A Heart for Worship

THE FOCUS OF WORSHIP
Worship involves seeing what God is worth and then giving Him what's He's worth.

Regardless of our backgrounds, the kinds of worship services we were used to growing up—and what we "did" is worship for us (Liturgical, More charismatic, creeds, formal prayers, etc.), age, worship style preferences, new believer, old believer—we worship when our focus is on Him. It is like a bonfire and God is the fire. We are all gathered around the bonfire—with all of our differences, all of our likes and dislikes, all of our "this is the way it should be dones"—and we are warmed, not by looking at each other, but because we are close to Him.

True worship treasures God's presence. The quest may come from desperation. It may come from joy and delight. It may come from a frantic need for fellowship. But the motivation is clear—I want your presence.

Worship does not happen apart from God-consciousness. We sing a song to initiate thoughts of Him. We pray to initiate thoughts of Him. Preaching is to make us God-conscious (not unconscious). Singing, praying, listening to a solo, listening to a sermon are worshipful activities. They do not automatically make us worship. You can sing and your mind be miles away. We can pray and you can be planning your Christmas menu. I can preach and you can travel around the world or catch up on a nap. No particular action is going to guarantee that we worship. Worship is a God-consciousness in the midst of those things. Nothing exists higher than God. There is nothing else like Him. We owe Him our worship.

We don't worship form. We worship Him. We don't worship style. We worship Him. We don't worship the activities. We worship Him. Genuine worship is to worship Him for Who He is. It is to magnify Him.

One author said, "We are not producing worshipers but spectators, lacking in many cases any memory of an encounter with God." We approach worship as consumers. The focus is on "my experience." So we say, "Wow me; do something to grab my attention; please me; make me laugh; make me emotional", etc. It's like watching a movie, after which you critique it.

Can you imagine the Israelites, freshly delivered from 400 years of bondage and slavery, before a mountain that shock with the presence of God, saying—"I don't like the tempo of that song." "How come they don't use that tambourine song anymore?" "You know I don't like it when Moses leads; they ought to give Aaron a shot." "All that smoke and shaking—too formal—I like it casual." "Everything was all right except Miriam's dance—I don't think things like that should be a part of worship."

Rather, the Scripture says that they were filled with awe and wonder, because in the midst of those ex-slaves was the God of deliverance.

If you are just a spectator, you are not worshiping. If you are just a critic, you are not worshiping.

Those of us who lead want nothing more than to lead you in worship and to remove the distractions that might keep you from worshiping. We owe God our best every time we gather. I would desire that the microphones always work. That every sound be right. That everybody during the worship time would be paralyzed in their legs and bladder. But some distractions will always be there. We have got to look higher.

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