WORSHIP

Would you be poured out like a wine-offering upon the altar? Would you be broken like the bread of life to feed those hungry for God? Would you be so ONE with God that you would cheerfully accept His will as your own?

The desire to worship is inherent in man, and man will worship. Whether he worships wealth, fame, social prestige, political power, learning, vain philosophy and the pseudo-wisdom of the world, or whether his idol is another being: man, woman, angel, or demon -- the results are the same: If he worships not God he's finally debased to the dreadful dead-end of SELF-worship.

We have been created by our Saviour-God to worship HIM, and HIM ONLY. It's a great mystery as to why His plan of salvation includes the errancy of mankind, but the fact is that man has gone astray and follows after false gods, most of whom turn out to be himself. Worship of the idols I've listed, or any other idol (Bible, Sunday School, church, etc) never satisfies that most profound desire we have to worship, because only as we worship the LORD our God do we find that while we focus on HIM, HE responds by enriching our life with His presence. His presence satisfies that deep longing in our soul for communion with Him.

The worshipper will do well to remember that the longing to worship doesn't originate with man -- it comes from God:

"O come, let us sing for joy to the LORD,

Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.

Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;

Let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms.

For the LORD is a great God,

And a great King above all gods...

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 95.1-3,6-7 NASB)

HE put the desire in man, implanted a NEED for man to worship One greater than himself. This desire is the Creator drawing from His creation the worship and praise rightly due Him. True worship is fellowship, intimate communion, -- a blessing to both Receiver and giver.

The intense longings to worship which the Psalmist expressed in Psalm 42.1-2,7 is the result of God's placing in him this yearning for Himself:

"As the deer pants for the water brooks,

So my soul pants for Thee, O GOD.

My soul thirsts for God, for the living God;

When shall I come and appear before God?

Deep calls to deep at the sound of thy waterfalls;

All thy breakers and thy waves have rolled over me"

(NASB)

This thirst to know the LIVING GOD is the calling of the deep -- and it's a two-way street. It's not only our desire for Him, but His desire for us, too, that we are experiencing in our spirit when we respond to this deep-to-deep call.

The call of God to man is first noted in the garden of Eden, when He came to fellowship with Adam. It's not known to what extent or for how long God shared intimate communion with Adam and Eve, but the sacred record takes up the story at the time when man disobeyed and broke fellowship, hiding himself in his shame: "And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God CALLED TO THE MAN, and said to him, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3.8-9, NASB, my emphasis).

The intimacy had fled. The purity of worship was gone. From that time God has been calling to man; "Come, and worship."

Jesus strongly emphasized this when He said to the woman at the well, "But the hour is coming, and NOW IS, when the true worshippers shall worship the FATHER in spirit and truth; for such people the Father SEEKS to be His worshippers" (John 4.23, NASB, my emphasis).

That's interesting! "..THE FATHER SEEKS ."

God is omnipresent; God is omniscient. He knows exactly where we are and our state of being -- yet we hear His cry to come and worship. No -- not a coercive form of worship and not a formal bag of trick phrases meant to mollify Him -- but a worship which flows from a willing heart -- freely, joyfully, because we have heard His deep calling to our deep and we love Him.

Note again the word "seeks". It is, in the Greek New Testament, a form of the word "zeteo" which means "to seek in order to find; to strive after; to require", and often implies a search for something hidden. This same word presumes a search for something strongly desired by the seeker, a desire that absolutely requires fulfillment.

This plan and purpose that is being worked out through the ages was conceived in the heart of our God and is meant to bring something to Himself that He desires. Since all creation is for His good pleasure, that desire is for expanded fellowship, a blessed communion of worship which flows from the heart of His creation. Worship that doesn't flow from the heart, praise that doesn't truly magnify the LORD, not having been born of the Spirit, is NOT worship in spirit and truth -- and the Father DOESN'T seek such. That kind of worship, in all its man-trappings and forced liturgy can be found in millions of churches, mosques, meeting houses, and is rife in the moribund empire of heedless and hare-brained TV-radio land.

Who needs it?

The Holy Spirit through Jeremiah 29.13 says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." The two words "seek", though different in form and phonetics, mean the same thing by implication. "Baqash", the first "seek", means to search out by any method but specifically by worship and prayer; to strive after. The second "seek" is translated from the Hebrew/Chaldee, "darash", and usually means to follow, to pursue diligently, to search -- especially in worship. (Please see Strong's 1245 and 1875; Wilson's Old Testament Word Studies, and Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words for more exhaustive study. Deuteronomy 4.29 and 30.2 are instructive).

So we see that we will find our heart's desire, Our Creator, when in spirit and truth (reality) we seek with all our heart.

A comparable commanding phrase, (and a wonderful promise) is found at Luke 10.27, "...Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind..." This is an unequivocal explanation of the command (and promise!), "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." All worship is to be wholly directed to the LORD our God -- because we love him, first and foremost, with all our being, and such worship makes this certain: HE WILL FIND US, because He knows exactly where we are and what our state of being is.

If we desire to sense the presence of God and experience His reality in our life then we WORSHIP HIM! "...you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. And I will be found of you, declares the LORD..." (Jeremiah 29.13-14, NASB).

We can trace this call to worship all through the sacred writings, and we come to the Revelation 14.6-7 where it is written in bold and direct language:

"Then I saw another angel flying in mid-heaven, holding the everlasting gospel to proclaim to the inhabitants of the earth -- to every tribe and language and people. He was crying in a loud voice: "Reverence God, and give glory to Him; for the hour of His judgement has come! Worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water" (Phillip's Translation).

"Everlasting gospel" -- the aionian , age-during, good news declared throughout all the ages, remains the same -- "Fear God, reverence God, and worship Him" -- , direct all your reverence and worship to the Almighty and "thou shalt have no other gods before me."

I think it's greatly significant that "worship" in it's several spiritual forms is the only thing we can give our God, and then only because He has blessed us with the "offering" which we give.

"For who makes you different from anyone else? What do you have that you didn't receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (1 Corinthians 4.7, NIV).

We bring our LORD an offering of worship -- but only after He first blesses us with the desire and ability to present that offering. It amazes me that many people boast that God is using THEIR talents, THEIR abilities, THEIR strength and THEIR personalities to "do something" for God and serve and worship Him -- as if HE is not the giver. The only worship generated by carnality is carnal -- and NOT in truth and spirit; it's vanity.

In His humanity, stripped of all HIS pre-existent glory, Jesus prayed, "Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee," (John 17.1). Jesus had emptied Himself of all celestial glories, and HE had none to offer back to the Father until first the Father glorified Him, the Son. Then the Son was able to glorify the Father.

In the same way, what He gives us in all of the gifts and graces of His Holy Spirit, we can offer back to Him, -- but WITHOUT HIS GIVING WE HAVE NOTHING TO OFFER. Once fully realizing this in the depth of our spirit, worship will flow to Him spontaneously, willingly, lovingly -- , deep calling to deep.

"And God said, `Let us make man in our image, after our likeness'" (Genesis 1.26). Being in His image, worshipping Him, communing with Him, "participating in common" with His Spirit is worship in its purest form, and when this fellowship is broken -- our lives are broken. The world is full of broken lives in and out of the benighted "church" of this age.

Lack of true worship to God is at the base of man's sinful struggle in this earthly realm. "To sin" -- the Greek word "amartano" means to miss the mark, to err, to fall short of attainment, and when our worship is not directed Godward, but turned away toward "other gods" -- idol, man, fame, power, church programs and projects, self, -- whatever -- then sin is not only at the door but has entered. Purging is required.

Romans 1.21,25, says:

"When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful; -- (and they) changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature (what was created) more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. (My parenthesis).

That's quite a problem! "Knowing God" (literal translation) man neither thanked nor glorified Him as God. "All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to HIS OWN way" (Isaiah 53.6, NASB). Self was asserted, the "I will" of man took control, and turning away from acknowledging that God is GOD, man didn't glorify Him as God. It's clear that man must KNOW GOD before he can worship Him -- and true worship requires a consciousness and acknowledgement of His Person. Fundamentally, worship is a person responding to a Person, deep calling to deep, obeisance of one to another. In the scripture cited, the Holy Spirit tells us that man ceased to worship God and diverted his worship elsewhere. It rightly follows that "neither were they thankful".

God was no longer the focus of praise and thanksgiving.

Scripture has given us a very clear example of how this "falling short" or "missing the mark" happens: Israel had been delivered from the slavery of Egypt, led through the Red Sea, and had seen their tormentors destroyed by God's hand. They saw how "the waters covered their adversaries; not one of them survived. Then they believed His promises and they sang His praise." BUT, "They soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel." It wasn't long until, "At Horeb they made a calf and worshipped an idol cast from metal. They exchanged their glory for an image of a bull, which eats grass. They forgot the God who saved them,..." (Psalm 106.11-13, 19-21, NIV).

They changed the truth of God into a lie; they worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator. The word "serve" comes from a Greek word (latreuo) which is always used to indicate worship and/or service to God, and we must remember there IS a service connected with WORSHIP which is to be totally GODWARD. The first time this particular word is used in the New Testament is in Matthew 4.10, when Jesus said to the Adversary, "For it is written: "Worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only. (NIV). In our King James Version the Greek words for "worship" and "serve" are often switched back and forth rather indiscriminately, from which fact I gather that the translators understood the two to be very similar in meaning. Vine's Expanded Dictionary of New Testament words gives both meanings of "latreuo" as valid with "worship" preceding "serve".

In the above cited scripture Jesus used both words "proskuneo" and "latreuo". I don't think it's profitable to belabor the fact, but I do think it's interesting that even today churchdom still speaks of its Sunday morning WORSHIP SERVICE -- a mute witness that their time of assembling is meant to be a time of SERVICE TO GOD, time dedicated to worshipping Him, serving Him, glorifying Him, and ministering to Him. Man has strayed far away from this, -- often the entire hour is devoted to ritual posturing and vain repetition of traditional liturgy, the singing of a couple of sleep-producing hymns and a whole lot of other wasteful word-wanking. Announcements of coming social events, begging money for building programs, entertainment usually meant to build up SELF-esteem are substituted for devotion specifically to the WORSHIP and SERVICE OF GOD.

Most of the present apostate church has forgotten the primary purpose of any group fellowship is WORSHIP -- TO GODWARD. Out of that fellowship comes love for one another, waves of blessing, and it will ultimately truly bless the whole creation.

In Exodus 8.1 we read that Moses said to Pharaoh,"Thus saith the LORD, `Let My people go, that they may SERVE ME'". (The NIV, Moffat's Translation, and one or two others translate "worship me", and Knox translates "sacrifice to me". Apparently even in Hebrew/Chaldee the words for "worship" and "serve" were easily interchangeable.)

Anyway, God made it clear to Pharaoh that His people shouldn't render WORSHIP/SERVICE to God there in Egypt, and I'm sure the worship rendered would have been an abomination to the Egyptians. The world of flesh never understands the true worship that flows freely out of the heart to God, in love and awe.

True worship doesn't happen in the land of Egypt. (Let the reader understand).

Further, it probably would surprise some plain-paper-wrapped christians that God is very readily worshipped without a building. Buildings more often than not get in the way, becoming idols. Certainly, man can worship in a building set aside for such purpose, but the building frequently becomes an "end", rather than a "place" of worship -- stained glass, beautiful organ music, rich choir loft and robes, plush pews and none but the most charismatic speakers, et cetera -- and the LORD is pushed aside to a brief mention in the seventeen minute "presentation" --. What does it profit? Have we forgotten that the "church buildings" of Jesus and the first century apostles and preachers were homes? And some very humble homes they were, no doubt.

In true worship, in spirit and in truth (reality) we counteract our fleshly independence and pride, we acknowledge our need of God, and declare our place in His creation. HE IS LORD! We are His creatures -- and in true humility we offer OURSELVES to Him in self-surrendering obeisance. To me it seems most significant that the Hebrew/Chaldee word most often (108 to 10) translated in the "old" testament for "worship" is "shachah" which means to bow down, to pay adoration, to worship, though not necessarily prostration as in worship of an idol. Self becomes humble in His presence, and HE is exalted -- the result of worship in spirit and in truth.

This exaltation becomes a sort of creative inworking force because as we affirm our dependence upon the Father of Spirits for every facet of our existence, HE FILLS US WITH HIS LIFE and we are reborn, requickened, re-enlivened -- and our process of BECOMING WHAT HE IS IN CHRIST advances.

Man would fain run after every new doctrine preached by any man with a bit of burlesque glitz about him: "New Age", "New Charismatic Catholicism", and just about anything that scratches the itching ear of self esteem and freedom from responsibility -- BUT -- man isn't the source of our life -- GOD is. He is the beginning and end -- our very breath. We might even say that while we worship Him, God breathes life into us in a sort of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation by imparting His Spirit.

In the mystery of worship and adoration we ascribe to God His glory and His worthiness, and in so doing come into an intimate awareness of His uncountable attributes. Man can find fault with systems, with mankind, with churchdom, with religion, but never with Jesus Christ our LORD and Saviour. As we seek to magnify Him, we are awakened to His ineffable Majesty and unfathomable love for us. His wholeness is imparted to us, and out of weakness we become strong.

After Paul had pled with the Lord to take away his "thorn in the flesh", the Lord said to him:

"My grace -- my favor and lovingkindness and mercy -- are enough for you, (that is, sufficient against any danger and to enable you to bear the trouble manfully); for My strength and power are made perfect -- fulfilled and completed and show themselves most effective in (your) weakness. Therefore, (*Paul says by the spirit*) I will all the more gladly glory in my weakness and infirmities that the strength and power of Christ, the Messiah, may rest -- yes, may pitch a tent (over) and dwell -- upon me" (2 Corinthians 12.9, Amplified Bible, *...* my explanation).

Jesus illustrated this clearly with His parable of the two men that went to pray (Luke 18.9-14) -- you remember, one was a Pharisee, the other a tax-collector, and "...the Pharisee stood up and prayed to himself: `God, I thank you that I'm not like other men -- robbers, evildoers, adulterers -- or even like this tax collector...". Then we read what the tax collector said. The thing to understand here is that the WORDS used by the Pharisee aren't in themselves the problem. Does anyone want to be a publican -- an IRS Agent? It is the direction the prayer took that failed to justify the Pharisee -- because he directed his worship to himself rather than to God who ONLY is worthy of all worship -- amen! The Pharisee prayed to himself , and if you want to hear more such battological bunkum just listen to some of the prayers offered in play-church, TV, radio, or otherwise, most of which are vain exercises in self-worship.

It is in our worship that "we, who with unveiled faces reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit" (2 Corinthians 3.18, NIV).

We become like the God we worship. Whatever the image of God we worship and serve -- it is into this image that we shall be changed:

Why do the nations say, "Where is thy God?"

Our God is in heaven, He does whatever pleases Him.

But their idols are silver and gold,

Made by the hands of men.

They have mouths, but cannot speak,

Eyes, but they cannot see.

They have ears, but cannot hear,

Noses, but they cannot smell;

They have hands, but cannot feel,

Feet, but they cannot walk;

Nor can they utter a sound with their throats.

THOSE WHO MAKE THEM WILL BE LIKE THEM,

AND SO WILL ALL WHO TRUST IN THEM.

(Psalm 115.2-8, see also Psalm 135.15-18).

The rule is: worship the material world and share in the same worthless state; worship our blessed LORD Jesus Christ, and become as He is, changed into His image, bear His likeness and participate commonly in His nature. Our processing is vitally connected to worship, and we need an increased worship-relationship with our God that will change our "lifestyle" until it actually becomes a river of HIS life flowing through and from us -- changing us as it blesses all around us.

Submission to our Lord's will is at the heart's core of worship, but it NOT a fawning, freakish religiosity that vulgarizes truth -- no, it's a loving RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM. In this communion we sing "You are LORD, You are LORD, You are risen from the dead, and You are LORD. Now my knee shall bow, and my tongue confess, that You, O Christ, are LORD".

The confession of HIS LORDSHIP has inherent with it a true acknowledgement of our own low estate except we be joined to Him. In our communion with Him we become fully aware of our estate as SERVANT, and this awareness strikes at the very soul and seat of egoism, of elitism, and all of self that might separate us from true participation in His life. God revealed this to John. John said, "He (Jesus) must increase and I must decrease".

The closer we draw to our LORD-SAVIOUR, the more our relationship with those around us balances -- and we do not esteem ourselves higher than we ought. HE ALONE IS EXALTED!

The Holy Spirit tells us in Romans 11.26 (citing Isaiah and Jeremiah) that "The deliverer will come from Zion; He will turn godlessness (ungodliness) away from Jacob". The word translated 'godlessness' or 'ungodliness' here is from a Greek word meaning "to be irreverent", id est, to fail to venerate, to fail to exalt, to fail to submit to, and fail to worship God. It's not just a failure in conduct, although that's included -- (living outwardly ungodlike is irreverent) but this strikes at the core of the issue: the recognition of the person and character of God. It is well said that in Him we live, and move, and have our being, so we should conduct ourselves accordingly.

What cleansings, what purgings are needed to bring us to the pure worship of God!! "Fear God, -- worship Him, -- for the time of His judgement has come!" These phrases are linked with the "everlasting gospel -- the age-during good news" as noted in Revelation 14.7. The Holy Spirit also says in Isaiah 17.9:

"By this, then, will Jacob's guilt be atoned for,

And this will be the full fruitage of the removal of his sin,

When He makes all the altar stones

to be like chalk stones crushed to pieces;

No asherah poles or incense altars will be left standing."

This places a direct connection between man's sin and all the altars of worship he has built to idols, to gods that are not God. God will "TAKE AWAY SIN, when HE makes all the altar stones as chalk stones" -- that is -- when FALSE WORSHIP IS COMPLETELY DONE AWAY, and man is brought back into correct alignment with his Creator.

Our Lord has some great and interesting ways of breaking down altars and knocking down those who have exalted themselves and have let their "public" place them on pedestals. What crushings and grindings are taking place now, and what even greater reduction is yet to come!

The groves, the high places, are being torn down, and those who have worshipped there are left exposed and naked for having placed their trust in a man, a system or a religion, rather than in God Himself. Look around you! Do you not see the direct intervention of God's mighty hand working vengeance?

We read in Genesis 22.5 the first incidence of the word for worship being used in our Bible. "And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here...and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you". So Abraham and Isaac went to the place which God had designated, and built an altar. This submission to the will of God, this readiness to offer his only son, the son of promise, upon the altar is true worship, true submission to the omnipotence of God. We know how God provided a "substitute" for Isaac, and how altars played such a great part in Abraham's life. It was Abraham's submission to worship that sustained him in his relationship with God.

We need to give our attention to the priority of worship. When we have troubles, hurts, difficult decisions to make, depressing moods or anger to conquer, we need to take them to God's altar in worship. There we can acknowledge our need of Him, bow low before Him and let Him impart His life to us.

Our very coming to Him honors Him. "O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. For He is our God; and we are the sheep of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand." (Psalm 95.6).

A real cause for us to BOW THE KNEE or kneel in worship is that we might be blessed by Him, enriched by His grace, so that we might be a blessing to all nations, for the word "to kneel" or "bow the knee" implies a blessing to be received and given. It is so used in various places in scripture and deserves more than the casual mention which time and space permit here. Perhaps at a later date as the LORD wills.

The more we learn to KNEEL BEFORE HIM, not just in an outward act of bending the knee, but in attitude of heart, the more we BLESS THE LORD, and in turn are blessed by Him. The more we become instruments of blessing the more "the nations" shall be drawn to worship Him and become partakers of HIS LIFE. It is truly written, "...in thy seed shall all nations of the earth be blessed" -- not with a new culture, doctrine or credo of "do's" and "don't's" but with pure worship in Spirit and reality.

"Him we preach and proclaim, warning and admonishing every one in all wisdom, (incomprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God), that we may present every person mature -- full grown, fully initiated, complete and perfect -- in Christ, the Anointed One" (Colossians 1.28 Amplified).

We rave and rant about our duty to carry the good news of Christ to all men. How many men have beaten the air with ineffectual man-made evangelizing; how many threatening and whining words have been spouted in vain attempts to "evangelize" the earth, no one but God knows. It has become clear that if we truly want to carry the wonderful life-giving news of Christ to all the nations the most effectual witness will be our WORSHIP-RELATIONSHIP with God. When we worship Him IN, and FOR, all things, and exalt Him as LORD OF ALL, then, it can be realized,

"But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw ALL MEN TO MYSELF" (John 23.32, NIV, my emphasis).

And then:

"So shall He startle and sprinkle many nations; Kings shall shut their mouths because of Him; for that which has not been told them shall they see, and that which they have not heard they shall consider and understand (Isaiah 52.15, NIV. See also Romans 15.21).

As we WORSHIP GOD, in spirit and truth, He shall be revealed to all men and they shall be drawn to Him -----