Much of what passes for Worship these days is nothing less than “Folderal.” Jesus, speaking to the woman at the well of Samaria in John 4:23,24 said, “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
What is your view of worship? Is worship what happens in church on Sunday? Do you identify it with an emotional experience, spiritual thoughts, or maybe performing certain rituals?
The fact is, true worship is not defined by a place, a feeling, or a ritual. God set the standard for worship in His Word, and the standard is much higher and more rewarding than most of us ever imagine.
God is not impressed by our performance, rather He is moved by the honest expression of response by us to His love. He wants us to mean what we say and sing. He wants each activity of the day to reflect such a response.
There is a place for singing, preaching, listening, shouting, teaching, and even passing out bulletins. It can all be true worship, but in all our doings, if we are not genuinely responding to God’s great love toward us, then we are not engaged in true worship, and it is nothing less than “Folderal.”
You do not have to wait for Sunday to worship Him. Jesus told that same woman in verse 21 that the hour is coming when your worship will not be confined to the central place of worship. I think He was saying that true worship definitely can, and should, take place on Sunday in corporate worship with the body; but with the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell each Believer true worship occurs in everything we do throughout the week. If we begin to understand that every interaction with others, every thing we do, and every word we speak should be done as a conscious reaction to His wonderful, redeeming love, we will find ourselves worshiping Him continually and there will be less and less “Folderal” in our lives.
© Mike Rasberry 2015
No comments:
Post a Comment