Over the years, I occasionally had this haunting feeling hit me during a worship service that what we're doing is fabricated, arbitrary, and even artificial. In my journey away from traditional church, the problem sort of solved itself. But recently, the issue popped in my mind again as a pressing question that wouldn't go away, "What is proper worship?". I think most people have the same qualitative idea of what worship means, "to assign value to something". But Biblically, how is this done? I mean, what do you actually do physically and mentally? To answer this question, I did a survey of a praise and worship and I'd like to share some of my results here.
The Bible never really gives us a textbook description of worship, but there's a lot that we can piece together. To start off, the vast majority of the time you see "worship" in the Bible, it's translated from a word that means "to bow down, fall down, stoop, give obeisance". If not the act of bowing down, it is primarily done while bowed. This is specifically described several places in the Bible (Josh. 5:14, Rev. 4:10). If you look at all the places in the Bible where the word 'worship' occurs, it primarily carries this idea of bowing down, with the idea of service coming in a distant second (Luke 4:8). It's worth pointing out that service is also a way of humbling yourself before a higher authority. Therefore, humility seems to be the common theme where worship is used in the Bible. In short, worship is all about you humbling yourself before God, acknowledging your unworthiness, and bowing before God's supreme holiness, power, and beauty.
Therefore, worship is not a loud raucous noise. It is quiet submission in the heart. There's a strong precedent for physically bowing down during worship, but the primary issue is humbling of the heart. Also, I note that while it is not explicitly stated, Biblical worship seems to be primarily private. Although you hear many churches focusing on "corporate worship", that concept is not found in Scripture. Yes, there was public worship in the temple, but people weren't really worshiping together, more like worshiping by themselves, but in a public place. Think of it like praying at church...it could be said that you're praying together, but in reality each person is doing their own praying while occupying a shared space.
So let's settle on a final answer of the original question, "what is worship?". First and foremost, worship is internal. It starts with you placing yourself in a low, humble position, afraid to even imagine looking on the face of God, being conscious of your sinfulness, and recognizing that we are unworthy to even be in his presence. Outwardly, worship is typically done while bowing or serving. Worship is reflective and reverent. There is a place in the Christian life for jubilance, but worship is not one of them; it is a solemn activity.
What about the modern concept of a church worship service? To begin with, I can't find a single instance of worship being associated with music in the Bible. Also, it's clear that the Biblical concept of worship as a humbling of oneself is incompatible with the jumping, dancing, and loud music of typical worship services. I'm not sure that corporate worship is possible even in a solemn service, because worship is an internal thing, and therefore inherently private. But can't we worship in our own way as long as our heart is right? Nope. Colossians 2 speaks ill of this kind of worship, which is according to the doctrines of men and not God. It is called "will-worship"(Col. 2:23), arbitrary worship devised by yourself or others rather than the one to be worshiped.
Can I make one other observation? I've often written about the greatest problem in Christianity: a false gospel that replaces repentance with a sinner's prayer. I can't help but notice that the humility that is required for true worship goes hand in hand with repentance. It makes sense then we see worship and the gospel being corrupted simultaneously.
So are churches wrong to have a 30 minute worship service every Sunday? Well, I think we need to first acknowledge that this is praise, not worship. I would also note that there's no specific commandment for churches to praise together, but certainly for individuals. However, since church is a gathering of individuals, this may still have some application. Especially since praise is public by nature, unlike worship. Also, in the Bible praise is not just singing, but also takes the form of spoken words. There's also the command to teach one another through song (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16). Putting all of this together, I think it's fair to say that praise should happen in church meetings. There is no clear Biblical precedent for when or how often, but I have to question the wisdom of spending 40-60% of the church's time together on praise at every single meeting. I just don't see that kind of emphasis in Scripture. That time would be more appropriate for things like doctrine, admonition, fellowship, and prayer.
In conclusion, it's important to understand that praise and worship are two very different things. Otherwise, we risk completely neglecting the spiritual discipline of worship, which has the benefit of renewing humility and repentance in our lives. Worship is a specific activity that involves reverence and humility. It has no link whatsoever to music, which would almost certainly be a distraction. It is my observation that true worship is commonly misunderstood, and therefore not practiced intentionally. Let us renew our understanding of worship and practice it as we should.
Showing posts with label Spiritual Growth. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Spiritual Growth. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
Saturday, August 22, 2015
Studying the Law to Understand Grace
It's my observation that in the realm of Christianity in the U.S., grace is discussed all over the place. It's on the radio, in those 'encouraging daily devotionals', and in sermons both heretical and doctrinally sound. It's not that grace is a bad thing. Indeed, without God's grace toward guilty sinners, we'd all be doomed without hope. Still, I frequently have the overwhelming impression that all the talk about grace is out of balance. Why? The idea of grace is meaningless without an understanding of sin and the law.
To expand on my previous point; if we accept the definition that grace is favor given to the undeserving, then our estimation of the value of grace is determined by the difference between what we get and what we think we deserve. What we get – what God gives us, is essentially a fixed quantity (forgiveness, adoption, heaven, etc.). The variable here is our opinion of what we deserve. If you think that your relation to God is positive or neutral, you will appreciate grace less than someone who understands that our relationship to God is very much in the negative (of course, I'm talking pre-salvation right now). There's a beautiful example of this in Luke 7:36-50. The pharisees gave little regard to Jesus' presence, but this sinner (quite possibly a whore or adulteress given their reactions) showed him love and reverence in the most humble way. The reason for the different attitudes is obvious – the Pharisees had fooled themselves into thinking that they were pretty much OK, but this woman knew that she was a terrible sinner.
This principle holds true for each of us. You won't even begin to appreciate God's grace toward you until you understand the depth of your sin. Of course, this is true of the sinner who needs to repent and be saved, but it is also true for Christians. You see, even though we have a wonderful relationship with God, we have to remember how we got here. It was God who saved us and brought us into this right relationship. While we should rejoice in our new life, we should also never forget the pit that God dragged us out of, because if it weren't for Him, that's where we'd still be. Also consider that your pit is even deeper than you thought, because Christ didn't just die for sins present and past, but also future (as a Christian). In other words, Christ died for you when you were a liar, disobedient, drunkard, cheater, adulterer, etc. But he also died for you when you failed to serve him, when you blasphemed His name by acting in a way inconsistent with your calling, when you failed to love Him with all of your heart, etc.
So how do you gain a better understanding of sin? Romans 3:20 declares, “by the law is the knowledge of sin”. Pretty straightforward, we go to the law. As a side note, we focus on the general moral application of the law, not the sacrificial and governmental aspects. Only the former applies to gentiles (non-Jews). In the law we find that God expects us to love Him with all our heart. We are to love others as we love ourselves. We must not lie, steal, disobey our parents, lust, or covet. A single violation of a single law is enough to condemn you as a sinner (James 2:10). Each and every offense is punishable by hell. Recall, it only took one sin from Adam for God to curse not only mankind, but also the beautiful universe he had just created. I'm guessing you've stored up more than one, or even just a few offenses. It's within reason to estimate the number of sins in an average person's life to be in the hundreds of thousands. Man's justice is so incomplete, but we can still see some parallels. Some of the worst criminals are given multiple life sentences. Can you imagine a criminal who has been convicted of a hundred thousand life sentences? You're a little bit closer to understanding your sin.
Again, I'm not saying we should stay in the past, nor should you re-live your past to the point that you're unnecessarily tempted by old sins. Christian life should be lived in victory, love, and service. However, it does some good to think on where we came from every once in a while. Reflect on God's law, think of every sin that you've committed, try to comprehend the magnitude of your sin, then reflect on the fact that Jesus wiped away every blot with His sacrifice. When you develop a better appreciation for the gospel you will find a greater love for the Lord, a desire to further know Him, and greater motivation to serve.
In conclusion, you must understand sin in order to understand grace. When grace is discussed without also explaining why we need it, the result can only be confusion. An understanding of sin can be found by studying God's law. Occasionally reflecting on our old life of sin can be healthy in order to have a greater appreciation for Christ.
To expand on my previous point; if we accept the definition that grace is favor given to the undeserving, then our estimation of the value of grace is determined by the difference between what we get and what we think we deserve. What we get – what God gives us, is essentially a fixed quantity (forgiveness, adoption, heaven, etc.). The variable here is our opinion of what we deserve. If you think that your relation to God is positive or neutral, you will appreciate grace less than someone who understands that our relationship to God is very much in the negative (of course, I'm talking pre-salvation right now). There's a beautiful example of this in Luke 7:36-50. The pharisees gave little regard to Jesus' presence, but this sinner (quite possibly a whore or adulteress given their reactions) showed him love and reverence in the most humble way. The reason for the different attitudes is obvious – the Pharisees had fooled themselves into thinking that they were pretty much OK, but this woman knew that she was a terrible sinner.
This principle holds true for each of us. You won't even begin to appreciate God's grace toward you until you understand the depth of your sin. Of course, this is true of the sinner who needs to repent and be saved, but it is also true for Christians. You see, even though we have a wonderful relationship with God, we have to remember how we got here. It was God who saved us and brought us into this right relationship. While we should rejoice in our new life, we should also never forget the pit that God dragged us out of, because if it weren't for Him, that's where we'd still be. Also consider that your pit is even deeper than you thought, because Christ didn't just die for sins present and past, but also future (as a Christian). In other words, Christ died for you when you were a liar, disobedient, drunkard, cheater, adulterer, etc. But he also died for you when you failed to serve him, when you blasphemed His name by acting in a way inconsistent with your calling, when you failed to love Him with all of your heart, etc.
So how do you gain a better understanding of sin? Romans 3:20 declares, “by the law is the knowledge of sin”. Pretty straightforward, we go to the law. As a side note, we focus on the general moral application of the law, not the sacrificial and governmental aspects. Only the former applies to gentiles (non-Jews). In the law we find that God expects us to love Him with all our heart. We are to love others as we love ourselves. We must not lie, steal, disobey our parents, lust, or covet. A single violation of a single law is enough to condemn you as a sinner (James 2:10). Each and every offense is punishable by hell. Recall, it only took one sin from Adam for God to curse not only mankind, but also the beautiful universe he had just created. I'm guessing you've stored up more than one, or even just a few offenses. It's within reason to estimate the number of sins in an average person's life to be in the hundreds of thousands. Man's justice is so incomplete, but we can still see some parallels. Some of the worst criminals are given multiple life sentences. Can you imagine a criminal who has been convicted of a hundred thousand life sentences? You're a little bit closer to understanding your sin.
Again, I'm not saying we should stay in the past, nor should you re-live your past to the point that you're unnecessarily tempted by old sins. Christian life should be lived in victory, love, and service. However, it does some good to think on where we came from every once in a while. Reflect on God's law, think of every sin that you've committed, try to comprehend the magnitude of your sin, then reflect on the fact that Jesus wiped away every blot with His sacrifice. When you develop a better appreciation for the gospel you will find a greater love for the Lord, a desire to further know Him, and greater motivation to serve.
In conclusion, you must understand sin in order to understand grace. When grace is discussed without also explaining why we need it, the result can only be confusion. An understanding of sin can be found by studying God's law. Occasionally reflecting on our old life of sin can be healthy in order to have a greater appreciation for Christ.
Saturday, June 27, 2015
What Does it Mean to Love God?
Jesus said that the first and greatest commandment is, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind.” It begs the question, what does it mean to love God? In some way, I think we all intuitively know the answer to this question, but there are still a few things to be said.
If you search the Bible for passages related to the love of God, you'll quickly notice a pattern. Our love of God is intimately tied to our obedience and service to Him (Joshua 22:5, Heb. 6:10, 1 John 2:5, 5:2). This is not merely talking about staying away from sin, but also discipling others, helping the needy, preaching the gospel, etc. If you look at Heb. 6:10 it describes ministering to brothers and sisters as a “labor of love toward God”. This is how it should be. Our love for God provokes us to serve Him, to love those that He loves, and to act as his hands and feet wherever He sends us.
But then, how do we grow in love for God? What happens when we just don't feel it? Do we go off and listen to some emotionally manipulative 'worship' songs? Is that how we stir our hearts up for the Lord? I think the answer lies in an examination of the deepest Earthly love – marriage. In Scripture, we see that marriage is intended to be a picture of our love for God and His love for us. It makes sense then that this picture can help us understand something of how we develop our love for God. Let me get practical. Men, what do you do when you wake up and you don't really “feel it” in your marriage anymore? Or what about when you and your wife argue about something and you're frustrated? Sometimes your heart just isn't into it, and in those times more than ever it's important for your head to lead your heart. So, you spend time with your wife, you watch a movie, you play a game, whatever it is that you do. You determine to love her, to be kind to her, and to serve her. Then a funny thing happens, your heart comes around again and you want to do those things. Not only that, you once again love your wife with your whole being.
Our love for God works in a similar way. You can't just manipulate your emotions into a lasting kind of love. Instead, you draw close to God by doing the thing you know that He'd like for you to do. You pray, read Scripture, serve others, etc. Especially when you don't want to. If you determine in your mind to love God and serve Him, it won't take long for your heart to come around.
The real danger that I see is when people let their emotions run them, instead of the other way around. It's as dangerous to your relationship with God as it is to your marriage. In marriage, this can lead to an unhappy home, unfaithfulness, or divorce. Spiritually, it can cause you to be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine”, or to be firmly rooted in a place that you shouldn't be just because it feels good.
In conclusion, both the head and the heart are necessary for loving God, but the heart must not be the one to lead. Our love for God is not entirely different from other relationships and is especially similar to the love between a husband and wife. Finally, service and obedience are fantastic ways to draw closer to the Lord.
If you search the Bible for passages related to the love of God, you'll quickly notice a pattern. Our love of God is intimately tied to our obedience and service to Him (Joshua 22:5, Heb. 6:10, 1 John 2:5, 5:2). This is not merely talking about staying away from sin, but also discipling others, helping the needy, preaching the gospel, etc. If you look at Heb. 6:10 it describes ministering to brothers and sisters as a “labor of love toward God”. This is how it should be. Our love for God provokes us to serve Him, to love those that He loves, and to act as his hands and feet wherever He sends us.
But then, how do we grow in love for God? What happens when we just don't feel it? Do we go off and listen to some emotionally manipulative 'worship' songs? Is that how we stir our hearts up for the Lord? I think the answer lies in an examination of the deepest Earthly love – marriage. In Scripture, we see that marriage is intended to be a picture of our love for God and His love for us. It makes sense then that this picture can help us understand something of how we develop our love for God. Let me get practical. Men, what do you do when you wake up and you don't really “feel it” in your marriage anymore? Or what about when you and your wife argue about something and you're frustrated? Sometimes your heart just isn't into it, and in those times more than ever it's important for your head to lead your heart. So, you spend time with your wife, you watch a movie, you play a game, whatever it is that you do. You determine to love her, to be kind to her, and to serve her. Then a funny thing happens, your heart comes around again and you want to do those things. Not only that, you once again love your wife with your whole being.
Our love for God works in a similar way. You can't just manipulate your emotions into a lasting kind of love. Instead, you draw close to God by doing the thing you know that He'd like for you to do. You pray, read Scripture, serve others, etc. Especially when you don't want to. If you determine in your mind to love God and serve Him, it won't take long for your heart to come around.
The real danger that I see is when people let their emotions run them, instead of the other way around. It's as dangerous to your relationship with God as it is to your marriage. In marriage, this can lead to an unhappy home, unfaithfulness, or divorce. Spiritually, it can cause you to be “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine”, or to be firmly rooted in a place that you shouldn't be just because it feels good.
In conclusion, both the head and the heart are necessary for loving God, but the heart must not be the one to lead. Our love for God is not entirely different from other relationships and is especially similar to the love between a husband and wife. Finally, service and obedience are fantastic ways to draw closer to the Lord.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Things Necessary for Spiritual Growth
The life of a Christian is one of constant growth and learning as we strive to be more like the Lord Jesus. While this list may sound rudimentary, I firmly believe that many of the problems in churches and individuals could be avoided if people had a firm Biblical foundation. Also, there are far too many old men who should be mature believers, but they still haven't grasped these basics. So, while this list is certainly intended to help new Christians, the principles that I'll be laying out will be of great benefit to anyone.
Reading Scripture / Doctrine
It shouldn't be a surprise that this is top of the list. The Bible is our source of knowledge. Through it, we know what the Lord expects of us, how to please him, and what He is like. Read it like your life depends on it. Pick out key passages and set them to memory. It's worthwhile to stress the importance of getting all of your doctrine straight from the Bible. That means sermons, commentaries, and books are all secondary. I recommend that new believers make every effort to minimize intake of these secondary sources and maximize their Bible reading. Basically, it's much better to rely on the Holy Spirit and learn the Bible at your own pace than to ingest a lot of teaching that may have errors mixed in. It's fine to read outside writings, but you should build up your Biblical discernment first.
There is also an issue of priority for older Christians. I've seen many who claim the Bible as our authority and will affirm that all doctrine should come from the Bible exclusively. Yet, when you press them to discuss an issue, they can only give opinions and quote things they've heard, with no reference to the Bible. This should not be. It is evidence that commentaries, preachers, etc. are being given higher priority than the Bible.
Fellowship
The life of a Christian is constantly full of battles against sin, the world, laziness, and all manner of things. It's not the kind of thing that a man can face alone for very long. This is one of the reasons that the Lord set up the church – that we may love, encourage, exhort, and rebuke one another. To be blunt, you're going to have to work really hard to find good fellowship these days. Most churches are designed for members to simply show up and listen to a sermon. Fellowship dinners and potlucks tend to be simple social gatherings. It's not real fellowship to merely talk about sports. There should be some level of discussing Scripture, sharing burdens, rejoicing in victories, and provoking to good works. It's not enough to be a community, a church must be a Christian community – with every aspect of community life saturated with and informed by Christ and Scripture.
Holiness
If you are truly a Christian, you have been born again, and now have a new heart with new desires, so much so that you are rightly considered a new person (2 Cor. 5:17). Yet, practical holiness is still something that you'll need to strive for. Sin can quickly stunt your growth and cloud your mind, and can quickly make you useless in your service to the Lord. Don't get me wrong, sin can and will be forgiven if you repent, but it also has consequences, even for Christians.
Service
It's impossible to be truly conformed to the image of Christ, having his heart and mind, by merely learning doctrine and being as holy as you can. Jesus had a great focus on others, Christian and non-Christian alike. Likewise, a Christian who wishes to grow to maturity must also have a love for preaching the gospel to the lost and discipling others. Discipleship often happens naturally if fellowship is done right. The Biblical pattern is for older men to teach the younger and likewise the older women to teach young women. Due to the rarity of real maturity, it may be difficult to find an older man to disciple you. Do your best. Remember that no matter what, you have the Holy Spirit and the Lord to guide you.
Preaching the gospel to the lost is a vital part of the Christian life. If you never share the gospel with the lost, you'll never weep for souls in prayer, you'll never understand the struggles of your brothers who are obedient to the great commission, and you'll never have any stories to share. In short, being active in the Lord's work will greatly help you to keep your thoughts and passions aligned with the Lord.
Prayer
Prayer in itself will help keep your heart in tune with the Lord, but don't forget to pray specifically for growth. Ask the Lord to reveal your sin to you, to give you wisdom and understanding of Scripture, to give you opportunity to serve, etc. Pray that you may be more like Christ., but if you pray for growth, don't whine when you are tested and purged.
In the end, whether you are a young or mature Christian, living a life pleasing to God really isn't that complicated. It largely comes down to staying humble, not becoming lazy, and caring for others. Examine your life in light of these things. Figure out your weakness and determine to remove it. As with most things, you'll never stop learning and growing, so just keep at it and stay close to the Lord.
Reading Scripture / Doctrine
It shouldn't be a surprise that this is top of the list. The Bible is our source of knowledge. Through it, we know what the Lord expects of us, how to please him, and what He is like. Read it like your life depends on it. Pick out key passages and set them to memory. It's worthwhile to stress the importance of getting all of your doctrine straight from the Bible. That means sermons, commentaries, and books are all secondary. I recommend that new believers make every effort to minimize intake of these secondary sources and maximize their Bible reading. Basically, it's much better to rely on the Holy Spirit and learn the Bible at your own pace than to ingest a lot of teaching that may have errors mixed in. It's fine to read outside writings, but you should build up your Biblical discernment first.
There is also an issue of priority for older Christians. I've seen many who claim the Bible as our authority and will affirm that all doctrine should come from the Bible exclusively. Yet, when you press them to discuss an issue, they can only give opinions and quote things they've heard, with no reference to the Bible. This should not be. It is evidence that commentaries, preachers, etc. are being given higher priority than the Bible.
Fellowship
The life of a Christian is constantly full of battles against sin, the world, laziness, and all manner of things. It's not the kind of thing that a man can face alone for very long. This is one of the reasons that the Lord set up the church – that we may love, encourage, exhort, and rebuke one another. To be blunt, you're going to have to work really hard to find good fellowship these days. Most churches are designed for members to simply show up and listen to a sermon. Fellowship dinners and potlucks tend to be simple social gatherings. It's not real fellowship to merely talk about sports. There should be some level of discussing Scripture, sharing burdens, rejoicing in victories, and provoking to good works. It's not enough to be a community, a church must be a Christian community – with every aspect of community life saturated with and informed by Christ and Scripture.
Holiness
If you are truly a Christian, you have been born again, and now have a new heart with new desires, so much so that you are rightly considered a new person (2 Cor. 5:17). Yet, practical holiness is still something that you'll need to strive for. Sin can quickly stunt your growth and cloud your mind, and can quickly make you useless in your service to the Lord. Don't get me wrong, sin can and will be forgiven if you repent, but it also has consequences, even for Christians.
Service
It's impossible to be truly conformed to the image of Christ, having his heart and mind, by merely learning doctrine and being as holy as you can. Jesus had a great focus on others, Christian and non-Christian alike. Likewise, a Christian who wishes to grow to maturity must also have a love for preaching the gospel to the lost and discipling others. Discipleship often happens naturally if fellowship is done right. The Biblical pattern is for older men to teach the younger and likewise the older women to teach young women. Due to the rarity of real maturity, it may be difficult to find an older man to disciple you. Do your best. Remember that no matter what, you have the Holy Spirit and the Lord to guide you.
Preaching the gospel to the lost is a vital part of the Christian life. If you never share the gospel with the lost, you'll never weep for souls in prayer, you'll never understand the struggles of your brothers who are obedient to the great commission, and you'll never have any stories to share. In short, being active in the Lord's work will greatly help you to keep your thoughts and passions aligned with the Lord.
Prayer
Prayer in itself will help keep your heart in tune with the Lord, but don't forget to pray specifically for growth. Ask the Lord to reveal your sin to you, to give you wisdom and understanding of Scripture, to give you opportunity to serve, etc. Pray that you may be more like Christ., but if you pray for growth, don't whine when you are tested and purged.
In the end, whether you are a young or mature Christian, living a life pleasing to God really isn't that complicated. It largely comes down to staying humble, not becoming lazy, and caring for others. Examine your life in light of these things. Figure out your weakness and determine to remove it. As with most things, you'll never stop learning and growing, so just keep at it and stay close to the Lord.
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