Don’t Listen . . .
. . . to those who teach on Worship without talking mostly about God, for it is God Who is the source and substance of our worship. It is God Who informs, instructs and invites our worship. He designs and deserves our worship; He enables and evaluates our worship.
We are not doing God a favor by worshiping; Worship is seemly, appropriate, fitting and proper. And to slight God when teaching on Worship is akin to jogging past the Mona Lisa, ignoring a glorious sunrise, or stargazing and not feeling small. Teaching on Worship without talking about God is like being in love with being in love; you may be in the vicinity of something great, but you’ve completely missed the point.
All the instruction we need for Corporate Worship is rooted in Who God is.
He is pure, so we speak words of confession.
He is strong, so we place, and declare, our trust in Him.
He is merciful, so we speak and sing words of deep gratitude.
He is faithful, so we spread and raise hands in surrender.
He is sovereign, so we tremble with godly fear.
He is creative, so we express Truth in a myriad of ways.
He is present, so we acknowledge and pray.
He is Life, so we stand in victory.
He is holy, so we bow and kneel.
He is the Word, so we study.
He is mysterious, so we employ signs and symbols.
He is good, so we dare to be honest.
He is triune, so we worship in Community.
He is eternal, so we remember and anticipate.
He is praiseworthy, so we sacrifice and offer.
He is unequalled, so we sing and speak superlatives.
He is Spirit, so we listen resolutely.
He is beyond description, so we climb into silence.
Don’t listen to those who teach only about the right song, or the right band, or the right lighting, or the right riff, but don’t talk about God. Pay close attention to those who catalogue God’s attributes and connect them to some communal response. Listen to those who focus on the Holy One, and who design corporate action based on God’s descriptions of Himself.
To teach on Worship without talking about God is to adore the artifact, and this is idolatry.
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