Worship

Worship is praise and adoration, it is veneration and homage, emotion and intellect that instinctively flows from the inner soul of the created. Many religious people today are worshiping God according to their own inventions. But if we worship God according to the doctrines and commandments of men, we worship God in vain. Jesus said “And in vain they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mk 7:7). God is our creator and he is the one to give us directives on how to worship him not us. We therefore need to know Him and His will to truly worship Him in Spirit and truth (John 4:23). See how Paul addressed this worshipers “The one whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you” (At 17:23)

We need to worship God daily because we need to present our bodies as living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service (Ro 12:1). We have to do these in these ways:

   1.       Worship by studying and proclaiming God’s word (At 5:42,8:4)

   2.       Worship by singing to praise God and admonishing one another (Eph 5:19, Cl3:16)

   3.       Worship by giving yourself to prayer and fasting (1Th 5:17, Ph 4:6)

   4.       Worship in giving and doing good in praise of God (2 cor 9:10-13, 1 Cor 6:20, gal 6:10)

   5.       Worship by communing with Jesus and one another (1 Cor 11:24,25)

·         Ignorance of who God is leads to worship of Him in ignorance

·         One cannot worship God acceptably without a knowledge of who God is.

Simply because someone worships, does not mean that their worship is acceptable to God. Man is created by God to be a worshiping being, man does not need to be taught how to worship. The Bible is therefore not a legal manual for worship but it teaches us on who to worship. The Bible speaks more of what one should not do in worship than giving a legal system of worship.

There are worships that are acceptable and those unacceptable to God. We must know the God of the Bible and believe the Bible in order to offer acceptable worship to God. Because of ignorance of the word of God men have worshiped the sun, moon, stars, angels or things of their imagination. But the angel told John “Worship God” (Rev 19:10; 22:8,9). John was not told to worship but who to worship. Jesus reminded Satan “You will worship the Lord your God and Him only will you serve” Mt 4:10). In the O.T people worshiped gods of Baal, Molech and others created out of their own imagination and they were not acceptable to God. Today people worship positions, wealth and profiles as well as others worship men of God. They are unacceptable before God. We can deliver ourselves from worship confusion only by studying the Bible.

What is True Worship (Acceptable worship)?

When one’s heart bows to God in worship, his knees will follow. In the O.T the word is Shalah. So  there’s an in word bowing down of the heart. (see Gen 22:5, 24:26, 24:48, 24:52, Ex 4:31, 34:8, Joshua 5:14, Job 1:20, Ps 95:6). If you have not yet bowed down in your heart, you cannot physically bow down like these men of the O.T. In the New testament the Greek word used is proskuneo which means “to kiss-toward” (Mt 2:11, 4:10 Heb 1:6)

In N.T we also have sebomai which means reverence or feeling of awesomeness (At 16:14, 18:7). It is also giving service to the Lord “Latreuo” which means “give homage” ie. Offering gifts or service in worship of God (At 24:14, Ph 3:3, Hb 10:2).  So, singing and praying are not worship, but only the outward expressions of an inward appreciation and adoration of God. So one can worship without any outward expressions or actions.

   a)      True worship is in Spirit (Jn 4:23,24)

God who is spirit is worshiped by that which is spirit. (At 17:24,25) Mechanical things or material things cannot be used to worship God who seeks to be worshiped in Spirit. Such things may be used by man to produce an atmosphere wherein man seeks to worship. But our worship is from the heart. How can the one who give life to all be worshiped by that which has no life?

God is one and our worship must be directed only to Him. The melody is made in your heart not material (Eph 5:19). God is listening to the hearts of those who are using the instruments of their voices to speak praises to Him. Worship in spirit involves both attitudes and motives in the heart of the worshiper. True worshipers do not need earthly crutches to stimulate worship. True worship is spontaneous, from the naked heart of man poured out towards God regardless of the environment, the sound that comes to his ears, or images in front of his eyes or aroma that he smells.

-          God is Holy Spirit, so one must worship Him in the holiness of one’s spirit (Is 1:15,18)

-          God is benevolent spirit, so one must worship him with a spirit of gratitude and thanksgiving (Ps 100:1,2, Ts 1:17, 2 Cor 4:15)

-          God reigns over all things, so one must worship him in reverence and awe (Is 6:1-5, rev 1:12-18)

-          God is spirit of wisdom and intelligence, so one must worship him in totality of one’s mental abilities (mt 15:5,6,22:37)

-          God cannot be seen with eyes of men, so he must be worshiped in faith (Ex 20:4,5, 2 Cor 5:7)

-          God is loving, so he must be worshiped with a spirit of love for Him and fellow worshipers (mt 5:23-24 1 Jn 4:8,11,20,21)

-          God is a forgiving spirit, so one must worship him with a forgiving spirit (Mt 6:14,15)

-          God is a Fatherly spirit, so we must worship him like a child who trust in and depend upon the Father of our spirits (Mt 6:9, Hb 12:9)

   b)      True worship is in Truth

He who is truth is worshiped only by those who walk in His truth. Worship cannot be legalised lest worshipers assume that they have worshiped after their performance of legal actions. When one seeks to be true in heart to God, then he will worship God in truth. True to god means that one’s life is given to God as His servant. We are servants to god, not in word, but indeed and truth (1Jn 3:17)

When one recognizes the grace of God, it is natural to respond with service. There’s a difference between worship and service, though some services are worship of God. Eg when you clean your house, it’s a duty because you don’t want a dirty house. It is not to worship God. However, if I clean your house it can be in worship to God (2 Cor 4:15) “Indeed, everything is for your benefit, so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving to increase to God’s glory.” So in thanksgiving to God, we worship through our service to others.

Because of the overwhelming grace of God in my life, I may be moved to clean your house in service to your needs. So we talk of “worship service”. I have worshiped God in serving you. See how Paul puts it in Col 3:17. When men fee inspired and thankful to god, they worship.

Is there any particular place or condition for true worship?

In Acts 17:22-23 the Athenians crafted many idols with their hands but they were wise to know that if a god they made after their own thinking behave as their thinking then that god cannot be greater than their thinking. They concluded that there must be a God beyond the imagination of men. So they made an idol to “The unkown God” just in case they offended Him if they did not offer Him worship.

That is the true and living God of which they were ignorant and so they worshiped him in ignorance because they had worshiped him in ignorance because they had no revelation from Him. Through the revelation of the Bible, the same God is revealed today. People worship God out of the awesomeness of His presence in their lives. When the word of God is taught, the audience do not worship God though the preacher may be worshiping in service of God. But the audience is inspired by the word to worship in obedience to the word.

There’s no particular place for worship, no particular condition for worship from a true believer. You don’t need any song or music or a starter before you can worship God. It comes from the heart of one who truly knows God. When Gideon was in the camp of the Midianites after the Lord had promised deliverance for Israel; a midianite had a dream and another midianite was interpreting the dream while Gideon listen secretly outside the tent. The dream was that God would deliver the Midianites into the hands of the Israelites. “And so it was that Gideon worshiped when he heard the telling of the dream and its interpretation” (Judges 7:15)

So in the camp of the enemy, in the middle of the night, quietly with his fellow companion, Gideon worshiped. It was immediate, individual, quiet, and in a hostile environment. There were no drummers, no assembly, no audience, and certainly no noise.

·         The magi worshiped Jesus in a manger instantly when they saw Him (Mt 2:11)

·         Joshua worshiped when he saw the commander of the Lord’s army (Joshua 5:14)

·         Israel worshiped in their encounter with God (Ex 4:31)

·         Abraham’s servant worshiped in solitude (Gen 24:26)

·         Abraham worshiped with his son (Gen 22:5)

·         A leper worshiped Jesus though in the presence of many he focused on Jesus (Mt 8:1,2)

·         A ruler worshiped Jesus while he was teaching among multitudes of people (Mt 9:18). The multitudes were just listening to Jesus teaching no worship.

·         The disciples worshiped Jesus after seeing Him walking on water and calming the storm (Mt 14:33). He was the creator of all things.

Most of the time we quote Mt 18:20 out of context “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there among them.” This is not a statement about worship; but of judgement actions taken in reference to the one who refuses to hear the church concerning his sin (Mt 18:17). If this passage is talking about assembly and worship, then the poor brother who is alone in the desert or jungle does not have a promise that the Lord is with him in his worship.

Our presence with two or three does not validate our worship. Neither does being alone restricts God’s presence with us as we worship in the solitude. Our assemblies do not mandate the presence of God. God is there before we get there. David concluded “where will I go from your spirit? Or where will I flee from your presence?” (Ps 139:7). Your worship must not be dependent on anything outside your heart. Though one may be inspired to worship because of his surroundings, it doesn’t mean we must have special surroundings to worship.

Honouring my Pastor: What does God expect of me? 1Tim 5:17-18; Heb 13:17

Introduction:

Regardless of how much you think your pastor likes you or not, you can and should appreciate your pastor. God calls us to honour those who are in authority over us. It is easy to criticize pastors on how much they do on their sermon with words like this:

“The sermon today was jerky”

“I didn’t really connect with the sermon”

“I think the pastor could have done a better job preparing his sermon”

“I didn’t make any sense from the sermon”

We often forget that the pastor has a life, family and other responsibilities throughout the week. We forget that the pastor is pastoring the whole congregation and the needs of everyone is different. I remember the day I insisted that we separate the children from our main service here in Mount Zion Baptist church Boko. My feedback was brought in by my daughter Faith when she went home and was struggling to preach my message at home. The poor girl at age 3 or so was struggle to hammer at home and I could not get all the words from her mouth. That’s when I knew that I cannot preach to children and adults at the same time. I could only hear “believe in the Lord Jesus” from her mouth. That’s what made me know that she was struggling to replay my sermon that Sunday. But she could not get all my words with the speed and the mature words that was not destined for children who are still learning. So, note that the Pastor has every worshipper in mind when presenting his message.

If we didn’t like the sermon, we don’t trust that the Holy Spirit is working in and through the pastor, their message, and the church and that someone in the church needed to hear that exact message. If we are not careful, we can fall victim to the spirit of entitlement where it becomes all about us. Remember that even if one person’s life is changed by the pastor’s message, then isn’t that what it’s all about?

Where did honouring pastors start?

Throughout church history, leaders were to be honoured. Pastors are to be considered worthy of double honour for assuming this role in Christ’s church and to do it well. But, typically with double honour, you can expect double stress, this is why we need to make an even greater effort to celebrate and encourage those in leadership.

 “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honour, especially those who labour in preaching and teaching.”  1 Timothy 5:17

Is honouring Pastors Important?

Of course!

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.  Hebrews 13:17

Your leaders are entrusted to watch over the entire congregation, small group, family group, etc. This can be a very overwhelming task and one that can lead to a lot of stress, late nights, and coffee. Leaders have a tendency to serve whether it is within their ministry or outside of the church walls, they simply love to serve and meet the needs of others. Whether it be time, money, meals, encouragement, leaders love to lend a hand. It is important to notice everything that your Pastor does for the congregation but what most people don’t realize is that they are not given back to very often. They easily slip through the cracks and we assume that they are doing fine and they are getting their needs met. If everyone had this mentality, then no one would be giving back to their Pastor. That is why this time in our calendar is most important. We should all appreciate or learn to appreciate our Pastors or Leaders and encourage them as much as they encourage each of us. At the end of the day, your Pastor is still a part of the body of Christ just like us and they should be treated in the same way we treat our other brothers and sisters.

How do I honour my Pastor?

  1.     By Supporting him

The elders who are good leaders should be considered worthy of an ample honorarium, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says: Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain, and, the worker is worthy of his wages (1 Timothy 5:17-18). Quoted from Deut 24:4-15

God’s people should pay their pastors generously, although no specific amount is given. Of course it’s not God’s plan for pastors to swindle/cheat their sheep or for churches to neglect their pastors. Paul even puts it clearer in 1 Corinthians 9:13-14 that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel. You don’t need to be a theologian or Bible scholar to understand that, it is clear.

All pastors are to be honoured, but two kinds of pastors are worthy of “double honour” (v.17):

1.       “The elders who are good leaders.”

2.       “Those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”

The pastor’s job is to take care of his church, and it’s the church’s job to take care of their pastors.

Those who proclaim the gospel should make their living by the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:14).

The one who is taught the message must share all his good things with the teacher (Galatians 6:6). God is not mocked; you reap what you sow; so do not be deceived.

i.                   Bring Your Pastor Food and share with his family. This can bring hours of closeness and rest to your pastor and family.

ii.                   Celebrate Big with your pastor. Let him know how much you appreciate him for the work he does

iii.                 Make meaningful conversation with him. Not just talking about the negative things in other people’s lives. Ask the pastor about his problems and how you can be of help and how you can be praying specifically for him. That is what the pastor needs.

iv.                 Show up in events, classes, services, etc. it is encouraging for your pastor to see that you are present in the programs and that you are also encouraging others.

v.                   Be an active listener in services. The pastor’s responsibility is to teach and he wants to be sure that you are listening actively. A pastor can tell if you were attentive in the service or not. Encourage your pastor by being an active listener

vi.                 Show kindness to your pastor’s family. He is human and would also love to see that you care for his family even as he cares for your spiritual growth.

vii.               Support your pastor financially (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; 1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Corinthians 9:14). Hopefully, you will not do this out of a grudging heart or because you know the church is keeping track of who’s giving and who’s not. Whether or not your pastor knows you’re giving, you ought to do so. Small cash gifts, given personally, may also be an encouragement to the pastor.

viii.             Don’t give gifts to your pastor with secret agendas. eg. Giving your pastor a book on leadership because you think he is failing in some leadership skills. That may cause the pastor not to appreciate your gift except he expressed the need. That’s why you must be honest to talk with your pastor.

ix.                 Don’t give a New Bible to your pastor. It sound’s strange right?  If your pastor has not expressed the need for a particular Bible translation, do not give him. It may not be of use to him even though he will take it. Most pastors have libraries of Bibles, so your new Bible may not bring value to your Pastor.   

  2.     By defending him

 A non-negotiable qualification for an elder is that he must have a good reputation with outsiders (1 Timothy 3:7). Apparently, several church leaders attacked the apostle Paul’s reputation, and see what he writes:

Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message. At my first defense no one came to stand by me, but all deserted me. May it not be charged against them! But the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion's mouth. (2 Timothy 4:14–17).

It’s the church member’s job to not only provide for his or her pastors, but to also protect them from the Alexanders in the church and community. Joseph, Moses, David, Jeremiah, and Nehemiah were also criticized publicly. It’s not enough to defend our pastors privately. It’s each of our job to make sure our pastors aren’t treated like a floor-mat or punching bag.

i.                     Be loyal to your pastor. The best encouragement that a pastor can receive is the gift of his people’s loyalty. If your pastor is a person of integrity, who loves Jesus, who is committed to God’s Word, and who faithfully shepherds their flock in a biblical way, stick with them. You may recognize his humanness and identify his weaknesses, but you can stick with him. Pastors need people to go through the tough times. They need you. Encourage your pastor by being loyal to them.

ii.                   When in doubt about anything ask. A lot of problems usually come from rumours and misconceptions.

iii.                  Make sure you have a good connection. Do not jump from church to church when you are frustrated. Your church is your family, stay committed and you can truly defend even your pastor.

  3.     By recognizing them

 Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition to those who labour among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you (1 Thessalonians 5:12).

If pastors do the best they can, the church will do the best they can to take care of them. Honestly, that has been the case most of the time, but not all of the time. Sometimes the pastors didn’t do the best they could, while the church did. Other times, the pastors did the best they could and the church didn’t step up. Why is that? Because we’re a family—and families make mistakes.

It seems to take less effort to point out someone’s weaknesses than their strengths. Are you ready to recognise your pastor today in public?

i.                     Thank your pastor regularly. The way you appreciate your pastor matters. Just telling him “Thank you for the work you are doing” is good but not so meaningful. If you tell him, “Thank you for the verse 17 you explained today in the sermon. I will share this with my children at home today. I didn’t understand it that way but now I see. You really did a lot of studies on this”. That gives more meaning than the generic thank you. “I was blessed”.

ii.                   Never give history lessons for your pastor.  Don’t compare him with the former pastor or former golden years. That is a way to recognise your pastor.

iii.                 Remember there is only one senior pastor. He is the one in charge and may be busy in some situations. So be your pastor’s eyes and ears. Don’t let things pass on which he didn’t know about it.

  4.     By loving them

Their job is to “keep watch over you” (Hebrews 13:17), but sometimes they need you to watch over them as well. Whether they’re leading successfully or failing miserably, in season and out of season, they all need the respect and love of their church families.

Regard them very highly in love because of their work (1 Thessalonians 5:13).

Make sure your pastor knows that he’s a beloved member of your church family, and not just an employee who will eventually go somewhere else.

It is right for me to think this way about all of you, because I have you in my heart, and you are all partners with me in grace, both in my imprisonment and in the defense and establishment of the gospel.  For God is my witness, how deeply I miss all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus (Philippians 1:7–8).

i.                     Another way of showing love to your pastor is by growing in grace. Nearly two-thousand years ago, the apostle John wrote the heart-cry of nearly every pastor across the ages: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth” (3 John 1:4). If you really want to show appreciation — to give your pastor his greatest joy — walk in truth. Don’t do this just for your pastor. Do this because you’re a Christian and because Christians grow (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

ii.                   Always be honest to your pastor and if you have a problem, go and talk to him; don’t complain to others. He may not welcome your idea but don’t be discouraged, you have done what is right and your pastor is also human.

Conclusion:

1. HONOR YOUR PASTOR BY SUPPORTING HIM

2. HONOR YOUR PASTOR BY DEFENDING HIM

3. HONOR YOUR PASTOR BY RECOGNIZING HIM

4. HONOR YOUR PASTOR BY LOVING HIM

God rewards Obedience James 1 :22-25

Submission to God’s word is not only by acknowledging that it’s true, but by walking in obedience to the truth it teaches. How can we even start acknowledging when we have not heard? We cannot start talking about obedience if we have not received any command to obey.

   1.      Obedience to God begins by actively hearing

Vs 19-20 of this text starts by pointing out that we must hear actively. To hear actively, you must avoid talking too much, you must avoid reacting in anger. These two will block you from hearing clearly. Then receive the implanted word with meekness, without filthiness or wickedness. In doing this, one is actively abandoning the old sinful lifestyle that would stop him or her from hearing the word of God.

Do you regularly position yourself to hear the Word of God clearly? Or are you the kind who gets the word and assigned to other people even when God is clearly speaking to you?  Do you allow the Word of God to speak to your heart, rather than simply talking or reacting in anger? Do you walk away from those practices that keep you from hearing?

   2.      Obedience to God is a continuous act it’s not punctual vs 22-24

James says be doers of the word and not just hearers. Hearers are deceiving themselves. It is an ongoing action. You can listen to the best preacher on the pulpit, the best radio teacher or the best Bible teaching leader and still dishonour God by disobeying the word you have heard. That is what the Bible calls self-deception. You are not deceiving the preacher or the teacher but you are deceiving yourself. How frequent you listen to sermons on your smartphone or in Bible study class is not the measure of your submission to God and His word.

True submission to God and His word is not demonstrated by the amount of time we put in listening to his word but by the degree of obedience we put to it. Jesus says those who are in true relationship with him obey his commands (John 14:15). They are not the people who hear his command but those who hear actively (ie doers) of his word.

Does the way you live your life demonstrate consistent, active submission to God and His Word through a lifestyle of ongoing obedience?

   3.      God Rewards Obedience Vs 25

The one who looks intently into the perfectly law of freedom and perseveres in it without forgetting will be blessed. You must be intentional when you look into the word of God which is the perfect law of freedom. It is not works that you will be held prisoner by law but grace that gives you perfect freedom. But you must persevere in doing the word not just hearing the word like the one who looks in the mirror and forgets what he saw. True obedience comes with perseverance and not a forgetful hearer who fails to do the good works. Freedom under God's law is not freedom to do what I want, but a freedom to do what I ought – having been set free from the bondage of sin (see Romans 6). That is living according to God’s purpose.

When we obey God, the love of God will enrich us greatly. Blessing follows obedience.

Who then are blessed of God?

1. Those who Trust the Lord – (Jer. 17:7” Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
whose trust is the Lord.”; Luke 11:27-28).

2. Those who Fear the Lord – (Ps. 128:1)” Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways”.

3. Those whose Sins are Forgiven – (Ps. 32:2-3” Blessed is the man against whom the LORD counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit. For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. “; Rom. 4:8).

4. Those whose way is blameless – (Ps. 119:1a)

5. Those who walk (who obey) in the law of God – (Ps.119:1b)

Our obedience to God allows Him to demonstrate His awesome power in our lives. Our obedience also allows God to bless others through us.

Gen 22:18 says “and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”  

Exodus 19:5 says “Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine;” and Jesus himself says in Luke 11:28 “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!”

Does this mean that we should obey God for the sake of blessings? No. Instead, we should please God and obey Him because of who He is. Therefore, the greatest reward we can attain is His Love and Favour.

Conclusion

To you who has not received Christ as Saviour, the first act of submission and obedience is to repent and, by faith, trust in Christ as the only Saviour. You cannot pretend that you will receive any blessings. It is for obedient believers.

To you who has already confessed Christ Jesus be obedient to the word of God by hearing actively. Do not fool yourself that is punctual but an ongoing action that needs perseverance.  You will be persecuted for obeying Christ. That is sure and certain for true believers. But know that others have gone through it and that should encourage you. Our Lord has gone through it and we are not more than our master. All the apostles died like martyrs and a tragic death but they were joyful when persecuted. Even John who did not die a tragic death was placed inside boiled oil. Have you been fried alive? Know that the persecutions of others were really serious, and so you can go through your own. Rejoice because your reward is sure and will begin on earth before it is complete in eternity. Persevere in obedience to God’s word! Shalom!