Last month, I spent some time working through the body language of worship and why it is so important. I wanted us to explore why so many of us have become so conservative in our expression of worship and how the Bible teaches us a different way. We looked at the Greek word and saw that it defined worship as both an outward posture as well as the posture of our heart in the presence of the Lord.
Let’s take another look at the definition of worship, “The first is about body language that demonstrates respect and submission; to bow down, to kneel, to prostrate oneself. The second is about doing something for God that demonstrates sacrifice and obedience; to offer, to serve” (James Torrance, Worship, Community & the Triune God of Grace). True worship starts in the heart and it moves outward into the rest of our everyday lives. We cannot fully enter into the presence of the Holy Spirit without first placing our eyes and hearts upward to Christ. The physical expressions of worship that we talked about last month cannot be true and sincere if the rest of our lives are not right with Jesus.
I have been to churches and met people who, on the outside, seemed so fervent and passionate for the Lord. During Sunday service they raise their arms, clap their hands, fall on their knees, and shout for joy. Some of them are even leaders in the church on the worship team. But then I see them outside of the church and their lives are not a representation of the gospel of Christ, but instead a representation of the sinful world we live in. They may honestly feel excited and on fire for the Lord on a Sunday morning, but they are not willing to make the full heart change that comes with being a follower of Jesus.
Haven’t we all been there in one way or another? All of us walk into Sunday morning service with baggage from the week before. Whether we had a terrible week at work, we are fighting with our spouse, or we are dealing with a strained relationship, we are all sinners in need of a Savior. I find that Sunday morning is just the refreshment I need after a hard week. But the problem arises when it stops there. Instead of obeying God and serving Him throughout the week, we let ourselves believe that just showing up on Sunday morning is good enough.
My husband and I were talking about this a few weeks ago. We have seen it happen in our own lives and in the lives of others close to us. He wisely said to me, “If we are not seeking and serving God every single day of our lives, in every aspect of our lives, we can’t expect some miracle to happen on Sunday morning where we are able to honestly worship before our Creator.”
I was blown away by how much truth was in this statement. Somehow we expect to get by each week just with Sunday morning. But if we only ate food and drank water one time a week, would that be enough to sustain us? Of course not! How much more do we need the bread of life and living water every day of our lives to help sustain our personal relationship with the Savior? If we want to live full lives of worship and obedience to our Creator, we must be in His Word, worshipping and praising Him daily! There is no other way.
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