While ministering the Word recently in a Sunday service, I shared the verse 1 Corinthians 10:31, “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God.” As I was speaking, I came again to the realization that some of those we minister to week after week seem to think this verse only applies to Sunday services. After the service ends, and those in attendance escape the gaze of the pastor/teacher, they believe they are free to live in a manner which does not reflect the Lord Jesus Christ.
So what happens in the distance between the pew and the door leading to the parking lot? The fact is that some of those heading out the door might even stop long enough to tell the minister that they “appreciated” the message, but have forgotten its content by the time they get to their Sunday lunch!
This article does not mean to imply that every person in every church does what I have suggested above. However, far too many are and this is evident by the lack of joy, the lack of evidence of the indwelling Spirit of God, and most noticeably the lack of change in their everyday lives.
In my last article, I asked – “Is there an accurate response in how we should reflect true worship of the Maker of Heaven and Earth? Is it possible to see true heart-felt change to such a degree that “Christian” marriages and homes and young people and pastors and elders and churches and church members will truly become CHRISTIAN not just in name, but in deed as well?”
First, is there an accurate response? Yes! However, there is little doubt that the answer may be easier than the application! For years many believers have heard verses preached over and over (maybe even memorized them), yet struggle with applying them. I believe part of the problem is our perspective of worship is grossly incorrect, and the fault for this lies greatly with those who minister the Holy Scriptures.
On the one hand, ministers have rightly elevated the Scriptures before the people in services on the Lord’s Day when the people of God gather to be edified and exhorted. However, on the converse side, it is unfortunate that in the lifting up of the Scriptures, those in the pew have somehow missed that what is being taught is not just applicable to ministers, and not just for Sundays, but that it is for every day of our existence for those of us who claim to know the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour.
I am convinced that we as ministers have failed to help make that connection in the minds of our congregations. In Romans 12, Paul tells us we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds! Yet, this must be more than a simple exercise in intellectualism. It must be brought home to each hearer of the Word that if we will see change that what goes on in our minds must change first! The matter of change in our minds will be something we consider in another post.
Let us clarify two questions – 1) Do we eat and drink every day or just on Sunday? 2) Does each day we live and breathe involve some type of activity requiring action or thought on our part?
The obvious answer is – YES and NOT just on Sundays!! The command therefore is to DO ALL to the glory of God! It was while meditating on this verse that I considered another verse of Scripture which comes from the laws given to Moses. The first commandment found in Exodus 20 is, “You shall have no other gods before me.”
It does not take too much reading and studying of the Bible to realize that God’s definition of true worship means “Keeping Him first in all things, at all times, before all people, and for the sole purpose of bringing honour and glory to the Lamb Who sits upon the Throne!”
Don’t miss this next point – Anything less than pre-eminence of the Godhead is therefore – IDOLATRY! God does not want Prominence, but pre-eminence!!
To illustrate the vast difference between pre-eminence and the matter of prominence, I use a personal illustration. Imagine how my lovely wife would feel if she looked in my wallet and discovered the pictures of several women. She would rightly express concern over my lack of devotion to her. Do you think it would soften the blow if I pointed out to her that her picture was first out of all that I was carrying? NOT HARDLY!! My wife does NOT want to be first among many, she demands pre-eminence. She wants me to reassure her that she is NOT only first, but she is ONLY!
God tells us in Isaiah 42:8, “I am the LORD, that is My name; And My glory I will not give to another, Nor My praise to carved images.” God does NOT want prominence in our worship, but He demands pre-eminence! Anything and everything we have in our lives before Him is idolatry! Our God is a jealous God! This is His right for we are His creation! He will not share His glory or His worship with any other person – THAT INCLUDES YOU!
Therefore, the Scriptures are clear that when we do not worship God by keeping Him first in all things – we are worshipping something or someone other than God! This means many who say they are worshipping God in service on the Lord’s Day and then go out to live for themselves the rest of the week are NOT TRULY ENGAGED in true worship of the Sovereign Creator of heaven and earth!
Which god do we worship when God is not kept preeminent in all things? As I have heard several times from Dr. Jim Berg, Dean of Students at Bob Jones University – “Just two choices on the shelf, Pleasing God or pleasing self!”
The one you seek to please is the one you worship. If we lift something to our lips to eat or drink without it being to the glory of God, then we are pleasing ourselves and therefore seeking to place ourselves on a throne of our own making. If we choose to watch, read, or listen to something that pleases ourselves instead of seeking to know whether it is pleasing to God, then we are pleasing ourselves and again seeking to build our own throne. If we live in a manner that is not bringing glory to God in ALL things then we are merely pleasing and worshipping ourselves!
In essence, we are saying to the Creator, “God, you can rule and reign on Sunday while I am at church – the rest of the time is mine! I will worship myself because that brings me happiness!”
Now contrary to popular preaching in many evangelical churches, we cannot kick God off of His throne. Jesus Christ is the Lord of Lords and the King of Kings. He cannot be displaced from His throne, and neither does He need our approval to make Him Lord.
He is Lord of all whether we choose to acknowledge that fact or not. He will always be the Lord. When believers acknowledge that fact, it will not change His status, but it will change how we choose to respond to His sovereignty!
In the next part to this series, I will seek to show how we can take the Word of God in the matter of true worship and make practical application in our lives that will not only affect how we worship on Sunday, but also how we respond to God during the rest of the week which also belongs to Him!
Desirous of True Worship,
The Desert Pastor
2 Comments
June 16, 2008 at 3:08 pm
That is so true! Thanks for the reminder!
June 17, 2008 at 8:46 am
This is a great challenge (and encouragement). We deceive ourselves by thinking we worship the one true God when our hearts are far from him and our actions prove otherwise. God, search our hearts and try our ways and create in us a desire to worship You in spirit and truth.