When I drive by a church there’s usually a sign telling when they meet. The word “worship” often come right before it.
While I fully understand what they mean, I’m more than a bit troubled by the gross misuse of that word.
Stating that worship is at 10 a.m. on Sunday, sends the strong message. It implies the other 167 hours of the week are times for non-worship. This idea of segregating the spiritual from the secular is an anathema to what God desires and intended.
If we truly love him, then we’re to worship 24/7. There should never be a time when we don’t worship him.
That, then, begs the question, “What is worship?”
Despite the preceding implication that worship is synonymous with the Sunday service, for many people worship is no more than a time of singing songs about God (or perhaps watching other people sing songs about God).
Sometimes a minister says, “Let’s worship God by giving our tithes and offerings.” I see generosity as a form of worship. But I’m turned off by the fact that the only time I hear the word worship is when someone’s asking for money.
The Bible says we’re to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). I love it!
I think this means we’re to worship God in all things, in all ways, and at all times. There is no spiritual time and non-spiritual time; it’s all spiritual. If everything is spiritual, then everything should be worship.
Worshiping God in all we do may mean they’re some things we need to stop doing, places we need to stop going, and words we need to stop saying.
You may opt to attend a church service on Sunday morning at 10 o’clock, but true worship can’t be scheduled and never ends.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront status quo religion and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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