It's lowering the hurdles of where people need to be at to meet with Jesus. The whole point of Jesus life, death on the cross and resurrection was so that people like you and me, who couldn't make the grade, could come in and be a part of what he is doing!
Hype-free
That also means that we're not into hype. When we're at the festivals, there is an unavoidable amount of hype that goes with having thousands of young people in one place. But we're talking about if God doesn't move then we don't want to make something up. We'd rather go home early than manufacture something.I was recently at an event where one ministry time nothing was really happening. At this event, one person after another was coming up to the microphone getting people to do this, then that, in an attempt to hype things up. But we don't hype the Holy Spirit up; he comes down. And if he's not doing anything, then lets go and chill out; there's nothing more fruitless than pretending.
It's easy in a big crowd to do things that will get a response, or whip people into a frenzy. You can use soothing music, or be slightly hypnotic or suggestive over the microphone. We hate that sort of thing. It's totally wrong and tramples over the dignity of the individual. Our western culture is full of hype and gimmicks and so it is crucial that in the church we don't manipulate peoples emotions or minds.We can hype by making ourselves something we're not, bragging about spiritual disciplines and the like. If you have a rigorous prayer and bible reading life, don't comment on it. The bible says shut your door and do those things and don't let anyone but the father know. Talk about it from stage and people will get bummed out who feel that they can't do the same.
Super models or authentic recipes?
When we're on the stage at a Soul Survivor event we want to be honest about our own shortcomings. I look at Matt Redman; I've known him since he was a kid. I think it's totally odd that he's got the reputation he has. All he does it go up to a microphone, open his mouth, strum some chords, then sits down. He's a totally ordinary bloke and yet his names known all over the place. We could stick with that, and generate a super human myth, but it's all nonsense. Matt will often talk about his own story from the stage, about the damage caused to him by his step-dad, about his need for grace. It dispels the myth and brings our attention back on what God can do in real situations.
Likewise, I'm very open about the fact that I have a problem with food. Goodness knows I've got my fair share of hang-ups. I often tell about my own upbringing at conferences, painful though it is. I'm not sorted on it; its not a rag to riches story of 'I am now completely healed.'
But God has been very kind to me. There are still times I feel the immense loneliness of my childhood years, or feel tempted to revisit those places of depression, isolation or insecurity. I want to be honest about that, and from the front too. Because this is about how amazing God is, and not how amazing we are. He has been good to us.
We want to let young people know that whatever they're going through God can bring them to spiritual fulfilment from their places of weakness and brokenness. Not despite their weakness, but in it. This is about God's grace and in a hype-free, non-religious environment where we can be real, authentic and normal, that's where we see the real work of God in our lives. *
posted by Sam Rich at 9:29 AM
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