Approaching worship the right way

Be on guard so that your life, and more importantly, your worship, is not hijacked by rampant consumerism.  Our American culture has fallen under the sway of “have it your way.”  Everywhere we look, the emphasis is on our expectations, specifications and our satisfaction.  We covered this in part on Sunday when we looked at “Presenting our bodies as living sacrifices, holy, acceptable to God, which is our spiritual act of worship.” 

What we bring to worship should not be half-hearted, tainted, tired and worn out duty and obligation, but instead should be “worthship” of the One who saved us.  Paul tells us in Colossians 2:8, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.”  We have grown up seeking what we want, not settling for less, making sure we take care of ourselves, all of which are “traditions of men” that we have allowed to influence our worship. 

These traditions make us spectators of the worship acts on stage, critics of the performance and energy, and our enjoyment of the service is key.  Yet is this really worship?  Big Daddy Weave sang a song entitled “Audience of One,” but who is our audience of one when we come to worship?  Yes, it should be the Lord God of Heaven, but in reality, the way we approach worship makes us the audience.  Each of us must approach worship (living daily for the glory of the Lord) focusing on the two greatest commandments: “Love the Lord God will all your heart, mind and strength;” and “Love your neighbor as yourself.”  Neither of these is possible if my focus is on me and mine.  Let’s work and worship this week for an Audience of One!

Pressing on…

Ron Tipton, Senior Pastor