Proper Understanding of Worship

Our worship leader, Rick Heil, found at crosswalk.com an article on worship and I wanted to pass on the edited information I learned from it.

How many times after a Sunday worship experience you hear people say things like, “I didn’t get anything out of that today” or “I didn’t get anything out of the sermon” or maybe “I didn’t get anything out of that service?”

Statements like this are like dry rot in a congregation. Like a termite infestation in the building. Like an epidemic afflicting the people of God. Let’s see if we can cast a better understanding of worship.

1. You are Not Supposed to “Get Anything Out of the Service”

Worship is not about you or me. Not about “getting our needs met.” Not about a performance from the pastor and singer and choir and musicians.

2. Worship is About the Lord

Check out this verse: “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name” (Psalm 29:2) It is also found in 1 Chronicles 16:29 and Psalm 96:8, so it deserves being looked at closely.

  1. We are in church to give, not to get: If I am going somewhere to “get,” but find out after arriving that I’m expected to “give,” it’s time to get frustrated. This is what is happening in the typical church service in America. People walk out the door frustrated because they didn’t “get.” The reason they didn’t is that they were not there to “get,” but to “give.”
  2. We are giving glory to God, not to man: We know this and sing about it, but we also forget about it when we are spiritual consumers. We give God glory because glory is His right He is “worthy of worship.” This is the theme of the final book of the Bible (Revelation 5:2, 5:9, 5:12).

3. Self-centeredness Destroys All Worship

If my focus is on myself when I enter the church (getting my needs met, learning something, hearing a lesson that blesses me, being lifted by the singing) then Christ has no part in it. He becomes my servant, and the pastor (and all the other so-called performers) are there only for me. It’s all about me.

We have strayed so far from the biblical concept of worship (giving God His due in all the ways He has commanded). I wonder why we keep going to church?

Anything wrong with receiving some inspiration from the service? Absolutely not. But if we go to church seeking those things, we will not have worshiped. Warren Wiersbe says, “If you worship because it pays, it will not pay.”

4. Evangelism & Discipleship, Giving & Praying, Grow Out of Worship; Not the Other Way Around

  1. The disciples were worshiping on the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit filled them and drove them into the streets to bear a witness to the living Christ (Acts 2).
  2. Isaiah was in the Temple worshiping when God appeared to him, forgave his sins, and called him as a prophet to the people (Isaiah 6).
  3. It was in the act of worship that the two distraught disciples had their eyes opened to recognize Jesus at their table (Luke 24).

5. We are to Give Him Worship and Glory in the Ways Scripture Commands

  1. “Give to the Lord the glory due His name and bring an offering.” (1 Chronicles 16:29 and Psalm 96:8).
  2. “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. A broken and contrite heart–these, O God, you will not despise.” (Psalm 51:17)

Singing, praising, rejoicing, praying, offering, humbling, loving. All these are commanded in worship at various places in Scripture. The Lord Jesus told the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, “Those who worship God must worship in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). That is worship with their inner being, the totality of themselves, their spirit, not just their lips or their bodies going through the motions. God is not pleased with “just anything” that we claim as worship.

We must balance our worship between spirit (the subjective part: body, soul, emotions) and truth (the objective aspect: all that God has revealed in His word).

6. We Are the Ones Who Decide Whether We Worship upon Entering the House of the Lord

Don’t blame the preacher if you don’t worship. He can’t do it for you. No one else can eat my food for me, love my family for me, or do my worshiping for me. I am in charge of this decision. I decide whether I will worship.

When Mary sat before Jesus, clearly worshiping, He informed a her sister Martha that Mary had “chosen the good part,” something that “will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42). That something special was time spent in worship.

7. Remember: Worship is a Verb

Worship is something we do, not something done to us. In the worst of circumstances, we can still worship my God. In the Philippians prison, while their backs were still oozing blood from the beating they’d received, Paul and Silas worshiped (Acts 16:25).

What we cannot do is leave church blaming our failure to worship on the poor singing, the boring sermon, or the noise from the children in the next row. We am in charge of the decision whether we will worship, and no one else.

What about the need for worship facilities before we can adequately honor the Lord? Millions of Christians across the world seem to worship just fine without any kind of building. Believers in Zambia meet under mango trees, and their worship is as anointed as anyone’s anywhere. Our insistence on worshipful music, worship settings, and worshipful everything are all signs of our disgusting self-centeredness.

Dr. Joe McKeever is a Preacher, Cartoonist, and the Director of Missions for the Baptist Association of Greater New Orleans. Visit him at www. joemckeever.com.

Worshiping with Children

We are building a dynamic children’s ministry at King’s Grant, and have a creative, passionate and gifted Director of Children’s Ministries, Katie Goodmurphy. Since we have introduced our children into the corporate cross-generational worship experience, sometimes adults and parents don’t know how to help our kids connect to what is going on. Years ago I discovered these ABC’s of worshiping with children; information we all can use.

Arrive in time to allow children to choose a good place to sit. Encourage them to sit up front where they can see the pastor, musicians, choir etc.Looking at the back of someone’s head does not help them to connect.

Bring your child’s worship bag to church. Make sure it has colored pencils or crayons with a coloring book for younger children to use. For older children have them bring a notebook: to write down unfamiliar words, draw a picture about something they hear in the sermon, take notes during the sermon…

Clue your child into what will happen next in worship. Children who like to read will want to read the words in the Bible, on the screen or in the hymnal. They like to be ready. Keep a bookmark in their bag/notebook so they can find the Scripture text for the day.

Discuss worship when you get home. Take time to answer question about their worship experiences.

Express your joy at having children in worship. After the service, be sure to welcome the children sitting near you. Encourage your children to greet other members of the congregation. When you make introductions, always introduce your children and introduce yourself to other people’s children. Include them in your conversations to let them know they belong.

Firm and consistent. Apply the same discipline used for other important matters. Make the boundaries as wide a you can make them (say yes as much as you can), but the boundaries are FIRM.

Guide young readers to read the hymnal, Bible, the words on the screen, or the bulletin

  1. Look together for familiar words
  2. Follow the lines with a bookmark or bulletin on it its side
  3. Use the large print hymnal

Holy hugs. Use a gentle touch – an arm around your child’s shoulder or your hand in his or hers gives reassurance and appropriate attention.

In and out. Children come in and out of participation. When they can’t keep their focus on the service they can engage in a related activity.

Jesus – to whom our worship is directed.

Keep any activity sheets for the sermon time. Being still and quiet is highly valued by parents and others during this time.

Let your children print their name on the Connection Card.

Make it a rule not to sit with friends. This can become a habit by the time they get to the youth group.

Notice when your child ministers to someone else or is touched in some way by God. Praise him when he’s listening well.

Offering. When we give a tithe to God it shows that we know God is the giver of all good things. You may want to allow your child to put some of his own money in the offering plate as his worship to God.

Participate. Children learn to be passionate about worship by watching you worship in spirit and truth. Let your child see you celebrate before the Lord, maybe even like King David (2 Samuel 6:21-22)

Questions. Whisper questions to your child during the sermon/Scripture readings.

  1. “How do you think Jesus looked and sounded when he said that?”
  2. “What does this say about how you felt yesterday?”
  3. Wondering questions – these keep the Scriptures open by dealing with a child’s experience and understanding of the story. Wondering brings us to the knowledge of God, ourselves and others in a deep and convincing way.
  4. “I wonder why Jesus enjoyed being in the temple so much?”
  5. “I wonder what Bartimaeus is seeing Jesus do now?”

Relax! God put the “wiggle” in children.People in the congregation should also enjoy the freshness of families worshiping together.

Stand “short people” on the pew to “read the hymnal/screen with a “tall person.”

  1. Let them hum or la la along before able to read the words or
  2. Help them sing repeated words or choruses.
  3. During special music have a young child squeeze your hand every time they hear the word Jesus, Glory, etc.
  4. During music without words, children can be asked to listen closely and picture what is going on in the music. Have them think of a Bible story that seems to go along with the music.

Talk about the sermon when you get home and encourage children to share what they learned in the service. Ask them questions and let them ask you questions about what you learned.

Understand their need to move around. Accept them and care for them in the worship setting. Be appreciative of their presence and always be ready to cuddle.

Visit the sanctuary when a service is not going on. Let your child go up front and explore and ask questions.

Whisper instructions.

  1. “Now is the time we tell God about how sorry we are. Remember our talk this morning about being selfish?” Tell Jesus about this right now, and ask him to help you share the last doughnut next time.”
  2. “Listen to this story. It’s a good one.”

EXit when necessary. In certain cases, an exit is desirable: a teething baby, a hurt/distressed child, loud & rambunctious behavior, a toileting emergency, or if a child has set up a distracting pattern of play with another child. Exit relieves tension. Teach your child what behavior is acceptable in worship. When the cause of the child’s complaint is resolved, return. Exiting without reentry is counterproductive.

You are your child’s best worship teacher. Call her attention to the minister, choir, worship leaders, flowers, banners, seasonal colors etc.

Zzzzz: there is no sleeping in God’s presence.

These ideas and quotes taken from Parenting in the Pew by Robbie Castleman.

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College Students and Church

Virginia Tech is having freshman orientation this week and I have a friend’s son headed off to Tech this fall. It got me thinking about my own college days and the things that became important. While social networking is much different today, students will still seek out various organizations like fraternities or clubs on campus.

As a Christian student I became involved in Baptist Student Union, an organization that meets many needs of students away at college (fellowship, belonging, spiritual growth, community service, missionary efforts). A lot of students chose to make the BSU their church, choosing instead to sleep in on Sundays, but they missed out on many of the blessings they could have received by participating in a local church.

Besides the church being the only institution on earth that Jesus promised to build and to bless, here are a few great benefits of students getting out of the college bubble and participating in a local church:

  1. Steady spiritual growth
  2. Hear messages from God’s Word
  3. Exposure to older, wiser believers
  4. Exposure to career role models
  5. Exposure to marriage role models
  6. Exposure to parenting role models
  7. Opportunities for service using your spiritual gifts
  8. A chance to impact younger kids
  9. Participation in church ordinances
  10. Intergenerational worship and fellowship
  11. Doctrinal and moral accountability
  12. A safety net when times get tough
  13. A home/family away from your home/family
  14. Possible free meals from people who recognize you as a member of the family!

“The age-old question about joining a local church always comes up, “Why join the church if I know I’ll be gone during the summer and graduating in four years?” Membership has its privileges! When you are a part of the body of believers, it shows your commitment to the local church, and it allows the local church to be committed to you. If not membership, consider what is called “Watch Care.” It usually has all the benefits of membership without being allowed to vote in meetings! It still says that you are committing yourself, your gifts and your abilities into this particular congregation.

“The church is not a department store where you come and get the spiritual commodity you want, then go your way. To speak of loving Christ, while neglecting his body, the church, is hypocritical” – Donald Whitney

Remember that in your new freedom from your parents’ control, do the right thing and CHOOSE CHURCH!

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Earth Day or Creation Celebration?

Today is Earth Day, a commemoration of our global home. Without getting political, there seems to be a disconnection between conservation activism and climate alarmism. I’ve read that many Christians don’t like Earth Day because people around this globe are worshipping “mother earth” or because going green is an Al Gore thing (thinking, I didn’t support him in the election so I’m sure not going to do it now. Lest I digress, I’ve noticed activists have softened the language from Global Warming to Global Climate Change, but the alarmism issue is still here. I like what ABC investigative reporter John Stossel had to say in his book, Myths, Lies and Downright Stupidity, pp. 201-205).

The fundamentalist doom mongers also ignore scientists who say the effects of global warming may be benign. Harvard astrophysicist Sallie Baliunas says that added CO2 in the atmosphere might actually benefit the world because more CO2 helps plants grow. Warmers winters would give farmers a longer harvest season, and we might end the droughts in the Sahara Desert. Why don’t we hear about this part of the global warming argument? Because of Money. Twenty-five billion dollars of government funding since 1990 has been spent on researching global warming. If reports came out that state global warming has little to do with man and more on how the planet works, there wouldn’t be as much money to study it.

Oops, I’m back now… Years ago I was a Boy Scout and we participated in a conservation program called, SOAR (Save Our American Resources). It was a great awareness idea to get people thinking about how to reduce, reuse and recycle; something we all need to do. After all, the planet’s resources are not unlimited! That is what Christian stewardship is all about; a steward takes care of something while the real owner is away.

Christians need to get away from the idea that Earth Day is about worshipping the earth, and realize that we are all called to be good stewards of the planet that we share. Just because the Bible says that man has dominion over the earth, does not mean we get to waste it or abuse it! Celebrating the greatness of our unique home among the planets should prompt us to celebrate God and His creation! Contemplating the wonder of creation should remind us that we are merely “the people of His pasture” (Psalm 95:7), and we must worship “our Maker” (v.6). The creation was flung into space to point to God and His greatness, power, and majesty. He alone deserves our praise and worship (Psalm 148:5).

I like the FOX network’s emphasis for the week, “Green It, Mean It.” Let’s conserve our resources, but let’s not forget to celebrate our Creator.

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Cross-Generational Chords of Discontent

I’m fascinated by a book by Gary L. McIntosh called, One Church Four Generations. I am a part of a congregation full of Builders, often called The Greatest Generation that built this country into what it is today. But as I think about the future of the church, how will we reach the younger generation of Boomers, Busters and Bridgers? 

 

McIntosh writes about the conflict over worship styles: 

 

While not every member of each generation sees things the same way, essentially the areas of difficulty are as follows: 

o    Pace of the service. Builders like worship services to move along slowly and predictably. Boomers like worship to move at a fast clip, while Busters and Bridgers want it to move even quicker. Both Busters and Bridgers look for variety and spontaneity.

o    Brightness of the lighting. Builders prefer softer lighting as it gives more of a worshipful feeling. Boomers look for a brighter lighting so they can see people well. Most Busters and Bridgers also like brighter lighting, but some prefer a darker setting, perhaps with candles or other subdued lighting.

o    Loudness of sound. Builders appreciate being able to hear well but dislike sound that blasts. Boomers and Busters want the music loud enough that they can feel it. Some Bridgers also appreciate louder sound and in some situations are comfortable with lots of interactive noise from videos, music, and talking.

o    Length of service. Builders have a longer attention span and thus are willing to sit through longer services. The attention span of Boomers, Busters, and Bridgers has been increasingly shorter.

o    Formality of service. Builders expect a certain level of formality and decorum, whereas Boomers prefer somewhat of a dressy casual. Busters and Bridgers like things to be flexible and casual. Builders equate reverence with formality of dress. They experience great frustration with Bridgers who may wear baseball caps in the church, perhaps even while in the worship service.

o    Feel of the service. Builders look for a worship service that is quiet and reverent. Boomers and Busters desire an upbeat celebration time. Bridgers, however, appear to appreciate worship that is real and honest regardless of the style.

o    Participation in the service. Builders tend to watch and enjoy while Boomers and older Busters who grew up in church like to participate with clapping and similar forms of involvement. Bridgers like a highly interactive worship service that allows for multiple forms of involvement. Unchurched Boomers, Busters, and Bridgers want to be entertained to some extent.

o    Type of music. Builders love the hymnal and the familiar songs of the faith. They like their music to be slowly paced and reverent. Boomers appreciate the praise music of the ’70s and ’80s, while Busters and Bridgers like to “sing a new song” to the Lord using a variety of music styles.

o    Quality. Builders associate quality with the effort that is extended. Thus a person may sing off-key, but Builders appreciate the quality of his or her effort. Boomers see quality as being mistake free. They expect the music, sound, announcements, and message to be well done. Busters and Bridgers tend to view quality as equal to authenticity. To them a Boomer worship service comes across as too slick and contrived. A few mistakes in the worship service are fine with them, as it is more authentic and real.

 

So how do you work through these issues? What about a blended service trying to be all things to all men? What about starting a contemporary service to reach the younger generation? Would it meet on Sunday morning or maybe Saturday evening? What about meeting in a different venue than the church property? Is it OK to have two separate congregations in one church, each service meeting the needs of their “target” audience?

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Missions and Worship

I was reminded of a fascinating book by John Piper called, Let the Nations Be Glad: The Supremacy of God in Missions. He begins this intriguing book discussing the relationship between missions and worship, two topics very dear to my heart.  

 

Piper says, “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God, missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship, therefore, is the fuel and goal in missions.” 

He goes on to say that it’s the goal of missions because in missions we simply aim to bring the nations into the enjoyment of God’s glory. The goal of missions is the gladness of the peoples in the greatness of God. (Psalm 67:3-4). 

“But worship is also the fuel of missions. Passion for God in worship precedes the offer of God in preaching. You can’t commend what you don’t cherish. (Psalm 104:34; 9:2). Missions begins and ends in worship.”  

Piper concludes his chapter one introduction with, “Where passion for God is weak, zeal for missions will be weak. Churches that are not centered on the exaltation of the majesty and beauty of God will scarcely kindle a fervent desire to ‘declare his glory among the nations’ (Psalm 96:3). Even outsiders feel the disparity between the boldness of our claim upon the nations and the blandness of our engagement with God.”  

 

I understand his point, but I suppose it is also possible to have little zeal for God in worship and still be a congregation focused on missions, perhaps as a substitute for a dynamic relationship with Jesus. This type of missions may be more helping the less-fortunate than it is bringing the nations and our neighbors to Christ. 

 

In corporate worship, how do we encounter God (how do we even encounter God on a personal level)? Can it be that the modern church in America has settled for a worship service over an authentic worship experience, whereby the congregation is connected with God at the deepest level? When was the last time that you saw God’s people gathered for worship where they were passionate about experiencing God (as opposed to being excited about fellowship with others, love for the music, praise for the preacher, etc.)? If God is truly the audience of our worship, what sort of performance did we put on last Sunday? Was He pleased?