As you know, during this month I am focusing my Sunday and Wednesday messages on the church. Specifically, the seven churches written about in the book of Revelation. Jesus wanted the churches to be encouraged, yet be challenged. It is important to feel you are doing what you should do, but more important to be challenged to do what you are capable of doing.
In my newsletter article for the next few weeks I want to share some of the things the church should be doing, and I honestly believe they are also things we can be doing better. The first thing the church should be about doing is simply worshiping. But what is the definition of worship? Webster’s dictionary defines worship as: “to honor or show reverence for as a divine being or supernatural power; to regard with great or extravagant respect, honor or devotion”.
When it comes to worship, there really is no way we can show God truly how wonderful and great He is. The only way we can do it is to worship Him. So, if worship is showing reverence for and to God, how do we do it adequately? How do we do it in a way that pleases Him? I think the Bible gives us clear direction in how to worship God. In John 4:23, Jesus is talking to the samaritan woman when he says, “true worshipers will worship the Father in 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.” That is a pretty clear guideline of how to worship God. We need to worship in the Spirit and in truth.” But what does that mean?
Sam Storms writes in the The Gospel Coalition, and in his article, he says “it has to originate from within, from the heart; it must be sincere, motivated by our love for God and gratitude for all He is and has done. It (worship) cannot be mechanical or formalistic.” This is what Jesus is telling the woman at the well. Worship is not about a place. It is about our hearts and what is inside. When we understand what Jesus means to us and how much he cares for us, it should cause us to naturally, more like a natural reaction, humbly and sincerely worship Him. It’s not about great singing, as much as I like great singing. It’s not about good preaching, though I hope the preaching is good. It is about why we sing and why we preach and teach. These things should be done out of a natural appreciation of who God is to each of us.
When we think of worshiping God, each individual should worship Him, each day. When each individual does their part to worship God, it will naturally become a corporate reaction to worship. It will not be about where and when but about the desire to truly show God how much we love Him. My prayer for the church is for us to truly worship God each day, so our Sundays will be a culmination of week-long worship. Until next week…
Peace and Blessings, Johnny
