I spent a good bit of this Sunday night over at my Grandad's house. Side note: his house was a family project that I was part of helping to build. Anyway, that is not the point at all. I went over and he had some kind of Bill Gaither video playing. Yet another side note: Bill Gaither is not my favorite musician and doesn't play my favorite style of music. But as I was watching it with him, I got to thinking about music, worship, styles, selfishness, etc. And here's what I really thought about... but before I tell you I have to tell you it is a really simple concept but at the same time it is convicting and so applicable to situations all throughout the church, at least that is my opinion. But alas, here is what I got to thinking about: WORSHIP ISN'T ABOUT YOU AND WHAT YOU WANT!
Such a simple concept to understand and yet how hard it can be to apply at times. Let me give you an example by asking a question. How many people leave churches because they don't like the worship "style?" I don't know either, but it does happen and I know that every situation has specific circumstances, so I do not mean to generalize and condemn but if worship isn't about you and what you want than it must be about someone else, and if it isn't about what we want than it must be what someone else wants. Well, I submit to you that the "someone else" is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. But here is the really cool part that we get to play and I am going to steal a quote from my pastor, "The temple is where God expects to be worshiped." I Corinthians 3:17b reads, "For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." MIND=BLOWN!
God expects to be worshiped in the temple and we are God's temple. What does that mean? I know I don't know all that means, but here is what I do know. The temple is sacred and was used in the Old Testament as a symbol of God's presence. So somehow, you and I are sacred despite our sin and somehow in our sin, we still have the presence of God within us! All of that (and so much more) is possible because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus! Because we are God's temple, we are in the presence of the Most High, but we are still only in the outer courts while Jesus is our High Priest. God still expects to be worshiped by us and the outer courts are where the sacrifices were made. I wonder if that is why Paul would also write in Romans 12 to, "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices..."
Going back to worship through music, while I was over at my Grandad's listening to and watching this video, a quote by Martin Luther was shared and I wanted to share it here as well. "Next to the Word of God, the noble art of music is the greatest treasure in the world." Why? Luther continues to say because "It controls our hearts, minds, and spirits." So music is no doubt a powerful tool and the sound no doubt makes a difference, but the real issue isn't the style of music, but rather the message of music. Sadly, much of music promotes a self-centered lifestyle, which is expected of unbelievers but not for believers. We are God's temple and the temple is where God expects to be worshiped, so the focus is on him, not us. So, the question is what kind of music are we listening to and how does it control how we live and who we live for?
And with that, please enjoy (with perhaps a new perspective and a deeper appreciation) a song that Martin Luther himself wrote the words for (in a style very different than its original musical composition)! All you have to do is search A Mighty Fortress is Our God by Chris Rice!
Making pens and making a difference!
Daniel Patrick
www.facebook.com/PatrickCustomPens
www.stellasvoice.org
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