When will the church take worship seriously? It is the stated goal, something God seeks, for us to worship the Spirit in spirit and in truth (reality), Jo. 4:27-29. Yet, we offer Him almost everything except for that which He seeks. For the most part, we do not worship God the Spirit. We prefer some other form. We don't worship in the spirit, which has to include being filled and anointed with Spirit power to worship, including worship in tongues. We don't worship in truth (reality), we just say we are worshiping. When you think about it, we, in this country, have had it perpetrated upon us that because we "believe" in God, therefore we worship God. Or, that if we go to church on Sunday, therefore we have worshiped God. There are not enough words to tell you how insane such thinking is. Translate that to the Bible, to the New Testament and see if such thinking would fit those folks. No, indeed.
Almost as crazy as those ideas is the one that if we have sang some songs in church, or a few choruses (two fast and one slow), that we have worshiped. In church we have broken down our time to what we think is most important. One hour for Sunday school, one hour plus for preaching, and twenty minutes or less for what we call worship. That is two hours for man and twenty minutes or less for worship. Anything wrong with that picture? Most of the time the songs we sang were about us and sang to us for our enjoyment. They might have been praise or thanksgiving but sometimes they don't even rise to that level and even if they did, it still does not mean we have worshiped.
You see, worship
is what happens when thanksgiving, rejoicing and praise have their way.
If they truly happen, they bring us to worship. This is clearly illustrated in the Tabernacle of Moses approach (Ps. 100). There, you (the priset on your behalf) entered the gates with thanksgiving and through
the courts with praise. That was compartment one and two and brought you to the last compartment, the holy of holies. In this compartment, only the high priest could go in (on behalf of the the people) and meet with God. There, in that spot, was the mercy seat and on that mercy seat, God's presence would manifest. There, in that spot, in God's presence, nothing, nothing, nothing else mattered. God was there! This tabernacle of Moses was built on the pattern of the heavenly (spiritual) tabernacle of which Moses was given a vision (Heb.8:5).
Worship is
what you do when you are "there" - in God's presence. Oh, "there" is a wondrous
place. Nothing else matters when you are "there". My friend, we have generalized the term "worship" until for most, it means nothing, but in the Bible it is specific. It is what you are doing when in God's presence, you begin to respond to Him. What you are doing, the activity, the song, the words, etc., when you are "there" may vary from one to another and it makes no difference. What matters is that you are "there" and you are responding to Him with all your being. Speaking or singing in English, tongues, hands up, body dancing, prostrate on the floor, shouting, running, weeping tears of adoration and probably laughing. Doesn't much matter - it is just you responding to just Him "there". This is worship.
Keys to success: (#1), You have to want to be "there". No desire for this? Don't worry, you won't be bothered by it. (#2), You have to be free to respond when you are "there". That includes being filled with the HOly Ghost again and again until music boils up inside of you to Him. Filled until you speak in tongues freely, often and better than with your earthly tongue. Do whatever else you have to do to be free to respond; body, soul and spirit. (#3), Pray for "times" of God's manifested presence for only in His presence, ("there") can you truly responsively worship. (#4), Go to a church where God's presence is welcomed and likely to manifest and if that is impossible, pray for your church to become that and if that fails, pray for God to raise such a church up that you can go to.
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