Here is the fifth part of the Upside Down World of Theology.

Chapter Four

You get out of Worship what you put into it.

            Many times I have had people come to me with the statement, “My church isn’t meeting my needs.  I need to find a church that will feed me.”  It might be interesting to look at ways to understand the Church.

Models of the Church

Filling Station - Some people still see their church as a filling station where they are to be filled each Sunday to be able to survive the week to come.  If the Worship Service isn’t of a high enough octane, then they are left wanting somewhere in the week.

“It takes a village” – Modern teaching says that parents are no longer responsible for raising their children so we will let the Schools or the Church take care of that.  And at the same time the parents can attend “classes” to improve their lives.

“Not my music” – This works both ways because the same model shows that some in the Church don’t like the new fangled music and the newer people think the Church music should be more like the world’s music.

“That is my seat!” – Whether this harkens from the rent a pew days or from those who are used to assign seating is hard to understand.  Maybe they feel they possess that seat because it is their Church?

            There are many more and I am sure you can add many more to the list but if I step on too many toes too many times no one will read the rest of the study!  If you want more I suggest you read “Your God is Too Small” by J. B. Phillips.  That book helps me keep God out of the box I try to put Him in!

Model issue

            No matter how many models for the Church we dream up though one truth becomes clear and that is we think the Church is all about us!  We want to be fed, we want to enjoy the music, we want our seat and we think the Church should take care of US!

            WRONG! WRONG! WRONG! And WRONG again!

            THE CHURCH IS ABOUT GOD!!!  Have you ever asked if God enjoys the music?  Have you ever asked if we please God by how we sit in our seat and what goes through our mind? (Oops!  Toe stomping again!)  One of my prayers before every Worship Service is that in some way we will make God smile!  That we will please Him and nourish Him with our praise, love and worship!

“1 ¶ «A Praise of David.» I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:1-4 NKJV)

            Don’t be selfish!  God has watched over you 24 – 7 and has nourished you, comforted you, protected you, blessed you and even disciplined you so you could grow stronger!  (Maybe that is why God calls us to make disciples and not Christians?)

            Worship time is your chance to thank God, to love on God, to lift up God, to please God and to enjoy being with God and His children!  Maybe if we saw every Worship experience as a Father’s Day that would help!  Dads are so difficult to know what to do for them!  But as a Dad I love most when my children are back together and sharing memories of the good times we shared.  When we remember the love we have for each other!

Doing or Being?

            So how do we do this?  How do we worship God?  What should we do?

            I know this will seem like I am punting but I really think worship is not something we do but who we are!  If you come to Worship wanting to please and love on God I believe there is no way you can fail!  

            You may remember the seemingly trite saying “It’s the thought that counts!”  IT IS SO TRUE!  For years I bought my Mammaw, Great Aunt Icie and Mom these garish pins that knights could have used for shields in combat.  In my child’s mind I wanted to get them something wonderful but I only had a quarter.  So they had these glistening and gem bedazzled pins that cost this magic amount.  As I looked at them I thought they were gems so I figured the bigger ones had more gems and would be worth more! Those wonderful women showed their love as they wore those year after year!  And lest you think it was just to appease me as a child when they died I retrieved some of them and still hold them as precious to me!

            If we come like children hoping to please our God than our hearts will bless Him and our worship will please Him!

            So when you come to worship bring your Bible, your tithe, your family, your friends and your heart hoping and desiring to please the God who has loved on you all the week before!

Look at the bulletin for your church.  Who is your service designed for?

Is the Prelude the music you must talk louder to be heard over?

Do you think God is pleased with the service or is He wishing it was over?