WORSHIP

WORSHIP

                In all of our great worship music over the past 20 to 30 years we have more or less perfected worship music as an art form and yet during this same period of time, the church and our nation have slipped away from many of the things that true worship is made of. Our worship has become one sided because it no longer presents a balance in God’s attributes or the things that make for true worship.

                Can it truly be said that we worship God if we ignore His commandments. What good is a king if he has no control of His kingdom? What good is it to say “Long live the King, if we laugh at his authority?

OBEDIENCE IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST FORMS OF WORSHIP THAT WE CAN OFFER OUR KING

                Huge crowds of Christians love to get together in these great worship festivals, where worship leaders become like rock stars, where people seem to be in a state of Nirvana… and yet much of the church has drifted into a world of situation ethics and self-pleasing that renders many Christians indistinguishable from the world. Outside of these self-justifying islands of holiness the church maintains virtually the same horrible statistics as the world and in fact many are embracing the world’s ideas and morals.

                We say that we are offering to God our sacrifice of praise and yet: “Has the lord as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…” 1 Sam. 15:22

ACKNOWLEDGING GOD AS OUR CREATOR IS PARAMOUNT TO WORSHIP

                Today we worship the Lord in our great worship fests even as many Christians deny the truth of the book of Genesis. Many are calling Adam and Eve a Myth in spite of the fact that the Bible everywhere treats the story of the Garden of Eden as a historical fact of our beginnings. In fact Jesus is our last Adam and you can’t have a last Adam without a first Adam. 1 Cor. 15:45. See also Luke 3:38, Rom. 5:14, 1 Tim. 2:13 and Jude 14

                Many Christians have embraced evolution in some form and even as they cry out Jesus, Jesus in their worship fests and yet John chapter one says: “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him; and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being… And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-3, 14.

                If we are not worshipping that Jesus then who are we worshipping? You see, true worship has many layers and once those layers are removed then worship becomes at best hollow and vain and at the worst hypocritical and blasphemous. So if we are going to experience any sort of revival in America we must return to the layers of worship that make it real.

                For many Christians today the Lord would say: “Babylon is fallen, come out of her My people. Fear God and give Him glory because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters.” Rev. 14:7, 8 Our God created everything that exists, so if we believe in evolution then we seriously have to question just who we are worshipping.

STUDYING DILIGENTLY TO UNDERSTAND GOD’S WAYS AND PURPOSES AS FOUND IN HIS WORD IS A VITAL PART OF WORSHIP.

                And yet the huge crowds of Christians today come together with itching ears to hear preachers that no longer confront them with their sins, or repentance, or the blood of Jesus or the cross. They are no longer taught to die to self and to live by the Spirit. Instead they are given the same self-help Psycho- babble that they could get on Oprah Winfrey. Many have embraced New Age philosophies and doctrines of demons and have very little use for a diligent study of the Word, settling instead for sound bites and pep rally phrases.

                And yet Jesus says: “In vain do they worship me teaching as doctrine the precepts of men. Mt 15:9

UNDERSTANDING GOD’S PROPHETIC AGENDA FOR BRINGING SIN AND SUFFERING TO AN END IS A PART OF WORSHIP

                And yet many today avoid the subject of Bible prophecy like the plague. Many are beginning to place their faith in the world system and even in the global aspirations of the antichrist system rather than in the prophetic words of God. They somehow forget that “The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecy.” Rev. 19:10 and that the book of Revelation is a Revelation of Jesus Christ. (Rev. 1:1) And that we are promised a blessing if we read and hear the words of this prophecy.” Rev. 1:3

                LIVING UNDER THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST AND WALKING IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH IS THE VERY ESSENSE OF CHRISTIANITY

                Jesus said to the people of His day: “If anyone wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me.” Mark 8:19 And yet the percentage of Christians that actually enter by faith into His death and are born again to truly live by His Holy Spirit… well, I can’t give you any numbers in that area, but each of us must examine ourselves and ask who we are really living for. Is it for me or is it for Him? And what would my life look like if I were to live for Him instead of me?

                “For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” Romans 8:14

               

BEING TRULY BORN AGAIN IS THE BEGINNING OF WORSHIP

OBEYING JESUS’ INSTRUCTIONS IN HIS WORD IS TRUE WORSHIP

PLACING HIS TRUTH OVER OUR TRADITIONS IS TRUE WORSHIP 

KEEPING HIS COMMANDMENTS IS ESSENTIAL TO TRUE WORSHIP

                “You are a letter written in our hearts known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. And such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God who also made us adequate as servants of the New Covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” 2 Cor. 3:2-6        

                Keeping His commandments in the New Covenant is not the same as keeping His commandments in the Old Covenant, for “The Law is now fulfilled in us who walk by the Spirit and not by the Flesh.” Romans 8:4. But such a life requires a complete death to self and the world and a new birth into the kingdom of Jesus Christ (John 3:3) there to live by His Spirit and His Word. (John 4:24) Being born again is a total transformation, for “I have been crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me and the life that I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of god who loved me and gave His life for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law then Christ died needlessly. Gal. 2:20, 21

               

                The list goes on and on of things that our worship as an art form has begun to leave behind to the point where we no longer worship the God of the Bible, but we worship the act of worship itself… for the thrill and the chill of the moment with no strings attached…. Like a rock concert where people go to feed on the spirit of this world while remaining completely self- absorbed.

                My growing belief is that the church needs a renaissance in worship and worship music that includes the many layers of worship that make true worship what it is. The majestic Hymns of past revivals touched on many themes that the church no longer includes in today’s popular worship music. Themes like heaven, the blood of Jesus, power to overcome, repentance, true salvation at the foot of the cross, sanctification, denying self and following Jesus, making disciples rather than members, engaging in the harvest, walking in obedience, living by the Spirit of God and the Word of God...These are truths of God that must not be neglected. .. These are truths that must not be neglected. (John 4:24)

                If we want to experience much needed revival in the church today, then we must include in our worship and in our lives, the many layers that make for true Christianity. Grace is not escape from our responsibility toward God, but rather the power to live the life that He prescribes. Grace is power, not leniency. Grace is power to overcome sin, not license to commit sin.

                I recently heard a preacher say that salvation is through the death and resurrection of Jesus plus nothing. In other words there is nothing in terms of works that we can add to our salvation. This is true. But we must enter by faith into that death and when we do, that changes everything, for we come out living by His Spirit and not by our flesh.

                True worship will bring the power of God back into our midst along with persecution… for the reason we are not being persecuted today is that we are no longer a threat to Satan… and he loves to make us feel good about our uncommitted lives. He will even play Jesus for us if we want another Jesus.

                It is time to return to the full Gospel of God’s Word and to the kind of worship that transforms us into His image.

                “For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the first born of many brethren. And whom He predestined these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified these He also glorified.” Romans 8:29, 30.

                We were created for worship and that worship means being conformed into His image and our destiny is to be glorified and to rule and reign with Jesus Christ forever. Let us give Him the kind of worship that is due Him… for He is King of kings and Lord of lords. He is Wonderful counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. (Isa 9:6) He is the Lord of Hosts. He is our Creator and our Redeemer. He the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Bright and Morning Star. He is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come. He is worthy to receive glory and honor and power; for He did create all things and because of His will they existed.”

                “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” Rev. 5:13.

                So let us give Him more than lip service. Let us give Him our full heart and then worship Him in all the ways that make for true worship. There is a price to be paid for true worship and that price is our everything… withholding nothing… but total surrender to our King.