For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made...They exchanged the truth about God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen. -Romans 1:21-25 Who gets your worship each day and week? The easy answer for most Christians is God. Maybe the better question is WHAT gets your worship? There was a time early in my ministry when I longed for the comfort of my home church. I missed the people (and still do); I missed Bro. Ronalds passion for Gods word; I missed the peace that came with the familiarity of a place that I had called home for seven years...probably some of the most formidable years of my life in Christ. On one particular Sunday morning I was not scheduled to be on the road. So with much anticipation I returned home. As I look back now, it was like putting on your winter coat for the first cold snap of the year - so warm, so comfortable! Wait, is that a $10 bill in the pocket from the last time I wore it almost a year ago? You know the feeling! How much better could it be? Thats right about the time God stepped in and said so clearly to me, are you here to have an encounter with me or to rest in the familiarity of that 3rd pew on the left? Are you here to worship me or the comfort and predictability of the flow and order of service? God used that day - that moment - to teach me that while there is nothing wrong with order in the church service and familiarity of that order and those surroundings, the problem is when we start worshiping the coat, its warmth, the way it fits ME just right and not praising the coat maker (simple but appropriate analogy). He also took that moment to remind me that if I needed to come to THAT church to encounter Him, it wasnt because that was the only place He could be found. Maybe it was because it was where I left Him each Sunday! OUCH!! Since that day almost two years ago, my longing for my church home while on the road ministering from town to town has not changed. What has changed though is I understand that I/we/you must guard against the worship of the object (church), or process (order of service) or parts that make up the object (songs we sing, prayers we pray, seats we sit in). We must never forget our first love (Rev 2:4-7); our worship must be directed to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, to the God of yesterday, today and tomorrow. So again, wheres your worship? Is it your church or God? Is it the process or the Provider? Is it the created or The Christ?
Posted on: Tue, 15 Oct 2013 12:27:09 +0000
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