Worship is a lifestyle.
That's been a pretty popular buzz-phrase around Christendom for a while now. It's almost played out. I know I don't say it anymore at least. I usually start right in with the explanation. Or I say something shocking like "Sex can be an act of worship to God." That really freaks out some people. I wish someone had told me that when I was a teenager, though.
Chances are, if you're reading my blog, you can quote a few Bible verses. I'm betting one of those is Romans 12:1, but like...at 4:1 odds. It's in context, though, that this verse really sheds light on the idea of worshipping without a Hillsong CD on full blast (or Imperials LP if you're my dad).
Who we worship
Romans 11:33-36
Oh, the depth of the riches and swisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
“For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
“Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
After describing Israel's salvation and the ways in which God saves who He wants without consulting us, Paul kind of bursts out in spontaneous praise here. It is these thoughts that serve as the basis for the more familiar verse. A buddy of mine actually wrote a great worship song based on that passage (It's called Glory to Your Name). That our God saves in ways that are absolutely contrary to OUR way of doing things serves as the springboard for the next part.
How We Worship
Romans 12:1
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
I LOVE how the New Living Translation puts one part in there. "...when you think of what He has done for you, is this too much to ask?" Because He is so much greater than us and has saved us from Hell, ourselves, and His eternal wrath, we sacrificially respond to Him in worship...all the time. Which is essentially what we were created to do. We give our entire life to Him, yielding control to the Spirit of God. Why? BEcause HE'S GOD. It is THE truth that destroys THE lie. We offer Him the big, small, important, mundane, exciting, boring parts of our lives because it's ALL we have to give and He is worth WAY more that all we have to give. What does that look like? What's the Evidence we're doing this? I love the Bible. It tells us.
Evidence of a Life of Worship
Romans 12:2-3
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the
measure of faith that God has assigned.
We worship Jesus with our lives by first changing the way we think. More accurately, it's allowing God to change the way we think through His Spirit by His word. We are transformed as we renew our mind in Him.
The most obvious fruit of this way of life is Verse 3. We will begin to think of others more than ourselves. We will begin to reverse THE lie and start to put Phillipians 3 into practice, humbling ourselves and exalting Jesus by putting others needs before our own. This is the evidence of spiritual Maturation.
The Grow Pastor on our staff is a genius. Gary Cook (not the DBU one, but the FBC Coppell one.) In a conversation in his office yesterday, we were discussing spiritual growth. He said that the evidence of growth comes when the "unnatural" acts of Prayer, Bible Study, Giving, & genuine fellowship with believers become the natural response to daily life. As we press in to Jesus, continually removing the "old man" and putting on the "new man", this new nature naturally responds to God in a biblical way. The only way to do this, though, is to pray, fellowship, study scripture, and give. The more we do that, the more Christ removes the old man and puts the new on us.
When your natural response to being hurt in a relationship is revenge or self loathing, that's evidence of spiritual immaturity at best, spiritual death at worst. When that natural response is forgiveness, that's evidence of spiritual maturity...evidence of your continually sanctified life. Then you're practicing Romans 12:1. You're worshipping Jesus with nary at dotted eighth delay to be heard, without Kari Jobe or Chris Tomlin to show you the way. You're worshipping Jesus without moving lights or inspiring videos, without Louie Giglio or Matt Chandler to tell you how. You're worshipping Jesus with your life. (no offense to Kari Jobe...only the slightest offense to Chris Tomlin...like...miniscule)
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