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My family and I attended a Burn 24-7 session in Meridian over the weekend -- just to check it out -- and the worship experience left me somewhat chilled. Although I appreciate the overall concept of Burn 24-7, there was something eerily "eekie" with the session we attended (only an hour out of 12). Maybe we just came on an off night or during an off performance (the worship bands changed up every 2 hours) . . . or maybe there's just something integrally wrong with the Burn.
According to Burn's vision (taped to a table at the entryway of the building), "We exist to raise up entire communities of lovesick worshippers and artists, unrelenting and passionate intercessors, and faithful followers of Jesus Christ that cross denominational lines and ethnic boundaries . . . . " Okay. I take issue with "lovesick worshippers." If you've been raised in a traditional church -- even a church with contemporary services -- be prepared for an outside-the-box worship experience with Burn 24-7. Burn has an emerging worship style, which is much more free-form.
In essence, Burn 24-7 is a lengthy worship service to help people connect with God -- minus the pastor or priest. People can drop in, worship God in the way they feel most comfortable, and leave whenever they want. In the session my family and I attended Friday night, we walked into a dark, candle-lit room with a spotlight on a cross and a crown of thorns. 'Not that unusual in some churches. But while the band was playing, people throughout the room were engaged in worship in their own way, connecting to God in their own unique style. So, some people were in groups praying, others were swaying to the music with their hands raised, others were laying on the floor listening to the music, others were pouring themselves coffee (we think) out of a thermos, others were dancing, others were twirling with veils, others were drawing, and others were just sitting in "pews," listening and watching. Maybe I've been institutionalized with years of attending church -- but I felt very uncomfortable. I found the emerging worship style to be strange and distracting . . . although I could see where some people were truly worshiping. I decided to give it a chance. Maybe I was just getting old. Maybe I needed to adjust. And so I started listening to the words the band sang from the stage. (The musicians were actually quite good.)
But this is where I started feeling like maybe something was wrong. Really wrong. While softly strumming his guitar, the singer sang beautifully, " 'Cause your love, is extravagant. Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth, Oh Lord . . . Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth. For your love is better than wine." While he was singing, someone called from the floor, "Yeah, let it come. Oh -- come, Lord."
Okay -- this was just creepy. God's love for us is intimate, yes, but on a spiritual level (not a physical level). The singer pulled "Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth" from Song of Solomon 1:2 -- a book in the Old Testament of the Bible about King Solomon and his bride, a Shulamite woman. In this passage, the woman is speaking to the man she loves and is about to wed: "Kiss me with the kisses of your mouth, because your love is better than wine" (The Song of Solomon 1:2, NCV). Over the centuries, some interpreters have suggested this book has no historical basis, but is really an allegory for God's love for Israel or Christ's love for his church. But it's a huge stretch. Solomon is mentioned by name 7 times in the book. It makes more sense to take The Song of Solomon "at face value and interpret it in the normal historical sense," (The MacArthur Study Bible, NKJV).
My husband and I looked at each other after the song ended. Should we go? Just then, one of the musicians started talking into the microphone. "God, we need your craziness to keep us from going insane . . . . We want your crazy, crazy love." And then a new song started about God's crazy, crazy love. And the crazy thing is, the musical quality of the song was very good. But the lyrics were lacking. I get it, though. God's love is radical. He loves us even when we turn away from Him -- even when we "disown" Him as our God. I guess what concerns me about Burn 24-7 is that there is nothing really there to substantiate why we're worshipping. Maybe it's assumed everyone there already has a relationship with God and a basic understanding of scripture. I hope so. If not, I think people would be lost and caught up in an emotional frenzy of "lovesickness" akin to fan worship or occult worship.
Peter told the early Christians to "prepare your minds for service and have self-control" (1 Peter 1:13). As worshipers of God, we need to respect Him and prepare our hearts and minds to serve Him. In The Inspirational Bible, Max Lucado included an excerpt from Desiring God by John Piper about pure worship: "Worshiping in spirit is the opposite of worshiping in merely external ways. It is the opposite of empty formalism and traditionalism. Worshiping in truth is the opposite of worship based on an inadequate view of God. Worship must have heart and head. Worship must engage emotions and thought.
"Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full (or half-full) of artificial admirers (like people who write generic anniversary cards for a living). On the other hand, emotion without truth produces empty frenzy and cultivates shallow people who refuse the discipline of rigorous thought. But true worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine. Strong affections for God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow of biblical worship."
In short, Burn 24-7 has plenty of heart. Maybe just not enough thought.
Comments
Would you swallow that?
Maybe you just needed to take a bigger hit off the god love bong before going in. I'm sure every thing would have made more sense then. This is the new church experience, people want to connect with their LOVING god on a personal level. Who are YOU to say they are wrong? Maybe your stuffy pews and boring sermons aren't what people are after anymore. And if god didn't like it, he would put a stop to it himself.
Thank you for attending and reporting about the Burn! I read some of your other articles and I like your balance and style. Having attended many of the Burn events myself, I see your experience not reflective of the "character" of this movement. We all have behavior that at times may spike in a certain direction that is not indicative of our true character. I was present for the set you referred to and I know personally the individuals that sang and even responded from the floor. I assure you having the advantage of time spent with these people, they are not in "a frenzy of fan or occult worship". While I would not express my affection for the Lord as they chose to, they may be way closer to freedom like David had in dancing before the Lord or the strong emotional expressions in the Psalms than my careful controlled approach. ALL the other sets in this Burn were not as free form as this one. Be careful not to paint it all on one set, as I won't paint you with one article. Thank you!
The emerging worship culture is definitely a lot to swallow if you are new to it. There is however a much deeper level of worship to God that many people don't experience or choose to experience. One thing about prophetic worship that I have noticed is that at times it can be very symbolic. In your situation, I'm pretty sure that the singer was comparing the deep love for God to one of the deepest statements made in the Bible. When you hit that level of intimate worship to God, words are not enough to describe the beauty of that moment with God. I encorage you to try it out again. The important thing to remember is that at the end of the day, it does not matter what the people were doing, saying, or singing. What matters is that you have connected with God.
Wow "Jesus is Coming" those are harsh and judgemental words for what is a critical but quite balanced report. Do be so quick to with your sarcasm it doesnt reflect well your knowledge of a loving God. The desire to worship God and know Him intimately is amazing but you must always talk and act in love, even if you disagree.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. 3If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,b but have not love, I gain nothing.
The Song of Solomon is meant to be interpreted as an allegory of Christ's love for us. This is where a lot of the songs at Burn 24 7 and The International House of Prayer stem from. The passage that the worship leader was reading is really about God's word. His mouth is symbolic of His word. That is the way that the worship leader would interpret this passage. To view our relationship with the Lord as anything but personal and as a love relationship is too hard. We are the bride of Christ and Jesus is coming to marry the bride. So not to view our relationship this way just doesn't make any sense. We are missing out big time when we fail to recognize Christ as the bridegroom and realize that the main reason he did and was ressurected is so that we can marry Him. That is why our life has to be about seeking Him out. We love Him because of what He did for us not because of what we can do for Him. We don;t have to prove our love for Him.
First, Jesus is coming is not meant to be judgemental at all. This is one of the best things that a true believer can hear. When Jesus comes there will be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be n more pain for the former things have passed away. Someone who has this judgemental view of the words "Jesus is coming" hasn't really fully embraced the fact that when he does, we will be united with Him in love. So yes God does desire lovesick worshipers. Second these are biblical truths that are being spoken and sung. Song of Solomon is every bit meant to be interpreted in an allegorical way. So it is not emotion without truth. God is the bridegroom and we are His bride. Try meditating on Matt. 22:2 and see if it affects the way that you live. I have other issues with IHOP and their end time belief, but certainly not with this view of intimacy with the Lord. Song of Solomon and Rev.4,5,21 and 22 are some of the main passages that help me grow in my love for Jesus.
I tend to agree with what the Apostle Paul wrote if one says(my paraphrase) i follow apollos or whoever...i follow Christ, and him crucified- and like someone noted before 1 Corinthians 13. The point is that we are to Love Him first and formost- do we tell others how they love their mother,father, brother, wife, husband? NO- should they tell you how to do the same? NO can we do it and still both be right? YES.
Loving God then loving others out of the overflow of that reality. Our culture our "way" if you will has lost most of it's heart and gone mostly with it's head for a long time we expect God to show up do tricks or give pointers and leave us alone to manange our own lives. The answer is both head and heart together and stay connected with HIM know him He wants us to. I pray that they might be one as you and I are ONE Not kill/harm/mame your neighbor if he doesnt see like you do or say eeeugh their different uncomfortable Jesus didnt come to make us comfortable but alive again.
Watch out for the religious spirit! It like to bring confusion to our minds and brings offense to true passionate moves of God. Jesus was the most controversal person in his day. It was the religious people of his day who were offended by him, rejected him and eventually killed him. Rather than being offended by somthing you dont understand, I challange you to take a chance and get wildly in love with Jesus, Crazy in love with him and see how your life changes for the better.
lol...even if you try to "forget" the religious spirit that wrote this how can you overlook the catty comment "others were pouring themselves coffee (we think) out of a thermos,". I think everyone got what was implied there.
Those with a passion for worship to connect with the Almighty seem to scare alot of people.
Why is it that they can attend a football game with thousand of insane people screaming, wearing paint, drinking (oh yeah and you know what's in those thermos) and basic insanity and think nothing of it? But get extreme about God and whoa...
This was written with a slant in the negative from someone who just didn't get it.
Let's be sure we pray for the author of this article that she too would experience the heart of God and that He will reveal Himself to her in a BIG way. Let's pray for her heart to be free from all bondages that maybe hindering her from receiving revelation and to know Him by His spirit and not His letter only.
While I agree with you, there should be thought as well as emotion within a time with the Lord, the Burn DOES provoke thought. Maybe it was the location you attended, or the night you went, but the Burn 24/7 as a whole LOVES and TEACHES and ENCOURAGES each other. All the Burn really does is connect our city and people to others around the world also experienceing a life-changing God, not to BE the experience. It is a different experience than most are used to, but why shouldn't it be? What most people are used to is dead, powerless, law-ridden services that make people thing TOO much. They tend to lean towards the sides of legalism than freedom in Christ! I, personally, consider the approach of the Burn 24/7 as a breath of fresh air! REading through Acts, i see a lot of similarities between the wsaythe Burn 24/7 is run, and the way the early church was run, so what better blue-print is there than the Holy Bible itself?
Burn 24-7 is different in every city that have these services... the person writing sounds like she needs to go back and give GOD and HIS Worshipers another chance...Don't go by your 1st encounter...These are the true raw worshipers of the Nation...I guess it would be fair to say that Burn is not for the faint of heart but I believe it is for everyone in some way if you CHOOSE to open up your heart and learn....
Dear Sister, I appreciate your comments on your experience at the Burn. I attended Burn 24/7 from May to Nov. of 2009. There was wonderful worship there and God moved in a powerful way every time. This was the only location of the Burn that I ever went to. The director and those who helped were very godly younger people who had an intense love for the Word of God. In between worship songs one of them would come and bring something from the Word which just seemed to come right from the heart of God. Every Burn, in addition to wonderful worship, the Word of God was lived in front of us. What more could you ask for. God called these directors to serve Him in other ways, so our Burn ended. I miss it everyday. I believe God has called all of us to Burn 24/7 for Him. May God Bless you richly.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, it is certainly true that one of the most controversial issues in Christianity is the role of Music. Some Brothers and Sisters go as far to the point of rejecting any instrumental music, and only allowing a cappella music in their services, and "protect" the congregation by repelling any kind of instrumental music. Other Brothers and Sisters accept as "valid" only music of the 16-18th century, and describe as deeply inpure any music that contains drums. Other Brothers and sisters accept contemporary instrumental music, and some others like the Brothers and Sisters of Burn 24/7 exploit it further and practice also prophetic music. So, could we simply understand the fact that God created music and that each Believer on Earth has the right to be free to express her/his Love / devotion / appreciation / thanks / sorrow / communicate to G-d the Almighty, also with or withotu music ? Could we practice the Love our Saviour (the Word made Flesh) by accepting each other "taste" without being judgmental ? What are all the Gifts, if one does not have Love ? And what is Love ? Accept the other, inspite that she/he has different style from your own in adoring the Almighty. Remember: the variability you see on Earth in the living things is only a glimpse of the creativity that our Saviour has, and likes.
Be Jew with the Jew, and Greek with the Greek: death for the World but leaving for the Creator.
Your Brother in Christ.
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