Worship

Good morning, Five Minute Families. Let’s talk about worship. Worship is not simply singing on a Sunday morning. Worship isn’t just listening to the gospel station throughout the week. Worship isn’t merely an act or ceremony of reverence. Worship does not only involve songs or singing. We worship in every choice we make. We worship in every act we participate in. As Christ-followers, worship is about sustaining our relationship with God - through songs, yes, but also through prayers, Bible study, tithing, giving, serving, and more. Most churches do, however, have a formal, congregational worship time in which we sing songs, lift our hands in praise, bow our heads in prayer, and sync our hearts to the God of the universe. In each church we have been a part of through the years, there is always at least one person who worships with emotional and physical abandon. Now, obviously, there are always ones doing it for show, but the ones whose hearts are captured, who are turning their minds, bodies, and souls to focus on their Lord, those ones are difficult to look away from. Sometimes, they make us smile - not laughing at them but being enveloped in their joy. Sometimes, they make us cry - not in sadness but in the raw response of clear emotions and thoughts that flow from them. So, let me ask you, during that formal worship section of the church service, are you actually worshipping or are you worrying?Worrying about who sees you check your phone messages during the serviceWorrying about whether your makeup and hair are in style enoughWorrying about who can tell what sin you committed last nightWorrying about whether the sermon will get done in time so that you can get x, y, or z accomplished todayWorrying about how your child’s behavior may embarrass youWhat do we as five-minute parents need to demonstrate for our children so that these worries do not supersede the heart of our family or congregational worship times?We need to demonstrate that there are different types of worship and our hearts must be in tune with the Lord to truly understand His purpose.First, there is the physical worship of the Lord. No, you do not have to go to the altar and kneel every time you are praying, but you do need to physically worship the Lord in bowing and kneeling and standing, depending on the occasion, place, and time. Take for example Psalm 95:6 “let us worship and bow down” and Job 1 when Job “fell on the ground and worshipped.”Next, the Bible specifically mentions spiritual worship in some translations of Romans 12:1. When that verse and others such as Psalm 29:2 reference worship, it is referring more to the spirit and soul as opposed to the physical aspect of worship. This does not mean that we just feel moved, although we may. Spiritual worship is more than our emotions; it is a state of being. Do we have a mindfulness of God’s splendor as we worship Him? As we worship the Lord, we serve Him. As we are fervent in the spirit, we must choose to serve Him. As Luke 4:8 points out, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.”Then, as we give thanks in our worship, we are to make his deeds known to others. Evangelical worship is a foundational part of worshipping God. Meditate on Psalm 105:1 and Psalm 108:3 to think about the testimonial aspect of worshipping of our Lord. And, lastly, we must always remember to learn more about God’s word as an act of worship. Learning and studying God’s Word is a fundamental type of worship as Psalm 119:7 demonstrates, “I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.”The next time you are in a congregational worship experience, pause. Breath in. Breath out. And, ask God to fill you with His heart of worship. Likewise, start looking for opportunities to pause in everyday tasks and see how you can worship God in that exact moment. Worship is intentional intimacy with our Lord.Thank you for joining us today. We are Jim and Kim Nestle of Clear View Retreat, and we would love to host a family camp or marriage retreat for your family and group. Keep in mind that if you or your church leadership would like to learn more about us before coming out, we are happy to come visit with you and share more about what a typical retreat might look like for your church families. Be blessed!