Isaiah 29:13 NIV
"The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught."
Rules of worship seem to take the authenticity out of honoring and glorifying God. I believe in order because God is not chaos. I believe in the function of the church because God created order. I believe the church should have order in service so that God's Word can be taught and the people can respond to Him. But, I do not believe people need a rule sheet about church worship.
For example, your Sunday best is a rule not a necessity. Sure dressing nice is a way to present yourself before God but the Bible is not a fashion guide - it does say we should be modest in our appearance and should not allow our manner of dress to become a distraction.
Giving at church is a command of God but not a prerequisite for attending. In fact, giving comes from the heart as a manner of worship but if you do not have anything to give, what can you do? You serve - clean the church, mow the lawn...these are not rules but ways of honoring God in giving.
These are just two of many reason people reject worship. They are tired of the rules. Worship is a heart thing. It starts with our desire to love God. It is not a once a week thing but a daily activity that becomes a way of life. We worship in our attendance at church, in our daily devotionals from God's Word, through our prayers to God, and in our service to others. Worship is manifested through love.
Just showing up to church doesn't make you a Christian. Consider how you worship.
Leave a comment, keep reading, and join us at faithcovington.org
No comments:
Post a Comment