By Jeff Taylor, Pastor of Worship
“Join us Sunday mornings at 8, 9:15, and 10:45 a.m. for a great time of Christian music karaoke and a Bible book report!” Doesn’t sound very appealing, does it? Yet when we show up to church, flip the “God switch” in our mind and participate in an activity merely because it is part of the program, we basically take something intended for God’s glory and the building up of our faith and turn it into an activity for our entertainment or intellectual stimulation. Yet in the American church culture we call these Sunday morning activities “worship.” Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying those things can’t be worshipful, but I am saying that the mere activities themselves are not innately worship. Let’s look to the Bible for what God considers authentic worship.
Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Sometimes it is helpful for me to read through a passage and consider what it is not saying. Let’s be honest, it would be much simpler if Romans 12 read this way, “Therefore, if you happen to think about it, try and make it to church this Sunday and sing a little louder as this will help you look holy and pleasing to God—singing and not falling asleep during the sermon is worship.” That would make it possible for our efforts in pursuing God to be compartmentalized into a short time frame and specific activities. But to make our bodies living sacrifices for God… that means always, in everything, laying down our agenda and seeking God’s will and being obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit. When we do this, our hearts are steadfastly pursuing God and the result will be authentic worship that God accepts as we follow His Spirit. It will also have a huge impact on the way we worship through music, read the Bible, and pray. And now, rather than just joining in on the Sunday morning activities, those become an extension of what God has been doing in our hearts and lives all week. Rather than deciding whether or not we like a church service, we are naturally and authentically overflowing with praise, and crying out to God as we respond to the Holy Spirit.
Our lives are to be absolutely surrendered to God. This is what He considers worship! That doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes or have a tendency to want to do things our way. It does mean that in every situation we seek the Lord’s will, listen for His voice, and make ourselves available to any call the Holy Spirit puts on our life. It means as we go through the routine and the mundane of life that we seek the empowering of the Holy Spirit and make ourselves available to be led, possibly in an entirely new direction.
Surrender is the only worship God is interested in. It is only through surrender that the words of a song declaring our love for God can be sung authentically. It’s the only way that an act of kindness is anything more than just being kind. When the Holy Spirit is given room to work and lead our lives, everything we do is empowered by Him and brings glory to the Father. The hymn writer Isaac Watts said, “God values not the service of men if the heart be not in it. The Lord sees and judges the heart. He has no regard for outward forms of worship if there be no inward adoration. It is therefore a matter of infinite importance to have the whole heart engaged steadfastly for God.”
How will you surrender to God? What will you lay down in order to discern and pick up what God has for you? I am discovering more and more each day that God has so much more for us than karaoke and a book report!
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