Making Some Noise

In John chapter 3, Jesus taught about the significance of His coming to earth, using the illustration of Moses lifting up a bronze snake in the wilderness in order for the people to experience wholeness and deliverance:
14And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,15that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.16For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Later in the chapter, we read:21But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God."
In a sense, we are called to lift up Jesus, so that the world may see that He has come into the world to provide an answer to the sin problem that each of us face, that keeps humanity apart from God. Sin will hold us in bondage, but the power of Jesus Christ can set us free. And, if you have accepted Him as your Lord and Savior and are walking with Him in salvation, you are called to lift Him up, to declare His name, to show by the way you live your life that you know Him, love Him, and are dedicated to see His love and power expressed in the earth.

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As Jesus neared the time of His death, He gave His disciples some instruction and motivation, which we find in John chapter 12:

32And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself."33This He said, signifying by what death He would die.34The people answered Him, "We have heard from the law that the Christ remains forever; and how can You say, 'The Son of Man must be lifted up'? Who is this Son of Man?"35Then Jesus said to them, "A little while longer the light is with you. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you; he who walks in darkness does not know where he is going.36While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light." 

A Columbia, South Carolina, pastor is in the midst of serving a two-week jail sentence because the church he pastors repeatedly violated the city's noise ordinance.   According to a report on the WLTX-TV website, the dispute between Rehoboth United Assemblies Church and its neighbors has been going on for some two years, and a jury found church pastor Johnnie Clark guilty of unlawful sound amplification following a three-day trial where prosecutors laid out their evidence against him.

Columbia Police officers have been called to the church more than 50 times for noise complaints. Neighbors said the noise coming from the musical equipment could be heard late into the evening and early in the morning, and permeated their home. The neighbors recorded some of the episodes as part of their evidence of the noise.

Back in June, a judge granted an injunction that would prohibit the church from using sound amplifying devices like drums or microphones between 8PM and 8AM. On multiple occasions, officers were called to the church and said that the worship was too loud.

Documents show the church violated that injunction repeatedly.

Thomas Borders has been a member of the church for 20 years and believes that their rights are being violated because they can't praise God in their own way. He says the real problem is that the city noise ordinance isn't specific.

"It's up to the neighbors to say if its irritating to them or a nuisance to them. Well you can get a weed eater and go outside and if someone complains nothing will be done, but when it comes to worshiping God its now a problem," said Borders.

The church has owned the property for several years and thinks it's not fair that they are being punished because of the close proximity to their neighbors.

Another WLTX story points out that the church has been in its location for 30 years, but recently some townhomes were built near the church.   That story points out that this series of events has attracted national attention and that Pastor Jamal Bryant and the Empowerment Temple Church in Baltimore have reached out to help the Columbia church pay their fines. They have raised more than $3,000 dollars. Bryant says, "To see the body of Christ coming together it's inspiring."

The church is now working on sound proofing the windows and walls to hopefully bring closure to this situation.

This is a tough illustration of the fragility of human relationships, and there's a delicate balance here between a church feeling free to worship as they please and a church being a good neighbor.  As a result of this conflict, the church is taking the necessary steps to try to diffuse the situation, and I would hope that the church can somehow, moving forward, improve its relationships with the people who live around it.

I began to think about the type of noise that a church, or the church, the body of Christ, can make - figuratively speaking.  There is a call, I believe, upon all of our lives to worship God in a way that draws us closer to Him and that makes an impact on the people who observe us.  That's kind of a paraphrase of the words of Jesus, when He said that if He is lifted up, He will draw all men to Him.   

So, how do we partner with the Holy Spirit in drawing attention to Jesus?   I think humility is a key element - we have to possess humble hearts and recognize that our worship involves not only our individual and corporate expressions of love for Him, but also the way we influence other people for the sake of the gospel.  Another element is service - we recognize that we have the capacity to love others in the Lord, and by serving other people, we make a strong statement for Christ.   And, finally, we can be motivated to speak the truth - our willingness to share about what God has done in our lives and what He can do for those whom we encounter can be powerful in winning hearts to Him.

So, be encouraged - we can "make some noise," as we live our lives in a manner that boldly communicates the presence of the Lord.