Perhaps you have been present during a worship service where all the trappings of worship was there: the music, message, people, etc., but there was no sense of the Spirit of God. I’m speaking more than just “feelings,” but a total lack of spiritual awareness. Chapters 2-4 of I Samuel relate the tragic story of the High Priest Eli and his sons at the beginning of the prophet Samuel’s life and ministry, and is good description of leadership in which the Spirit of God has left. The word, “Ichabod,” meaning “no glory, or “the glory has departed,” actually comes from this account.
In order to set the stage for the prophet’s ministry, the author of the book of Samuel tells of his birth, but also gives us insight into the life of the High Priest at the time. Samuel’s birth is the result of his mother’s prayer and faith, as she promised to dedicate the child totally to the Lord, if only He would grant her the ability to bear children. Eli, the High Priest, noticing her moving her lips, but rebukes her, thinking that she is drunk. After she explains herself, Eli blesses her, asking that God would grant her request. She does become pregnant, gives birth to Samuel, and after weaning the child, brings him to Eli to leave with him in fulfilment of her vow.
Contrasting with the excitement of the birth of Samuel is the tragedy of the house of Eli. As High Priest, he was permitted to eat from the sacrifices of the people, but had allowed his self- indulgence to control his life. An unnamed man of God confronts Eli for this practice:
Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor’s family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor’s family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’ “Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained (1 Samuel 2:27-30 NIV, italics added for emphasis).
God had chosen Aaron’s family to serve as High Priests, but with that great privilege came great responsibility. The “perks” from Eli’s position became more important than following God’s commands. Notice that Eli’s lack of self control of his eating became an even greater sin in the lives of his sons, which Eli did nothing to restrict. To condemn them meant that he would have had to condemn himself.
The lack of self control in the father’s appetite became a gateway for his sons’ self gratification in eating and sexual sin. Scripture records that Hophni and Phineas, Eli’s sons, (1) did not recognize the Lord’s authority (1 Samuel 2:12), (2) used their position to get their own way, – even to the point of directly violating God’s law of burning the fat to the Lord, treating the Lord’s offering with contempt (1 Samuel 2:15-16), and even used their position to take advantage sexually of the women serving at the entrance of the tent of meeting (1 Samuel 2:22). When these last allegations were brought to Eli’s attention, he reprimanded them, but they would not listen to their father. Eli’s disregard for God’s laws bore fruit in his sons disregarding authority as well. The chapter ends with God’s condemnation and rejection of Eli’s family continuing as God’s priests and the promise that God would raise up a dynasty of one who would follow Him faithfully.
Chapter 3 relates the story of God speaking to the young boy Samuel, and that the “Word of the Lord was rare” in those days (1 Samuel 3:1). One of the reasons it was rare was because the one in leadership was disobedient to what God had called him to do, and God does not reveal himself to those who will not follow what He has already commanded. God’s word to the young Samuel was a confirmation of the condemnation of Eli’s actions. Samuel continued to grow in the Lord and the sons of Eli continued their disregard for God and His law.
The capture of the Ark is the central focus of Chapter 4. Hophni and Phineas take the Ark of God in the battle, again trying to “use” God for their own purposes. They had no reverence or regard for God and had confused the symbol of God’s presence (the Ark) for the presence of God, thinking they could manipulate the battle with their “magical box of God.” But God will not be manipulated and allows the Ark to be captured and both Hopni and Phineas are killed. When Eli hears of it, he falls over, breaking his own neck (1 Samuel 4:4-18). The wife of Phineas was pregnant and upon the tragic events of the death of her husband, brother in law, and father in law she goes into labor, naming the child, “Ichabod, saying, ‘The glory has departed from Israel’” (1 Samuel 4:21). The capture of the Ark of God was one of the most tragic events in Israel’s history.
A similar event occurs in the book of Ezekiel as the glory of God leaves the Temple because of the Israel’s sin and the sin of Israel’s spiritual leaders (Ezekiel 10:4, 10:18, and 11:23). A detailed study would be welcome, but to summarize the prophet’s vision of the glory of God departs in stages due to the false worship practices of God’s people.
Summary and Conclusion
Can the glory of God depart from our worship, from a ministry in which we are involved? Yes, as leaders of worship we can yield to the same temptations that lead to an abuse of privilege and disregard of worship. What are the warning signs? For what things must we be on guard? The glory of God departs:
– when leadership disregards God’s authority, His Word, and His commands.
– when leadership uses its position to fulfill its own selfish desires, regardless of who it may affect.
– when leadership attempts to manipulate rather than lead.
– when leadership abandons God’s directives in worship to follow their own designs.
May God grant us the sensitivity to His Spirit to see the warning signs and avoid tragedy in our ministries.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Are We Treating the Symptoms or Treating the Cause?
In an age and culture that has allowed, even encouraged easy access to self-medication we are inclined to take aspirin for every headache. While this definitely has its advantages and certainly can save some extra trips to the doctor, there exists the potential danger to mask warning signs to more serious problems. Repeated or continuous headaches could have serious causes and in such cases the over the counter solutions may only hide the deeper issues.
In a similar way we tend to seek the quick fix solutions to difficult issues in worship by treating the symptoms, rather than to search out the root cause of the problems encountered. For example, let’s say that the congregation doesn’t seem to participate in singing during the music part of the worship service. This is a serious problem and can have a myriad of related causes and solutions. Some choose a quick fix approach that only appeals to the likes and dislikes of the congregation. The rational for such a decision is based on the idea that if you sing what people like they will sing; if you sing what they don’t like they won’t. The quick fix approach is widely practiced and yields some measure of success, if you measure success just in terms of the number of people singing during the service.
However, if we dig a little deeper there may be a host of other causes and certainly a wide variety of solutions. Lack of familiarity may be a cause, but there may be some more serious issues involved, such as a lack of preparedness on behalf of the congregation to be able to worship, or unconfessed sin in the lives of believers. Many times the attitude that members approach worship is void of anticipation that they are meeting with Almighty God. In addition, the quick fix solution solely based on the likes and dislikes of the congregation actually does more injury to worship by reinforcing the idea that the worship service is built around personal preferences, rather than an obedient response to God’s nature and character.
What should be our response be to the hypothetical problem presented in the example? I’m sure there are many more things that could be done and you are certainly welcome to add to these, but the following may hopefully serve as a beginning.
1. Leadership must become aware of the problem, in this case the lack of congregational participation in the music part of the worship service. [I am intentionally not wording the problem in the following way, “not singing during the worship,” because worship is much more than just singing.]
2. Leadership must take the initiative in self evaluation to see if there are things in their own lives that may be hindering worship. Leaders cannot take people where they themselves have not been. The focus here is to the be “lead worshipers” more than “worship leaders.” Correcting these issues must come before dealing with any issues in the congregation.
3. Leadership must evaluate to see if they have been adequately teaching what biblical worship is and what it isn’t. A biblical understanding of worship is both caught and taught. Leaders must be intentional in laying the foundations and implications that worship is the obedient response to the revealed nature and character of God, not some feelings and inspiration received from singing old or new favorites. Worship is first and foremost God-centered, period. Anything less than this is idolatry.
4. Congregations must be instructed, rooted and grounded in what biblical worship is, not just exposed to the content of what worship is. Learning takes time and repetition. A single sermon, however good cannot replace the repeated exposure and specific application exercises that must occur if real worship is to take place on a regular basis. I recently learned of a pastor that invested 6 months preaching on worship, which resulted in a greater understanding by the congregation. Information must be shared with specific examples that help flesh out what is being taught and followed with personal “homework” to apply what has been taught.
For example, in teaching about the importance of thanksgiving in worship, the individual members of the congregation not only need to know “what” it is, but have the opportunity to practice what expressing gratitude to God is and a followup assignment to practice it all during the week. Many people know that it is important, where they have problems is knowing how to do it and practicing it on a regular basis. Only when what is taught becomes regular practice can it be said that it has been “learned.”
5. The process of teaching must be multi-generational and ongoing. Classes for new believers must include classes on biblical worship. Age appropriate materials about worship, more specifically that would go along with a series on worship from the pulpit, should be made available to children, youth, and adults.
6. There must be continual evaluation of the effectiveness of the methods used to teach worship as well as evaluation of the actual practice of worship in the congregation. Unfortunately, evaluation of what we do in worship is a neglected area in most churches and results in a negative impact on the congregation. Our failure to teach them about worship also fails in providing biblical understanding for adequate evaluation.
Perhaps by following some simple procedures we can avoid treating symptoms and start working on true cures!
In a similar way we tend to seek the quick fix solutions to difficult issues in worship by treating the symptoms, rather than to search out the root cause of the problems encountered. For example, let’s say that the congregation doesn’t seem to participate in singing during the music part of the worship service. This is a serious problem and can have a myriad of related causes and solutions. Some choose a quick fix approach that only appeals to the likes and dislikes of the congregation. The rational for such a decision is based on the idea that if you sing what people like they will sing; if you sing what they don’t like they won’t. The quick fix approach is widely practiced and yields some measure of success, if you measure success just in terms of the number of people singing during the service.
However, if we dig a little deeper there may be a host of other causes and certainly a wide variety of solutions. Lack of familiarity may be a cause, but there may be some more serious issues involved, such as a lack of preparedness on behalf of the congregation to be able to worship, or unconfessed sin in the lives of believers. Many times the attitude that members approach worship is void of anticipation that they are meeting with Almighty God. In addition, the quick fix solution solely based on the likes and dislikes of the congregation actually does more injury to worship by reinforcing the idea that the worship service is built around personal preferences, rather than an obedient response to God’s nature and character.
What should be our response be to the hypothetical problem presented in the example? I’m sure there are many more things that could be done and you are certainly welcome to add to these, but the following may hopefully serve as a beginning.
1. Leadership must become aware of the problem, in this case the lack of congregational participation in the music part of the worship service. [I am intentionally not wording the problem in the following way, “not singing during the worship,” because worship is much more than just singing.]
2. Leadership must take the initiative in self evaluation to see if there are things in their own lives that may be hindering worship. Leaders cannot take people where they themselves have not been. The focus here is to the be “lead worshipers” more than “worship leaders.” Correcting these issues must come before dealing with any issues in the congregation.
3. Leadership must evaluate to see if they have been adequately teaching what biblical worship is and what it isn’t. A biblical understanding of worship is both caught and taught. Leaders must be intentional in laying the foundations and implications that worship is the obedient response to the revealed nature and character of God, not some feelings and inspiration received from singing old or new favorites. Worship is first and foremost God-centered, period. Anything less than this is idolatry.
4. Congregations must be instructed, rooted and grounded in what biblical worship is, not just exposed to the content of what worship is. Learning takes time and repetition. A single sermon, however good cannot replace the repeated exposure and specific application exercises that must occur if real worship is to take place on a regular basis. I recently learned of a pastor that invested 6 months preaching on worship, which resulted in a greater understanding by the congregation. Information must be shared with specific examples that help flesh out what is being taught and followed with personal “homework” to apply what has been taught.
For example, in teaching about the importance of thanksgiving in worship, the individual members of the congregation not only need to know “what” it is, but have the opportunity to practice what expressing gratitude to God is and a followup assignment to practice it all during the week. Many people know that it is important, where they have problems is knowing how to do it and practicing it on a regular basis. Only when what is taught becomes regular practice can it be said that it has been “learned.”
5. The process of teaching must be multi-generational and ongoing. Classes for new believers must include classes on biblical worship. Age appropriate materials about worship, more specifically that would go along with a series on worship from the pulpit, should be made available to children, youth, and adults.
6. There must be continual evaluation of the effectiveness of the methods used to teach worship as well as evaluation of the actual practice of worship in the congregation. Unfortunately, evaluation of what we do in worship is a neglected area in most churches and results in a negative impact on the congregation. Our failure to teach them about worship also fails in providing biblical understanding for adequate evaluation.
Perhaps by following some simple procedures we can avoid treating symptoms and start working on true cures!
Monday, July 25, 2011
What is “Ministering to the Lord?”
The phrase that is sometimes heard among those leading worship is that we must come and “minister to the Lord,” and since the word “minister” can bring to our minds the idea of “meeting needs,” we need to think seriously what we are saying. This is particularly interesting since God is self sufficient and needs nothing. The following found its spark from discussions in our Bible Study last Sunday, as well as a followup conversation with my wife, Kathy.
To be able to talk about the subject, I’ll list the more prominent passages that deal with ministering to the Lord as well as ministering before the Lord, which is similar. The goal here is not to provide commentary for each passage, but see the common elements that exist.
Old Testament:
Psalm 101:6
My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me.
Isaiah 56:6
And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—
Judges 20:28
with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?” The LORD responded, “Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.”
1 Samuel 2:18
But Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.
1 Chronicles 16:1
[ Ministering Before the Ark ] They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God.
Jeremiah 33:21
then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Acts 13:2 New International Version (©1984)
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
New Living Translation (©2007)
One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them."
English Standard Version (©2001)
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Numbers 18:2
Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the tent of the covenant law.
1 Samuel 2:30
“Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.
1 Samuel 2:35
I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always.
1 Chronicles 15:2
Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD chose them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before him forever.”
1 Chronicles 16:4
He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to extol, thank, and praise the LORD, the God of Israel:
1 Chronicles 23:13
The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the LORD, to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever.
2 Chronicles 29:11
My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.”
Jeremiah 33:22
I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”
Ezekiel 40:46
and the room facing north is for the priests who guard the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who are the only Levites who may draw near to the LORD to minister before him.”
Ezekiel 43:19
You are to give a young bull as a sin offering to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who come near to minister before me, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 44:15
“‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 44:16
They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards.
Ezekiel 45:4
It will be the sacred portion of the land for the priests, who minister in the sanctuary and who draw near to minister before the LORD. It will be a place for their houses as well as a holy place for the sanctuary.
Joel 1:9
Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD.
Joel 1:13
Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.
Joel 2:17
Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
There is an interesting addition in two passages in 1 Chronicles 16:4 and 1 Chronicles 25: 6-7. The first passage were to lead the praising of God through music, while the other describes their particular work was that of leading, being “trained and skilled” in music.
Old Testament Summary:
1. It was restricted to the priesthood.
2. It was tied to the carrying out of their responsibilities to offer sacrifices on behalf of themselves and the people.
3. It was done in recognition of who God was and what He had done for them.
4. It was done in obedience to what God had commanded.
5. It was tied to worship.
New Testament:
The passages related to “ministering to the Lord” in the New Testament are limited.
The Acts 13:2 passage [“While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." NASB ©1995] might equally be translated “while they were worshiping the Lord” [NIV, NLT, ESV].
There are few instances where Jesus is “ministered to:” the first is after the temptation account in the wilderness and he was ministered to by angels [Matthew 4:11]. Another is Jesus being anointed in the house of Simon the leper by the adulterous woman [Matthew 26:6-13], and a general reference to the women that offered help to Jesus and the disciples [ Matthew 27:55-56] and the anointing of the Lord’s body after the crucifixion might be considered in this same light [Mark 16:1]. With the possible exception of the adulterous woman, which might be considered worship as well as service, the instances revolve around meeting the physical needs of Christ. The motivation for doing so was no doubt out of love.
In the Apostle John’s Revelation, the idea of ministering seems to center around a constant recognition of the character and nature of God, from the angelic beings that proclaim His holiness [Revelation 4:8-11], and His work of salvation, who in response bow down before the throne saying “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain” [Revelation 5:12-14].
General Summary and Conclusions:
The common thread seems to be an awesome recognition of the greatness and majesty of the character of God and the recognition of His gracious redemption of His people through His great acts. Ministering to God would then involve an obedient response to God’s character and work, or how worship itself may be defined: “The obedience response to the revealed nature, character, and work of God.” As we worship God then, we are ministering to Him. The more that we understand about who God is and what He has done, the more that we can allow Him to renew and remold our minds and our thinking, the more that we will be better able to minister or worship Him.
God needs nothing, so there is no need in Him that we might possible meet, however God does have desires: He desires to have a relationship with us. He knows that the most satisfying relationship that meets our inmost needs is found in our recognition of who He is and our submission to the plan that He has for us. We can only come to that relationship through the confession of our sins and recognition of God’s saving act of redemption through His Son, Jesus. We must come to realization of the absolute power and authority of God over everything, and begin the process of grasping the depth of His love for us in what He did through Christ in redemption.
Our submission and obedience are tied to our understanding of who God is and what He has done. As we live our lives allowing His love and work as our point of reference, we joyfully submit our wills and lives to Jesus, the One who loved us enough to give His own life to reclaim us, rising from the dead, showing His power and authority over even death itself. We respond in obedience to His nature and work. We can do nothing less than worship Him.
To be able to talk about the subject, I’ll list the more prominent passages that deal with ministering to the Lord as well as ministering before the Lord, which is similar. The goal here is not to provide commentary for each passage, but see the common elements that exist.
Old Testament:
Psalm 101:6
My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me.
Isaiah 56:6
And foreigners who bind themselves to the LORD to minister to him, to love the name of the LORD, and to be his servants, all who keep the Sabbath without desecrating it and who hold fast to my covenant—
Judges 20:28
with Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, ministering before it.) They asked, “Shall we go up again to fight against the Benjamites, our fellow Israelites, or not?” The LORD responded, “Go, for tomorrow I will give them into your hands.”
1 Samuel 2:18
But Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.
1 Chronicles 16:1
[ Ministering Before the Ark ] They brought the ark of God and set it inside the tent that David had pitched for it, and they presented burnt offerings and fellowship offerings before God.
Jeremiah 33:21
then my covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign on his throne.
New American Standard Bible (©1995)
While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Acts 13:2 New International Version (©1984)
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
New Living Translation (©2007)
One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Dedicate Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them."
English Standard Version (©2001)
While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
Numbers 18:2
Bring your fellow Levites from your ancestral tribe to join you and assist you when you and your sons minister before the tent of the covenant law.
1 Samuel 2:30
“Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.
1 Samuel 2:35
I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always.
1 Chronicles 15:2
Then David said, “No one but the Levites may carry the ark of God, because the LORD chose them to carry the ark of the LORD and to minister before him forever.”
1 Chronicles 16:4
He appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the LORD, to extol, thank, and praise the LORD, the God of Israel:
1 Chronicles 23:13
The sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses. Aaron was set apart, he and his descendants forever, to consecrate the most holy things, to offer sacrifices before the LORD, to minister before him and to pronounce blessings in his name forever.
2 Chronicles 29:11
My sons, do not be negligent now, for the LORD has chosen you to stand before him and serve him, to minister before him and to burn incense.”
Jeremiah 33:22
I will make the descendants of David my servant and the Levites who minister before me as countless as the stars in the sky and as measureless as the sand on the seashore.’”
Ezekiel 40:46
and the room facing north is for the priests who guard the altar. These are the sons of Zadok, who are the only Levites who may draw near to the LORD to minister before him.”
Ezekiel 43:19
You are to give a young bull as a sin offering to the Levitical priests of the family of Zadok, who come near to minister before me, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 44:15
“‘But the Levitical priests, who are descendants of Zadok and who guarded my sanctuary when the Israelites went astray from me, are to come near to minister before me; they are to stand before me to offer sacrifices of fat and blood, declares the Sovereign LORD.
Ezekiel 44:16
They alone are to enter my sanctuary; they alone are to come near my table to minister before me and serve me as guards.
Ezekiel 45:4
It will be the sacred portion of the land for the priests, who minister in the sanctuary and who draw near to minister before the LORD. It will be a place for their houses as well as a holy place for the sanctuary.
Joel 1:9
Grain offerings and drink offerings are cut off from the house of the LORD. The priests are in mourning, those who minister before the LORD.
Joel 1:13
Put on sackcloth, you priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come, spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God; for the grain offerings and drink offerings are withheld from the house of your God.
Joel 2:17
Let the priests, who minister before the LORD, weep between the portico and the altar. Let them say, “Spare your people, LORD. Do not make your inheritance an object of scorn, a byword among the nations. Why should they say among the peoples, ‘Where is their God?’”
There is an interesting addition in two passages in 1 Chronicles 16:4 and 1 Chronicles 25: 6-7. The first passage were to lead the praising of God through music, while the other describes their particular work was that of leading, being “trained and skilled” in music.
Old Testament Summary:
1. It was restricted to the priesthood.
2. It was tied to the carrying out of their responsibilities to offer sacrifices on behalf of themselves and the people.
3. It was done in recognition of who God was and what He had done for them.
4. It was done in obedience to what God had commanded.
5. It was tied to worship.
New Testament:
The passages related to “ministering to the Lord” in the New Testament are limited.
The Acts 13:2 passage [“While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." NASB ©1995] might equally be translated “while they were worshiping the Lord” [NIV, NLT, ESV].
There are few instances where Jesus is “ministered to:” the first is after the temptation account in the wilderness and he was ministered to by angels [Matthew 4:11]. Another is Jesus being anointed in the house of Simon the leper by the adulterous woman [Matthew 26:6-13], and a general reference to the women that offered help to Jesus and the disciples [ Matthew 27:55-56] and the anointing of the Lord’s body after the crucifixion might be considered in this same light [Mark 16:1]. With the possible exception of the adulterous woman, which might be considered worship as well as service, the instances revolve around meeting the physical needs of Christ. The motivation for doing so was no doubt out of love.
In the Apostle John’s Revelation, the idea of ministering seems to center around a constant recognition of the character and nature of God, from the angelic beings that proclaim His holiness [Revelation 4:8-11], and His work of salvation, who in response bow down before the throne saying “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain” [Revelation 5:12-14].
General Summary and Conclusions:
The common thread seems to be an awesome recognition of the greatness and majesty of the character of God and the recognition of His gracious redemption of His people through His great acts. Ministering to God would then involve an obedient response to God’s character and work, or how worship itself may be defined: “The obedience response to the revealed nature, character, and work of God.” As we worship God then, we are ministering to Him. The more that we understand about who God is and what He has done, the more that we can allow Him to renew and remold our minds and our thinking, the more that we will be better able to minister or worship Him.
God needs nothing, so there is no need in Him that we might possible meet, however God does have desires: He desires to have a relationship with us. He knows that the most satisfying relationship that meets our inmost needs is found in our recognition of who He is and our submission to the plan that He has for us. We can only come to that relationship through the confession of our sins and recognition of God’s saving act of redemption through His Son, Jesus. We must come to realization of the absolute power and authority of God over everything, and begin the process of grasping the depth of His love for us in what He did through Christ in redemption.
Our submission and obedience are tied to our understanding of who God is and what He has done. As we live our lives allowing His love and work as our point of reference, we joyfully submit our wills and lives to Jesus, the One who loved us enough to give His own life to reclaim us, rising from the dead, showing His power and authority over even death itself. We respond in obedience to His nature and work. We can do nothing less than worship Him.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Preparing for Worship: Psalm 24 – Revisited
While doing some study in again in Psalm 24 recently, the Lord underscored some truths and helped me understand even more how necessary preparation for worship really is. Let’s look again at David’s psalm:
1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory. [NIV]
Background
Psalm 24 could have been used as a song to prepare for worship, perhaps when the ark is brought to Jerusalem. Never the less, it still serves as a reminder for us today about preparing for worship. [I am indebted in great part to Tremper Longman and David Garland, who provide good insight and commentary into the Psalms in their volume on “Psalms” found in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Revised Edition, Volume 5, by Zondervan, published in 2008.]
Biblical scholars are uncertain as to the occasion for which the psalm was written, but its celebration as God as the Great King is central to the theme. In verses 1-2, the psalmist declares that Yahweh created everything, and thus He owns it, directs its, controls it. Part of the preparation for worship is the recognition that God is the Creator and Owner of all. We really have no rights to ourselves. He is the Absolute Master of all things. He created it all and made all the rules. We are His servants to do His bidding.
Once David has established that Yahweh is the great Creator-King, he has set the stage for the question, “Who may go and worship Him?” and the answers for the question [verses 3-6]. Knowing that God is the All-Powerful Creator is essential in recognizing just who is to be worshiped. We are not just approaching another important person, but God, Himself– Ruler, Creator and King. Because of who He is, not just anyone may approach Him. Who may come before Him to worship? “The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.” [4] By clean hands, the psalmist in not talking about whether or not someone has washed their hands with soap and water, but one who has been forgiven, and one whose actions are right. Those of a pure heart come to God with pure motives. Those that come to God come trusting in Him alone as God, placing faith alone in Him. Part of the preparation for worship is right actions and pure motives. We cannot approach Holy God with unconfessed sin in our hearts and lives. We cannot approach God with alternative motives for our own selfish gain or pleasure. Realizing that He alone is Lord and Master of it all helps prepare us for this.
Such trust is not without reward: “They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior.” [5] God bestows His gracious loving-kindness on them and becomes their protector. The true sons of Jacob are those who approaches God without sinful actions, who comes with pure motives, and considers only Yahweh as his only God. The same is true for us today: coming to God rightly has its rewards: the unmerited favor of God, that is, His blessing as well as His protection, His vindication. God is responsible for my reputation; we can trust our safety and our reputations to Him for His honor and glory.
Once we realize that God is in ultimate control, once we are prepared to meet Him, then the call comes to open the gates to receive Him. This might have been an antiphonal song between the people and the leaders. They are not to “lift up their heads to an idol”, but to who? The King of Glory. In this context, it is a sign of rejoicing. The repetition is for the emphasis given to the preparation. The Creator-God is the King of Glory; He is the LORD Almighty. As LORD Almighty, is the Covenant keeping God who is the most powerful and most mighty, worthy of all glory, all honor and all praise.
The psalm speaks to us today to prepare for worship. We must realize that He alone is the Creator King. We must approach Him on His terms. We must open the gates and recognize Who, God is: the Creator-King who is also the King of Glory, the Great Victorious Warrior. He has already conquered sin and death. He already reigns over the universe. He is Yahweh Almighty, the Covenant Keeping Creator God who desires to have a relationship with us.
Application:
-What are you going to do today to prepare for worship?
-Will you realize that God alone is the Absolute Ruler and Owner of all things?
-Why not proclaim that out loud right now?
-Will you confess any sin and wrong motives and seek forgiveness from the Father? Preparation for worship demands that we approach God with clean hands and a pure heart, depending on Him alone as our God.
-Will we make those preparations necessary that honor Who He is and What He has done?
1 The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it,
the world, and all who live in it;
2 for he founded it on the seas
and established it on the waters.
3 Who may ascend the mountain of the LORD?
Who may stand in his holy place?
4 The one who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not trust in an idol
or swear by a false god.
5 They will receive blessing from the LORD
and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.
7 Lift up your heads, you gates;
be lifted up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is this King of glory?
The LORD strong and mighty,
the LORD mighty in battle.
9 Lift up your heads, you gates;
lift them up, you ancient doors,
that the King of glory may come in.
10 Who is he, this King of glory?
The LORD Almighty—
he is the King of glory. [NIV]
Background
Psalm 24 could have been used as a song to prepare for worship, perhaps when the ark is brought to Jerusalem. Never the less, it still serves as a reminder for us today about preparing for worship. [I am indebted in great part to Tremper Longman and David Garland, who provide good insight and commentary into the Psalms in their volume on “Psalms” found in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Revised Edition, Volume 5, by Zondervan, published in 2008.]
Biblical scholars are uncertain as to the occasion for which the psalm was written, but its celebration as God as the Great King is central to the theme. In verses 1-2, the psalmist declares that Yahweh created everything, and thus He owns it, directs its, controls it. Part of the preparation for worship is the recognition that God is the Creator and Owner of all. We really have no rights to ourselves. He is the Absolute Master of all things. He created it all and made all the rules. We are His servants to do His bidding.
Once David has established that Yahweh is the great Creator-King, he has set the stage for the question, “Who may go and worship Him?” and the answers for the question [verses 3-6]. Knowing that God is the All-Powerful Creator is essential in recognizing just who is to be worshiped. We are not just approaching another important person, but God, Himself– Ruler, Creator and King. Because of who He is, not just anyone may approach Him. Who may come before Him to worship? “The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god.” [4] By clean hands, the psalmist in not talking about whether or not someone has washed their hands with soap and water, but one who has been forgiven, and one whose actions are right. Those of a pure heart come to God with pure motives. Those that come to God come trusting in Him alone as God, placing faith alone in Him. Part of the preparation for worship is right actions and pure motives. We cannot approach Holy God with unconfessed sin in our hearts and lives. We cannot approach God with alternative motives for our own selfish gain or pleasure. Realizing that He alone is Lord and Master of it all helps prepare us for this.
Such trust is not without reward: “They will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God their Savior.” [5] God bestows His gracious loving-kindness on them and becomes their protector. The true sons of Jacob are those who approaches God without sinful actions, who comes with pure motives, and considers only Yahweh as his only God. The same is true for us today: coming to God rightly has its rewards: the unmerited favor of God, that is, His blessing as well as His protection, His vindication. God is responsible for my reputation; we can trust our safety and our reputations to Him for His honor and glory.
Once we realize that God is in ultimate control, once we are prepared to meet Him, then the call comes to open the gates to receive Him. This might have been an antiphonal song between the people and the leaders. They are not to “lift up their heads to an idol”, but to who? The King of Glory. In this context, it is a sign of rejoicing. The repetition is for the emphasis given to the preparation. The Creator-God is the King of Glory; He is the LORD Almighty. As LORD Almighty, is the Covenant keeping God who is the most powerful and most mighty, worthy of all glory, all honor and all praise.
The psalm speaks to us today to prepare for worship. We must realize that He alone is the Creator King. We must approach Him on His terms. We must open the gates and recognize Who, God is: the Creator-King who is also the King of Glory, the Great Victorious Warrior. He has already conquered sin and death. He already reigns over the universe. He is Yahweh Almighty, the Covenant Keeping Creator God who desires to have a relationship with us.
Application:
-What are you going to do today to prepare for worship?
-Will you realize that God alone is the Absolute Ruler and Owner of all things?
-Why not proclaim that out loud right now?
-Will you confess any sin and wrong motives and seek forgiveness from the Father? Preparation for worship demands that we approach God with clean hands and a pure heart, depending on Him alone as our God.
-Will we make those preparations necessary that honor Who He is and What He has done?
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Elevator
After teaching about worship for twenty years in Latin America as a missionary and over ten years in Seminary, I am more convinced than ever that there is a greater desire now to worship God than I have seen in years past. As great as the desire is, there seems to be more confusion as to what is biblical worship and even more in actually worshiping. Worship has been confused with buildings, clothing, music, and a host of other things.
I have well over 100 hundred books on worship and worship related topics in my personal library in my office and more seem to be published every week. With all this information about worship, one would think that there would be less confusion rather than more. If information alone could transform our worship, then we should have long since seen a revolution in our church services. But information is only part of the solution. Learning how to apply what we know may be the biggest challenge we face.
One of the key issues is not so much the amount of content available about worship, but how to worship. Over the years I have asked scores of groups how they knew that they had had a worship experience and the answers have been literally all over the map. If we are not sure what biblical worship is, we certainly will never know if we are following what Scripture teaches. More than likely, we will be basing our judgement of the comparison of others, other groups, or even just our on feelings to measure our worship. My sincere desire is to help push back all the preconceived notions and give some practical helps as we gather together for corporate worship. There are a multitude of resources available for personal spiritual growth and I would encourage their use, however the focus of this text is personal preparation for corporate worship.
When we gather as the Body of Christ we center our focus on Him, the Author and Perfecter of our faith and we do so as the Body of Christ, not just as individuals. Many look for what may be happening on the platform to determine their worship experience, but I believe one of the keys that has been missing is the what is not happening in the pew. Blame is placed so easily on the preacher, the music, and so many other issues, without having examined to see if the Bride of Christ is ready to meet her groom. Regardless of who may be on the platform, only God’s Spirit can transform those moments together into what may be called “worship,” and there are some definite things that the Body must do so that worship may occur. What are they? That’s the heart of this book: Worship HeartCries
I have well over 100 hundred books on worship and worship related topics in my personal library in my office and more seem to be published every week. With all this information about worship, one would think that there would be less confusion rather than more. If information alone could transform our worship, then we should have long since seen a revolution in our church services. But information is only part of the solution. Learning how to apply what we know may be the biggest challenge we face.
One of the key issues is not so much the amount of content available about worship, but how to worship. Over the years I have asked scores of groups how they knew that they had had a worship experience and the answers have been literally all over the map. If we are not sure what biblical worship is, we certainly will never know if we are following what Scripture teaches. More than likely, we will be basing our judgement of the comparison of others, other groups, or even just our on feelings to measure our worship. My sincere desire is to help push back all the preconceived notions and give some practical helps as we gather together for corporate worship. There are a multitude of resources available for personal spiritual growth and I would encourage their use, however the focus of this text is personal preparation for corporate worship.
When we gather as the Body of Christ we center our focus on Him, the Author and Perfecter of our faith and we do so as the Body of Christ, not just as individuals. Many look for what may be happening on the platform to determine their worship experience, but I believe one of the keys that has been missing is the what is not happening in the pew. Blame is placed so easily on the preacher, the music, and so many other issues, without having examined to see if the Bride of Christ is ready to meet her groom. Regardless of who may be on the platform, only God’s Spirit can transform those moments together into what may be called “worship,” and there are some definite things that the Body must do so that worship may occur. What are they? That’s the heart of this book: Worship HeartCries
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