Perspectives

Psalm 96:1-2… 1) Sing to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all the earth. 2) Sing to the LORD, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day. (NIV)

Ever have the desire deep down in your heart to go to church, and you wonder why? Well, personally, it makes me feel kind of good inside – and besides, it puts a song into my heart. It makes us want to be thankful. When we go to church, we want to praise a God who will come to judge the world… He will come to make things right. Too let us know that Jesus died of a broken heart and that He, God the Father raised Him from the dead on the third day. He will let us know that when Jesus took our sin upon Himself on the Cross, that He, God the Father being Holy, could not look upon sin, and therefore, turned His face from Jesus Christ and that broke Christ’s heart.

Our first responsibility in any church service is to worship God. It should be a genuine personal response of devotion and praise. True worship I believe is singing songs that come from deep down in our soul; songs that bless not just the song leader but the whole congregation and the very heart of Christ Himself. Bible reading, prayer, praise items, and preaching are all part of a worship service. A worship service should not be mechanical, but a joyous experience that lifts our soul in praise and adoration to Jesus Christ our Lord.

Attending a church service and worshipping in that church service are two different things. I suppose I need to ask myself the question, how often do I truly worship? I can remember sitting through an entire church service never really paying attention to what was happening in the worship service. It was as though my body was there, but my heart and mind were doing something else. I sing along without giving any thought to the meaning of the words. I see the preacher behind the pulpit, but I do not hear his message. I am like a puppet waiting for his master to make things happen, it is so mechanical. However, I have come to understand that being in church and worshipping are two different things. I have come to understand that worshipping is an expression of the soul; it is the stirring of the Holy Spirit within our heart, drawing our attention to Jesus Christ and the spiritual freedom we can enjoy. There are times when a proper respectful Christian atmosphere is very necessary for worship. I must have the thought in my heart that I will worship the Lord and I must strive to maintain this respect before God.

A worship service should encourage us to talk about our salvation. Talk about Christ’s saving grace. Talk about the God who existed before anything existed. Talk about a God who created the earth by His spoken word. Talk about a God who took the dust from the ground and made the first man called Adam. Praise Him for the seeding and the harvest season. Praise Him for the trees, the birds, and the vastness of the roaring sea. Tell everyone about the amazing things He does. Yes! It should teach us to reach out to those who do not believe. If we are saved as we say we are, then showing God’s power and saving grace in our new life is something that we might want to share with others.

Every Christian, I believe, wants to be part of a church congregation. We want to worship a righteous and a Holy God. The Holy Spirit within us reveals God’s loving-kindness. The Holy Spirit reminds us that God made known His love with the death of Christ on the Cross, a final sacrifice for the sins of the world. No wonder we want others to know what a wonderful and mighty God we have! Is there anyone of us who can understand His wisdom? Every living breathing thing lives by His power. Yes! We worship God and we recognize His awe-inspiring perfect love for us. We all want to understand and sense the touch of the Holy Spirit and the direction that God has appointed unto us…To God Be the Glory Great Things He Has Done.

Would you pray this prayer with me…? “Lord Jesus, come into my heart. Forgive my sins. I want my life to change. My thoughts and my attitude need to change. I do not have peace in my heart. I really want that peace, joy, and happiness that I long for. Please let the Holy Spirit help me be the kind of Christian that will bring honour to Your Name.” Amen