My parents were raised in the church, and they raised my brother and me in the church, too. I guess I have been coming to worship with the church of Christ for as long as I have been alive.
This year I turned 41, and if I have attended worship on 52 Sundays in 41 years, that means I have worshiped God 2,132 times. Now, I know I have missed a few Sundays here and there for various reasons, but for the most part, I bet I have attended worship 98% of the time when worship is offered at the local church. That means I have worshipped God on a Sunday morning over 2,000 times. I did the math. Really that’s a small number, right? I mean, I’ve dedicated my life to the Almighty God, and indeed I can do more.
Really the question is not how many times have I shown up to worship. The question is, how many times have I really shown up for worship. Like as in my whole mind and emotion is in it. I don’t want to do the math on that one. It’s embarrassing. That leads me to this question: Does God want me to worship in a specific way?
There are so many directions we could take to answer this question. Does God expect certain things to be done during worship? Does God not want certain things to be done during worship? Does God expect certain people to worship? Does God limit who can worship, when to worship, how long to worship? These are all good and valid questions. But let’s examine this question. Does God want me to worship Him with a certain attitude? The answer is yes. But instead of giving you a proof text just to make my point let’s consider a broad general view of this question and see the big picture in light of all of Scripture.
I don’t think God ever asked anyone to do something just for the sake of it or to be a tyrant control freak. Any time God asks anyone to do something in Scripture, He has a deeper meaning behind it. Maybe I’m wrong. If I am, then correct me. But consider this:
If God wants us to worship Him on the first day of the week, is there a deeper specific reason for that day?
If God wants us to worship Him by joining in a lead prayer, is there a deeper specific reason for audible vocal words being spoken for all to hear?
If God wants us to worship Him by being lead by men, is there a deeper specific reason for male members of the Lord’s church to guide and direct our worship?
If God wants us to worship Him by singing, is there a deeper specific reason for air to push through our vocal cords at different pitches without the accompaniment of mechanical instruments?
If God wants us to worship Him by participating in communion with each other and Him is there a deeper specific reason for us to ingest unleavened bread and fruit of the vine?
If God wants us to worship Him by sacrificing and purposing our own money to give to Him, is there a deeper specific reason for us to pass a basket to each other, collect the funds and have it ready for His Kingdom’s work?
If God wants us to worship Him by reading and studying His Holy Word, is there a deeper specific reason for us to have someone read it aloud and preach to us from the Bible?
All these questions should lead us to a deeper understanding of why we do what we do. The simple answer is this. God wants things done in a specific way for concrete, specific reasons. The main thing He wants is for me to appreciate the opportunity I have to worship and come prepared to give Him my whole heart. He wants me to do the right things in the right ways. The right things and the right ways are up to Him and can be found in His Will… the Holy Scriptures.
This Sunday, we have the opportunity to come to worship and with a clean slate…
This Sunday can be day 1 of many more to come where I really show up to worship God with my whole mind and all of my emotions dedicated to do it in God’s specific ways. Will you join me in worship?
I love you,
Alex