Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.
Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.
Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his [a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.
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North Americans suck at worshiping God…
…I am not going to address anything regarding worship outside North America because we are North Americans and for the most part should be most concerned about our own short comings. We are Christians, are we not?
We believe in the one true God who created us and everything else in the entire universe. We believe in a God who is the source and very definition of love, whose love is overflowing for his creation…for his chosen people. We believe in a God that despite our disrespect and out right disobedience still calls us his own and desires our hearts. He is a God that moves mountains, one who is omnipresent, and one who is everlasting. He is the beginning and end of everything and anything.
Do we believe these things and more about our God?
The Bible uses the example of a tree and its fruit to tell us that if our hearts are driven by God’s love and if our minds are focused on God’s word and if our souls welcome the Holy Spirit, it will show in the things we do. Take Matthew 7:15-23 -
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree can not bear bad fruit, and a bad tree can not bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone that says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me you evildoers!”
What we believe and what we are practicing on the inside will “bear fruit” on the outside. This is a true statement. How does this apply to our worship in North America?
When you are “worshiping” God whether at church or at home…what kind of fruit are you bearing?
Is our apparent excitement and overwhelming joy in the Lord showing?
I think it is, because we do not give God the glory and worship that he atleast expects from us, and it shows. It shows at church when we are standing with our arms at our side and our for the most part effortless singing. It shows when we go to church expecting to get something from the service. If we leave a service feeling like we have not ourselves been served then we toss it aside as an alright, or boring, or lame, almost wasted experience.
“I didn’t really get into worship because the songs weren’t that good.”
“I didn’t like the way they did communion.”
“I almost fell asleep because the message was so dry.”
Any of those sound familiar?
I’m sure that if you really think about it you could come up with a few more classic “I didn’t enjoy the service” comments.
Revelation 5:11-14 (New International Version)
11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" 13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" 14The four living creatures said, "Amen," and the elders fell down and worshiped.
In these verses do you hear any of the angels complaining that they didn’t like how they were in a circle instead of a square around the throne?
Or the elders feeling like worship didn’t do anything for them because they would rather sit and worship then fall down to the ground?
NO! In the above verses, worship was about God…giving God glory…extolling his name. Worship in North America has become mostly about fulfilling our own selfish needs. Sure we can expect to feel blessed or filled up as a result of worshiping God, because he promises us amazing things when we are obedient and faithful. However our worship has become focused on us receiving these gifts, not the act of worshiping God. I would go as far as to say that our worship is unbiblical. Church is here to make Christians feel good. If we don’t leave with the warm fuzzes then the service didn’t fulfill its purpose.
So what does this selfish act of worship look like?
Well mostly it lacks passion. Yes, passion! If we believe the amazing things that the Bible tells about who God is then why are we not overflowing with excitement and praise when we are worshiping Him?
Is God not exiting enough for you?
Is he not enough truth for you?
Is his plan for your life not good enough?
Is the fact that he calls us to whole heartedly worship him not taken seriously?
By now you may be thinking that the above statements are way off. They are unfair and untrue. After all, you do really believe in God. Just because we don’t appear to be passionate and excited about God while we praise him doesn’t mean that you aren’t, right?
What kind of fruit are you bearing?
If you are overflowing with the joy of Christ, if he is the beginning and end in your life, then why are you not spilling all over the place?
The truth is that actions speak louder then words. For the most part our actions convey our feelings and intent. If we are not acting it, then more then likely you do not truly believe it.I have heard, and even made many excuses before about my ill worship. I believe that we use our culture as an excuse to be emotionally lame in our worship.
“I don’t have the personality to sing loud and yell, or directly talk about my faith to most people…I am shy and this is how God has made me.”
“I am actually very passionate in my faith, I just don’t show it because that is not the tradition I was brought up in.”
“Worshiping passionately makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable.”
We use our culture and our tradition as an excuse to suck it up while worshiping God. Also, where in the Bible does it say that worship is supposed to feel comfortable?
Since when has being a Christian meant living a comfortable lifestyle?
2 Samuel 24:24 (New International Version)
24 But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen and paid fifty shekels [a] of silver for them.
David’s response here is timeless.
He sees that true worship can not cost nothing. God has made all people different, so we can expect that different people are created to worship in certain ways that others are not. However are we actually worshiping passionately in alternative ways, or are we just taking that excuse and running with it?
Some may say that, ‘Just because passion is displayed in a more obvious or different way during worship in other cultures, doesn’t mean that we are not passionate in our worship.’ Well this may be true. However I don’t even think that even within our own cultural definition of passion we even meet that standard in worship. Many become more exited and emotional about a new car, or during a concert of their favorite band, or after their team has won in the finals.
Enough talk about what how we have been worshiping inadequately. Let’s address what true worship looks like.
Do we know what true worship is?
Do we know how to be true worshippers?
Incase we need a reminder, we can always look to the Psalms in the Bible. The whole book of Psalms contains example after example of the passion, truth, and emotion that God deserves.
The Psalms capture the innermost thoughts and prayers of the people who wrote them. For ever emotion or mood you can find a psalm to match. The psalms wrestle with the deepest sorrow and ask God the hardest questions about suffering and injustice. They do not communicate flowery compliments towards God; they cry out to him, or shout for joy before him.
God is not distant or impersonal. In almost every psalm you find the presence of God, not as a philosophical principle, but as an active, strong, and loving ruler…a God who makes a difference in life. True, passionate, praise worthy worship does not have to always be fairy tales and farts…children and candy. It can also be a cry for God to respond!
The point that I am trying to make about our worship is that we lack passion, one of the most important elements of worship. I encourage anyone to discover what true worship is by reading the psalms. I leave Psalm 68 with you as an example of what true passionate worship looks like.
For the director of music. Of David. A psalm. A song.
1 May God arise, may his enemies be scattered; may his foes flee before him. 2 As smoke is blown away by the wind, may you blow them away; as wax melts before the fire, may the wicked perish before God. 3 But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. 4 Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds [a]— his name is the LORD— and rejoice before him. 5 A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. 6 God sets the lonely in families, [b] he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land. 7 When you went out before your people, O God, when you marched through the wasteland, Selah 8 the earth shook,
the heavens poured down rain, before God, the One of Sinai, before God, the God of Israel. 9 You gave abundant showers, O God; you refreshed your weary inheritance. 10 Your people settled in it, and from your bounty, O God, you provided for the poor. 11 The Lord announced the word, and great was the company of those who proclaimed it: 12 "Kings and armies flee in haste; in the camps men divide the plunder. 13 Even while you sleep among the campfires, [c]
the wings of my dove are sheathed with silver, its feathers with shining gold." 14 When the Almighty [d] scattered the kings in the land, it was like snow fallen on Zalmon. 15 The mountains of Bashan are majestic mountains; rugged are the mountains of Bashan. 16 Why gaze in envy, O rugged mountains, at the mountain where God chooses to reign,
where the LORD himself will dwell forever? 17 The chariots of God are tens of thousands
and thousands of thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary. 18 When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men,
even from [e] the rebellious— that you, [f] O LORD God, might dwell there. 19 Praise be to the Lord, to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Selah 20 Our God is a God who saves;
from the Sovereign LORD comes escape from death. 21 Surely God will crush the heads of his enemies, the hairy crowns of those who go on in their sins. 22 The Lord says, "I will bring them from Bashan; I will bring them from the depths of the sea, 23 that you may plunge your feet in the blood of your foes, while the tongues of your dogs have their share." 24 Your procession has come into view, O God, the procession of my God and King into the sanctuary. 25 In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the maidens playing tambourines. 26 Praise God in the great congregation; praise the LORD in the assembly of Israel. 27 There is the little tribe of Benjamin, leading them, there the great throng of Judah's princes, and there the princes of Zebulun and of Naphtali. 28 Summon your power, O God [g] ; show us your strength, O God, as you have done before. 29 Because of your temple at Jerusalem kings will bring you gifts. 30 Rebuke the beast among the reeds, the herd of bulls among the calves of the nations.
Humbled, may it bring bars of silver. Scatter the nations who delight in war. 31 Envoys will come from Egypt; Cush [h] will submit herself to God. 32 Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth,
sing praise to the Lord, Selah 33 to him who rides the ancient skies above,
who thunders with mighty voice. 34 Proclaim the power of God, whose majesty is over Israel,
whose power is in the skies. 35 You are awesome, O God, in your sanctuary; the God of Israel gives power and strength to his people.
Praise be to God!
And hey, if you are quite comfortable with your wishy washy, lukewarm worshiping practices…maybe consider the bellow verse.
Deuteronomy 6:12-15 (New International Version)
12 be careful that you do not forget the LORD, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 13 Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you; 15 for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a jealous God and his anger will burn against you, and he will destroy you from the face of the land.
For those who are honestly, passionately, and whole heartedly pursuing worshiping God I leave you with this:
John 4:23-24 (New International Version)
23Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
If you disagree with or just have a comment about anything that was said in this article, please leave a comment or email between.the.trees@hotmail.com and have an article of your own posted.
4 comments:
First of all, that's quite the generalization. But besides that...This article really frusterated me.
I couldn't even finish it so maybe I missed some redeaming quality of the article hidden somewhere between its egocentric declarations.
All I want to say is that you have no right on claiming something like this. "North Americans suck at Worship..." Please. I don't even know where to start.
First of all, comparing one worship to the next?
Second, what place do you have saying this? I'm starting to understand those that have always said, "I hate the 'high-and-mighty" claim of the Christian faith. "Ohhhh... now I see what you mean. We are full of ourselves."
RE: Anonymous
You are right, this was a generalization. For the most part I think it is impossible to speak about a population without using certain generalizations. Unfortunatly we cannot always deal with issues on an individual basis, so we have to make due using some sort of accurate generalization.
The conclusion that I came to when I wrote this article was that there are certain characteristics of western culture that are unique, even in worship. The fact is that we don't all worship the same all over the world.
Also, the goal of this article was not to compare North American worship with other worship, but to get people here to think about how they worship. The opening paragraph states,
"I am not going to address anything regarding worship outside North America because we are North Americans and for the most part should be most concerned about our own short comings."
This article was meant to be frustrating. It is meant to provoke people to respond and think about what they believe about worship and how they actually worship.
I think the main issue in NA is that on average...if you were to look at the masses worshiping at an average church, you would see worship that didn't reflect the fruit of what we as Christians claim to believe.
God is amazing! God is love! God gives us purpose, He desires to be with us!
If we have truly wrapped our mind around the simple claims God makes about his relationship with us then the natural response should be passionate.
We show passion for things that excite us, give us purpose, that get us going. So if we are not showing or "overflowing" with praise and passion to worship God, then what does that mean in regards to what we believe?
I know you just enough to confidently say that you are a passionate person, one of the most passionate people that I have met. I think your response to the part of the article that you did read confirms your passion.
You, being the passionate person that you are, should be one of the first to agree that worship without passion isn't true worship. Also, you are not one to hide your excitement when you are passionate about something.
This is how most people are, if we are excited about something, we show it. If we don't, then we are choosing not to...and why would we ever choose not to show that we are passionate about worshipping God?
Maybe that is a different article for another time.
However I do believe that it is my right to criticize the culture that I am a part of. If we do not have the right to analyze our own culture then who does?
Also, I don't think I ever mentioned that I was a better worshipper then anyone else. In fact I think I used "we" the majority of the time with the intention to include myself as well as other NA Christians.
If there was a part of my article that was actually egocentric, please let me know...for that was not my intent.
Thank you for your comment.
Hey Jordan,
Thanks for taking the time to write up these articles. Many good points were brought up, however, I do have one thing to say about it.
Personally I don't think that it is possible to suck at worship. If you are in the presence of God, at His feet so to speak, then that is a thing of beauty. Now, if you go to a place of worship and refuse to engage in worship because of a personal dislike to the worship leader or their style, or the message was too stale/dry, etc., then in my mind that is not worship at all and it becomes a different matter entirely.
Worship is something that should not be tainted by personal differences (however it does, and im just as guilty as the next person, lol, maybe more). what i've found though is that if you choose to engage in worship, no matter the circumstances, then there is nothing more sweet to God's ears (so to speak). God's economy is not anything like ours, He wants us at his feet, no matter how weary, bored, frustrated, or unhappy we may be. He has a cure for each of these problems!
I just wanna encourage anyone struggling with a heart of worship to look past the physical surroundings and see that what really matters is who you are before spiritually. I've been trying to move more into this with my worship (and it's probably weirded out a fair share of you guys at C&C, but in the scheme of things it's unimportant because of who im worshiping).
Guys, a lot of what Jordan is pointing out does ring true though (even tho it may feel a little convicting, lol), so I don't want to get hung up on the title of the article. God has called us to be worshipers! I think in this day and age that there is a need for more of a prayer and worship based atmosphere. Too often we get caught up with the actions and results of missions without thinking about the forerunning intercessors, the prayer warriors that pray for us every day! We've come to a place in society where missions work has become a "career" or a thing of glamor. don't get me wrong, seeing God move in a nation is beautiful, but guaranteed the movement started with someone praying quietly for direction.
I really wanna echo what Ricky was saying in young adults last night: We need to start a prayer movement. Even if it's as simple as a couple of songs with a time of prayer once a week. i think we need to exercise corporate (group) prayer to keep our group strong and growing. Great things and God movements ALWAYS start with prayer and worship.
again Jordan, thanks for the time invested in doing this, I love it when the pot is stirred up a bit! Looking forward to seeing you again.
Dan
RE: Dan
Great Response!!!
I love your focal point on the worshipped rather then the worshipper!
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