WHAT IS WORSHIP 2

Following on from the theme of worship, if it means to prostrate ourselves before our conqueror, the first thing we have to do is nothing.

Imagine being ushered into the throne room of your conqueror after a battle. You sit down in a chair and tell your conquer what you are going to do for the next hour. You might give him a programme which he can follow. I think you would be in the dungeons very quickly if you tried that.

But that is what we do most Sunday mornings. We present to Jesus our conqueror the programme we have mapped out for ourselves and usually it is on a take it or leave it basis. He can show up if he wants to and if he doesn’t it doesn’t matter because our programme will fill the time.

What should happen because we are in the presence of the king in his throne room is to kneel before him. What better way to do this than to kneel in silent prayer. What better way to do this than to worship him in prayer, acknowledging the fact that he is the king of kings and deserves our allegiance and submission. What better way to do this that to acknowledge his kingship and our sonship. What better way to do this than to listen for his instructions then to carry them out.

The only thing that should matter when we come together is the manifest presence of God. To do whatever is necessary to make that happen as without it we are going through a charade. We are robbing God of fellowship with us which is what he wants more than anything. Being in a building that is called a church doesn’t mean that we will meet God.

How do we expect that to happen when all we do is go through some rote programme that never changes from week to week and which he has no say in? What we do implies that God is there for our benefit and we expect him to do our bidding. If he doesn’t we can get along without him just fine.

Which makes a mockery of the fact that Jesus said he would build his church. He didn’t ask us to do it but despite that fact we seem to spend all our time trying to. The end result being that the Kingdom of God is suffering neglect.

Next time you go to a meeting that is controlled by a programme, ask yourself “did you experience the manifest presence of God”. If you didn’t it was a waste of time.

Perhaps you are asking “what is the manifest presence of God?”

The best answer to give you that I know of is that when it happens…YOU WILL KNOW!!