Spirit and True Worship

I was concerned for a friend who misses worship, who has been unable to attend because of infirmity. I tried to be encouraging. I didn't have the right words. Then I saw this from Alan Knox. It's really well said. Why under the Prophet Blog heading? I don't think anything is more prophetic than entering into true worship. EVER.

Read this from Alan Knox:

.....the early Christians did worship, but they did not consider their church meetings (the times when they gathered together with other believers) to be a special type or kind or place or time of worship. Instead, they recognized that their entire life was lived as worship to God. Certainly this included the times they met with other believers. But, it also included other activities as well.

Certainly, reading and discussing Scripture can be worship. Certainly, sharing a meal together can be worship. Certainly, praying for or with someone can be worship.

But, in the same way, the early Christians could also say that going to the marketplace can be worship. Reading Scripture alone can be worship. Praying or singing alone can be worship. Preparing and eating a meal for your family can be worship. Working to earn support for your family can be worship.

The New Testament authors were consistent in writing that the early Christians gathered together as the church in order to edify, encourage, comfort, etc. one another. I think they recognized that as they served their brothers and sisters in this way, they worshiped God.

But, they did not use worship terminology to distinguish their times of meeting together from other times in their lives. Perhaps they recognized that doing so would have re-defined what it means to worship God.

I think the church is experiencing the ramifications of this type of re-definition today.

I made a note to a major Apostolic Leader yesterday that John Piper had once said, "evangelism programs exist because worship does not". I agree.

We don't "Get" worship. It's who we are. We were created to BE worship.

And THAT is the word of the Lord. Let's BECOME worship. By the way, in study of Martin Luther's writings, his paper on Vocation and Calling is exactly this.