The Service of Worship

It's funny that when Christians talk about the worship service we're almost always referring to our time of singing during church. The worship service is the 1 or 2 fast songs compiled with 2 or 3 slow songs and a time of prayer. And if the songs that were sung were our favorites, then it had to be a great time of worship. But I wonder how accurate that really is?

Paul talked about worship in Romans 12:1 and said, "Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual act of worship. (NIV). But what's interesting is that a more accurate translation would be "your spiritual service of worship." And when you look at the life of Christ, you'll never find him leading a worship service in the Bible, but you will consistently find him serving as an act of worship. In Mark 10:45 it says "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

So is worship in song wrong? Absolutely not. The Bible also has a lot to say about singing songs unto the Lord and using the instruments to bring glory to God. But the point is this, if our worship is reduced to music on a Sunday morning or Wednesday night then we have missed the point. Our lives were meant to be lived out in service unto the Lord and singing songs is only one small element to the service of worship. Dr. Lee Campbell puts it this way, "Worship is the response of grateful and humble people to the living God where submission, sacrificial service, praise, profession, testimony and gratitude are freely expressed in innumerable ways. This is a much richer concept than mere corporate singing and praise once each week for 20 minutes - an event that could occur without any actual worship going on at all."

So let me challenge each of us as "worship leaders" and "worshippers" not to make the worship service our main focus. Let's focus on the "service of worship."

One Body but Many Parts

This past weekend I was reminded again of the beauty and diversity in the Body of Christ. My wife and I were invited to lead worship for the Ohio State CCCA Conference, which is an interdenominational affiliation of Christian Campgrounds. So there we were, leading worship for folks young and old, some loving the classic hyms, and others ready to make a new song. We were gathered with Baptist, non-denominationals, Presyterians, Nazarenes, Pentecostals, Mennonites and more. And even though there were some raising their hands, and some sitting at their seats, together we all touched heaven.
As a guy who is used to a little more corporate exuberance in worship, it served as a great reminder to me that although we may worship differently in style, we were all worshipping Jesus, and that is what truly matters.
It was another reminder to me that we may be many different parts, but we are one body, making one song with our lives. For me it was a little reflection of heaven and the day when the walls will all be down, the little differences will be behind us, and with one voice for all eternity we will sing to the Lord.
Rev 5:13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing:
"To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb
be praise and honor and glory and power,
for ever and ever!"

Praise from the Highest Heights!

Phil 2:9 "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name." We serve a God that deserves the highest praise and he made that very clear in scripture. As believers our call is to exalt the Lord to the highest place and one example of this is found in Washington D.C. One detail that is seldom mentioned in the capital is there can never be a building of greater height than the Washington Monument
With such a battle to remove the ten commandments, etc., it's amazing that the tallest building is a testament to God. You see, on the aluminum cap, atop the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. , are displayed two words: Laus Deo. These words have been there for many years; they are 555 feet, 5.125 inches high, perched atop the monument, facing skyward to the Father of our nation, overlooking the 69 square miles which comprise the District of Columbia , capital of the United States of America.Laus Deo! Two seemingly insignificant, unnoticed words. Out of sight and, one might think, out of mind, but very meaningfully placed at the highest point over what is the most powerful city in the most successful nation in the world. So, what do those two words, in Latin, composed of just four syllables and only seven letters, possibly mean? Very simply,
they say " Praise be to God!" Though construction of this giant obelisk began in 1848, when James Polk was President of the United States , it was not until 1888 that the monument was inaugurated and opened to the public. It took twenty-five years to finally cap the memorial with a tribute to the Father of our nation, Laus Deo. "Praise be to God!"
Friends, God has always been worthy of the highest praise and that's something that will never change. Granted, not everyone can post there praise on a skyscraper, but we can all find our own way to make his praises known. Remember, you are a city on a hill that cannot be hidden and if you don't give him the highest praise then even the rocks will cry out.

All Things Become New

Since coming into this New Year, I've been leaning on a passage from 2 Corinthians 5:17 which affirms that as a "new creation in Christ, all things become new." The key however, is found in those two words, "in Christ." You see, until we come into a relationship with Christ we are in darkness, and although a person may have a natural gifting in music, the songs they sing are nothing more than songs. A person may sing a song about God and let's face it, there are many secular artists who occasionally sing crossover songs, but unless they are "in Christ" it is nothing more than a song. Worship isn't based on the lyrics of the song. Worship is based on the heart of the singer. Before entering into a personal relationship with Christ I attended church with my parents and I even sang occasional specials because it was a chance for me to highlight my own talent. I would play guitar and sing for the radio program and I would sing specials with the choir, but it wasn't about God. The truth is, it was about me. People may have been ministered to and the Lord may have used it to touch lives, but that still didn't make it an act of worship on my part because my motives were all wrong. But the minute I committed my life to Christ everything changed. In a split moment I was a new creation in Christ and all things became new, including my worship. I very quickly began to realize the gift that God had given me and that it wasn't about me. It was about Christ. So let me challenge you with this thought as well; If your heart's not in it then it really isn't worship. Let the Lord put a new song in your heart and kindle a fresh desire to bring Him glory in all you do and say. Allow the Lord to make all things new in you for 2009 and then express it to Him through the song in your heart!

A New Song for a New Year

As a musician and song writer I love it when the Bible talks about singing a new song unto the Lord. There's something so special about being able to sit down with my guitar and work out a new hook, or sing a new melody. And it's so awesome when the Lord puts a new message in my heart and the lyrics begin to come to me. I always know it's from the Lord. Some 20 years ago I remember the Lord awoke me from a dead sleep, and the lyrics to a song I entitled "The Author and the Finisher" lept into my mind. Within 10 minutes I had wrote the chorus, 2 verses and a bridge. Minutes later the power of the Lord moved on me and I was filled with the Holy Spirit. That particular song has always been special to me because of what God did in my life that night. Now granted, songwriting usually doesn't come that easy for me, but every new song is special. As we approach the new year people will be thinking about their resolutions and the new things they want to accomplish or maybe change in their life. But personally, I was drawn to a passage in Psalms 40:3 where it says, "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD." Whether you actually write a new song or not, I believe the Lord can do something new and fresh in your life this year that will make your heart sing and draw others to trust in the Lord. I believe that God can use your life as an instrument in his hands and if you allow him to be the minstrel over you, he will make a beautful melody through you that the world will come to love. So as we approach 2009 - pray that God will make a new song for the new year through you.

CHRISTmas Worship

Although Christmas is tomorrow, I was reminded in scripture that not everyone has pure motives toward the King, even at this time of year. CHRISTmas should be a worship celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior. Furthermore, the gifts we bring should not only be a token of our love to friends and family, but they should also be a reminder of the gifts that the Magi brought to Christ in Bethlehem. However, just as we see with King Herod in Matthew chapter 2, the same is true today. Not all who claim to worship the King come in pure worship with pure motives. Even at Christmas....

1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east^[b] and have come to worship him." 3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ^[c] was to be born. 5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:
6" 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'^[d]"
7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him." 9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east^[e] went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh. 12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

In this passage we find that as soon as word began to spread about the birth of Christ, Herod began to plot. In v.8 he asked the Magi to report back to him the location of the baby Jesus so he too could go and worship him. The catch however, is that he had no intent to truly worship Jesus and the Magi knew it because they were warned in a dream. Now granted, most people today aren’t as blatantly opposed to Christ or as jealous and threatened as Herod was. But there are many today who are posers at Christmas. They go through the motions and maybe even sing the carols and yet they are not pure in their motives. They may come to church, watch the play, laugh at the kids and sing the songs, but their heart is not truly worshiping. Friends, this is dangerous because the act of worship is not meant to be an “act.” It needs to be a sincere expression of a heart after God and anything else falls short. So ask yourself; Are you earnestly seeking after God with all your heart, soul and mind? Are you bringing your absolute best to lay down at his feet. Remember, it’s not about the gifts of gold, incense and of myrrh. What Christ really wants is You! This Christmas let’s bow our hearts before the King and give Him our everything.

4-Worship Posture

Have you ever thought about why certain people kneel? Or why do others raise their hands?Why do we sing out loud? Why do we pray aloud? Why do we do the things we do? Well, all throughout scripture we find examples of outwardly visible acts of worship. When Abraham took his son Isaac to be sacrificed on the altar, we know that God provided a lamb in the thicket, however it was a clearly visible sign of worship and obedience to God. When the Israelites carried the Ark of the Covenant through the wilderness and set up the tabernacle and holy of holies it was all visible worship. When King David danced before the Lord it was another act of visible worship. Now obviously Christ also rebuked the pharisees calling them hypocrites because much of what they did was to be seen by men. However, while we don’t worship to be seen, there are plenty examples in scripture when worship was meant to be visible. In (Psalms 150) we’re told to worship with the instruments and the clapping of hands. In (1 Tim. 2:8) it speaks of “lifting up holy hands,” and I believe when our heart is passionate to worship God our body will express our feelings. So the bttom line is this - whether you sit or stand, raise your hands or fold your hands, make sure that whatever you do it is done to glorify the Lord and make sure that your physical posture is an expression of the posture of your heart.