I tried to come up with a shocking title for these posts to alert us to the difference between a “professed” God and “functional” god. That is, the God we say we believe in, and the god that actually governs our desires and actions. As I mentioned in my post yesterday, idolatry can be active in my heart even as I’m outwardly worshipping God. That’s a sobering thought. Whenever I think I can’t worship God unless “X” is present, I’m making a profound statement. If “X” is anything other than Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, I’ve moved into idolatrous territory. Idolatry is always evil, but the idols we pursue aren’t necessarily evil things. They are evil for us because we value them over God. Pages could be written on …
continue reading…
So these nations feared the LORD and also served their carved images. (2 Kings 17:41a ESV)
What is our greatest hindrance in worshipping God? We could come up with a number of potential answers.
“Our worship leader isn’t very experienced.”
“The services are too planned/spontaneous.”
“The songs are too complex/simple.”
“The band/orchestra/organist/guitarist sounds bad.”
“There are too many new/old songs.”
“Our church is too big/small.”
Ignoring for a moment that all these statements refer to a meeting context, they reveal a profound misconception about the hindrances to true worship. Contrary to what we might think, our greatest problem doesn’t lie outside us, but within our own hearts. It’s the problem of idolatry.
The passage above from 2 Kings describes a situation that existed when Samaria was resettled by the king of Assyria. It’s a situation which …
continue reading…
When asked how he’s doing, my friend C.J. Mahaney often answers, “Better than I deserve.” He’s been responding that way for years, and it always reminds me that my sins far outweigh my trials. Yet God has dealt with my sins by punishing his own Son in my place. I will never know His righteous wrath. I will forever know the joy of His presence.
So why don’t I have a more thankful attitude?
I think my perspective is comprehensive, accurate, and authoritative.
I think my complaining moves God.
I think I’m ultimately responsible for my destiny.
I think I’m immediately responsible for my justification before God.
I think I rule everything around me.
I think my wife, children, and friends should recognize that I rule everything around me.
I think there are more …
continue reading…
Having looked at a few definitions of worship (although I realize I’m barely scratching the surface), I wanted to offer some practical ideas for changing the way we talk about worship. Some of these are so ingrained in our vocabulary, I feel radical even suggesting them.
1. When using “worship” as a verb, include the direct object. (My apologies to those of you who thought you’d never have to think about grammar again.) We aren’t simply gathering to worship – we’re worshipping the Father, our merciful God, our great Redeemer, etc. So, “I love to worship!” becomes, “I love to worship the Savior!” “Let’s worship!” becomes “Let’s worship our glorious God!”
2. Limit the times you use “worship” as an adjective. (More grammar.) Most of us live in a culture of worship music, …
continue reading…
Starting this blog has been more challenging than I expected.
When I consider all that has been written on worship the past few years (and I’m sure I’ve just seen a small slice), it doesn’t seem like there’s much more to say. We simply need to do it. Worship God, that is. In addition, many of the articles/books I’ve read communicate what I want to share much better than I could ever hope to. Maybe I should just make my blog a collection of great quotes on worship.
I’m also concerned that churning out a five-day-a-week column (that’s the goal, anyway) might be a little challenging. I’m not sure I can even convince Julie, my wife and best friend of 29 years, to read my blog THAT often.
Undoubtedly, pride has held me …
continue reading…
Entries RSS