Worship as a Lifestyle: The War Within (Part 1 of 7)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

“Whenever His people gather and worship Him, God promises He will make His presence known in their midst. On the other hand, where God’s people consistently neglect true spiritual worship, His manifest presence is rarely experienced.” Ralph Mahoney

 There’s a war raging within the church. Because of this, thousands of demonations have come into fruition and churches stand divided with one another, instead of united as the body of Christ. It was resulted in unbelievers lost and confused along with many church members fleeing for the doors because  the conflict has become too great to overcome. Many have yet to return. This war didn’t exist until the late 1980s, greatly increased in the 1990s, and during the present age it’s reached its boiling point. What war am I referring to? The war within the church is the expression of worship. With the explosion of the Christian music industry and the rapid increase in styles of music churches have implanted their own personal preferences into the church. What’s more is that worship itself has become nothing more than a reflection of culture and is largely seen as entertainment. The viewpoint is this: what can I get out of worship?  What’s in it for me? We’ve become obsessed with adrenaline rushes, fancy sounding guitar riffs, spectacular light shows, and idolizing music artists. It goes beyond the musical scene of worship to the styles of clothing we wear Sunday mornings, long messages versus sermonettes, the King James Version versus the New Living Translation, or bread versus wafer tablets for communion meditations. My expression versus yours. It’s getting out of control and the waves are starting to crash against the fondation of  the church as it dissolves before our eyes.  The first question we need to ask is simply…Why?

There is a growing presumption that hymns are the only way to express our worship to God through music. Why? For the sake of tradition and due to the fear of change. The great warning is this: stop misinterpreting tradition for inspiration. This goes beyond just music, but also with the way we dress for church, a translation of the Bible, or a traditional prayer repeated each Sunday. It all can be summed up in one word when we look closely enough—legalism. Jesus Himself scorned the Pharisees for placing tradition over inspiration. They placed rules over their relationships with others and God. This illustration can be seen in Matthew 15:3-9 clearly.  God doesn’t want us to go through the motions and just sing songs for the sake of singing them because we’ve always done it that way. He wants all of us to praise Him and love Him with our entire being. In essence, worship done by tradition is worship of self –not God. The excuses are often heard: “I don’t know this song! This song is too loud! The words to this verse are too simple!” And even, “I can’t sing well!” So what do we do? We pout, cross our arms, text our friends, and refuse to partake in worshiping God because the worship doesn’t fit out predefined preference. “My way or my thoughts will go astray” is what we say…

Before you accuse me of hypocrisy, I can assure you that there’s nothing wrong with singing hymns. Hymns are an important heritage to the Christian faith and are vast in their richness to the worship scene. Hymns have a way of bringing to the forefront deep spiritual truths through all seasons of life. They can help us memorize and cement Biblical truths into our mind. But with this being said, the Cannon isn’t closed for styles of music for worship. It’s Biblical to write and compose fresh, new songs of praise throughout each generation. In the words of David: “I will sing a new song to You, Of God; upon a harp of then strings I will sing praises to You.” (Psalms 144:9) It’s also empathized in the passages of Isaiah 42:10 and Revelation 5:9.

A word of caution, though, is making sure these new songs are of sound doctrine and not some false philosophy that fits into our way of thinking. Just because a song has a nice sounding harmony doesn’t make it a worthy worship song. The lyrics must be filtered and tested through the infallible Word of God. A common objection to new music is that it has a lot of meaningless repetition. If that’s the case, then we should put George Fredric Handel to shame when we wrote the Hallelujah Chorus!  If the worshiper is sincere, then repetition is never in vain (Revelation 4:8).  Tradition isn’t wrong, but doing something just for because it’s always been done that way is nothing short of spiritual suicide. It doesn’t end with just the music in our worship services, though….

Tradition goes even deeper in some churches. Some are afraid of change, thus they refuse to add any variety to their services. The same order of service every single week. We need to do some serious evaluating. Why do we always do the same exact things over and over again? Why not take a few risks? Incorporate new styles of music into the service, sing acapella, stand in silence before God, change the order of the service– be creative!  Remember the words of Jesus: “And He continued, ‘You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions!’” (Mark 7:9) Tradition should never become our dictator and have the final say. Instead we need to grasp the truths of God’s Word which allows for a variety of expressions.  

Another problem with the worship in the church is the emphasis on entertainment. It’s the assumption that we go to church in order to get instead of to give. We come in expecting to have a good time filling our plates with our desires and end up leaving with empty souls. Whether it’s the music we partake in, a video clip we view, a skit we watch, or listening to a musician perform–entertainment has overtaken its place as the sole priority of going to church. Is it any wonder why we aren’t lead to give to others? Why we don’t want to serve our communities? Why we push God to the side during the week? It all starts and ends with how tainted our view of worship has become. Our cravings, desires, and wants now come before the only One who rightly deserves our attention. Worship is a sacrifice offered up to God (Romans 12:1) and out of gratitude (Hebrews 13:15). We only have ourselves to blame for this mess we’re in if we continue to ignore these critical truths.

Lastly and most dangerously worship has lost its meaning and defining purpose due to self-glorification. When we sing, we want to show off our beautiful sounding voice. Or a musician plays to include another tasks on his or her resume.  It’s become about putting on a good show to impress other people; nothing sort of a performance. Basically, we  provide others with our talents in order for them to be happy and satisfied. If they leave happy and upbeat we’ve done our job at the end of the day. This isn’t just about those who are up on stage or leading worship, but it can also involve the entire congregation as well.  There’s nothing wrong with singing loudly, raising your hands, jumping up and down, or dancing in the aisles. But if it’s to show off your talents and skills for the sake of others, then it’s isn’t worship. It’s foolish pride. Have we forgotten why we show up to church in the first place? Not for ourselves, not to please others, but for the High and Mighty King of Kings, the Lord of Lords–Jesus Christ. God doesn’t care about how well you sing, perform, or dance if it’s out of our own pride–He’s interested in something much more important–your heart.

One of Satan’s greatest triumphs is when he can disrupt and destroy worship in the church. In Isaiah 14: 12-14 we are given his account of why he hates worship so much: ”How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!  You said in your heart, “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;  I will make myself like the Most High.” Satan was once a worship leader for the choirs of angels glorifying the Most High God. But he was filled with pride and wanted all the glory for himself. God cast him along with the angels who joined his side. (Revelation 12:4,9) Ever since then, Lucifer sees to it that worship in its correct form and its true purpose is destroyed within the church. When I speak of worship, I speak of more than just the music that is played and the songs that we sing each Sunday morning. Worship is so much more than this and that is why we often stumble around in the dark without a clue.

It’s been said that Americans in the church tend to worship their work, work at their play, and play at their worship. As a result our lives have lost their meaning, values are distorted, relationships are muddled, and our lifestyles blend in closer to that of our society. We’ve fallen quite far in the past few decades and it’s only a matter of time before we hit rock bottom. Our objective is now on the important things instead of the urgent. Our perspective is now on what’s loud, popular, product-oriented, and prestigious. Our sole focus is now on US–instead of the ONLY ONE who deserves the glory, honor, and praise. Worship is more than an event, an act, or a place. It’s a lifestyle and is connected to a Person. And that person is Jesus Christ.

God doesn’t need our worship. In fact, He needs nothing from us. He is self-sufficient and is fully satisfied within the relationship within Himself  in the Trinity. But He seeks our worship nevertheless. In fact He delights in it and this should take our breath away! It’s one of the great mysteries of our existence! The blueprint of worship is found in John 4:23 when Jesus was talking to the Samaritan woman about what the Father seeks: “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.  God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” But what is worship in its essence? Worship comes from the Hebrew action term of bowing down. Worship is of the upmost importance because it turns our attention and focus to the Audience of One–God.  The church in its truest form is supposed to be a place that represents a place of worship and a place that cultivates worshipers. Another big misconception about worship is it’s something that’s external and shown outward. Worship lies inward with the heart and mind. As Charles Swindoll states, worship is: “the personal contemplation and adoration of God. It is the natural response of those who recognize who God is and what He has done on our behalf.” When we internalize our adoration of God it overflows into outward forms of worship. The internal is the essence of worship and forms the foundation of the expression of worship–the outward.

From the internal adoration of God stems the second half of worship–its expression. Worship is something we do; a verb. In the early church we get a glimpse of what the context of worship is to be: ” They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2:42) The key word here is devoted. We are to be actively engaged with the teaching of God’s Word, communion, fellowship within the body of Christ, and in prayer with a consuming passion. Worship is not just an event or item we partake each Sunday morning. It is more of what you bring to the service than what you do there. Also worship isn’t found in just these four expressions found in Acts 2:42. It’s can be simply listening to music and reflecting on the marvelous wonder of our God.  Or it’s grasping a message seen in a skit and thanking Him for revealing His truths into your life. It’s the core and heart of everything we do each Sunday morning and the very reason we exist in the first place. Worship and worship alone encompasses  why we should take our next breath. But very few grasp this simple yet profound truth.  

What’s the solution? Our solution can be found in the simple credo given by close friend of Martin Luther, Phillip Melanchthon. He said, “In essentials, unity. In nonessentials, liberty. In all things, clarity.” The first part, in essentials, unity, is pretty self-explanatory. With what’s critical and important, form unity. The church wasn’t formed for uniformity but unity. Uniformity states “who’d better believe what I believe, do as I do, wear what I wear… or get out!” We must throw away our differences and come together as the Body of Christ or everything crumbles like a sandcastle does against the crashing waves of the sea. Second, “in nonessentials, liberty.” If something isn’t fundamental to the Christian faith, stop fighting about it. These issues aren’t worth arguing and complaining about. In the concept of worship, nonessentials include expressions of worship, but never the essence of worship. Does it matter if we’re reading from the King James or the Message translation?  Or what shirt I’m wearing? Or if the music’s acoustic or from an organ? Finally, “in all things, clarity.” The predominant force in the church should be love and our distinguishable mark should be that of grace. There is NO worship without love. It’s not possible. The apostle James asked the question: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” (James 4:1) The same battles that took place then are taking place now. The priority of pleasing yourself is the quickest way to destroy the seams of a church. Choose the clarity of love above all else and push everything else aside.

Another solution that is often overlooked is the need for private worship. Sunday is supposed to be a corporate expression of what you do all week long. We need to worship in our work,  when we express our God-given talents, in our play, in our rest, in our thought life, reading His sacred Word, in times of prayer–every part of every day.  Also every season of our lives through the joys, triumphs, sorrows, pains, and worries–needs to be offered up to God. Worship is a choice and that choice is ours for the taking every day we rise in the morning. Ask yourself this: for whom do I live for?

True and authentic worship all starts with the simple truth that God seeks worshipers who give Him all of who they are. He wants you to view your life as an act of worship. Put an end to the fighting over which traditions that you think are sacred. Push aside your differences and personal preferences.  Stop what you’ve always been doing and evaluate what’s important. Embrace the wonder and majesty of our great God. Reflect upon who He is and forget about yourself  for once. It’s not about you and never will be! It’s all about Him, our wonderful Lord and Savior. Engage in the precious gift of life that He has so abundantly given us by giving Him all the glory and honor and praise. May this be our cry to Jesus throughout the day: “In the morning when I rise…give me Jesus. You can have all this world, but give me Jesus.” Imagine what the world would look like if the church grasped the true meaning of worship. It would ignite a flame that would spread like a wildfire consuming everyone in its  path and in turn extinguish the walls of indifference and ignorance. The fire is flickering and you hold the match…what are you going to do about it?

Future Features: This was a very rough and difficult blog to write. My intention was not to blast the church, tearing it apart, but instead shed some light on the magnitude of the importance of worship and in the process getting you to think about your own life. Next week we’ll dig much deeper into what worship really is and how it’s a lifestyle.  It’ll be the core of the entire seven part series as we move forward. This blog was a small sample size of what’s to come in the next 6 weeks! There’s a lot else going on with this website and much is in the works. Both the Manual and SPECIAL Minstries are finally being lanuched today after a near year long wait!! Check them out now!! New Profiles on Randy Alcorn and Phil Wickham are nearly finished and should be posted next week. New Glee blogs will be arriving shortly on episodes of Season 1 until Season 2 starts up again. Hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and New Year! Stay tuned and God Bless.

Sources: Charles Swindoll, The Church Awakening, FaithWorks: New York, NY, 2010: Pages 110-143