In our series, "More Than a Ritual", we are looking into the things that we do as Christians. Some of the things we do have become so routine, that we have missed the true meaning behind them. In our first week, we looked at Holy Communion. I encourage you to go back and check out that post if you were unable to be there.
In this post, we will look at the second area of the Christian life that has moved to an unhealthy area of ritual instead of relationship. I want us to look deeper at WORSHIP.
My generation grew up in an interesting time. We have watched technology explode in front of our eyes. Our younger readers will find this hard to believe, but there was a time when we didn't all have cell phones, iPads, computers or even flat screen tvs.
I have also watched the way we do church change drastically during my lifetime. Believe it or not, there was time that the only music you heard in church was played by a piano or organ. We sang out out of these unique books called "hymnals." I know there are churches that still do this, and I am not arguing that they are lesser for doing it. As you read this blog post, you will see that I believe that we have turned music into a god in itself.
But during my younger years, we started transitioning from music in a hymnal to singing from transparencies on an overhead projector...let me explain what that is...An overhead projector was this box that had a light built into it. You would turn it on and it was shine through a clear screen. If you wanted to show something for a group, you will place a transparent plastic piece with what you wanted written or printed on it. And the box would display this on a screen or a blank wall. We used these to sing from for years.
Then we added new instruments to the mix, guitars, drums, keyboards, etc. Within a few years, this type of singing evolved more until we bought computers the run the system and we created an entire genre of music.
In my opinion, and its solely that, in this era we created a monster. We began transitioning worship from being something of lifestyle, to a music style, It became something that we could package, market and sell to people. In the process, we started a war inside the church. It was the worship wars.
The battle lines of this war destroyed churches and people in the process. Worship became about our preference or moods. If a church did music the way the way we wanted, we would participate. If not, we would leave our churches and find one that did. It didn't matter which side of the aisle you were on. Both sides dug in and missed the point of why we sing to the Lord.
When worship become about music, we can become spectators, consumers of worship. When that is true, then worship is about people and not about God. People become the object of worship. It becomes about entertainment and appeasement. In essence, we become the god to adore.
I read this statement recently, "You cannot prosper by taking for yourself what was meant for God." True worship is about Him, not us.
In the book of John, we find a story of an encounter of Jesus and a woman at the well in chapter 4. In this short account, we see that Jesus offers her life and a chance to change all that was going on around her. In this encounter, she wants to know how she can worship God. Jesus' response is found in verses 23-24.
John 4:23-24 (ESV) But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship is spirit and truth.
This woman had a real life change. The moment we allow God to change our hearts and to remove the garbage of our lives, it's easy to be confused about our next steps. Worship is one of those areas. What happens too many times, is that we fall into the trap of ritual more than relationship when we don't understand it. Even this woman at the well started talking about falling into tradition. But Jesus wanted her to see it was bigger than that.
Mark 12:30 (ESV) And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your should and with all your mind and with all your strength.
We are made of three major parts in our lives. Those parts are mind, body and soul. To truly worship something will require to involve all three components. When we disconnect one of these areas from our love, we are not truly worshipping. If I sing a love song to God, but my heart is not engaged, is it truly conveying love or just a ritual or routine I am following.
Worship is more than music. It is a lifestyle that comes out because of what you assign value to. It is more than just the way you think, but how you act in your every day life. You cannot live a life of worship to God, if everything else is more valuable to you.
The word worship actually comes from an old English term "WORTHSHIP". It literally means to give value or worth to something. So worship for a Christian is about giving value to God. To demonstrate value of something, it has to have a cost. It will cost you something. Value has a price. So does your relationship with God.
The price of your salvation was the blood of Christ. But what do we give up in this relationship?
The very first mention of worship in the Bible happens in Genesis 22. In this text of the Bible, we read about the encounter of Abraham and Isaac. We know that Cain and Able sacrificed to the Lord. But this is first encounter where someone uses the term Worship. Abraham says that he and Isaac were going to go "worship" and would return.
Abraham was being told by God to give up the very thing he had waited a lifetime for. He had to have a trust that the same God who gave him this child at an advanced age, would be faithful to fulfill his promise to him. He could trust God to give up what he valued most. Abraham knew God was WORTHY of this cost.
Worship is about value and worth. To truly worship will cost you something. It may cost you things like your time, money, attitude, position, dignity and other things. Whatever we prioritize in our lives demonstrates what we really value.
God values you so much that He gave the ultimate for you...His Son. It shows His level of commitment to the relationship with you. He held nothing back. He bridged the gap between us to have real relationship with us. Just like the woman at the well, He gives us access to real life. But in doing that, He asks for something in return, our love. He wants relationship.
God created you for action, for glory, for victory, for power, He created you for himself! He didn't create you to use you. God can use anything. He can use burning bush or a talking donkey to deliver a message. He created you to know you. He sent us Son to make a make a way for this relationship.
Religion will teach you to view your life as a tool. So if you perform well, you are pleasing and useful to God. If you perform poorly, you begin to think you are worthless to God. Religion will make you think that he will just use a different tool that works better. Religion teaches us that "I am because I do."
Relationship teaches us that "I do because I am." That you value has already been established. We are called the children of God (John 1:12), friends of God (John 15:15), more than conquerors (Romans 8:37), chosen and loved (Colossians 3:12), Citizens of heaven (Philippians 3:20), Redeemed (Galatians 3:13), Saints (Ephesians 1:18) and a Holy Nation (1 Peter 2:9).
Those things show us how God sees us, how he values us, and how we can serve His heart....his people.
When we accepted this new life from Him, we took on a new identity and this identity should show in all that we do.
Worship is different than ritual and religion. It is the opposite of religion. Jesus gave our lives value and we serve and worship Him because of His value to us. We are bond servants to the King. We are not required to serve unless we choose it. Slaves serve out of compulsion (religion), while bond servants are compelled by love. Motivation is important for anything that you do.
Worship is about what motivates your heart. We lift our hands because it is an outward expression of what is happening on the inside. When your hands are lifted, you show trust to the Lord. You sacrificing your comfort and even your pride. Worshippers are not identified by how they serve, but who they serve.
So let me ask this, what does your life show has value to you? What are truly worshipping? Is it a music style or song type, or is it the King of all creation?
PJ