WORSHIP 001

Deuteronomy 11:16 ESV
Take care lest your heart be deceived, and you turn aside and serve other gods and worship them;

It's not "how" you worship but "who" you worship.  That is the  priority.  BUT who who worship must shape how you worship or it is not worship.

The "who" must shape the very nature of the the "how."  When we decide the how based upon our own preferences, affections and perceived needs we destroy any real point of purpose to our worship.  It becomes about us and Who and we nullify not only our worship but who we worship as well.

When we seriously consider the detail and intricacy of the the God of the Bible directed Israel to worship Him we have to admit that He has some pretty specific desires for worship Himself.  The power and purpose, the very heart of Israel's worship was to be found in their obedience to God in regards to worship.  When they began to order their worship according to their affections, preferences and percieved needs things went very badly for them.  To change the "how" from what we find in God's word to a "how" that we have developed is to change the "who" and "why of our worship.

Now "when" is worship?  I'm writing specifically of the gathering of the saints on the Lord's Day for the specific purpose of corporate worship.  I'm not talking about Bible studies, Celebrations, Singings or anything else the Body of Christ has found to do for its building up and equipping.  Those things can be good and beneficial but we need to be careful we understand the difference between worship and and activity that acknowledges God and is done reverently (perhaps even worshipfully).

Worship is a deadly business.  "Strange fire," is not only unacceptable but can get you killed.  Assuming a role in worship that is ordained for another can have soul killing results.  Worship is deadly business.

But, to make the key point, it is all about the who.  If you've got the who wrong or if the who is mixed with a little me or us then it is not worship.  Indeed if there is me or us mixed in then there is no He in it.  As Thomas Case wrote about sin, "a little poison if still poison."

It will take a diligent examination of the whole counsel of God to determine the how and I doubt we'll ever get it totally right until we are with Him.  But isn't it worth the effort?  Isn't is a good thing for us to work hard for?  Isn't He worth it?

As I work through this for myself I'll share my thoughts and insights.  but I will state from the outset that worship needs to be all about Him.  Worship, true and wholesome worship, is serious business - deadly serious and we should approach it with fear and trembling.