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What is Worship?

12/02/2011 7:10 pm
By Darden, Steve

Reverent devotion and allegiance pledged to God; the rituals or ceremonies by which this reverence is expressed. That’s the dictionary definition of worship. It seems academic when taken at face value but let’s see just what this is and if it is true.
Reverent Devotion

Reverence begins with recognizing who God is and presenting an attitude consistent with that belief. It is a repentant heart that offers sincere regret for pain we caused Him through our disobedience. This is not about emotions and yet it is. When we realize just how bad our sin is and how utterly powerless we are, that is when the emotion of gratitude floods my soul. Overwhelms me. Crushes me. We can be “involved” in the worship service with emotion and yet without this element of repentance, there can be no worship.
When I was a kid I watched as men orbited and landed on the moon. While attempting to achieve orbit there were many complicated maneuvers involved in manipulating the speed and angle of the craft to allow the gravitational pull of the Earth or Moon to snag it on its way by. Once this perfect balance of attraction and aim were achieved then the vehicle would orbit nearly forever (the law of conservation of energy has some say so in this). The attraction is always present. What is the variable? If I miscalculate my aim (or devotion) then I could miss eternity because I missed the attraction of God’s gravitational pull. The Holy Spirit accomplishes this pull by reminding me of my sin and how bad it really is. If my aim, my devotion, my heart, is tuned to the right attitude and aimed squarely at God’s plan for redemption through Christ then I can’t miss. What has this to do with worship? Everything. When I am immersed in a sincere worship service no one else is even in the room. I hear the music, I sing, I lift my hands to honor my Father. I am devoting myself to Him by telling Him how good I believe Him to be.
Worship is my reliance on God to keep me and hold me in His orbit. I am free to run as fast and hard as I want so long as it is near Him. In my worship I can almost imagine God swinging me around by my arms in circles, as when I was a child. I don’t have to worry about anything. It is His power, His control, His plan, and all I have to do is enjoy the ride. This is just one portion of what worship is. We will explore the other parts next time. Enjoy the ride. I leave you the lyrics to one of the world’s greatest worship songs, “Victory”. See you next week.
The song of the redeemed rises through the clouds
There's freedom in the blood of Jesus
Darkness trembles at his feet
Satan has no power
There's freedom in the blood of Jesus
There's victory in the cross
I'm breaking free
All my chains are gone
I will sing until my lungs give out
I'm gonna shout
Now that I’ve found victory

Voting 'Present'

11/13/2011 8:22 am
By Darden, Steve

Perhaps one of the most cowardly things a politician can do is to vote "present" on an issue. On the federal level, there is nothing that could be more dishonest for elected officials. These people were sent to Washington by their constituents, having been promised representation. Instead, at best we find the apex of cowardice or at the worst we see indifferent ignorance.
As Believers, we often do the very same. The "elect" of Christ voting present by merely offering so little of ourselves to God that we are hardly recognizable to Him. We vote "present" by allowing church attendance to be our only act of Christendom. We vote "present by allowing our prayer life to be reduced to blessing the food (but only at home, never in public). We vote "present" by allowing our only missional service to be represented by donating canned goods for reduced price admission to the State Fair. We vote "present" by leaving our Bible study on the back seat of the car all week long. At a recent meeting of local churches this summer, Dr. Jimmy Nelson reminded us that God did not call us to be something beyond our purpose. He only asks for us to present ourselves to Him daily with a willing heart, ready to love. He suggested that we take the position of "reporting for duty" daily to Almighty God.

Let me hear from you.

© 2011. All Rights Reserved., Bar Cross Ranch Cowboy Church
12001 FM 917  |  Alvarado, TX 76009
P: 817-783-3100  |  E: steve@barcross.org

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