A Worshipping Community

As we continue our series on our Mission, Vision and Values we come to the first of our values as a church.

In all we do we seek to be; A worshipping community where every member glorifies God through their life, creative abilities and resources

Worship  means many things to different people.

But I think you can look at it like going to the beach.

If I say to you we are going to the beach we each imagine that in a different way depending on our own experience.

For some of us that means sitting in the sand and building sand castles.

For some it is running up and down sand hills.

For others it is grabbing the surf board and riding the waves.

For others it is jumping through the breakers.

For others body surfing.

For others it is swimming way out the back and tempting the sharks.

For others it is finding some shade and simply sitting and enjoying the sound of the waves because you don’t like the sharks and jellyfish and sea lice.

We each experience and appreciate the beach in different ways.

So it is with worship, but worship is far more than our experience or even our preferences as to style.

Worship goes beyond me, myself and I.

Because ultimately worship is about God.

As I said last week when we spoke about our vision statement.

Ultimately everything is about glorifying God, not self.

In worship human beings recognize God for his attributes and express this through adoration, praise, thanksgiving, service, and living holy lives. Worship constitutes the primary calling of humans.

Worship in the Life of the Church an article by Ed Smither in the Lexham Survey of Theology (Ward, M., Parks, J., Ellis, B., & Hains, T. (Eds.). (2018). Lexham Survey of Theology. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press. Exported from Logos Bible Software)

Worship is a central theme of Scripture.

Starting with Adam serving God in the garden of Eden before the fall, right through to the redeemed worshipping God in the New Jerusalem.

Worship flows throughout Scripture.

Whether it be the repeated calls of the prophets to the people of Israel to turn from their idolatry and only worship the one true God.

Or the Ten Commandments which start with a focus on loving God with all of your being.

To the Psalms, a collection of worship songs, laments and reflections that served as the song book of Israel.

To the Gospels where Christ’s followers recognize him as the divine Son of God and worship him in Luke 24:52, and through to the early church in the book of Acts where believers regularly gathered to worship as in Acts 2:46 and 13:1.

Just like our experience of the beach worship took many forms throughout the early church.

It took the form of Baptism where new believers, usually following an intense period of instruction identified with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection.

It took the form of the Lord’s Supper as believers gathered together on a regular basis to focus on the redeeming work of Christ and to remind themselves of all that this cost.(Matt 26:17–30; Mark 14:12–26; Luke 22:7–39).

It took the form of the church community gathering together to read and teach the Scriptures, of singing Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual songs (Eph 5:19).

It took the form of corporate prayer, of the giving of tithes and offerings, of showing hospitality, sharing communal meals, of serving one another and serving the community at large. (Acts 2:42–47; 2 Cor 9:7; Acts 6:1–7).

The love of the church for one another and for the poor and suffering in the community became legendary.

So much so that news of their radically different lifestyle reached the Emperor in Rome.

So central is Worship in the life of the church that the article quoted earlier goes on to say that;

“As God’s people enjoy the presence of the Lord, the worshiping church naturally becomes the church on mission.”

“Following evangelism, discipleship, and church planting, new believers become devoted worshipers.”

“Worship, then, is the beginning and end of mission.”

How do we worship God at Renew Baptist Church?

Our Value is that, In all we do we seek to be; A worshipping community where every member glorifies God through their life, creative abilities and resources

Well firstly we seek to be a church that always remembers it is about glorifying God.

Worship here, in whatever form it takes, isn’t about me, myself and I.

It is about bringing glory to God.

It means whether you raise your hands or not, kneel or stand, sing in tune or out, dance or stand still, open your eyes or close them.

It is about glorifying God, really focusing on coming before the Lord in thanksgiving and praise.

It is neither showing off or hiding.

Because both are about the individual, their pride or their fears and not God.

You can’t hide from God anyway and really we are more interested in you worshipping than we are in whether you measure up to some self imposed and unrealistic standard.

It means that the worship leader, singers and musicians focus on bringing the congregation to focus on God.

Not their good looks, fancy clothes, wonderful musical abilities or ability to follow the latest trends.

It means that we don’t really care how old or young a particular song is.

Instead we choose the song on the meaning of the words, the ability of the congregation to sing it, and whether it has a good tune or not.

We recognize that no song can contain all theological truth, we are just careful to make sure that the song isn’t theologically false.

So it doesn’t matter, when it was written or by whom, if it meets those criteria we will use it.

It means that if God has gifted you with creativity we expect that you will honour the Holy Spirit’s enabling and use your gifts for his glory.

If your painting honours God, then let’s find a way to use that.

If your singing, or playing of an instrument glorifies God then let’s find a way to use that.

Even if it needs a little work, let’s look for ways for you to contribute.

If your writing or building props honours God, then let’s find a way to use that.

Even if your liturgical dance honours God ............

Then maybe ............

Apparently it works for some people.

Worship at Renew Baptist church, as for the church throughout history and as commanded in Scripture goes way beyond the corporate gathering and the singing of songs.

It includes all of our life.

Worship includes how our life is lived

John Stott a great theologian kept track of all the best thoughts and quotes he ever came across.

He recorded these on cards and filed them according to topic.

Whenever he used one of these quotes or thoughts he would record it in his note system.

When it came to how worship includes our entire life one of the quotes John Stott used came from William Temple

“Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His Holiness; the nourishment of mind with his truth; the purifying of imagination by his beauty; the opening of the heart to his love; the surrender of will to his purpose—and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin. Yes—worship in spirit and truth is the way to the solution of perplexity and to the liberation from sin.”

SOURCE: William Temple, Readings in St. John’s Gospel (Macmillan, 1947), 68. Cf. similar passage in The Hope of a New World (1940), 30.

Our church value of being a worshipping community is reinforced by some of our other values which refer to empowered, loving, accountable, etc.

Quite simply, if our lives are not reflecting Christ and his attitude towards others and ourselves in increasing measure every day then how can we say that we are worshipping God.

It might be that we are worshipping an idol.

An idol of self, an idol of enslavement to some sin.

It is a different way of looking at things and I will admit it is rather confronting.

But if all our life is meant to Glorify God then any part of it that isn’t is actually idolatry.

Because we have put something before God.

I am personally very happy that the Lord extends grace to us all.

Because I can confidently say that we all have a way to go in this area.

Worship Includes our Resources

If everything we do is to Glorify God then it follows that everything we have belongs to him.

Just as the early church gave generously sharing all they had in Acts 2:44-45

Just as Jesus praised the widow who gave all she had in Luke 21:1-4

And just as the Apostle Paul “reminded the church in Corinth of how he had boasted to others about their generosity in 2 Corinthians 9

So we to are to see all of our resources as being part of our worship to God.

It shouldn’t be that God gets what we can spare, it should be that God gets what is his, which is everything and we are good stewards of what he entrusts to our care.

My Favorite Illustrations More than a Financial Plan

Someone said that tithes and offerings are not simply God’s plan for financing His work. Primarily it is a means by which the Lord develops His people. Giving is an acknowledgment that all we have and are belongs to God. What we possess has been entrusted to us to use for His glory. As His stewards we own nothing but are responsible for everything.

When we approach things this way we build wealth in heaven and wealth on earth through good living, which is in and off itself a great testimony to those around us.

In all we do we seek to be; A worshipping community where every member glorifies God through their life, creative abilities and resources

Our Mission, Our Vision and our Values are a challenge for us to live how God intended.

For his Glory

For the benefit of each other

And so that those who do not know him may have opportunity to be blessed and receive the ultimate blessing of coming to saving faith in Christ.

Let’s live for him.