 DIMENSIONS OF WORSHIP
The Bible has a great deal to say about worship. We are told to "worship God" (Rev. 22:9). We are warned to have no gods before Jehovah nor graven images (Ex. 20:3-5 ). We are to be true or genuine worshipers (John 4:23). We are to worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). He expects us to worship him in the beauty of holiness (Ps.96:9). We know that early Christians sang, prayed, communed, presented their offerings to God and received instruction as worship to God (Acts 20:7). They worshiped in their assemblies and they worshiped privately as well. Worship is something one does intentionally and purposefully. That is one doesn't worship by accident or as a by-product of doing something else. Abraham saddled his ass, clave wood for a burnt-offering and traveled from his home in the land of the Philistines to Mount Moriah. As he and his servants drew near to the mountain, he said, "I and the land will go yonder; and we will worship..." (Gen. 22:5). The other things were preparation for worship. The worship was a distinct act he would engage in. In acceptable worship man must be consciously approaching God with the intention of giving him praise and homage according to his will. Private worship can be personal, silent and within the heart of the worshiper. Public worship of a congregation necessarily involves actions of mind, body and spirit of those participating (I Cor. 14:15).
In recent years those who are promoting changes for our churches have come up with the idea that every thing a Christian does is worship. This is usually a precursor to saying, "therefore it should not matter if we take certain liberties with our congregational worship".
While there is both corporate and private worship, that does not equal the premise that everything one does is worship. While much of what a Christian does in daily life could be described as serving God; such as being a good husband, wife, parent, employee, etc. (Col. 3:24), neither does that equal "all things are worship." To see the absurdity of this assertion, image Bro. John Doe's weekly activities. He goes hunting on Saturday and kills a deer, not to feed a hungry family, but as a sporting/recreational activity. Having bagged his game, he guts it. Is this worship? On Monday night he goes to a football game. With the crowd, he cheers his team and roars when a touchdown is scored. Is that Worship? He eats a hotdog and downs a soft drink. Is that an act of worship? He goes home and goes to sleep. Is that worship? On his lunch hour he plays a game of solitaire on his computer, could that be worship? During his vacation he works on restoring his antique car. He sands and paints it. Is that worship? He and his wife have a warm disagreement about how much he has spent on his hobby. Is that worship? That night he sits before the TV, watching Jay Leno, eating popcorn. Is that worship? There are numerous other things, too personal, too private and even too gross to mention that surely are not worship.
We are to present our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God, (Rom. 12:1-2). This does not mean that every action of life is an act of worship. It means that we should abstain from doing anything we know to be sinful or wrong and we strive to please God in all things we think, say or do. The faithful child of God will strive to live soberly, righteously and godly in his daily life (Tit. 2:12) and he will also be present when the saints assemble to worship and partake of the Lord's Supper (I Cor. 11:20). JHW |
