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Worship: The Return of Reverence, Part 2

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In part 1, I talked about how reverence is missing in worship because something else is missing in our hearts. In this post, we will see what is missing so reverence can return.

When searching for the source of reverence we must consider the Children of Israel: despite their frequent lack of faith and spiritual stumbles, they were a reverent people. Sometimes they were seen as overly reverent. They had a deep reverence for His sanctuary. They had strong reverence for God’s name. But they weren’t always like this. Notice this encounter with God: “Now when all the people saw the thunder and the flashes of lightning and the sound of the trumpet and the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and trembled, and they stood far off and said to Moses, ‘You speak to us, and we’ll listen; but do not let God speak to us, lest we die.’ Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin’” (Exodus 20:18–20). What caused great reverence for God? They saw the awesome power of God on that mountain and became afraid. They were in awe of God; they feared Him.

This wasn’t meant to be a momentary feeling for God’s people either. Notice what Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 12:13, “Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” He found, at the end of his successful life, that fearing God is our whole duty. It is part of our responsibility of God’s people. It is the foundation of what the Christian life is about. We’ve heard the obedience thing, but when’s the last time you were encouraged to fear God?

Some suggest that those Old Testament ideas have no place with modern Christianity. Notice, though, this message in the book of Revelation: “Then I saw another angel flying directly overhead, with an eternal gospel to proclaim to those who dwell on earth, to every nation and tribe and language and people. And he said with a loud voice, ‘Fear god and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water’” (Revelation 14:6, 7). This is God’s last day, gospel message for the world. What are the angel’s first words? Fear God. Revelation’s message is calling mankind back to what we were created for; calling us back to the fear of God! I do not think it is coincidence that the angel calls us to fear God before calling us to worship Him. This is because our worship (and reverence) originate from our fear of God. The reason we no longer have reverence in our churches and our worship is because we no longer fear God.

You may be wondering if I’m suggesting that you’re supposed to be afraid of God. Yes and no. For a long time we have been taught that we don’t have to fear God—“We have a loving God; you don’t have to be afraid of Him.” But this has given us the wrong idea about fearing God and has caused us to cease from doing it. But fearing God isn’t supposed to be a bad experience. David says in Psalm 112:1, “Blessed is he who fears the Lord.” Also, Moses told the Israelites not to be afraid, yet said that they need the fear of God with them. The fear of God is not a frightful fear. It is not a fear terrorists produce. It comes from love, not punishments; blessings, not curses; mercy, not cruelty. It is holy, righteous, and pure. But it is fear.

What kind of fear is it then? Psalm 96:4–6, says, “For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols, but the Lord made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and glory are in His sanctuary.” This fear is an awe of His splendor, majesty, strength, and glory. It comes from the complete acknowledgment that He is the Author of life.

What kind of fear is it? Jeremiah 5:22 says, “‘Should you not fear me?’ Declares the Lord. ‘Should you not tremble in my presence? I made the sand a boundary for the sea, and everlasting barrier it cannot cross. The waves may roll, but they cannot prevail; they may roar, but they cannot cross it.’” This fear is the product of the awareness that everything happens in this world because God allows it—He is truly in control.

What kind of fear is it? Matthew 10:28, Jesus says, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear Him who is able to kill both the body and the soul in hell.” This fear is the result of knowing that God is your Judge; that your eternity lays in His hands. This is the fear of God.

If we want to truly worship, we must have reverence; if we want to have reverence, we must learn to fear God again. We cannot teach our selves to worship, because we can’t “plan” worship—worship just happens. We cannot teach our selves to be reverent, because we can’t “program” reverence—it is the natural result of the fear of God in your heart. So, if we are lacking worship or reverence, we must remind ourselves Who God is and why we should fear Him!

We have the blessings in our lives to remind us of His love, if we’ll look for them. We have the vast heavens, which declare His glory, to remind us that a mighty God is in control. We have His Word to remind us of His mercy and grace to offer sinners like us undeserved justice.

Our God is awesome and He deserves to be feared. Fear Him because He can create with mere words. Fear Him because He is still in control—not just of our world, but the whole universe! Fear Him because the God who is your Judge is also your Savior!

Learn to fear God, then you will be filled with reverence and awe.

Learn to fear God, then worship will begin.

Worship: The Return of Reverence, Part 1

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I heard a story once of a woman who entered a Haagen-Dazs store on the Kansas City Plaza for an ice-cream cone. After making her selection, she turned and found herself face to face with Paul Newman, who was in town filming the movie Mr. & Mrs. Bridge. He smiled and said hello. Newman’s blue eyes caught hers and caused her knees to shake.

She somehow managed to pay for her cone, then left the shop, heart pounding. She had been in the same room as Paul Newman! When she gained her composure, she realized she didn’t have her ice-cream cone. She started back into the store to get it and met Newman at the door. “Are you looking for your ice cream?” he asked. She nodded, unable to speak. “You put it in your purse with your change.”

Wow. I guess you could say she was a big fan of Paul Newman. Some might even say that she revered him. We could even go as far as to say she worshiped the ground he walked on!

As funny as it is, this story also saddens me. It is too accurate of an example of how many of us treat our earthly heroes. You may have even treated someone you respect this way. But what about God? When was the last time God made you speechless? When was the last time God quickened your pulse… in worship?

I have heard many express what should or should not be in a worship service. I have been instructed as to what is proper to do in worship. Some say that there are many ways to worship; others say that there is only one way to worship. In my search I’ve found that there are actually two kinds of worship mentioned in the Bible: acceptable and unacceptable.

Isaiah 29:13 reveals unacceptable worship. It is just lip-service. The heart isn’t in it. They don’t feel anything. They just show up and do what they are told. Their fear/ worship is dictated by rules men have made. God despises this worship—thus, it is unacceptable. Acceptable worship, then, must come from the heart. Our emotions must be involved. So, where do we start? Hebrews 12:28 says, “let us off to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” [emphasis mine].

You see, reverence is often missing in our worship. It has been said that we need to bring reverence back into the sanctuary. Yes, we do. God said, “…have reverence for my sanctuary” (Leviticus 19:30). Yet, it seems to me that if we are irreverent in His house, it is because we have a lack of reverence for God, Himself!

Many say that we need to have more reverence during our worship service. I agree. However, if we do not have reverence to begin with, worship cannot happen! We cannot go to church without reverence for God or His sanctuary, and leave saying we have worshipped Him—worship doesn’t happen simply because we sing some songs! We must have reverence before we can even begin to worship.

This is where reverence belongs. This is the part reverence plays. It is the beginning of worship.  It is what fuels worship. It ends in acceptable worship. We cannot have worship without it. If we lack worship, it may be because we do not start with reverence. Yes, we need reverence in the sanctuary. Yes, we need reverence in our worship. But what we need most of all is reverence for our God!

I got excited when I learned this. I wanted to know how I could get this reverence in my life so I could pass it on. So, I looked for “7 easy steps to reverence,” or “21 irrefutable laws toward a reverent life,” but I couldn’t find anything. In my search for a quick-fix for reverence, I saw that it cannot be achieved by simply following some rules or learning a few steps. Instead, reverence the result of something happening inside you. If we lack reverence, it is because something else is missing in our heart.

In part 2, we will look at what is missing and how reverence can return to our lives and our worship.

The Problem With Worship

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For as many churches as there are in any given place, there are as many styles of worship. Two churches of the same denomination in the same city, even only miles apart, may have vastly different approaches to worship. Naturally, each church feels that their style is the correct one. It hasn’t always been this way; it is a more modern issue. It’s an issue that reflects a lot of what is also wrong with modern Christianity.

Of course, when the topic of worship is brought up people become defensive and sometimes argumentative. We often rally behind our favorite style. In my ministry, I have found people who feel that worship should be filled with more music and singing, and less preaching. I have also met people who wished there were more preaching and teaching and less music—some wishing there were no music at all. I’ve heard disagreements on what topics should be preached, how long a sermon should be, and how much Bible should be used.

Also, if you have ever discussed worship with someone, music is bound to come up. And again, there are many views. Some wish only the good-ol’ hymns were sung and others wish they only sang modern praise songs. One group will suggest that the only holy instrument is the organ (the piano may sometimes be accepted, but with caution), while another group demands that any, and every, instrument should be played (including the cow bell). For one person, music with any kind of beat is demonic, and for another person, praise isn’t praise unless you can barely hear yourself singing.

Yes, there is a definite problem with worship today. Some argue that it’s the music. Some insist that it’s the poor preaching. Some will claim that it’s the time or the length of the service that’s the problem. I would like to suggest that none of these issues are the real problem with modern worship. As I have observed, and through my studies in God’s Word, I believe that the real problem with modern worship is us.

You see, the problem isn’t in any of the things mentioned above, the problem is that we have the audience all wrong. We have come to think of the worship service as this: God is the director, the Pastor and other worship leaders are the performers, and the congregation is the audience. That’s the problem! Modern worship has become all about us, when it should be all about God. In true worship, God is the audience and we are the performers. Worship is supposed to be about us giving praise and honor and glory to our God. It is not an hour long Christian variety show. Yet, this is often how we approach worship.

One of the greatest indications of this problem is found in the very desire we often speak: “I hope I get a blessing out of worship today.” We want to be blessed. We want to leave feeling better. Of course! That’s why we go to church. But we won’t admit that we also want to be entertained and we want to be thrilled. When these don’t happen, we feel don’t feel like we have worshipped. I find it interesting that the number one reason I’m given for why a person feels like they have really worshipped is because the praise songs were so good. Occasionally, someone will say they have worshipped because the speaker was really good… or funny… or not long-winded.

We feel good when we have a good worship experience, and it’s supposed to work that way. But too often, a “good worship experience” for us can be narrowed down to pleasant music and/ or a good sermon. Yet, I can’t help but wonder what God thinks of our worship.

In Isaiah 29:13 God says, “this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men.” This is just lip-service. The heart isn’t in it. Evidently, we can come to worship and sing and preach all the right words, yet still not be worshipping God. Of course, once worship becomes about us, we’re not worshipping God anyway.

Worse still, according to Isaiah 1:13, 14, God can even despise our worship. He says, “Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me. New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them” [emphasis mine]. It is noteworthy to point out that everything God mentioned was originally His idea—He established the festivals and the offerings and sacred assemblies. Unfortunately, Israel made them theirs. Worship became about them, not God, and He couldn’t stand it. How horrible would it be to hear God say this about my, or your, worship!

For as much as we dispute about the appropriateness of our worship, I don’t think we ever consider what God might think of it. Most often, our disputes arise out of personal taste. Granted, we often attribute our tastes to God—if we like something, God must like it too; if we dislike something, God must dislike it as well. We are so foolish! How dare we, the created, even suggest that we know what the Creator likes and dislikes! Have you seen the music playlist on His computer? I know I haven’t. What I do know, though, is that “what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Luke 16:15). So maybe, just maybe, we are not the best to decide what God likes and dislikes. In addition, like many other things in the Bible, God cares more about the why than the what. God desires that we come to worship to draw near Him. He wants to be the target of our worship.

Understand, though, that worship that comes from the hearts of so many different people will result in many different styles—all which are completely acceptable to God. This acceptable kind of worship may not be filled with all the latest songs—or the top ten greatest hymns—and it may not be filled with the most dynamic sermon you have ever heard, but it will be filled with “reverence and awe” (Hebrews 12:28). Which doesn’t mean simply being silent, by the way, but is directed at your attitude towards the One you are worshipping.

The problem with modern worship is that it is no longer about God. The praise songs may mention Him, but are we there to truly honor and praise Him with those songs? The sermon may bring Him up, but are we there to fully listen to God speak to our hearts and then obey? Are we going to church to catch up on the latest Christian gossi… uh… news, or are we there to enter into the presence of the Creator of the Universe? Are we there to just get a blessing, or to focus on and worship the God of blessings? What are the real motives behind our worship?

These are tough questions, but we need to ask them, because we desperately need to get back to true worship—truly acceptable worship that is completely focused on God. For without the right focus, our worship will always be unacceptable to God, regardless of its style.