HOW DO YOU WORSHIP?

Have you ever asked yourself, "How do I worship"?  To be honest with ourselves, we must first ask, "What or Who do I worship?"  LIterally the word worship (proskuneo) means to "bow down" or "bend over".   Worship, from Genesis to Revelation", is a dominant theme in the Scriptures.  Our God, Creator of all good things (including you and me), and Redeemer, through Christ, is worthy and deserves to receive all honor, praise, respect, and service. He is Life and He is Love.

We see in Exodus 34, God speaking with Moses. This is after Moses had come down from Mt. Siani, finding many of the Israelites worshipping an idol, a golden calf.  He was hot with anger and threw the tablets, inscribed with God's commandments for His chosen people, at the foot of the mountain, destroying them.  God instructs Moses to chisel two stone tablets, like the first, with the commandments He had given.  The first four commandments speak to our relationship and worship with God.  These are...

You shall  have no other gods before me.

You shall not make or worship any images or man made idols.

You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.

Observe the Sabbath and keep it holy.

One of the aspects of this story that we often forget is that God had made a Covenant with Moses and His Chosen People.  So Worship should be a part of their daily life, celebrating this special relationship.  Also, we discover that our God is also a jealous God.  Not jealous, as the type of jealousy that you and I experience.  Rather God, our Creator, who said "It was really good" after he created mankind, is clear in that He will not tolerate anything that takes away time and attention from Him with His people.  Basically, idolatry.

David G. Peterson from an article in the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible, mentions that there are several ways to Worship.  These include:  

Worship as Homage or Grateful Submission to God

Worship as Service to God

Worship as Reverence or Respect for God

Worship and Congregational Gatherings

And in the New Testament we see how Jesus, our Lord and Savior, fulfilled the expectations and practices of worship that Israel had.  So, being New Testament followers and believers, our worship is solidified in the covenant and redemption that we experience and receive from our Heavenly Father, through his Son, Jesus.  

Paul writes to the Church in Ephesus: "be filled with the Spirit,  speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,  always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." (Ephesians 5:18b-20 NIV)

I challenge us all to find a dedicated time, each day, even if just a few moments, of where we give our undivided attention to God.  May we bow down and worship Him, acknowledging that He alone is God.  He is Love.  And He gives Life.  And may He find, whatever our worship may be, pleasing and acceptable.  

Speaking of Worship.  This Sunday Pastor Lee is going to lead our time of Worship.  This will be a different and effective worship experience.  There will be no "sermon" but rather a time of focusing on The Doctrine of Our Faith Within Our Music.  I hope you will plan to join us Sunday for this special time of Worship. 

YOU ARE LOVED!

Pastor Lonnie

Come, let’s shout praises to God,
    raise the roof for the Rock who saved us!
Let’s march into his presence singing praises,
    lifting the rafters with our hymns!  (Psalm (5:1-2 MSG)