There is much being said in these days, thankfully, about worship being a 24/7 kind of spiritual discipline—not just a Sunday morning gathering. But how do we get there? And is there hope to actually achieve disciple-like worship?
I am convinced the answer is yes, and I have a trio of ideas to share with you that may help.
First, and perhaps the missing link for many of us, I’m going to call “my-style” worship. When I was in college, my friend Scott lent me a book called How to Worship Jesus Christ. It took me a long time to figure out the book because I kept looking for hints about Sundays, and the author was talking about time with Jesus every day.
I’d always heard about “quiet time” as a part of daily life with Jesus, but never considered it as worship. And friends, when I take time to actually worship Jesus instead of just reading about Him and praying to Him, those moments are crazily better! Can you imagine what it would look like on Sunday morning if every disciple of Jesus in the room had worshipped Him privately, daily, for a week? Oh, my.
By the way, this is a great way to use more of the musical style you love! Children, get a “Kidz Praise” CD and rock out. Students, get a CD by Steve Fee or Kutless and rock on. Adults, whether you love country, Gaither, the classic hymns, or Third Day, use those recordings to have personal worship time. It will change your walk with Jesus.
Second, and the link of the chain that we depend upon too much (I think) is what I’ll call “our-style” worship. This is when the family of faith gets together and gives up ourselves, gives away ourselves, and pours out ourselves. When this happens—as it often does in our worship center—God is glorified, the church is edified and those away from God are testified to. It is 90 minutes of sheer beauty.
Gathered (our-style) worship is transformational, communal, and delightful. I love what Tim said yesterday—when we wake up on Sunday mornings we should be excited that we get to worship with our church family!
Third, and the link that is now getting some attention, is what I’m gonna call “life-style” worship. This is Romans 12 stuff—“So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” (The Message)
Sounds like abundant life, doesn’t it?
And the path?
“My-style” worship, which leads to “Our-style” worship, which culminates in “Life-style” worship. And the n we do it all again next week.
And the dance goes on…
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posted by: Rod Ellis on August 26th, 2008
Those were the words (Worship was INSANE) my daughter, Catherine, used to describe what it was like to be part of the intense experiences at Crossings Camp at J-Creek (Jonathan Creek) just a couple of weeks ago.
Her sister, Emily, was equally impressed by the height of the worship experiences at CentriKid camp at Georgetown College.
As a worship pastor/dad, you can imagine my intrigue.
So I inquired.
It seems there were two standards by which my own beautiful daughters measured the “quality” of worship while away at camp: tears and engagement.
Not bad, really.
But—as with the perspective of sweetly innocent children—incomplete.
I am convinced that if more tears were shed and if people were more engaged in their weekly encounter with God, churches would be being transformed and doing transformation more than we are.
But it also give us the chance to remember why we gather for worship in the first place. I think there are no fewer (but many more) than three purposes for our worship:
1. To glorify God. If we have an emotional or intellectual experience with God-stuff, but our only focus is “us” then we have failed in our attempt to worship Biblically.
2. To transform the Bride of Christ. If we are convinced we have had an emotional or intellectual encounter with God but leave unchanged, we have deceived ourselves. We are to be changed when we experience God… and that transformation can look very different—from building up to tearing down, from binding up to loosing, from gaining hope to gaining faith, from broken to empowered.
3. To testify to those not yet in the Kindgom. When we glorify God and tell the truth about Him; when we encourage one another and tell the truth about us; then this third element will be present.
I'm so very glad our 3rd-12th graders went away, encountered God in powerful and emotional ways (which were for many of them a catalyst for change), and have returned more like Jesus than when they left. I’m even more excited that 7 who left “far from God” have returned to “walk with God.”
Wow.
I wonder, will we learn from them?
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posted by: Rod Ellis on July 17th, 2008
From Ravi Zacharias in Jesus Among Other Gods
The primary purpose of a home is to reflect and to distribute the love of Christ. Anything that usurps that is idolatrous.
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posted by: Rod Ellis on July 9th, 2008
Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Deuteronomy 6:4-5 (NASB)
I had the chance to preach this past Sunday, and I share things I've learned about Jesus from 5 of my friends: Steve, Mike, Marshall, Greg and Jackie. This keeps coming to me... What do my friends learn about Jesus from me?
What do your friends learn about Jesus from you? Do they see how much you love Him?
Sweet Savior,
Please, reveal Yourself to others through us. And when we lead worship... oh my... let others see You through us. Amen.
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posted by: Rod Ellis on June 18th, 2008
As parents, most of us find it important to teach our kids to say "thank you."
Since my very first part-time ministry position, I've been trying to remember to say "thank you" to folks. Trying is a key word, because I know I have often failed, including at my present position.
But God revealed something to me over this past weekend.
The key is in Paul's admonition to the Christ-followers in Colossae. Do you see the difference?
It is in those last three words: "and be thankful."
I fear we've taken his inspired 3 words and turned them into 5 less powerful ones.
Paul says, "and be thankful."
I too often say "remember to say thank you."
What a massive difference! If we are thankful, we will say thank you.
So what we've got to do, I'm convinced, is work on gratitude instead of politeness.
I am filled today with gratitude. I don't have to remember to say it, because I can't help but say it. I am so very grateful... for the privilege of worship... of leading worship... and for Jesus who makes it possible for us to be at the feet of the Father together.
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posted by: Rod Ellis on May 26th, 2008