Worship matters!

Do you worship? Yes, you do worship. Whether you are an atheist, a Muslim, a Christian, a scientist, you do worship. Worship is the expression of the soul toward that which it loves, finds happiness in. Whatever it is that gets most of your attention, time, and service, is your god.
Now the One true God has said in the Bible that He alone is worthy of your worship, yet Christians are often like the Israelites in the Old testament; they fear God, but practice idolatry.
We worship what our hearts are longing after, running after, expending all energy after.

Who or what do you worship?

Do you enjoy meeting with God in His Word, in prayer, in corporate gatherings? Or do you get more joy out of reading books, buying new flat screens, ipods, pda's, etc...?

Here's a hint...read Bob Kauflin's book, Worship Matters.

Worship includes knowing God's word, singing, practicing our skills on instruments, serving others as we serve God. But we can do all of these and not worship God, and too often that is exactly what we are doing; everything but worshipping God.
An excellent and enjoyable read. Every worship pastor must read this book. MUST!

A brief word on the singing aspect of worship, by the author...

"It's a source of profound encouragement to realize that God gave us music to deepen and develop our relationship with Him. The Father sings, the Son sings, the Spirit sings...

How can we keep from singing?" (pg. 99)

"Big Brother (Elder) is Watching You?"

Some friends we spoke with recently began attending a P.C.A. church(a fine denomination I might add).

Our friends shared with their church that they had watched American Idol. Oh my!
Immediately, the leadership ordered a meeting with them to discuss this "sin".

Brothers, I am not a TV buff. I personally prefer to read edifying books. But I am not going to judge my brother because he is watching some show on TV. Our Lord says that we will be judged with the measure that we judge others. Let us be careful how we deal with such matters.
A dinner together, a discussion perhaps on what made the show such a big hit, perhaps a conversation on how, or whether a Christian can watch the show to the glory of God, etc..., or better yet, a discussion with a number of healthy pastors to weigh the importance or unimportance of the issue.

Discipline over American Idol? Imagine if we disciplined over music, television, movies, books magazines, and such, that are...okay, shallow, empty perhaps.

How we handle such matters as leaders reflects our understanding of the great grace of the Gospel of Christ.

I am sure that there are BIGGER SIN PROBLEMS IN THE CHURCH THAN WATCHING AMERICAN IDOL! (Pride, arrogance, legalism, materialism, lukewarmness, lust, GOSSIP, SLANDER...you finish the list.

We do not want a worldly church, but we do not want a harsh, legalistic, and graceless church either. None of these glorify the Lord Jesus Christ.