Symphony of Worship - Part Two

(no transitioning –  just continuing from part one)

When Church leaders set apart worship from everything else, I fear that we are sending a message that conflicts with the whole life concept of worship before God.

This is easily remedied by those same spiritual leaders teaching and using a truly simple approach to scriptural truths.

Let us see a simple scripture with such powerful truth.

Romans 12: 1 says it all,

          Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as

          living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

…No organs, no flair, no flash, no amps, no lights…Just our spiritual act of worship. How beautiful and freeing this truth is that I can worship any time, any place because giving myself (body) to the Lord as an act of worship. What if I do this every day and have a mind like this ongoingly?  Can’t this attitude of worship be in my life at all times? Of course it can. And it is then that I begin to understand more of how that worship is my life, not just a 30 minute a church service or a two hour concert.

Not too long ago as I was studying, I read an interesting phrase written by Sally Morgenthaler (a worship leader specialist who really got it).  After years of teaching on worship, she wrote these words, “Worship must finally become, as Paul reminds us (in Romans 12:1), more life than event.”

From this, we can gather that she is saying that worship is not just a scheduled event, but rather it is a way of life for every day that we live. I believe that this is what the Bible is teaching in this verse. We are to worship when we are working or driving a car; when we hold hands and kiss; when we are on the computer; and when we…well, do everything else.  Bringing this truth into our daily lives is so pivotal, that it would transform our marriages, homes, and churches in a supernatural way if allowed too.

In the scriptures, a worshipful heart and spirit is tied to everything else that believers in Christ do when they are sincere before the Lord. Worship, at times, can be an event with other believers, but even then it is what flows from our everyday living as we have been worshiping the Lord all the time in our lives already. It is difficult to allow worship to flow freely on Sunday, if it has been ignored all the rest of the week.

But let’s take a minute to look at this from another approach.  In the Old Testament, the Temple was built for the purpose of housing God’s presence so that the people could come there to sacrifice and worship the Lord God.  Most Christians are familiar with that teaching in the Bible.

So then, how does that knowledge apply when we read what Paul writes in this passage?

          I Corinthians 6:19  Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy        Spirit,  Who is in you, Whom you have received from God? ………..

I believe that it applies this way: Since worship goes on in God’s presence, and since we are the temple in which He dwells, then everything we do should translate into worshiping Him.  If we are not doing so, maybe there is something going on inside of us that hinders the worship that should be flowing from our lives.

Can I go to the movies and worship?  Sure.  What about when I am shopping or planting a garden?  Yes, I can worship during that too.

People who glitch up at this truth have not yet understood the truth of Romans 12:1. 

Romans 12: 1

          Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as

          living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.

The whole worship thing can also be shut down by more than just faking it….unresolved sin can also cut off our ability to worship. Worship is a spiritual act: ….not a fleshly one …not sinful.

          The words “holy and pleasing” have more to do with forgiveness than     with perfection. You see, when we have confessed and received forgiveness from the Lord, it is then that we are “holy and pleasing to God”.

If we keep sin close to ourselves, we can be sitting in the most fantastic place with a great “atmosphere of worship”, but still be faking it with empty motions.

Can I worship during the impure thoughts that occur when that gorgeous babe or hunk walks by?

Not so much so.

Probably not.

Of course not…..

What about when I have unresolved issues between me and my wife?  ....Another stopper.

No matter how reverent or loud the place of worship is, it won’t cover unresolved sin.

Stuff like this clogs up the spiritual pipes…worship stops right here.

Repent, confess and let Jesus fix it.

It is great and fun to have choirs, worship teams, drums, and bands!  I love them all!  And I say the louder the better!! (personal preference)

But just realize this about them, these things don’t define the worship experience alone and make it exclusive to themselves.  Some of the people I know get this, but sadly, there are still a great many who don’t. 

So then, what do we do? Draw from the scripture our teaching of worship. Replace the western culture definition of worship with a scriptural definition of worship, and then just live that life of worship of the Lord every day. What is wrong with that?

By the way, you can teach this to your friends too.

Yep, you really can worship when you wash the car, or change a baby’s diaper, or fix the tractor, or even while being intimate with your spouse.

For the one with an open, loving, and right relationship with the Lord, all the beautiful sounds of every part of their lives come together for a symphony of worship.

C ya,

Dan