A WORSHIPPING CHURCH (Acts 2:46)
The American milk industry invests $70 million a year in ads that focus on one thing: celebrities — with milk mustaches. James Houran, an academic clinical psychologist who has researched celebrity worship. "We need celebrities as much as we need food, water and shelter. We need them to feel connected." A recent national study of 600 people by Houran and several associates reveal that one in three people are moderate to advanced celebrity worshipers[1] Let’s suppose we advertise in the News Paper stating that Ophra Winfrey will be the chief guest at the Sunday service at our Church, boy wouldn’t that draw crowds to our Church that Sunday? But when we say “Night of Worship” hardly any shows up eager to worship God. Do you understand why?
In this celebrity crazed world unfortunately many people, including Christians worship celebrities rather than worshipping the creator of the universe. Author Marva J. Dawn says in her book “A Royal waste of time, “To worship the Lord is in the world’s eye a waste of time. It is, indeed, a royal waste of time, but a waste nonetheless. By engaging in it, we don’t accomplish anything useful in our society’s terms.” Worship ought not to be construed in a utilitarian way. Its purpose is not to gain numbers nor for our churches to be seen as successful. RATHER, THE ENTIRE REASON FOR OUR WORSHIP IS THAT GOD DESERVES IT.”!!!! Amen
We have been studying the early Church for the past few weeks to discover the vital signs of a living Church. The early Church was a Learning Church, and a Caring and Sharing Church. Another vital sign of the early Church was that it was “A Worshipping Church.” The early Christians were fanatic about Jesus. Every day they met in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God..(Acts 2:46).
The early churches’ worship was both formal and informal. A point to note that they did not right away abandon the institutional Church, they gathered in the temple courts daily. But they also gathered for informal worship at homes breaking bread which symbolizes communion. Some young people are impatient with the traditions of the Church. They don’t like to sing hymns discarding them as old fashioned but fail to appreciate the deep theology they carry which can bring life and depth to our worship.
When there is so much misunderstanding and misdirected worship, it is imperative that we as Christians wrestle with these questions: What worship is not? What true worship is? Who is the center of worship? What are the forms of worship? What are the hindrances for worship?
I. WHAT WORSHIP IS NOT?
Before we extensively deal with the subject of worship let’s clarify certain mis-conceptions we may have about worship. I grew up in a Christian home, for me worship meant going to church each Sunday, sing a few songs, listen to a sermon and go back home. Attending church regularly is no different than attending a social club, a sport event or running after a celebrity when we don’t worship God the way he desires us to worship him. Worship is not merely singing a few favorite songs, and following a church program through the service. Then what true worship is? And where did it all begin?
In this celebrity crazed world unfortunately many people, including Christians worship celebrities rather than worshipping the creator of the universe. Author Marva J. Dawn says in her book “A Royal waste of time, “To worship the Lord is in the world’s eye a waste of time. It is, indeed, a royal waste of time, but a waste nonetheless. By engaging in it, we don’t accomplish anything useful in our society’s terms.” Worship ought not to be construed in a utilitarian way. Its purpose is not to gain numbers nor for our churches to be seen as successful. RATHER, THE ENTIRE REASON FOR OUR WORSHIP IS THAT GOD DESERVES IT.”!!!! Amen
We have been studying the early Church for the past few weeks to discover the vital signs of a living Church. The early Church was a Learning Church, and a Caring and Sharing Church. Another vital sign of the early Church was that it was “A Worshipping Church.” The early Christians were fanatic about Jesus. Every day they met in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God..(Acts 2:46).
The early churches’ worship was both formal and informal. A point to note that they did not right away abandon the institutional Church, they gathered in the temple courts daily. But they also gathered for informal worship at homes breaking bread which symbolizes communion. Some young people are impatient with the traditions of the Church. They don’t like to sing hymns discarding them as old fashioned but fail to appreciate the deep theology they carry which can bring life and depth to our worship.
When there is so much misunderstanding and misdirected worship, it is imperative that we as Christians wrestle with these questions: What worship is not? What true worship is? Who is the center of worship? What are the forms of worship? What are the hindrances for worship?
I. WHAT WORSHIP IS NOT?
Before we extensively deal with the subject of worship let’s clarify certain mis-conceptions we may have about worship. I grew up in a Christian home, for me worship meant going to church each Sunday, sing a few songs, listen to a sermon and go back home. Attending church regularly is no different than attending a social club, a sport event or running after a celebrity when we don’t worship God the way he desires us to worship him. Worship is not merely singing a few favorite songs, and following a church program through the service. Then what true worship is? And where did it all begin?
II. WHAT TRUE WORSHIP IS?
The dictionary definition of Worship: “The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or sacred object. The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed. Ardent devotion; adoration. The Greek word Proskune (from where we get our English word prostrate) means: To put or throw flat with the face down, as in submission or adoration, fall down and worship, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to.
The origin of worship traces back to the first family where Abel and Cain brought their offerings to the Lord. One was accepted but the other one was denied. Abraham has set out to offer his only promised son Isaac, he told the young men who were with him “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” (Genesis 22: 5) From these two incidents we gather that true worship is all about giving back to God what he has given to us, in the first place it is his anyway, but we do that with a right heart attitude and thanksgiving.
Worship is not so much about what we bring to God but how we bring it; it is a matter of our heart. God continually looks to the heart of men to see if what is being offered to Him is genuine and not some tradition that is performed for selfish reasons. The prophet Isaiah warns the Israelites about their half hearted worship. Outwardly they were praising God but inwardly they are far from God. Isaiah 29:13-14 “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
Jesus emphasized the need to have a right heart and be in right relationship with others when we come to bring our offerings in worship. Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. When we are not having right attitudes and right relationship with others our offering to God is un-acceptable.
I wonder how some of us can come to the worship service, lifting hands and voices in praising God while not in right relationship with others. Can we impress God with our high praises and lofty prayers while nursing bitterness and un-forgiveness in our hearts? We are good in our spiritual jargon, we say “Praise the Lord, Halleluiah, Amen, and glory to God etc thinking that God is pleased with that language” Kelly Sparks, a worship leader says “God is not moved or impressed with our worship until our hearts are moved and impressed by Him.”
True worship is not based on any particular style whether fast or slow, contemporary or traditional, loud music or no music. Any form of worship that flows out of the hearts of those who are totally blown away by the great wonder, splendor and majesty of God is true worship. You may have the best of the best songs and worship leaders but if your heart is not with it then it falls flat. We think worship happens on Sunday between 10:30 A.M till 11:00 AM, No!! True worship is not an activity that we do once a week but it should happen 24/7, it is a lifestyle of offering our bodies (heart, mind and will) as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God that is our spiritual act of worship.”(Romans 12:1)
The dictionary definition of Worship: “The reverent love and devotion accorded a deity, an idol, or sacred object. The ceremonies, prayers, or other religious forms by which this love is expressed. Ardent devotion; adoration. The Greek word Proskune (from where we get our English word prostrate) means: To put or throw flat with the face down, as in submission or adoration, fall down and worship, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to.
The origin of worship traces back to the first family where Abel and Cain brought their offerings to the Lord. One was accepted but the other one was denied. Abraham has set out to offer his only promised son Isaac, he told the young men who were with him “Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” (Genesis 22: 5) From these two incidents we gather that true worship is all about giving back to God what he has given to us, in the first place it is his anyway, but we do that with a right heart attitude and thanksgiving.
Worship is not so much about what we bring to God but how we bring it; it is a matter of our heart. God continually looks to the heart of men to see if what is being offered to Him is genuine and not some tradition that is performed for selfish reasons. The prophet Isaiah warns the Israelites about their half hearted worship. Outwardly they were praising God but inwardly they are far from God. Isaiah 29:13-14 “The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”
Jesus emphasized the need to have a right heart and be in right relationship with others when we come to bring our offerings in worship. Matthew 5:23-24 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. When we are not having right attitudes and right relationship with others our offering to God is un-acceptable.
I wonder how some of us can come to the worship service, lifting hands and voices in praising God while not in right relationship with others. Can we impress God with our high praises and lofty prayers while nursing bitterness and un-forgiveness in our hearts? We are good in our spiritual jargon, we say “Praise the Lord, Halleluiah, Amen, and glory to God etc thinking that God is pleased with that language” Kelly Sparks, a worship leader says “God is not moved or impressed with our worship until our hearts are moved and impressed by Him.”
True worship is not based on any particular style whether fast or slow, contemporary or traditional, loud music or no music. Any form of worship that flows out of the hearts of those who are totally blown away by the great wonder, splendor and majesty of God is true worship. You may have the best of the best songs and worship leaders but if your heart is not with it then it falls flat. We think worship happens on Sunday between 10:30 A.M till 11:00 AM, No!! True worship is not an activity that we do once a week but it should happen 24/7, it is a lifestyle of offering our bodies (heart, mind and will) as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God that is our spiritual act of worship.”(Romans 12:1)
When we have the right heart attitude and a desire to give ourselves in the place of worship, it doesn’t really matter whether the one next to you worshipping or not you want give your best to God. True worship is getting lost in the presence of God. Have you experienced that kind of worship lately where you forgot about everything and just worshipped God? How can we develop true worship? How can we be so amazed at the splendor of God? It is only possible by having a revelation of Him who is the Center of Worship! Worship who is it for any way? The Bible is clear about who is worthy of our worship.
III. WHO IS THE CENTER OF WORSHIP?
Before we discuss who is the Center of our worship let me paint this picture for you. Here is the creator of the universe is standing before Satan on the top of the mountain. The Devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor." All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me.” In other words what the devil was saying, “Jesus throw yourself flat with your face down in submission and adoration of me.”
Jesus did not budge an inch because he knew that true worship only belonged to God not to the Devil so he said, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” (Matthew 4:8-11). Marva Dawn says in her book “Reaching out without Dumbing down” “It is absolutely essential that the Church keep God as the subject of worship.”
The first commandment God gave the Israelites after he had redeemed them from Egypt reveals that we must only worship God and no one or nothing else. And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,” Exodus 20:1-5
According to the first commandment God is on the center stage of Worship. No one and nothing should come in between you and God. God has established his sovereign position saying, “I am the LORD your God” after that he gave some clear instructions that mankind should obey. We shall not make an idol for ourselves in the form of anything in the sky (the celestial beings the sun, moon and stars) or on the earth (the visible nature like trees, rivers, mountains, animals, man or any other material thing) or in the ocean world. We are not only commanded not to make an Idol but also not to bow down to them or worship them. Why was God so particular that we should only worship him and not the Idols?
Down through the centuries the Devil has been deceiving and tempting many to violate the first commandment. He has been trying to divert worship away from God unto himself. To a large extent he has succeeded, a lot of people either directly or indirectly are worshipping Satan. How is the Devil succeeding in his attempts? Are we aware of his tactics of in our lives, our family and the society? The Bible calls Satan the murderer, liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). He disguises himself as an angel of light, (II Cor 11:14) he is called the prince of this world (John 12:31) and god of this age (II Cor 4:4). He is prowling like a roaring lion looking for some one to devour.( I Pet 5:8)
You may be wondering what does this have to do with me. How is the devil taking me away from worshipping God? Of course you may not out rightly worship Idols like some religions do. Yet idolatry comes in many subtle ways, what is it that we yearn for, think about most of our waking hours, and spend our money and free time on? Idolatry is anything that comes between you and God and takes your focus away from Him. What is that taking your focus away from him? Who or what is your Idol?
True worship is not about yourself it is all about God. Worship originates from God and it is for God because he is the only one who truly deserves it. Once we know how awesome our God is we can not but bow down to his sovereign and magnificent presence and worship him. The following scriptures highlight the splendor of our God.
Exodus 15:11 "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you-- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
Isaiah 40:25-26 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. 26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”
The God who created the heaven and earth is an awesome God. He also created you for a purpose that is to worship him. He alone deserves our worship and adoration. Who are you worshipping today? How can we keep quiet and become a spectator without participating with the angels and all of his creation and bow before him in worship? Let’s join King David who after seeing His majesty said, “Come Let’s bow down in worship; let’s kneel before the Lord our maker. May the Lord blow our minds away with the revelation of his splendor and majesty.
III. WHO IS THE CENTER OF WORSHIP?
Before we discuss who is the Center of our worship let me paint this picture for you. Here is the creator of the universe is standing before Satan on the top of the mountain. The Devil showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor." All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me.” In other words what the devil was saying, “Jesus throw yourself flat with your face down in submission and adoration of me.”
Jesus did not budge an inch because he knew that true worship only belonged to God not to the Devil so he said, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.” (Matthew 4:8-11). Marva Dawn says in her book “Reaching out without Dumbing down” “It is absolutely essential that the Church keep God as the subject of worship.”
The first commandment God gave the Israelites after he had redeemed them from Egypt reveals that we must only worship God and no one or nothing else. And God spoke all these words: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,” Exodus 20:1-5
According to the first commandment God is on the center stage of Worship. No one and nothing should come in between you and God. God has established his sovereign position saying, “I am the LORD your God” after that he gave some clear instructions that mankind should obey. We shall not make an idol for ourselves in the form of anything in the sky (the celestial beings the sun, moon and stars) or on the earth (the visible nature like trees, rivers, mountains, animals, man or any other material thing) or in the ocean world. We are not only commanded not to make an Idol but also not to bow down to them or worship them. Why was God so particular that we should only worship him and not the Idols?
Down through the centuries the Devil has been deceiving and tempting many to violate the first commandment. He has been trying to divert worship away from God unto himself. To a large extent he has succeeded, a lot of people either directly or indirectly are worshipping Satan. How is the Devil succeeding in his attempts? Are we aware of his tactics of in our lives, our family and the society? The Bible calls Satan the murderer, liar and the father of lies (John 8:44). He disguises himself as an angel of light, (II Cor 11:14) he is called the prince of this world (John 12:31) and god of this age (II Cor 4:4). He is prowling like a roaring lion looking for some one to devour.( I Pet 5:8)
You may be wondering what does this have to do with me. How is the devil taking me away from worshipping God? Of course you may not out rightly worship Idols like some religions do. Yet idolatry comes in many subtle ways, what is it that we yearn for, think about most of our waking hours, and spend our money and free time on? Idolatry is anything that comes between you and God and takes your focus away from Him. What is that taking your focus away from him? Who or what is your Idol?
True worship is not about yourself it is all about God. Worship originates from God and it is for God because he is the only one who truly deserves it. Once we know how awesome our God is we can not but bow down to his sovereign and magnificent presence and worship him. The following scriptures highlight the splendor of our God.
Exodus 15:11 "Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you-- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?
Isaiah 40:25-26 "To whom will you compare me? Or who is my equal?" says the Holy One. 26 Lift your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one, and calls them each by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.”
The God who created the heaven and earth is an awesome God. He also created you for a purpose that is to worship him. He alone deserves our worship and adoration. Who are you worshipping today? How can we keep quiet and become a spectator without participating with the angels and all of his creation and bow before him in worship? Let’s join King David who after seeing His majesty said, “Come Let’s bow down in worship; let’s kneel before the Lord our maker. May the Lord blow our minds away with the revelation of his splendor and majesty.
[1] http://www.usatoday.com/money/advertising/2003-12-19-celeb_x.htm
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