Point to the Planet Shaker
January 22nd, 2007Went along to Planet Shakers church tonight in Melbourne. Although we’ve been to many conferences which are very close in atmosphere to this, it was the first time we’d actually been to a normal mega-church service.
I feel I must be getting old, because the atmosphere here once would have excited me. Not so much any more. It’s great to see so many young people in Church, but the drop-off age was clear. I felt like one of the oldest there (I’m 31).
The visiting speaker was a guy called Chris Hill. I saw Chris years ago when I’d watch TBN, on a US show called Ramp. At the time he reminded me very much like a young T.D. Jakes clone. He was putting on all the right moves. Even had the sweat-ker-chief.
I was pleased to see that he seemed much more comfortable and authentic tonight. Though, the message was reasonably predictable; “We’re going through tough times, but it’s only because God wants to bless us at the right time - and that time is NOW, yada yada..”. At the risk of sounding like a cynical GenXer, this sort of preaching seems like a carrot being waved in front of our faces. It urges us onwards, which in itself is not a bad thing, but how long can the carrot be dangled before disillusionment sets in?
In my youth (gee, I really do sound old) we went to conferences with a guy called Ruckins McKinley, also from the states. We’d jump up and down and declare that we were a ‘kick devil butt generation’ and we’d be sure that ours was the revival generation. Unless I missed something, it never turned out to be that way. If the prophetic words were correct, then either our generation or God Himself failed.
I love passionate praise. I’m a very rare breed in that I class myself as Emerging-Missional and still Pentecostal through and through. So to me, an authentic, vibrant atmosphere with some good ol’ hollerin’ certainly has it’s place, though it’s no longer my cup of tea. But the worship must be authentic and our message real. We can peddle hope, and hope is very much a need of the human soul, but if that hope in the end is not in the true promises of God, then it will go unfulfilled, and that has devastating consequences to our ability to hope again.
Point to the Planet Shaker on your left (point left)
Point to the Planet Shaker on your right (point right)
Point to the Planet Shaker born to fight (point to your self)Point to The Planet Shaker (point up)
(Chris Hills and Planet Shakers, 2007)
Were a kick devil butt generation
Were a kick devil butt generation
Gonna stomp on his head, won’t stop ’til he’s dead
Were a kick devil butt generationKick, Kick, Kick some devil butt, were’ gonna..
(Ruckins McKinley and YouthNet, 1998)
As expected, the kids loved it. Which probably means that we’ll have to go again.
You’re an idiot.
You could not even feel the anointing, which was sooooo strong and awesome.
Comment by fred — January 22, 2007 @ 6:51 pm
Being slightly older than our blogger, I can definitely see his point of view, in relation to the jumping and the shouting thing. At our age, it is easy to look back and consider that something went wrong. I am veteran of “many” youth events and conferences. They all encouraged us to be radical (which just means being /d doing something different to what is currently normal - which begs the question “if we are all being radical, does that make radical “normal” and therefore not radical ?”)
I certainly have no problem with encouraging the youth of any generation to “press on to the higher call”, having done this myself on other occasions, but good music, good speakers, good dancing and an altar call does not change a generation - that’s what the generation is for. If anything, these things are a call to war - but once they are over, you still need to fight. An alter call means nothing - if you aren’t altered. I am sure there was no intent to discreit the event or its participants, and as a parent, our blogger would certainly not be taking his kids back to something he thought pointless (especially spiritually). These conferences are meant to encourage the young people to a higher level of committment, so they can go back to their normal lives and actually consider making a difference, without the the assistance of the band & speakers (they have their own lives to live, after the event). Sorry for the length.
Comment by Wazza — January 24, 2007 @ 6:55 am
“You could not even feel the anointing, which was sooooo strong and awesome.”
I sure hope Fred was being sarcastic, because all hype with tonnes of adrenaline, does not anointing a-make. In fact, how can you even tell God is there, with all that soul effort flying about.
Kind reminds me of the T-Shirt I saw once:
“I found Jesus … He was behind the couch!!”
I don’t suppose there was any reference to “sin” and “repentance”? I’m sure they gave an altar call to “receive Christ” in spite of such a glaring omission, though … or was it a call to “make your problems end now”?
Lord, help us keep our balance, because the “planet” is “shaking” too much.
:’(
Comment by Aaron Ireland — March 26, 2007 @ 2:24 am
I don’t know… I’m a GenX myself and I think the amount of annointing in any Planet Shakers (or any similar worship service) is directly proportional to how close YOU are to God in your own walk. When I’m far from God, I get all cynical and start poking holes in stuff. When I’m close to God, it seems to me less hypey and I trust my fellow worshippers are genuinely seeking God. not saying it’s the same for everyone, but for me, if I’m not able to worship God in a modern worship service, then the problem is definitely with me, not the church.
I agree with Aaron’s comment about altar calls in general though. It seems such a shame too when it would be SOOOOO simple to explain about sin and repentance BEFORE giving the call rather than just saying “come to Jesus and he will give you life more abundant”. They might do good altar calls at Planet Shakers, I don’t know, I’m just talking in general across all churches.
Comment by Kinga — August 19, 2007 @ 11:57 pm
I understand where you are coming from, Kinga.
Once in a “ministry training” class I attended, in an effort to illustrate why our denomination prays loudly (and I mean loudly), the leader got us to sit quietly and try to pray with our heads bowed and eyes closed, the idea being for us to see how easily we are distracted doing so.
Now, I prayed, and I felt God respond. One lady, however, stood up and claimed how religious the whole experience was and felt that God could never move in such a way. The difference? Not the presence of God - but our responsiveness and openess to God in that situation.
My point - yes, God will respond to us individually, and in whatever scenario we find ourselves. God has no preference to style, but there is no doubt that each an every one of us finds it easier to approach God in an environment that we are comfortable in.
While I had trouble “pushing in” at Planet Shakers, my kids were up there in the balconies with their eyes closed and hands raised. I was very glad to see that.
But I am also glad that they were removed from the auditorium before the message was preached.
Comment by shmatt — August 20, 2007 @ 8:50 am
[...] From http://shmatt.com/posts/2007/01/22/point-to-the-planet-shaker/ [...]
Pingback by Logan’s Run Church « Signposts2 — January 23, 2008 @ 3:35 am