Substitute Worship (Discussion)

"Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship." (Ro. 12:2)

In my devotional thought today I introduced this idea and I would like for us to tackle a discussion about it. With all of the new praise music available, and the lively introduction of a contemporarly style to the service some have talked about the "revival of worship." My interest today is not a debate about the style of worship. Worship style as far as traditional, country, contemporary, hip-hop or whatever is a conversation for a different day. My interest is in whether we are substituting an outward form for reality.

Regardless of style, I want us to think about what Paul says in Rom. 12. The word used for "worship" is the word that we get our word "liturgy" from. So in essence Paul says, true liturgy is found in living out every moment of your day in total surrender to Christ. He says it is the only "acceptable" form of worship to a God who has done so much for us. Does that mean, I think it does, that anything we offer to God from less than a position of total surrender is not acceptable?

If someone comes and participates fully in a worship celebration in any church, but leaves and there life is unchanged, did they worship? Paul wrote tot he Corinthians one time that they came together for worship and left worse off than when they came. If we come and pray, and sing, and hear a lesson, and go through all that is involved in a weekly celebration, but our life is unchanged, are we actually leaving in a worse condition than the way we arrived? At the very least, are we not just a little more hardened to the message of God? Is God really interested in how many Bible Study programs we have attended? Is He concerned about how much information we retain? Is He not all about life transformation?

Jump in, weigh in, raise your questions, voice your position. Let's do it.

All In (Devotional)

"I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, whish is your spiritual worship." (Rom. 12: 1-2)

When Jesus encountered the woman at the well in John 4, she commented that as a Samaritan they worshipped in the mountains and that the Jews worshipped in Jerusalem. Jesus pointed out to her that where you worship is not the issue, but how. He told her that true worship is in "spirit and in truth." That makes it a matter of the heart.

When Paul writes these words in Romans 12: 1-2 he also makes it a heart matter. He says true spiritual worship is in presenting yourself completely to God. It is a matter of total surrender of your life to God. It is being 'All in'.

I love the way I heard Manley Beasley put it one time. He said it is like taking a blank sheet of paper and signing it at the bottom, and then saying, "OK, God fill in the details."

When you consider all that God has done for you, outlined in Romans 1-11, then you realize the logical "therefore" of Rom. 12: 1-2. The only true spiritual worship is to totally present yourself to God, and say, "Ok, Lord, I am yours. I report for duty. Who do you want me to be? Where do you want me to go? What do you want me to do? I am all in."