John R. W. Stott once admitted the truth that many of us have felt but
failed to confess: "The thing I know will give me the deepest joy --
namely, to be alone and unhurried in the presence of God, aware of His
presence, my heart open to worship Him -- is often the thing I least want to
do."
It's not how high
you jump in a worship service that counts, but how straight you walk after you
hit the ground. --Attributed
to Dr. J.B. Gambrell
Spectating is the most popular sporting event in our nation.
Hundreds of thousands of people gather each week in coliseums around
our country to watch sporting events. Millions
of people will watch these events on television; some even watch two or three
televisions at one time.
We often bring this mentality to church.
Addicted to spectator entertainment and uncomfortable with
participation, we come to church expecting worship to be an inactive
experience.
This is not a new problem. More
than 100 years ago, Danish pastor Soren Kierkegaard compared worship to drama
with actors, prompters, and audience. But
people have been cast for the wrong parts.
The actors are the worship leaders, God is the prompter, and the
congregation is the audience. Kierkegaard
called for a recasting. The real
actors should be the worshiping congregation, the worship leaders should be
the prompters, and God should be the audience.1
Raymond Bailey has proposed an even more functional model.
God is the playwright, Jesus is the director, the Holy Spirit is the
prompter, the priesthood of believers are the actors, and the world is the
audience.
Biblical worship is not a spectator event but an active, participatory
work on the part of God's people.
- J. Derrill Smith, Proclaim, Oct./Nov./Dec. 1994, p. 31
--------------------------- 1. Soren Kierkegaard, Purity of Heart, (New York:
Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1938).
God is the audience.
We are the players on the field and the Holy Spirit is the coach who is
guiding us to honor God.
Ask the Lord what type of Service does
he like?
Scripture Text:
John 4:20 (KJS) Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say,
that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21 Jesus saith
unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this
mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know
not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the
Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
24 God [is] a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him] in spirit
and in truth. 25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh,
which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26
Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am [he].
1. In Spirit
(What are the F. A. C. T. S. of worshiping God in Spirit).
From
the Heart. In that part
of you which can’t be seen we must worship Him.
What do you think about during the songs, prayers, and sermons?
Do you really worship the Lord? Would
you say that you desire to worship? How
much do you want to worship? How
much do you want to worship? Have you felt your worship? Has your God changed
you on the inside? Feelings come
and go, but the Lord is always there waiting for you.
Admit
we are all sinners. Acknowledging
who He is and who we are. Have
you seen a need to have a Savior? Do
you have a desire to be a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Have you recognized that you are a sinner?
You have needs in your life that only the Lord can fulfill.
This is an attitude of humility without which we cannot worship.
Come
back to God for forgiveness. Getting
up when one stumbles into sin. Acknowledging
our helplessness and hopelessness. Shows
who you really are. Being honest
before God and one another. Asking
what does He want and allowing Him to make a change in your life.
I John 1:9 Confess and get back together with God.
Truthfully
and In all honesty. To
have Integrity before God and all others is to be real.
Are you the same here and there? Do
you say the same things? Do act
the same in church and out of church? Will you get real?
Do and Say the truth. Be
one whole person in all you do and say. May
all of our lives in and out of church be that which is pleasing to God.
What does God want? He
wants you not a fax of you. Be
real.
Search
to know Him and Honor Him. First,
your spirit must be made right. We
were created right. We were
created in the image of the living God. But,
sin took its toll, as all of humanity would have to die.
Once we have been given a new birth the curse of sin has been lifted
through the blood of the Lamb. Then
we are once again in unity with our Creator.
Now we can worship and honor Him.
Seeking to be who He wants us to be.
Searching to know Him and His will for our lives.
This is truly worshiping the Lord.
Will you get in line with the Lord.
2.
In Truth
What is truth? What
is right? What is wrong?
What is right for us? Is
it all the same? How do you know? Jesus is the Truth. He
is the only one to rise from the dead. The
meaning of the truth of Jesus is seen through the Bible and through the Spirit
of the truth that reveals the meaning in prayer. He wants us to worship in songs, prayers, offerings,
scripture readings, teaching, preaching, working, not forgetting to get
together, serving, loving, giving and forgiving, healing, helping, attending,
but the main way is in obeying. Obedience
is the over riding factor out of our love for Him who gave us his all.
The truth and the right is to obey.
The fact is we begin to worship when we obey God’s desire for our
lives. Then we have dedicated
ourselves to him and to His plan for our lives.
How will you worship the Lord? Will
you worship in Spirit and in truth?
Let the one who
would worship God open his mouth in praise, his heart in receptivity, his mind
in contemplation, his purse in dedication, and his hand in fellowship. - Keith
Huttenlocker
1Sam 15:22
Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice