#JustReachUP

A song we all know.

The song Heart of Worship dates back to the late 1990s, born from a period of apathy within Matt’s home church, Soul Survivor, in Watford, England. Despite the country’s overall contribution to the current worship revival, Redman’s congregation was struggling to find meaning in its musical outpouring at the time.

“There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing,” he recalls. “He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.”

Reminding his church family to be producers in worship, not just consumers, the pastor, Mike Pilavachi, asked, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?”

Matt says the question initially led to some embarrassing silence, but eventually people broke into a cappella songs and heartfelt prayers, encountering God in a fresh way.

“Before long, we reintroduced the musicians and sound system, as we’d gained a new perspective that worship is all about Jesus, and He commands a response in the depths of our souls no matter what the circumstance and setting. ‘The Heart of Worship’ simply describes what occurred.”

When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come / Longing just to bring something that’s of worth that will bless your heart… / I’m coming back to the heart of worship, and it’s all about You, Jesus

Redman remembers writing the song quickly in his bedroom soon after the church’s journey together, with no grand intentions, by any means, for it to become an international anthem. He viewed the words simply as his personal, subjective response to what he was learning about worship.

But when Matt shared “The Heart of Worship” with Pilavachi, the pastor suggested making a few small adjustments to the lyrics so any member of the church could relate to it as well.

Amazed by how God has since taken the song around the world for His purposes, the songwriter smiles in regard to his own lack of foresight. “It nearly didn’t go any further than my bedroom. But I love that…”

The trademark tune soon became the title track for Matt Redman’s 1999 album, The Heart of Worship. The recording process was consistent with the artist’s sensitive approach to being in the studio.

“We decided to not get all complicated, and just let the song ‘breathe.’ We’re always trying to create more of a church atmosphere in the studio rather than just a technical musical gathering. Something happens when the people of God gather together and play out the praises of God in the presence of God. Hopefully something of that passion and purpose transcends beyond that studio room onto the recordings themselves.”

John 4:19–24 HCSB

“Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, yet you Jews say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus told her, “Believe Me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Here at Niles Christian Assembly we have three things we hope to accomplish as the Church in Niles. As a church we seek to #justreach. We want to Reach Up in Worship, We want to Reach In to build relationship and equip, and we want to Reach Out to the community and wider world to show them what it means to be a Christ Follower. This week I want to talk about worship.

(HCSB) 19 “Sir,” the woman replied, “I see that You are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, yet you ⌊Jews⌋ say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus told her, “Believe Me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Worship or Ritual

Here at Niles Christian Assembly we have three things we hope to accomplish as the Church in Niles. As a church we seek to #justreach. We want to Reach Up in Worship, We want to Reach In to build relationship and equip, and we want to Reach Out to the community and wider world to show them what it means to be a Christ Follower. This week I want to talk about worship.

Worship is an interesting thing. Many people confuse Worship with Ritual, it’s understandable how this could happen. Ritual is easier, it’s done the same way over and over, it’s predictable, the outcome is in theory assured, because nothing changes. When we do the same thing over and over again, the same way we have always done it, we can expect the same results. This is a simple principle but in churches across the world this happens, but more importantly in our lives as individuals this happens too. We get caught up in making sure we are doing things the way we are supposed to be doing them, that we forget the reason for it. We end up…well this is what happens…(show video)

Going through the motions is not what we are supposed to do when it comes to our relationship with God. Reaching up in Worship is one of those foundational parts of our walk with God that often times gets abused.

If we are looking at the difference between ritual and worship we should define those terms.

Ritual: a religious or solemn ceremony consisting of a series of actions performed according to a prescribed order.

Worship: the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity.

Immediately the difference is apparent Valentines day is coming up, and as such there will be a lot of adoration and love going on that day. When I adore someone I stretch myself to meet them where they are, to find out what they want, what they cherish, what matters to them. When I adore someone I place them in front of myself. I’m willing to do things that may not be my favorite in order to be closer to them. (sewing when J and I were in the beginning of our relationship) I don’t revere Joyce but I adore her. With God you take the realization that he is above all, that he created us to be in relationship with him, that he wants to redeem us returning us to the place we were designed to inhabit and there is a reverence there, couple that with a willingness to do whatever it takes to show him our love, and devotion, to be willing to step away from things that would build a barrier between our relationship with him and it becomes easier to see what worship is designed to do.

In the same vein if I approach my relationship with Joyce, or with the kids in a mechanical fashion there won’t be much to it. I can do all the right things, but if I am not actively engaged in the process, if I’m just going through the motions, the relationship will break down. Replacing worship with ritual turns our relationship with God into one of cause & effect, God wants more, why don’t we?

In the interaction Jesus is having with the woman at the well we find someone stuck in a ritualistic idea of what worship is. It has to follow a certain set of rules to make it be worship, or to make it meaningful. If you do it the right way, at the right time, and in the right place, and everything lines up then that’s worship, and that’s what attracts Gods attention.

The reason for this difference of opinion between the Jews and the Samaratins goes all the way back to the Old Testament. Jews accepted the whole Hebrew Cannon of Scripture, Samartins accepted only the Pentateuch or first five books. To make an extremely long story short, they disagreed over the spot that worship was supposed to happen, The Samartins felt the place that it was to originate was where Abraham first offered sacrifices to God, the Jews saw Jersualem as the place for worship to take place, which is why the temple was build there, and then rebuilt and embellished at later dates after its destruction. The Samaratin woman was doing what many do. She was focusing on the rules of what worship is how it’s done and where it’s done. It’s easy to do, and it’s comfortable, and it makes us feel in control of our relationship with God.

If I choose the when the where the why and the how of this very important part of my relationship with God, and I stress that this is what worship is and how it works. I am the one that dictates to God how our relationship is going to work, and when I dictate the terms of my relationship with God I am missing out on what a true relationship with him can be.

What Jesus says about the way it’s supposed to be done.

John 4:23–24 HCSB

But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

From ritual to action.

Matthew 22:36–40 HCSB

“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”

Jesus does something very interesting when dealing with people who want to bring ritual, law and the way things are supposed to be done. He consistently removes the burden of the “right way of doing things,” boiling down what it means to be in relationship with God. He tells us to Love God (worship) and Love people, He tells this woman that worship is not about how clean your hands are, or if they were washed in the right way, it’s not about the place that the worship happens. It’s about the reason the worship is happening, it’s about the way to worship. Not in a place, not with a prescription but to worship in Spirit and in Truth.

Jesus does something very interesting when dealing with people who want to bring ritual, law and the way things are supposed to be done. He consistently removes the burden of the “right way of doing things,” boiling down what it means to be in relationship with God. He tells us to Love God (worship) and Love people, He tells this woman that worship is not about how clean your hands are, or if they were washed in the right way, it’s not about the place that the worship happens. It’s about the reason the worship is happening, it’s about the way to worship. Not in a place, not with a prescription but to worship in Spirit and in Truth.

The Greek for Spirit is pneuma, this word has several different meanings depending on the context. Here it denotes the eternal part of a human being. We are supposed to worship God from the core of our being, the part of us that will continue even after our current body has broken down. If we view worship through the eyes of eternity instead of through the lenses of Sunday church services, hymn books, or worship concerts we would find that worship is more than those things, it is an active living eternal aspect of our relationship with God.

Truth in these verses is not the subject to a set of rules described by our human sensibilities. The truth talked about here is a God centered truth, meaning one based on faithfulness and reliability. God is faithful, and reliable. He does what he says he will do consistently, not like humanity, who is faithful when it suits, who can be relied upon when there is something in it for them.

Imagine worshiping God with an eye to eternity, on a regular and reliable basis?

Worship is a beginning. When we spend time in worship it prepares us for what’s coming. When we spend time thinking about God, singing to him, watching something that stirs our soul because in seeing the giftedness given by the creator, it gets us read to receive, to go, to give, to share.

When we worship we are doing more than giving honor to the God that deserves it, we are putting into practice something that can keep us from becoming like the guy in the movie we watched. God feeling distant happens when we forget that worship is more than just what we do on Sunday, it has to be a daily occurance.

(what happens when we stop communicating stop loving, stop adoring the one we love) Married at First sight.

This Weeks Challenge

Go outside your comfort zone and find ways to worship that stretch you!