Previously, we revealed that one of the purposes of worship is honoring God. It may seem obvious, but is that really what we do though? Do we really choose or change churches according to their devotion, commitment, or surrender to God? It’s certainly not what I’m hearing. It’s more like what I have listed below.
“You do altar calls, that’s not what I’m used to, I don’t feel comfortable with that.”
“You do your service differently than my last church, I’ve always done it that way, I don’t feel as if I’ve been to church unless it’s like that.”
“I prefer the old hymns, they are familiar to me and remind me of my church experiences as a child, it gives me a feeling of comfort.”
“I like the new praise songs; they make me feel good and alive.”
“You do your service differently than my last church, I’ve always done it that way, I don’t feel as if I’ve been to church unless it’s like that.”
“I prefer the old hymns, they are familiar to me and remind me of my church experiences as a child, it gives me a feeling of comfort.”
“I like the new praise songs; they make me feel good and alive.”
I’m sure you have heard or maybe even uttered similar sentiments yourself. You may not even see anything wrong with that, but is there in fact, something amiss behind all this. It has to do with the common element through all these statements; that would be feelings. In so many ways, people are driven by their feelings. In everything we do we just want to feel good, or at least not feel bad. That often extends to our perceptions of what church should be, as if it exists to make us happy. However, if we go into worship just wanting to feel good, then all we are really doing is trying to uplift self; not God. Uplifting self is not worshipping, at least not of God. It’s showing devotion to ones self, not God. It’s showing commitment to self, not God. It’s surrendering to self, not God. It’s honoring self, not God. Such a tiny little detail that can distort our worship immensely. Not that it’s wrong to find joy in honoring God, but our focus should be on uplifting God first, and let God worry about uplifting us. (James 4:10) The church as a whole seems rather powerless right now. Perhaps this is one of the critical reasons why we are not experiencing God’s blessing right now.
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.” -John 6:26-27
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| Self-Exalter |
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