I have been in ministry for over 30 years. Nothing has been more of a “war,” or hotly debated topic, than the area of worship. My ministry began in the early 1990s, when the shift from traditional worship to modern worship began to emerge and quickly become a battle. Some churches decided they were not going to sing the new songs of the day and kept the songs of Zion. Others decided they were going to approach this down the middle with a blended style of worship. The rest made the decision to breakaway from the old and cling to the new. As I reflect on the past 30 years in worship, I am reminded how the consumeristic gospel has impacted how we worship today.
I said this many years ago and even say this phrase today, “If we are not careful, we will throw the baby out with the bathwater.” Does it seem crazy to you that so many churches have been planted, relaunched, replanted, or revitalized to make their main focus, intentionally or unintentionally, what style they are going to use in worship? Decisions have to be made between things like calling it choir or praise team, and the music being played acoustically, with a full band, or simply acapella. Please, hear my heart. I am not saying what they are doing is wrong or that they have missed the mark altogether. The conviction is this: have we thrown the baby out with the bathwater by succumbing to a consumeristic gospel?
The Bonhoeffer Project makes the following statement: “The gospel you proclaim determines the disciples you produce.” If we approach worship in a consumeristic way, we are desiring to get our needs met. You might be in a place today where you are looking for a church and, if you are honest, the worship style is very important to you. You may go so far as to say the style of worship matters. This leads me to ask a question, “Are we in danger of worshiping worship?”
Then my thoughts start running and my mind is flooded with questions. When are we fully engaged in worship? Is it when we hear the right songs? Is it when we have the right instrumentation, or no instrumentation at all? Are we concerned about whether or not we have the right color scheme? Do we require graphics on the screen to stimulate our senses so we can be led into his presence? What about stained glass windows? What about liturgy? What about creeds? If we are driven by a consumer gospel, worship will become self-centered instead of God-centered. Worship is a “BIG DEAL!”
Here is a simple truth … You become what you worship. Worship, rightly understood, is ascribing glory, honor, and worth to God. We worship a God who is our creator. We worship a triune God who is Father, Son, and Spirit. We worship a God who is redeemer and friend. Friends, God has been worshiped in so many different ways for thousands of years. Spend some time reflecting on the many different ways devoted followers have worshiped God. Worship has been about sacrifice, lifting holy hands, singing a new song, clapping our hands, reading the Scriptures, prayer, confession, lament, thanksgiving, and gathering together no matter the place or style. What is the difference? The object of our worship. Worship is not about us but about King Jesus.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul gives us what true worship is for the followers of Jesus. “Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship” (Romans 12:1 CSB).
Paul urges us to present our bodies in two ways for it to be true worship.
1) WE NO LONGER HAVE TO BRING A SACRIFICE INTO OUR HOUSES OF WORSHIP
Instead, we offer the only thing we can give, and it is our lives. These are lives fully devoted to King Jesus. Our lives are offered because everything we are lives inside our bodies. Inside our bodies we find emotions, desires, interests, thoughts, plans, and wills. Because we have been raised from death to life, we now give our lives to everything Jesus wants from us. Now, all our energies are given to live out a life shaped by a living sacrifice. You and I present our bodies as a living sacrifice every time we go into Walmart, the grocery store, the bank, and our places of work and play. You are a living sacrifice waiting in the car line to pick up your children. You are a living sacrifice in your home, day in and day out, in front of your family.
2) WE OFFER OUR BODIES AS HOLY AND PLEASING TO THE LORD
Paul is telling us that we are set apart for God and now we live a life wholly, all-in, and devoted to pleasing God. Our lives are not bottled up inside, rather our lives are on full display for the world to see. Our acts of service become a sweet and pleasing aroma to God.
When I was in middle school my next door neighbor was so excited to show me something. He said, “Follow me, and I will show you something.” I was pretty excited to see what this incredible life-changing thing was to him. So, off we went to the neighbors yard. What he wanted to show me was a dead dog in our neighbor’s yard. The next thing my friend did was a little disturbing; he picked up a stick to poke the wound that was visible on the dog’s side. Then it happened. You guessed it. The smell hit us, and it was awful. I mean it was so bad that my friend turned around and ran away gagging at the stench. It. Was. Bad.
The Apostle Paul says because of all the mercies of God, present your lives pleasing to God. He has taken our dead, stinky lives and raised us so that we can live a life holy and pleasing to him. The aroma coming from our lives pleases him. That is the life of true worship. It is more than a song, a style, a band, or architecture. It transcends continents. Because, when we press into those mercies that are new everyday, we worship by sharing a kingdom gospel. In light of the mercy of Jesus’ life, death, burial, and resurrection, we proclaim the good news of Jesus in the streets, homes, marketplaces, and houses of worship. Our lives must radiate, proclaim, and promote worship to the only one who is worthy of that worship.
When I think of worship, I think about the passage below found in Revelation. Have you ever been to other countries and experienced their worship? It is a beautiful sight. Different tribes, nations, and tongues lifting up God with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs is so beautiful. Put yourself in this picture John is giving us. Hear the sounds. See the people. Experience their worship.
After this I looked, and there was a vast multitude from every nation, tribe, people, and language, which no one could number, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!
Revelation 7:9-10
Wow! Let us be a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God. For this is true worship.