#10 Worship and the Church -Podcast

The problem with our understanding of worship is that it is often limited to what happens during the church service on Sunday morning!

In this episode of “Now is the Time” I talk about why worship is vital to the life of the church and how we can incorporate worship into every aspect of church life!

This episode builds on last week’s podcast so if you didn’t get a chance to hear it you might want to check out “How to Find Your Idols”.

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Why is worship vital to the church?

• Because everyone has idols

We don’t like to admit it but we know it’s true, we all struggle with idols.  At the beginning Adam and Eve gave in to the most basic idol of all -SELF! Satan promised them that they would be like God! Gen 3:5.

However, as with any idol, the promise proved empty and the results catastrophic!

The rest of the Old Testament is a record of man turning away from God in pursuit of idols and God pursuing  man through His prophets and calling them to leave their idols.

The New Testament is no different. Paul preached so vigorously against idols that he caused a riot in one city! Acts 19:23-27

The task of the church is to identify idols, remove them and then replace them with true worship of the true God.

For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God. 1 Thessalonians 1:9

• Because following Jesus isn’t about following a new set of rules 

Jesus said that the greatest commandment was;

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  Matthew 22:37

While other religions come down to a set of rules or a method of living, Christianity is different. Jesus called people to respond on a heart level. He was calling them to a life of worship!

This verse also helps us to see that worship must be holistic (heart, soul, mind). That also means it’s impossible to worship God one day a week on Sunday mornings!

If you’re not worshipping God Monday through Saturday then you’re deceiving yourself to think that you can come on Sunday morning and turn on the “worship switch”!

• Because the church is God’s people

The Psalmist words say it best here.

Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Psalm 95:7

The church is God’s people and as His people we are designed to worship Him!

Resources

This is almost a classic now and it’s definitely a book worth reading. D.A. Carson along with Timothy Keller, R. Kent Hughes and Mark Ashton present a thoroughly Biblical yet practical examination of worship.

If you do read it, let me know what you think!

Question: What other ways besides music can the church engage in worship?

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 26:41 — 24.4MB) | Embed

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