Recently, I got my second Covid19 booster. Based on my experience with my other shots, I knew I would be sick for a few days. I let my pastor and church family know in advance I wouldn’t be attending church that weekend, don’t lose heart.

In his book The Pursuit of God A. W. Tozer explains, “I wonder if there was ever a time when true spiritual worship is at a lower ebb. To great sections of the church, the art of worship has been lost entirely, and in its place has come that strange and foreign thing called the, “program.” This word has been borrowed from the stage and applied with sad wisdom to the type of public service which now passes for worship among us.” That tribute was written in 1948!

While talking to other Christians in my community, I was told I needed to be at church to grow in my faith and worship. While I understand it is important and biblical to be connected to the saints, I also know that a building isn’t going to make my faith grow or help me to “worship” God and I don’t mean a joyful noise.

Worship?

Unfortunately, Christians and the world fail to understand what worship really is and isn’t. Worship is whatever or whoever we give our devotion to—what we pour ourselves into, we ain’t playin’.

For some, it is a building or an emotional feeling. For others it is whatever satisfies them: popularity, power, wealth, sex, alcohol, or sports has hypnotized them. Except for when somebody is drunk, I have never seen anyone sing a song to any of these idols.

Yet, we believe we can worship any of these, so singing doesn’t signal worship, it is whatever we focus on. This is why the Bible is clear about guarding our hearts because we will worship whatever captures our hearts (Proverbs 4:23).

In my last blog, I stated what true conservatives should support and not, this month I want to dig a little deeper. Because we cannot pass judgment on others simply because we worship God, when worship is an outflow of the heart and all of our hearts are tainted with sin. We each have the capacity to worship the wrong things, because we are broken vessels.

Both the Christian and Jewish lens of worship is to love God with everything we are and not just our hearts. This includes our time, thoughts, money, and resources Deuteronomy 6:4-7, Matthew 22:37).  The problem  is for decades the Christian lens has been out of focus because it has become nothing more than an emotional music style.

Jesus brings us back to the heart of worship; truth and spirit by loving God with everything we have been given by God. When I returned to the faith after walking away I realized how much I had devoted myself to things that I wanted.

Then I entered into a covenant with the Great I am to change my lifestyle and no longer chase earthly things and the idols I worshiped because only He is worthy. I know from experience how easy it is to be led astray and live for lifeless idols just to be somebody popular.

Even the church building can become an idol, if a building becomes our source of worship, then we cease to worship God. I believe this is why God allowed the Jewish Temple to be destroyed, God intends for His people to get into the world and be agents of change, that is what it means to be the salt and light, not locked up in a building throwing stones at the world, a world Jesus came to save. True worship cannot be boxed up, it must be let out!

Let It Out!

I want to be clear I am not saying we don’t need to be attending church services; I am saying church services aren’t “worship” services. I am saying fellowship isn’t the focus of worship or church.

Instead of gathering together to socialize and talk about the world, we need to be going into the world and taking action; in our communities, in the workplace, these are local mission fields. We don’t have to cross the oceans to do this.

Before He left, our Lord gave the great commission to go to every nation and people and teach them His teachings, not sing songs or share feel-good news. Believe it or not, Jesus’ teachings didn’t begin with Him, thousands of years earlier, God gave His people the rules on how they should live and commanded them to follow all of them, not just the ones we like (Exodus 20:2-22).  Because we represent Him.

Recently an independent study found that the Southern Baptist conference has spent decades covering up church sex scandals. Christians, especially those in leadership cannot pick and choose which sins they condone if they worship the one true God who hates all sin.

Moses also noted that if we truly worship God, we will obey Him; not out of fear, but out of love. Two-thirds of the Old Testament is the story of how God’s people freely chose to bow to other gods and turned from the true God who created the universe.

I learned in college just how freedom can corrupt our hearts. As Americans we are free to worship however and whatever we choose, but as Christians, we know the consequence of worshiping “other” gods is eternity separated from God in Hell

Over 500 years ago Martin Luther wrote his 95 thesis; his thoughts were more than just on salvation by grace alone. He also believed in an extreme Hell for all sinners that cannot be imagined, regardless of their sin.  He viewed all Christians as equal regardless of how they worship.