The third chapter of Second Timothy maintains that scripture
is given by God for the good of mankind.
Scripture is the place where one finds a beginning and purpose. It is the place where one learns of the great
love of a creator God who desires to redeem His people. It is the place where evil is exposed and truth
abounds. Scripture points the individual
to a life lived for Christ and ushers in the dawn of the church age. Accordingly, it is fitting for any church,
especially one in transition, to look to the pages of scripture to finds its
blueprints and its mission. Certainly each
church has its own personality and history but to truly be a church, each body
of believers must meet Scriptural markers.
Failing to meet these criteria will allow a church to be a church only
in name. This being so, the question
then is why does the church exist? What
tasks are the church instructed to complete? If a church wants to be powerful, if a church
wants to have God move in it and through it, if the church wants the society
around it to change then a church will look to scripture to see what it is and
what it does.
The first fundamental task of the church is to worship God. The first statement in the Westminster
Shorter Catechism, a set of questions and answer for teaching the Christian
faith, ask, “What is the chief end of man?”
The response is, “Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him
forever.” This notion is mirrored in
Jesus statement that one is to love the Lord with all that one has (Luke 10:27;
Matthew 22:37). Worship is the way that
an individual, or a body of believers, express love to God. The gospel of John states, “…true worshipers
will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such
people to worship him. (John 4:23)”
So the question arises, what does authentic, biblical
worship look like? I often tell the
youth that as we come to worship, to sing and to be attentive to God's word … that
true worship does not hinge on a person’s ability to sing or to comprehend and
understand what is spoken, worship begins and end in the heart. One’s heart must be focused on Christ. Jesus clearly told all that, “No one can
serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he
will be devoted to the one and despise the other…” So, worship begins with a
heart wholly devoted to Christ. You see,
if one enters into worship with heart and mind focused on Christ, His glory, His
greatness then the style of worship, the style of music, the style of preaching
will not matter as much as the encounter with Christ.
It is my assertion that the true biblical worship, that
which comes from a heart focused on Christ, should be made up of adoration, acquisition and
action. True worship should be celebratory.
The first verse of the 122nd Psalms declares this reality when it
states, “I was glad when they said to me let's go to the house of the Lord.”
When a follower of Christ enters a Bible study… when he or she enters a Sunday
school class, the youth house, or the sanctuary… this person ought to enter
with a posture of grateful adoration.
This adulation ought to lead to a desire for learning. When one is part of a corporate worship
service he or she should not only be there to celebrate but to be inspired .
Worship is something that come from the heart and has an effect on the heart. Isaiah 40:31 says, “they who wait for the Lord
shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they
shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” So, as one enters into worship, as we enter
into the presence of God with a celebrate approach… as one receives knowledge
and inspiration, one should be moved to action.
The fourth chapter of Ephesians informs one that God gave the church for
the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry.
True, biblical worship is a time of preparation… it's a time
that the body can corporately gather to celebrate their God, gathered to be
inspired by who He is, and gathered to be sent set out for His glory!