Worship

When we come to church we come to worship God and have fellowship with our fellow Christians. James says to worship God is to humble ourselves before Him. James says God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. He further says that if we humble ourselves before God he will lift us up(James 4:6, 10).

The traditional form of worship does not play too much on our emotions, as we know what to expect as it is an old order of worship and familiar hymns. This could lead to stagnation of memberships or a lack of new members coming in. However to those who have grown used to this form of worship, to not follow the order of worship could leave them with a feeling of not having worshipped God at all. The question then is, are we worshipping God or going through the motions to makes us feel good. Could this result in self worship?

The charismatic on the other hand requires a lot more effort as it could require us to keep learning new songs and hearing new prayers (sometimes rocking and shouting) and at the end of it we could be more emotionally charged or drained. Maybe its just one perspective.

Praise is an essential part of worship and how we integrate it into worship is important.

In a mega large modern church we lose a sense of community and personal attachment to the members. On the other hand in the traditional we could end up being closed and judgmental about the other churches.

We should expect a worship service to stretch our hearts and minds to a point where we are convicted (uncomfortable) so that we really come to realize our transgressions and to lend a helping hand to our neighbors in need.

With the traditional way we get so used to the worship after a point we may become blind to the spirit of it. On the other hand the contemporary can have us caught up with trying to conform that we go blind again to the spirit.

King Solomon after he built the temple realized that God cannot be contained within a temple or a church (1Kings 8:27-30). But his humble request was that when we humbled ourselves before God, He would forgive and have mercy on us. We must ask ourselves are we becoming better people after following our order of worship. Does the service brand us as Sunday Christians or are we empowered to face the week ahead? When we worship God we develop traits as love, joy, peace, kindness, justice, mercy and forgiveness.

Jesus said that true worshippers will worship in spirit and in truth. To be led by the spirit is being more open to our world and what it demands today. It does not mean that the founders of our traditional order of worship were not lead by the spirit. But I perceive that being led by the spirit speaks of greater freedom in form of worship as opposed to the substance. Which leads us to the truth (substance). The truth is the word of God. The order of worship should speak to us directly from the word of God.

I grew up in a community where we went for a traditional Sunday worship service in the morning and a more contemporary worship service in the evening with the student community. The Spirit works mightily in both services. Although as a student I enjoyed the contemporary style of worship. Worship is one where we can integrate the two forms and have communion (relate) with God who is Spirit, our neighbor who is the community and our own selves. In so doing we fulfill Gods purpose of creating us.

John 4:23-24

23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

James 4:6, 10

6But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

10Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.