Worship that Matters!
Pastor Bill Nichols - July 18, 2020Today's Scripture reference is Acts 2: 42 - 47
Introduction
Sickness, injury and death have a way of forcing us to think about our lives in ways that we don't often take the time to do. We get caught up in the day to day routines of life, with little thought to the big picture of who we are, and why we are here. Even our worship of God can become perfunctory with little real meaning in it. One of the things that Jesus railed about concerning the religious elite of His day was their mechanical, ritualistic attempt to put God in a box and worship Him in accordance with their many legalistic rules.
God did not like it then, and God does not like it now. After 25 years of being a minister, I am beginning to understand that God is more concerned with relationships than He is with ritual. In Hosea 6: 6 God said: "I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings." You see, the sacrifices and the burnt offerings were the ritual of the Jewish religion. Mercy and acknowledgement of God speak of something more. They speak of relationship.
The formal practice of worship in most of Christendom has been built on a single verse found in Acts 2: 42 that reads:
42 "They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching (preaching) and to the fellowship, (being with one another), to the breaking of bread (communion) and prayer."
These four elements are found in almost every institution that calls itself a church.
But the passage does not stop there. Verses 43 - 47 read;
43 "Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and miraculous signs were done by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
There was something awesome taking place in the fledgling church. And it was not about the building for they were meeting outside in the temple courts and in one another's homes. It was not about ritual for there was not any yet. It was not about grasping power for they were all seeking to meet one another's needs. But it was exciting what was happening and the church was growing daily because of what was happening.
If you read verse 42 in its context you see that worship was taking place in the context of relationships. So I am asking myself, and I am asking you, could it be that when worship meets Jesus criteria of love God and love neighbor as yourself, that true worship is taking place?
If worship takes place in the context of relationships, then when I meet with the family of someone who has just lost a loved one, and share with them as a representative of God in Christ, could it be that worship is taking place? When I meet with fellow believers over coffee to encourage them and to get to know them better and to pray with them, could there be an element of worship involved. Did not Jesus say, "Where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them?"
Some people claim that they often feel closest to God when they are someplace out in nature, on the lake, on a mountain top, sitting in a tree stand. I understand that, God is the creator of all things, and when we enjoy the wonders of His creation, we sense the presence of the one who created that which we enjoy, and we worship Him in that moment in a one on One relationship with God.
When you define worship in the context of relationships, then worship is not something that is confined to a building that is called the church and takes place on Sunday morning, Sunday night and Wednesday night. Worship becomes something more than the singing of songs and the taking communion and hearing the preacher preach a great sermon, and then going home. True worship is an encounter with one another and with the living God in relationship.
Now do not get me wrong. Everything that we do on Sunday morning helps enhance our worship and I believe can be called a part of worship. Music and prayer are a means of touching our emotions and preparing our hearts to be in the presence of God. Communion is a celebration of the forgiveness that Christ has freely offered to us through His sacrifice of Himself on the cross. Stewardship is an expression of our sacrifice to the work that Christ has called us to do. The preaching of the Word of God calls us to a commitment to following Christ and serving Him as a member of His body, the church. Its purpose is to change our hearts and to motivate us to live a Christ like life in a world of sin and darkness. So I ask you this morning, can there be true worship without relationship?
Writing to the church in Ephesus, Paul speaks of the relationship that we the church have with Christ, and by default, with one another. Paul writes:
15 "Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From Him the whole body, joined and held together every supporting ligament, grow and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."Ephesians 4: 15 - 16 (NIV)
Paul says that the church is to grow up into Him who is the Head, joined together and building itself (the church) up in love, as each part does its work. So, the church is relational in its very nature, connected to each other as the body of Christ, and connected to the head, who is Christ. When we gather with one another, corporately we are in relationship with one another and with Christ.
Concerning the topic of relational worship, Mark Sooy has written:
"'Corporate' worship is specifically that time in which the church, as Christ's body, gathers to recognize God's work in our lives as believers. We gather because God is a relational God, and we are His relational people. We gather as feet and hands and ears and eyes because Christ's body is not complete otherwise. We gather to hear from Him, through His word, and respond to His love, grace, and mercy poured out into our lives."Posted by -- Mark Sooy (www.MarkSooy.com)
Daniel Collison has written concerning the topic of relational worship:
"God designed the human race to be relational. Deep within the center of all human beings lays a desperate need for relationship. Relationship with God, other people, animals - and literally all that exists in creation. Like cars are made to be driven, so people are made to be in relationship. One can observe this through the basic empirical evidence throughout the history of civilization."The Innate Desire of Humans to Worship by: Daniel Collison, Published April 19, 2008
"God designed worship to be relational because He is relational. This is most evident in the Christian understanding of the triune nature of God. God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in perfect relationship with each other. We are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27) and thus we are created to live in perfect relationship with God and others. The concept of relationship is complex and multifaceted, but within it lays the act of worship.
"How do people pick a church to become a part of? Some, to be sure choose a church because of the Pastor. (relational) Some choose a church because of its programs. (relational) Some choose a church because of its location. Some choose a church because of its size. But most people choose a church because of a relationship that they already have with someone who goes to that church.
"According to some recent stats about 50% of people choose a church for relational reasons. Those being friendliness, family relationships or personal invitations. The interesting thing about these stats are that only around 10% of people choose a church for its relevancy (e.g. - worship/music style)."
Conclusion
Before Jesus ascended into heaven, He gathered His disciples together and gave them a mission to fulfill. I would like to paraphrase that mission this morning in the context of relationships and worship.
All authority has been given to me by my Father. Because of your relationship to Me as My Disciples, as you go about living your lives, lead others into relationship with me, baptizing them into relationship with My Father, Myself, and the Holy Spirit. Teach them all that I have commanded you, and I will always be there in relationship with you.