THE MINISTRY OF WORSHIP (Part IV)

“When you come to appear before Me, who requires of you that your (unholy feet) trample My courts?  Bring no more offerings of vanity (emptiness, falsity, vainglory, and futility)…”  (Isaiah 1:12-13a AMP)

Ouch!  How would you like God to tell you this?  In Isaiah’s time Judah had gotten far away from God.  Isaiah was warning them in these first few chapters (1-6) of the judgment coming due to their prevailing wickedness and worship of idols within the Jerusalem temple itself.  They were coming to temple, giving their offerings and prayers to God then in turn giving offerings and prayers to idols all in the same visit.  How that must have grieved God’s heart and enraged Him as well.  We often do not want to think about God’s anger and jealousy over us but we must.

“…I cannot endure – (it is) iniquity and profanation, even the solemn meeting.  Your New Moon festivals and your (hypocritical) appointed feasts My soul hates.  They are an oppressive burden to Me; I am weary of hearing them.”  (Isaiah 1:13b-14 AMP)

When I go to Church, what are my motives?  Do I go to hear a good sermon?  How about some lively and moving music?  Maybe it is First Sunday and I want to pay my tithe?  These are all reasons and seem good in and among themselves but is that all there is to it?  Why even go, since I can always mail in my tithe, listen to music on the stereo or a good sermon on the radio?  Could it be that I go for the socializing around other people that think like me?  These are questions that may help me realize just what my motives are, but there should be just ONE motive to go to Church; I go to worship God.

“You do not know what you are worshiping (you worship what you do not comprehend)…a time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers.  God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality).”  (John 4:22a, 23 AMP)

God is a Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in reality, not in ritual where the body does what appears right but the mind is elsewhere.

“You Pharisees and teachers are in for trouble! You're nothing but show-offs. You're like tombs that have been whitewashed. On the outside they are beautiful, but inside they are full of bones and filth.”  (Matthew 23:27 CEV)

When we go to church and are gracious and kind to those around us, sing our songs of praise, give our tithes and offerings, and listen to and feel a little moved by the sermon, this is NOT worship.  It is ritual.  It is all action of the body and soul not prompted by the spirit.  Many believers worship this way and it is vain, all in vain, for it does not promote connection with God.  He is not the focus of the worship.

“People judge others by what they look like, but I judge people by what is in their hearts."  (1 Samuel 16:7b ASV)

God knows our inner motivations.  He knows if we are really worshiping or just “going through the motions”.  No wonder His soul hates hypocritical worship (Isaiah 1:14).

God created us (each man) as a whole creature, where our body, soul and spirit is intertwined (1 Thessalonians 5:23).  What one does affects the others.  True worship involves the whole creature; your spirit is stirred and connects with Him, your soul (mind, will, intellect and emotions) follows suit in focusing on Him, then your body responds by bursting out in praise and song.  This is worshiping in spirit and truth (reality).  There is no falsity, emptiness, vainglory or futility in this worship.  He is the focus of the worship.

There is a song I love to sing.  It just thrills my heart to sing it, especially the verse, “We were created to make His praise glorious!”  I long to do what I was created to do.  I long to worship Him in spirit and in truth.  I long to make His praise glorious!  How about you?

THE MINISTRY OF WORSHIP (Part III)

Works of the Flesh Result in Inappropriate Worship

When did true worship start and what made it stop?  When Adam was in Paradise, his worship of God was perfect.  He spent time with God.  God would bring him animals He made and Adam would name them (Gen. 2).  When Adam fell his worship was marred (Gen. 3). There was no longer the same free, frank fellowship with God and no longer the reverence.  Sin entered the world and we like Adam are sinners (1 John 1:18).  Sin mars our worship of God (2 Cor. 6:14).

Gal. 5:19-21 give a list of “the lusts of the flesh” we participate in since Adam’s fall.  If we are truthful with ourselves we will find something on the list we have participated in.  Granted, most of us have not committed murder.  Or have we?  “Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.”  (1 John 3:15 KJV)  Have you ever hated someone?  Then God calls you a murderer.

Let’s examine another item from the list, one we can say for sure we have never committed.  How about witchcraft?  The dictionary states that witchcraft is:  holding converse with the dead, possessed by an evil spirit, having a spirit of divination, soothsayers, using chemicals and drugs.  Now I know we all feel as if we have not been into this as believers, or have we?  Have you ever taken something to make you feel good or to escape from the stress you are under?  How about drinking alcohol?  How about prescription drugs in a way they were not prescribed?  If you have you are practicing witchcraft.  Have you ever watched Ghost Whisperer, Harry Potter, or other television shows and movies that have witchcraft content? If you have, you are being entertained by witchcraft.

How about idolatry?  Surely we can state that we have never bowed down to a stone statue.  Here the dictionary states that idolatry is:  the worship of a physical object as a god, immoderate or over attachment or devotion to something.  “Therefore, my dearly beloved, shun (keep clear away from, avoid by flight if need be) any sort of idolatry (of loving or venerating anything more than God).”  (1 Cor. 10:4 AMP)  Have you ever put something as more important than God?  How about sports, shopping, movies, television, or another person?

We can see how even just one of these things can separate us from God.  We, as mankind, long to return to that state of free, frank fellowship with God that Adam first had but sin stands in the way.  Thank God He has provided a way to be free from sin:  Jesus.  If you have not accepted that Jesus died for your sins, I urge you to do so today.  (Please feel free to contact me at the email link on this page for more information on accepting Jesus as Lord in your life.)  If you have accepted what He has done for you, I urge you to walk in the Spirit every moment of every day so that you will not “fulfill the lusts of the flesh” (Gal. 5:16) and can return to TRUE worship and inherit His Kingdom.

John 4:23 "A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers."  AMP Bible

THE MINISTRY OF WORSHIP (Part II)

John 4:23 "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks."  AMP Bible

When we think of worship we think of singing at church.  Music and singing is a vital part of worship; it is a form of but not the actual worship.  There are many different forms of worship besides singing and music:  giving tithes, helping others, prayer meetings, Bible Studies, etc. but worship, by Webster’s definition is reverence, loving devotion, and idolizing.  These are the inward attitudes we have that motivate the outward forms of worship.  The key is what worship is focused on.

Colossians 3:16 tells us to let the Word have its home in our hearts and minds and actually dwell in us, not only so that we teach and admonish one another in all wisdom but that we also with gratitude in our hearts sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs TO GOD.  “…true worshipers will worship the Father…” (John 4:23)  He is our focus.

Worship is not limited to Church, but should be an every day, every hour part of our lives.  “And whatever you do (no matter what it is) in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in dependence upon His person, giving praise to God the Father through Him,” Colossians 3:17.  When you get up in the morning give God reverence; acknowledge Him with the first breath you take after waking up.  When you go about your morning chores or work think about Him in loving devotion.  As you go through your day take moments to idolize Him, making Him preeminent over everything else going on in your day.

Let me share with you something I read recently regarding worship;

“I've come to the conclusion that it is almost impossible to come to church on Sunday morning and have a meaningful worship experience if I haven't worshiped during the week in my own time with God. It's like the little child who comes to a birthday party expecting to be the honored guest; everything revolves around them for that moment. How many times have we been that little child when it comes to our worship on Sunday? "Dada, I'm here!” I can almost see God shaking His head wondering why we can't get it right. The party isn't about us; it's about Him and all He's done for us. There would be no reason to celebrate had there not been a cross, I'm not worthy to be at His party except for the blood that washed me clean and lets me stand in His presence. Try worshiping for seven days by yourself and then coming to church to worship with other Christians, you'll never view worship the same again.”  - Terri Pettyjohn

Worship is the heartfelt acknowledgment of God and all His power and glory in EVERY thing we do.

I challenge you to start right now.  Put your focus on Him.  Find ways to worship Him throughout today, every hour, minute by minute.  Take little moments to think about Him.  At this very moment let your love for Him swell up in your spirit and tell Him you love Him.  He is waiting for you with open arms.

THE MINISTRY OF WORSHIP – Part I

John 4:23 "A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers."  AMP Bible

We all have an idea of what worship is, or at least we think we do.  Is it not singing and praying in church.  No, that is not worship.  Worship, by Webster’s definition is reverence, loving devotion, and idolizing, so we can see it does entail more than just prayer or singing.  What we do in church is just an outward showing of what is inside us.  One man goes to church and sings the songs because it is expected of him and it “feels good” to do so.  He is not worshiping.  Where is the reverence, idolizing and loving devotion in that?  The other man goes to church with God on his mind, being thankful to Him for everything He has done for him, making Him the focus of his time, giving his tithes with joy to God knowing He will use them for His glory, singing out with joy in response to God’s Presence.  That is worship.  An outsider looking in would see no difference between the two men; both would be singing and praying, but only one would be worshiping.

True worship comes from the relationship we have with the Lord.  If we look at our lives, would it be true to say that we are living God centered lives?  Are we focused on the material things or on God?  God is jealous of our worship.  ”Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.”  (Ex. 34:14)  It is not that He needs our worship, but the simple fact is that He takes great pleasure from our worship and adoration of His Name.  True worship is our way of ministering to God.  It also benefits us, so that we may express our love and adoration to him, for what He has done in our lives.  To be truly worshiping we need to stay focused on what and Who He is.

Where is YOUR focus today?