In the last blog, I mentioned that this devotion would focus on how worship is connected to our relationships with others. While worship is personal and a reflection of my faith in Christ, the Lord designed a facet of worship to engage me with others for my good and His glory. First, He has called us as believers to demonstrate our belief in Him and our commitment to worship only Him by how we treat each other. Our very identity as His disciples results from His love for us, giving birth to our passion, one for another (John 13:34-35). Second, Jesus has promised that where 2 or 3 of us are gathered together because of Him, He will be present. (Matt 18:20)When we experience the presence of Christ, worship should always be the result. This means He should always be honored, and I should not get casual about His presence or take the privilege of being with His other disciples for granted. Third, Christ has commanded us..not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25 NIV) This means that there is definitely an aspect of worship that I cannot experience or attain individually.
I have already referenced Psalm 22:3, which declares that God inhabits the praises of His people. It’s spoken in plural. When we, as His children, gather to worship and honor Him, God cannot resist us. Corporate worship multiplies my own adoration and praise of my Maker and Creator with the worship of others, and what once was a solo has become a choir of testimony and thankfulness to Jesus, our personal Redeemer who came for the world. I have friends and acquaintances who, for one reason or another, have let attending church fall by the wayside. Often, they speak of experiences of going to the beach or their quiet time with God, saying it is much more meaningful and just as nourishing to their soul. Some proclaim even more nourishment.
While I believe there could be elements of truth to this claim, it does not replace the worship that can result when Christ’s redeemed gather together. God intended for us to be a part of a church or gather regularly in a group meeting, specifically to do nothing else than worship and honor Him. Meaningful fellowship is a result of true worship. I see many folks attempting to fellowship their way into worship, but I do not believe this is a selfless formula to keep Christ at the Head. Fellowship is a fruit, not a seed. We are encouraged by the Lord to share testimonies of His faithfulness, His provision, and His activity in ordaining our steps with each other. This encourages our faith and helps extinguish doubt in our lives. As a result, our gratitude and confidence in God are increased. This leads to worship, and this cycle is to be perpetuated every time we gather as the family of God.
Just a few weeks ago, our nation celebrated its birthday. The 4th of July, or Independence Day, is when our country reflects on the band of folks who left England to pursue religious freedom to worship God, resulting in the birth of a new nation. This led our forefathers to write a constitution and organize a government to protect this pursuit. Anyone who rearranges these details is attempting to reconstruct history. These pilgrims crossed oceans and embraced poverty and hardship, even some to death, to pursue worship and escape religious persecution. The Independence celebration is the culmination of that corporate effort by all who lent a hand to establish and protect it.
Likewise, the Sabbath, Sunday, or whatever day is dedicated to worshiping and honoring God is a celebration for us. We are to gather, and I would like to call it Dependence Day! It is the day we set aside to be reminded first that we are solely followers of Christ and totally dependent on Him for everything. Jeremiah the Prophet speaks in Lamentations 4:20 that ” the Anointed of the Lord is the breath in our nostrils.” Luke tells us in Acts 17:28,” that it is in Him we live and move and have our being.” Second, we come to gather as a group to be reminded that not only are we dependent on God, but we are also dependent on each other. Any lone ranger who is reading this will scoff at this concept. It stings our human pride to humble ourselves and submit ourselves to others. But the very church of Christ is established on the principles of dependence and submission to Jesus and each other. I totally understand why some people want to skip out on this. Maybe they have been hurt. This requires forgiveness, which is a struggle for us all. Perhaps arrogance makes us think we have a better way and that our independent worship is superior. Sometimes, it is simply out of laziness and apathy. Meeting up with others calls for tolerance and grace for differences that perhaps we are just too selfish and mean to overlook. Whatever the hindrance, God meant for me to celebrate Dependence Day often, lifting my spirits and discouraging those hindrances that keep me away from Him and His disciples. This results in worship where spiritual fireworks of music, the Word, and prayer are incorporated to magnify the name of Jesus and to inoculate us with joy to help us overcome and heal from the trials of this life. It is a celebration that frees us when we corporately proclaim our dependence on God. The fruit of this worship is the very heart of the ministry of outreach of His church to the world around us.
This celebration helps equip us to worship in all other relationships. Our marriages and family relationships. Our Friendships. I recently had the opportunity to visit and fellowship with old friends. We ended our time together holding hands in a circle and praying, thanking God for Bringing us together. Though brief, the worship of our Great God was palpable. Not because of who we are but because of who He is and how He has fulfilled His promise to be present with us and among us. We are called to Love our neighbor. Love the poor, the unbelieving. Every time I show the love of Christ, He receives honor, and I can experience true worship of Him who made this life possible for me. I come away from this devotion convinced that I need to celebrate Dependence Day as often as possible.
This would be the last in this series, but I have one more. Next time, this 5 o’clock worker will look at how worship is offered through our giving.
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