Worship can be a noun, verb or adjective: someone awesome (Almighty God only); an act of obeisance to God; an honorific role in a fraternal organization (a worshipful something or other).
In a series of contrasts, this blog considers worship in the limited sense of what people committed to God in Christ expect, accept, tolerate or demand when they gather for weekend services. First of all, there is no “either or contrast” in the meaning of worship. Whether God’s people stand or kneel, raise hands or only voices, are accompanied by solo or diverse instruments, led by one or a group of singers, singing choruses or great hymns, we intend to venerate and glorify God in Christ as the sole purpose of worship. We always wonder why ONE such as HE could love such as we, but he does and we don’t quibble about being unworthy. He knows we ARE but declares us RIGHTEOUS through Christ. Indeed, God seeks our worship for he knows the experience deepens our awareness of his mercy and increases our confidence in him. And while the service increases our sense of importance to God, it leaves us humble at such undeserved honor. Through the entire worship experience, we retain a healthy respect for God akin to fear, not a careless familiarity akin to sacrilege. We seek his will in our lives, not his accommodation of what we feel is appropriate behavior and obedience. We seek inspiration, instruction, correction, conversion, help, hope and allegiance to his will and word, but never “a good time had by all.” We come to bare our souls and seek his mercy, not blast our instruments to prove how loud we can play. We plead for grace we need but not deserve, not admiration of our musical or preaching skills. We want to be disappointed if we HAVEN’T been challenged, or convicted, or disturbed by what we heard from God’s Word, not because we HAVE! I spoke at a student devotional service one night at Ozark Christian College. A young man sang a solo but, as I remember, made a mistake or two in the effort. I clearly remember how crestfallen he had been when finishing. He thought the song’s message had been lost in his mistakes. I told him gently that God uses what we call mistakes to prove that the worth of his message is neither increased by our skill nor limited by our shortcomings. Every preacher understands his frustration. For how many times are we disappointed in our sermonic delivery, despite extensive preparation; expressing regret at not delivering it better and promising to do better next time? All the while understand a spiritual truth: after human effort can’t adequately serve God, the Holy Spirit can and does. Remember: the TREASURE in earthen vessels is what the Holy Spirit emphasizes to the listeners, not the vessels’ appearance, age or competence. “....This all-surpassing power is from God and not from[V1] us” II Corinthians 4:7. Whatever we experience, God never fails to produce the result he seeks from his Word Isaiah 55:11. The jar may be old or cracked or broken, but God’s message still GETS OUT! End Part I
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