SPIRIT AND TRUTH

Worship. The more and more I study it, the more and more I realize that it could quite possibly take me a lifetime to fully grasp it. It's one simple word, yet the meaning and the implications it has are massive. I'm glad that I get to blog about this issue, because I will never not have anything to write. As I mentioned in my prior post, I want to slowly walk us through what I've been studying in scripture, literature, and even song books so that we might grow with one another as a body in the area of worship. I have also mentioned that I am far from perfect. Though I am confident in what God is revealing to me I am not spared from simple human error. So please give me grace, and if I fail too badly my number is posted on the blog. Though this post could go in many directions, my hope is that it will be understandable and beneficial to non-believers, new believers, and seasoned Christ-followers alike.

As we near the first official Sojourn Corporate Worship Gathering, I feel a pressing need to convey certain ideas that we all need to take into account. Hopefully, we are all excited about being able to gather on Sunday evenings and worship the Triune God through song, but I want to make sure that we know that the majority of our worship doesn't take place here.

I don't want to diminish the importance of gathering together and worshiping together. I devoted my prior blog to how important it is. I want us to understand how vast the implications are that we are called into a lifestyle of worship. First, let's look at meaning. Our modern culture ascribes a certain connotation to the word "worship". When we think of the word, we typically think of bowing down in reverence to, or chanting some kind of weird mantra to something in the place of deity. This leads to the idea that somehow we can escape worshiping or it is unnecessary. The problem is that our culture stops too soon on the meaning. Though bowing down to is one way to worship something, it does not fully encompass what is means to worship. The two basic forms of the word are "worth" and "ship". So what we worship is what we ascribe our worth to, or whatever we place our most value on. This means that no one does not worship because humans are constantly placing something on the throne of their lives and finding their identities in that very thing. Let me say it again: NO ONE DOES NOT WORSHIP. There are no exceptions. If you are a non-believer reading this, you may have a hard time accepting this. If you really search your own heart you are guaranteed to find that you have placed something above all in your life and you are endlessly pursuing it. This could be an idea, a person, security, safety, comfort, your intellect, etc. By definition, that is the thing you worship. So, hopefully, I have put to death this idea that somehow someone does not have to worship anything because our affections and pursuits and values will fall somewhere. Now for the believer: let's examine our own hearts and have God painstakingly point out the things we might be worshiping. The bible calls worship of anything other than God idolatry (2 Chron 25:14, 1 Samuel 15:23). Let's look at a brief theology of worship and idolatry.

I'm going to try to walk us slowly through a concept that often ruffles feathers when I mention it outright. We learn in Isaiah 43:7 that God created everything for His glory. It also says in Genesis 1:27 that we were created in His image. So if God creates us for His glory, and in His image, where does it sound like His ultimate affections lie? The answer is in Himself. Am I suggesting that God worships Himself? Yes. God is endlessly pursuing His glory. Let's wrestle with this for a minute. If we believe that God is the most central, infinite, and beautiful being in the universe then it would make sense that His affections would be focused on Himself. Now, does this mean that God's love for us means anything different than we initially thought? No. In fact, it means He loves us more than we can imagine. The fact that He created us in His image as an act of worship unto Himself means that He loves us with such a divine love that we can only ever hope to grasp its fullness through the gospel. Now if you are a believer and are bothered by this notion that God worships Himself, I dare say that you may have a deep, dark need to have a God who worships you, not the other way around. I would encourage you to put yourself in perspective in the midst of the countless souls that have come and gone from the earth, and how small your role is on this earth, and how short your life really is on this earth....then take comfort in knowing that you are living under the unmerited favor and love of the one true God. I stated earlier that worship of anything other than God is idolatry. The same is true for God. If He worshiped us, or anything He created, he would be an idolater. I tell you all this to convey one point: our sole purpose is to worship God. We were created in His image so that we would reflect His glory back to Him, in a life of constantly ascribing our worth and affections solely on Him. This was the perfect harmony in the world and what our main focus initially was until something tragic happened.

There's this primitive sounding word called "idolatry" that first happened in the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis. In Genesis 3 we see the serpent asking Eve what God had actually commanded. God had commanded Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In verses 4 and 5 the serpent says "you will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God knowing good and evil". This was the selling point for Eve. Those words "be like God" meant to Eve that she could be her own God. Eventually Adam falls for the same trickery administered this time by Eve. So at that point, we had chose a life apart from God, a life as our own gods. We became idolaters. Idolatry, just as worship, carries a certain connotation in our culture. We think of Buddha statues, or little carved figurines. The teachings of Paul the apostle tell us something much different though. An idol can be anything that takes the place of God in our hearts. And idols are usually good things. We have to look at what we sacrifice the most for, what gives us the most joy, what we daydream about often, and what really motivates our spirits to unveil the idols of our own hearts. Because our father Adam fell into idolatry, we too are prone to idolatry. How easily we fall into pattern of making something ultimate in our lives rather than the One who gave us this life!

The good news is that God made a way for us to worship Him again. Through the death of His son Jesus Christ, the propitiation for our sins, we can again be restored back to the original harmony and worship lifestyle we were created for.

Now what does this have to do with singing songs to Jesus? Everything. At Sojourn you will hear Pastor Joseph, and I (when given opportunities) tell you that worship does not stop after we are done singing. It is everything we do. As a matter of fact, singing songs to the Lord should make up a small portion of our worship to Him. Harold Best says in his book Unceasing Worship "we do not come to church to worship. Rather, we come to church to continue our worship." This understanding should make the corporate gathering of singing songs more joyful. We are able to understand who God is, how he has allowed us to worship Him fully in His son Jesus, and now we can be in community with one another singing joyful songs unto the Lord, knowing that it is only one way for us to place Him as ultimate in our hearts.

Would you join me in this endeavor? Will you allow the Holy Spirit to lovingly expose your idols and allow Christ to sanctify you? Will you allow Him to let you experience true worship?

Ryan P

I will never claim to know every single complexity or nuance of Christ-inspired worship. The Creator God who set the universe in motion is much too deep for any individual or "creation" to make such a claim. With that said, the aim of this writing is not to impose a junk heap of "head knowledge" on all who read and glorify myself (God forbid) by exacting everything I think on the internet. My purpose here is to share with all who read what God has been revealing to me through study, prayer, and meditation. I hope this brings a sense of encouragement, refreshment, and excitement to all worshipers who plan on attending (or giving their life to) Sojourn Community Church, as well as all Christ followers who read this. Though I am truly a fallible man representing an infallible Christ, my hope is that these ideas would spur you to reassess, and reconsider your own walk with Him in the manner of corporate worship.


I've played in several worship bands, in several different scenarios, on several different teams, with several different churches in my short time on this earth. I've come to one consistent conclusion every time: every experience is different and reveals a new facet of God's glory. It is a popular theme in our churches to buffet what we don't like about other churches' styles of worship. It is also popular to say "I can't worship to that stuff". I'm guilty of it. I think we should repent and ask God to open our hearts to every worship experience He has for us to offer up to Him. As Christians we are constant worshipers. EVERY THING WE DO IS AN ACT OF WORSHIP. Am I asking every Christian to sit through hours and hours of agonizing music just to prove the fact that they are true worshipers? No. The Ultimate question for us to ask as Christ followers is this: Am I more content with the worship music I am hearing being good and pleasing to my ears...or is Christ glorified? God is transcendent of musical style and culture. We cannot be naive enough (or arrogant enough) to say that God is more glorified in one church than another, or more in one city than another. Excellence in worship music is another subject altogether, but please do consider the fact that God may be seeking your worship regardless of your current discomfort or circumstance. In his book "Unceasing Worship" Harold Best says "Being completely and authentically Christian is a profound undertaking, a discipline of magnificent proportion and complexity. It takes every second of redeemed time and every ounce of redeemed strength. It is a welcome and winsome mix of work, rest, and celebration. It is a God-authored consortium of things made and things believed, and, in God's plan, a life of constant worship."


So then there's the question of why worship in a corporate gathering is important. First of all...it's biblical. You'll find it littered throughout the Old Testament (Exodus 25:8, 40:34-38; 1 Chronicles 22:19; 2 Chronicles 5:13-14). Also in the New Testament the apostle Paul applies the concept of "temple" to the individual person (2 Corinthians 6:14-18) and to the Christian community as a whole (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Second of all...if we are to be full worshipers of God in Christ, then corporate gathering is absolutely necessary because it is a necessary aspect of experiencing the glory of God. In an essay by Timothy J. Ralston, the writer asserts that "whenever believers gather in community, they form the earthly sanctuary in which God's rule is manifested and God's sacrifices are offered." This is a beautiful statement to me. We have the opportunity to worship our beautiful Creator where we are standing, but gathering with fellow believers is a different animal altogether. There is also the dispute of God "showing up" in certain situations of worship. Although I do understand the idea that we do go to deeper levels with God at different times, and that God responds to those who worship him "in spirit and truth", I'd like to just clarify what I've learned and share it with you. If we assume that the book of Jeremiah is true (which it is) then God is one who is both near and far. He is omnipresent and fills both heaven and the earth. So under that assumption, God is right where we're standing. So the idea is that He is already in our church buildings, our homes, our offices,...you name it. So we cannot cause God to leave through "bad worship". He simply chooses to manifest His glory where He sees fit, and where He sees fit is in the hearts of those who worship Him with deep affection and a deep thirst for the Truth revealed through scripture. And in a room filled with believers of that capacity, who is to deny the glory that may be manifested there? If we choose not to open ourselves to the infinite manifestations of God's glory we are seriously robbing ourselves of our walk with Christ. Though no person is able to experience God in His fullest capacity, it is God's desire for us to experience Him in OUR fullest capacity.

And the final question I feel is important to close this out: How do I know I am truly worhipping God? I can't count the number of times I've asked myself the same question in all phases of my personal walk with Christ. The good news is that this is a sign of humility, out of a true heart to want to worship Him. All believers are subject to constant sanctification and growth in Him. The way we know that we are worshipping "in spirit and truth" is the same way we gained life itself: through Jesus Christ. It's simple really. We are able to hear the Gospel of Christ, realize who God is and what He has done, and it will cause authentic worship. God did not send Christ to die for us so that we would wear it as a badge and pat God on the back once in a while. He saved us so we would worship Him. He knew that our deepest affections for Him would not come through our own shallow understanding of His fullness, but our understanding of the mercy and grace of a God who would die to reconcile His people back to Him.

More importantly to understand what authentic worship is, we look to the perfect worshipper: Jesus Christ. His whole life was worship.

So again, I know that was a lot, but it is my prayer that all believers and those who will be apart of Sojourn Community alike will ask God to allow the Gospel to take root in their hearts and inspire true worship. Please labor with me in tearing down our self-imposed walls through the glorification of Jesus through all means of worship.

Ryan P.