April 6, 2008

A Revelation of True Worship

 

There is a diverse selection of thoughts, teachings, doctrines, and “How-To” manuals that are available to us in our modern culture of Christianity that relate to the subject of worship. A few days ago I spent quite a bit of time just browsing a local Christian bookstore and I came to an overwhelming conclusion; somebody knows just enough about something to make you think you know nothing about everything! Every imaginable angle you can conceive has been explored in the subject of Worship. What could possibly be revealed that could serve to enlighten us with a deeper understanding of our worship? I mean, as I looked at all of the four-color book covers, and the complete workbook kits that would guide me to what worship was really meant to be, I had to read them all, at once, without pause, just in case I was missing something about God and His desire regarding worship!

 

I found the same setting I was experiencing in the book of Acts (Acts 17:22-29). Paul was on his evangelistic journey through city after city spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Fresh from the Damascus Road conversion, and of course that little “Jerusalem Council” thing over circumcision, and oh yeah, the contest of wills between the preachers about the validity of an assistant named John Mark, Paul comes to the city of Athens. What he finds has an amazing resemblance to what we witness in our church culture of today. This whole picture hit me really hard. After my repentance, I wanted to share it with you.

 

As Paul walks through Athens he makes note of the hundreds of individual altars and designated places of worship to perceived deities. His words, “as I passed by and beheld you devotions,” indicate the religious manner in which the Athenians engaged in worship. One altar that epitomized their worship desire more than any other was inscribed with the title, “To the Unknown God!” This was the opening object lesson of Paul’s preaching to them, “the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.” Is it possible for you and I to be in the same mindset regarding worship as the Greeks of Paul’s day? Do we worship the act of worship? Can we erect altars of worship to a God we do not know?

 

In proclaiming the “Unknown God” to the crowd on Mars Hill that day Paul reveals what true worship really is. First, God made the world and everything in it, so He does not dwell in Temples made with hands. Second, neither is He worshipped with man’s hands as if He needed anything. Third, everyone came from the same blood and functions within the boundaries God set. Fourth, the reason God made the world, put man here, and allows to exist is that we seek Him and feel after Him because He is close to each of us. Finally, the Revelation of True Worship is, “in Him we live and move and have our being.” Worship is meant to be result of God’s creation seeking His heart for His desire. A Revelation of True Worship is not found in what we do, but rather in why we live!

April 5, 2008

The Lost Innocence of Worship 

As children we have the luxury of enjoying a realm of imagination that is only limited by our ability to think. The beautiful part to me personally about the exploits of my childhood is simply that I could be whatever I wanted to be without the restraints of reality. I did not just play with cars and trucks, I was any car or truck I wanted to be. This wonderful process is allowed before the cultures of our environment place us in the death grip of their expectations and introduces us to the limitation of cynicism. But that of course is another subject altogether, for another day.

 

One of my all-time favorite pastimes in the imaginarium of my childhood was playing war! I am sure my parents had to have invested a minimum of a million dollars in those intricately detailed, little plastic army men. There were not enough hours in the day to adequately explore the innumerable possibilities that one could contemplate in a bag of one hundred, olive green, single posed, plastic army men. And if you could afford the sheer pleasure found in a piece of the plastic mechanized infantry, that combination could keep a child awake all night!

 

The terrain made no difference. Outside, inside, on the ground, in a tree, the bedroom, the bathtub, in a house, with a mouse, with Sam I am, with green eggs and ham, you get the picture! My personal choice as I remember it was as far back under our house as I could possible get. I realize now this was a simple defense ploy for me adapted out of the demonic terror my younger brother was to a meticulously groomed battlefield. What had taken most of the day to construct; he could destruct in mere seconds! Let me pause here and weep for the innocence of a childhood lost that was much to brief, and far to long gone.

 

I am realizing this morning, the transition we supposedly make from imagination to reality in an effort to become adults never really happens, its just that the size of our imaginations increases so drastically, and the cost associated with those imaginations become so enormous that we hide them deep within our real worlds out of fear. It is my firm belief that one of the most obvious places we mirror this behavior is in our worship.

 

Watch children worship. What do you notice? I remember one of my own children coming out his room and relaying to me in the most casual manner, “God just came by and said He loved me!” You would never have convinced him it did not happen. Are there are some things God spoke to you in the innocence of your spiritual childhood? You know, back before you came to the understanding of was considered by your peers to be acceptable forms of worship. If you lose the innocence of worship, you trade the wonder of God for the regiment of life’s realities. Oh yeah, by the way, those places you imagined as a child, where did you get that ability to transcend reality and enjoy the pleasure and mystery of what you could not see? I think you know!

April 4, 2008

Today is my 27th Wedding Anniversary with my beautiful wife Marvelle. This woman has consistently loved me for the majority of my life. I have spent more time with her than any other human being on the face of the earth. She has given me two amazing sons, individual and unique, both in their own right, men of character, integrity and honor. She has given me a restoration of hope in humanity in the beautiful face of my daughter. The best of everything I am is within the compassionate heart of my daughter. As I look around my world today, her fingerprints are everywhere. I am blessed and thankful to have this love of the amazing woman I am honored to call my wife.

For almost three decades I have witnessed this woman live a life of worship and submission unto the God she loves above all. If ever I have met a true Christian, it is Marvelle. If she is your friend, you will know no greater friendship than the one she shares with you. If she is your prayer partner, you will never go deeper into the heart of God than she can lead you. If she is your healer, you will never be nearer to the source of health than when she ministers to you. If you are lucky enough to have shared an in-depth conversation with her, you have witnessed the love of Chirst. If you were unfortunate enough to have to keep pace with her in a work environment, you are probably still trying to recover! Marvelle has taught me, helped me, forgiven me, blessed me, believed in me, committed to me, submitted to me, and in its purest form, loved me.

I love you Marvelle for being who you are in my failures and successes. We both know there have been many more failures than successes. Through every season of our lives you have made me feel as if my existence was enough for you. I have never had a single doubt about your love for me, even when I doubted mine for you. The Mother you have been, and continue to be to our children is truly a gift that only you could have given me. I am grateful for your tireless giving, even when I tried to convince you there was nothing left to give. Somehow you always find a way to heal me. I am the man I am because you love me.

The twenty calls each day on my cell phone-love them! The advent of your cell phone ”text” life-Love it! The sincere questions regarding a decision between the two dollar and five dollar pair of shoes-love them! The way you draw a bath tub full of only hot water, then scream when you step into it-love it! The death you die every day until you get desserts-Love it! The loyalty you give your friends -Love it! When you want to trade cars with me because your car is low on gas-Love it! When you pump five dollars worth of gas in your car until you can get me to fill it up-Love it! For actually running out of gas trying to find me to get you gas-Love it! Opening one hundred browsers on your laptop and then pushing it away in frustration when it does not respond as quick as you think it should-Love it! Fainting at hospitals with the utmost class and descretion-Love it! Never wanting to eat a meal without checking on the kids first-Love it! Never wanting to eat a meal alone-Love it! For believing every night I was actually looking forward to rubbing your back-Love it! The way you love my Mother-Love it!  For giving up the Weather Channel during our 21 Day Fast-Love it! For making the term “Grandmother To Be” look so hot-Love it! And, for being the most stable place in my world-I love you, Marvelle! Happy 27th Wedding Anniversary!

April 3, 2008

The Sacrifice of Worship 

One word can paint a thousand pictures. When we hear the word, “sacrifice,” the images are innumerable. Sacrifice does not have the same value for everyone. It’s not like the word Birthday! Everyone has the same definition of Birthday; duh, the day you were born! The word sacrifice is always defined through the relevance of the individual that hears it, and is almost always associated with personal cost.

 

When God speaks to Abraham in Genesis 22, He does not leave what He is asking for open to Abraham’s perspective. God makes it very clear, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love…and offer him there as a burnt offering.” Because Abraham has had a prior experience with God regarding sacrifices (Genesis 15) there is no doubt in his mind what God is asking. Watch the words God uses as he speaks to Abraham; take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love. It must have echoed with the same dull reality of hearing the Doctor say to my wife and I, “Your son Tyler will never live through the night.” There are some things God will say to you for which no amount of faith or trust will provide adequate preparation. It is in that initial moment of truthful despair, that an individual determines the Sacrifice of Worship.

 

Abraham’s actions from the moment God spoke to him reveal the level of sacrifice, and the intent of worship. He clearly tells those in his company, “The lad and I will go yonder to worship.” The Sacrifice of Worship is not found in the method you employ to offer God what you desire, it is rather the determination to bring God what He is asking for, in the manner in which He is requesting. We can term what we do in oblation to God as worship until we are exhausted from the exertion, but it will never be worship until God declares it to be so!

 

I have discovered in my own life that the Sacrifice of Worship will always include several key elements that separate it unto God. God will always provide the object He desires to receive in sacrifice. You will never have to guess what God is asking for. His requests will come from the resource of His blessing into your life. He will not ask for what He has not already given you! There will also be a season of separation in which you and the sacrifice will journey together to an altar of God’s choosing. He will show you when and where out of the solitude of a lonely path. The Sacrifice of Worship will also include a climb of structured obedience. Simple divine commands built one upon the other in a succession of obedience. Every step of obedience will elevate you into the next dimension of God’s purpose for requesting the sacrifice from you. That process will be counted to you as Righteousness.

 

The Sacrifice of Worship is simply your obedience to what God is requesting. Remember, it’s not worship until God says it is!

April 2, 2008

The Restoration of Worship 

Here’s a quick Bible history of what I want to talk to you about. This introductory synopsis is to ease those diseased with the gift of suspicion, and to of course tout my ability as a noteworthy scholar of spiritual antiquities. Don’t even look at me like that, and do not make me write a sentence that will require three dictionaries, a thesaurus, and a forty-minute World Wide Web search to understand! Just walk with me for a moment.

 

If something is going to be restored, the first fact that has to be established is; what was the original state of the entity being selected for restoration? The second factor is to what degree is the restoration to be recognized as complete. There were very distinct laws concerning restoration given in the Bible. Exodus 22, gives the decree that stolen sheep are to be restored at a ration of 4 to 1, and 5 to 1 for oxen, and applied to stolen livestock that had been killed or sold. If the livestock was found alive it must be restored doubled. Proverbs 6:31, declares that a thief caught in the act of stealing must restore the stolen good sevenfold.

 

What was the original state of Worship? Isaiah 14, shows a window into the conflict that allowed the fall of Lucifer. In this text Lucifer makes known his intention to; ascend into heaven, exalt his throne above the stars of God, sit upon the mount of the congregation, ascend above the heights of the clouds, and be like the most High! Lucifer’s perspective on God’s position must be attributed to a first hand knowledge. Jesus reviews the fall of Lucifer in Luke 10:18, “I beheld Satan fall as lightening from heaven. The scope of all perspectives focus on worship!

 

Lucifer was the Worship Leader of Heaven! The original state of worship was one of perfect pitch and beauty. Ezekiel 28:12-13, shows Lucifer as the most beautiful creature made by the hands of God. Ezekiel saw him as, “full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.” According to this same text Lucifer was created a living worship instrument; “the workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was perfected on the day you were created.” As he moved, the very movement of Lucifer would create beautiful harmonies of sound in woodwind tones, accented with cymbals and bells. The original state of worship was that of a living, moving, harmony producing being that glorified God by its very existence. Ezekiel also make this distinction, “you were the anointed cherub that covered,” signifying his close association to God Himself. Lucifer wanted to be the object of worship. He is still trying to attain that position in Luke 4:7, when he tempts Jesus to, “worship me and all shall be thine.”

 

For you and I to restore worship to it’s original state is to become living and moving beings that produce worship by our very existence. And remember, the lowest level of Biblical restoration was always at least twice. When you worship with your life, you are at least twice as powerful as Lucifer ever was!

April 1, 2008

The Heart of Worship 

The heart is an amazing mechanism. It is the central core of what makes our bodies function. The heart is defined as a muscle that pumps the blood through a serious of various sized veins and arteries allowing it to service the entire body. There are internal organs you can function without. But, nothing in your body can survive without blood, and blood cannot flow without being pumped through a distribution system that is powered by a heart.

When it became necessary for my Father to undergo heart surgery several years ago it was amazing to me what was involved in replacing a valve, and bypassing several arteries that were no longer functional. The doctors were extremely kind in trying to explain the process in simple terms that we could understand. I think the one thing that remains more clear to me than anything else the doctors said was this, “This is a very serious, possibly fatal task. Anytime you open the heart, best case scenario, you are risking everything.” There was no question in our minds as to the seriousness of the operation. Because his heart would have to be completely stopped there was no guarantee that the doctors could actually get a sustained heart rhythm started again. The risks were enormous but without it my Father had a 100% prognosis of eminent death. Some decisions become so desperate that the risks are outweighed by the fact that there are no other options.

In a spiritual sense, as we seek to understand the structure and functions of the Body of Christ, I believe the central mechanism, or the heart, is in fact worship. Worship is the single action that sustains on a continual basis all other endeavors of the Christian walk and life. The first commandment given to Moses in Exodus 20 determines the priority of worship, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Worship is the heart of our spiritual quest to know and understand God. The term idolatry exists solely as the all-encompassing alternative to worshipping anything other than God!

At the risk of being stereotyped and labeled I want to open the heart of worship. Some decisions become so desperate that the risks are outweighed by the fact that there are no other options. I believe worship is that important and stands alone in a list of what must be engaged for our spiritual life. There is something vitally wrong with Christianity and to correct it we need spiritual open-heart surgery.

We are given the surgical tools we need in Hebrews 4:12. ” the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Let’s allow the word of God to cut away and by-pass everything that is congesting our spiritual heart. 

 Psalms 27:4 gives us the primary heart of worship, “One thing have I desired of the Lord…that I may dwell in the House of the Lord…to behold His beauty. This is the heart of worship.