Dynamic Worship

“Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs” (Psalm 100:1-2).

We believe that the Church is called to join with “angels and archangels and all the company of heaven” in celebrative, inspiring worship and praise of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Since God’s powerful and dependable Word and Sacraments are always central in Lutheran worship, we expect their fruit to be manifest in a continuing renewal of congregational worship life. While the style of worship in LCMS congregations is diverse, there are four beliefs about worship that we of RIM hold in common:

The presence of God in dynamic worship is Trinitarian. RIM’s mission statement: “Experiencing and expressing the reality of God in the living Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit” reflects our desire to glorify and proclaim the Triune God, who has “the glory equal, and the majesty coeternal”- (Athanasian Creed).

The pattern for dynamic worship is the Bible. We advocate no pattern or style of worship as normative other than that which Scripture reveals. “We believe, teach, and confess that the congregation of God of every place and every time has the power, according to its circumstances, to change such ceremonies in such manner as may be more useful and edifying to the congregation of God” (FC, Epit. X, 4; Tappert, p. 493).

The power of dynamic worship is the Means of Grace. In worship, God acts upon us, and only then can we respond to him as he has inspired and empowered us. God has not promised to bless us according to the fervor of our singing, clapping or prayer. He is ready to meet us through Word and Sacrament as we arrive for worship, and any genuine blessing that is received comes because of his love and mercy for sinners, expressed in Jesus Christ.

The purpose of dynamic worship is missional. We do not plan or conduct worship that has as its purpose the preservation of the status quo, pacification of the loudest member, or entertainment of a target audience; rather, we recognize God’s purpose to be our strengthening and equipping, that we may be sent into the mission field in which we live (Eph. 4:7-13)

Luther: “After the Word of the Gospel has been preached and the voice of rejoicing has sounded forth, there follows the discernment of spirits and the distribution of the gifts of the Spirit of which 1 Cor. 12:4 speaks” (LW AE Vol. 16, p. 130).

Vibrant Faith

“I want to know him and the power of his resurrection” (Phil. 3:10).

The Christian life is to be characterized by an awareness and expression of the life-changing and life-giving presence of Jesus Christ. This is the heart-beat of vibrant faith . . . a desire to know Jesus more fully and intimately. The Holy Spirit works this desire through a faith that clings to God’s declaration of “not guilty” for the sake of Jesus. He also draws us into a deeper relationship with the Savior so that we become more like him. In this process of sanctification, he molds our wills, directs our ways, and guides our thoughts and words to be in greater harmony with heaven.

Thus we believe that the Church needs to be Biblical in “experience” as well as in doctrine and worship. The New Testament Christians “knew” Jesus in a personal experiential way. They believed that the crucified, risen and ascended Lord Jesus was present by his Spirit in their lives. The Holy Spirit who brought them to faith through the Gospel, continued through that faith to empower them with a full spectrum of gifts for a cross-marked ministry within the Church and out to the world. To such a faith the Lutheran Reformers recalled us and such a faith we seek as the Spirit’s gift to our generation . . . the faith into which we were baptized.

Luther: “[faith] is a divine work in us that transforms us and begets us anew from God, kills the Old Adam, makes us entirely different people in heart, spirit, mind and all our powers, and brings the Holy Spirit with it. Oh, faith is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, so that it is impossible for it not to be constantly doing what is good” (FC SDIV, 10; Tappert, pp. 552-553).

Bold Witness

“So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldly for the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to do miraculous signs and wonders” (Acts 14:3)

In response to the Jerusalem authorities not to speak in the name of Jesus, Peter and John said, “Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God. For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard” (Acts. 4:19- 20). Bold witness given by the Holy Spirit creates in the believer a “holy disregard” for the world’s opinions and threats. A witness that is muted because of concern about what some might think is not the full-voiced witness that God would desire.

One that hungers to be a bold witness to the saving grace in Jesus Christ takes his/her cue from the Apostle Paul: “I am not ashamed of the Gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes; first for the Jew, then for the Gentile” (Romans 1:16).

We believe that a primary focus of the Holy Spirit in the Church is a mighty empowerment for witnessing to the truth which brings the lost into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus gives us his Spirit not only to help us grow but to equip us to “go” . . . to the lost throughout the world and boldly show them the Way, go to the deceived and boldly show them the Truth, go to the sick and the dying and boldly show them the Life. This boldness from the Holy Spirit Jesus instructs us to prayerfully seek (Acts 1:8; 4:29- 31).

Luther: “We have no other reason for living on earth than to be of help to others. If this were not the case, it would be best for God to kill us and let us die as soon as we are baptized and have begun to believe. But he permits us to live here in order that we may bring others to faith, just as he brought us. But as long as we are on earth, we must live in hope” (LW AE, Vol. 30, p. 11)

Fervent Prayer

“After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the Word of God boldly” (Acts 4:31).

We are to seek God as we pray. We also are to seek his power. James says quite directly, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (James 4:2). There is no magic formula to prayer. We cannot manipulate God by our prayers, yet it is quite clear in Scripture that prayer is heard and responded to by God.

Prayer is expectation and this is where fervency enters the picture. Do we expect God to answer? “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Does it matter if we pray? Clearly the answer is yes. Do we always get what we want? Of course not. But God desires that we fervently pray and he has the power to answer prayer today just as he did in Bible times . . . he is alive and well among his people today! Fervent prayer, then, is simply an expectant and trusting communication with our loving God.

Because the Holy Spirit enters into an ongoing relationship with us from the time of our baptisms, we also can hear God when we pray because we are baptized. Do we really believe what we teach about baptism? Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). There are numerous examples in Scripture in which God speaks to believers. Think of Ananias to whom God spoke in Acts 9; or Philip, whom God directed to go south on a certain road in Acts 8. The same vibrant prayer was evident in St. Paul’s life. Now is the time for fervent prayer. Now is the time to seek God fervently and to hear clearly what he is telling us.

Luther: “But because he is God, he also claims the honor of giving far more abundantly and liberally than anyone can comprehend - like an eternal, inexhaustible fountain, which, the more it gushes forth and overflows, the more it continues to give. He desires nothing more from us than that we may ask many and great things of him. And, on the contrary, he is angered if we do not ask and demand with confidence” (The Book of Concord, Large Catechism. p. 447, 56, Fortress, 2000).