As I was leading our Women’s Bible Study yesterday morning, I was so moved by some of the things we were digging into. As we were studying about how to actively be preparing as the Church for Christ’s return, one of the topics on worship really spoke to me. What words come to your mind when you think of worship? Take a moment or two to reflect on what that really means when you hear it or say it. I know that our descriptions will all be different. Some may think of praise or love, others may say adoration or singing. Whatever your description of worship may be I want to challange you, just as I was challanged yesterday.
To truly worship, you must be worshiping in a response to the truth of who Christ is! I fear and see all to much in the Church today Mark 7:6 taking place. Jesus said “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.” How easy is it to get caught up in trying to stir within us some form of emotionalism or even to try and create worship just because everyone around us is worshipping. It has almost become the tradition of man to start and end the program with worship, have a set number of songs and then repeat that the following Sunday. Now please understand me, I am all for praise and worship music! I love nothing more than singing praises to my Savior and desiring for His Holy Spirit to fill me with the knowledge and truth of who Christ is and what He has done for me. The problem is when I allow worship to become just a another routine in the schedule on Sunday. When my heart and mind are truly on other things and problems of this world and when I gain a little emotion from the words of a song or I raise my hands and praise a Christ I may not truly know today. How can that be you might ask? Because today, all to much the Church is turning Jesus Christ into someone He is not. They are creating their own image of Christ, making their own interpretations of scriptures, teaching us and then saying let’s worship. Some of us may also end up thinking that worship is something done only on Sunday while we are at Church. I am reminded of Jesus’ words in John 4: 23-24 when He said “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” I pray we will be reminded and stirred by the power of the Holy Spirit to what worship is and who it is! We cannot pick the atrributes of Christ we like and then worship Him for those. We can not make Christ into some man swayed by emotionalism, only filled with love, always excusing sin (or never talking about it), ready to erdicate poverty and aids, largly concerned with the enviroment (instead of our obedience and becoming holy) and then lift up our hands in worship and say I praise you Jesus. That is not worshiping in spirit and truth. Why? Because that is not even the real Jesus and the Spirit does not respond to things that are false, but our emotions may. I want to encourage you to get in the Word. That is our first act of worship. To hunger and thirst for more of who Christ is and know Him more. To learn about all His attributes, whether we like them or not. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you into worship and truth of who the real Jesus Christ is and what He has done for you. As the Holy Spirit takes over, you will find He will guide you into true worship no matter when or where you are. He longs to fill us with worship and joy for our Creator and to refresh us that we may be strengthened to walk by the Spirit, in the power of the Spirit. For true worship to God is our obedience and our praise of who He really is. Nothing less.
