daily worshipper
These last two days I was in St. Louis. I was traveling with a few friends who were doing a chapel service at Missouri Baptist University (according to the girl at the hotel, the locals call it MoBap). On the ride up, I made a few jokes to my friend Scott Phillips that while he was going to be playing I was going to be making a scene on the front row, raising my hands, dancing, swaying. You get the point.
Long story short, I didn’t do it.
On the car ride home I thought a lot about worship. I’ve seen the YouTube of the kid walking down the streets of NYC listening and worshipping to a David Crowder song. Several of my friends thought it was awesome. If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out HERE.
The truth is, most of us don’t live a life of worship. Most of us, even if we wanted to raise our hands while listening to a Bebo Norman song on the treadmill, wouldn’t. We definitely wouldn’t walk down the middle of a busy street and do it.
Most of us would be like the person in the picture looking at the worshipper and simply think to ourselves, “idiot.”
It is never wrong to do the right thing, and we are here TO worship, to praise, to thank God. So no, it is never wrong to publically express our faith, if we have any. The truth is, some people carry an artificial faith that they can whip out in times of need like a packet of Kleenex in the bottom of a purse. When Kathy and Patsy would get fired up in church, everyone could hear them calling out in appreciation to God for the gift of salvation. Two or three people, out of one or two hundred. Some do not feel moved to a physical expression of faith, but I wonder sometimes: is life a physical expression of God?
interesting question. what do you think?
I have one son of whom I would give my life for. Do you think there is any way this side of heaven that I could in Matthew’s presence act like he is not there for fear that some one might see my feelings for him. That is just ludicrous. I have never consulted anyone on how to respond to my son and frankly, I never will.
When ever or Where ever, I am in the presence of my Savior and Lord, I will do no less. We should not rely on others to define how we worship. Some individuals seem to spend more time watching to see how others worship rather than worshiping themselves. The one thing I would say is that if I were in a worship service and could not feel free to worship as I feel the Spirit is leading then I would choose to worship elsewhere, and would advise other to do likewise.
Mary, I believe that our whole being is outward expression of our worship for we are told we worship with spirit, body, and soul. Who can separate the three? I might add, when our worship is about pleasing people…we may not be pleasing to God. At the same time, who am I to tell you how to express your love to your God. Your worship is between you and God, not between you and man. Oh that I might glorify God.
I am actually on a worship team at church but I don’t consider singing and raising my hands or anything like that really “worship” in it’s entirety. I think that serving the needy, feeding the hungry, Matthew 25 stuff like that, to me is all worship to God. I feel this way because I have been brought to tearful worship of God during these things as much as during a song. Don’t get me wrong, I love to sing to God.
i agree carole. i think serving is just as much about worship than anything else.
i agree mom. good point, although i would say “when our worship is about pleasing people, then we AREN’T pleasing to God,” rather than “may not be.”
Good post.
Isn’t Patsy your mom?
No, it’s not ok! What Jesus said about the people who pray(I add worship) in public?
yes she is. i just changed it to “mom.” i guess i felt a little weird commenting to my mom. ha. thanks for calling me out!
interesting. so nelson what do you think constitutes worship?
Doesn’t it always boil down to motivation? I think the passage Nelson mentions is about the intentions of the 2 people praying. I don’t think the tax collector’s prayer is MORE pleasing to God solely on the basis that he was alone, instead the attitude of his heart while praying. For the religious leader, he was praying in public precisely to be seen. But then you have Luke 19:37-40, where the religious leaders tell Jesus to quiet his disciples. If we remain quiet, the rocks will cry out instead.
To answer the question, no. It is not part of my personality to do something like that (especially to pre-plan a video recording of it). Our worship should be our lives, as someone already said.
great joel. i agree with you completely. the posture of our heart is the deciding factor on if what we are doing is worship.
I grew up in a Nazarene church which is a tad reserved (it was when I was a part of it, not sure now since I switched to Southern Baptist back in grad school – yep go to school at a Baptist College and it’s all downhill from there lol). I remember being reserved in my worship for so many years, being afraid to lift my hands because what would others think. But you know since I have grown up in my walk with the Lord it’s like who cares. When the Spirit moves I am going to respond. I think we all need to just tear down the walls open our hears and when the Spirit moves respond in kind. Not saying people need to be all Pentecostal and go do back flips down the aisle lol (although my old pastor Dr. Mac Brunson would have loved it if people would have done that). And for me when I hear a song in the car and I am moved I respond in kind.
And I am becoming friends with the son of one of my students from last semester. He is coming from a church that is very reserved and is now going to church with me and I can’t wait to see what God starts doing in his life. My prayer for him is that God will open up doors in his heart this year and draw him closer to Him and just do some awesome things. Break out of the shell and step out of the box for 2010. I bought him a Chris Tomlin cd and can’t wait to see how he likes it