MInTheGap

I’ve been reading through A. W. Tozer’s collection on Worship and Entertainment
as part of assuming my new duties as Worship/Music Team leader at my
church.  A lot of what he states in there coincided with what the
sermon was about yesterday morning, so I figure that’s due up for my
two cents here.

I believe that a lot of us, as fundamental
Christians, are missing the boat.  I’m not quite sure why.  I have
tried to reason it to be because of our desire to stick to the Word–
not a bad thing– making us predispositioned toward formal programs and
methods.  I have no doubt that we start out with a passion for Christ,
but is that really maintained?  Do we continue to have a passion for
Him, or is that replaced with passion in general?  Do we keep doing the
same things we did before because of the comfort of their familiarity
and because that’s what we did when we were passionate about Him, and
now it’s grown stale?

A lot of churches try to rectify the
problem of “something missing” in their services with differnt music
choices or programs.  They think that they can change style or program
and get something out of it– but I believe that they find that they
only get a temporary “fix” since with any change there is a temporary
bump until even that change becomes more of the same.

The
problem is not the service or the programs, per se, it is the people. 
The not-so-well-kept-secret is that worship is about an internal heart
attitude rather than an external action.  Sure, a nice musical number
or a starry heaven can give us a warm feeling, but worship is more than
that.  It is a humble adoration– a recognition for who God is.  This
adoration will cause us to do that which is right and to be obedient
out of love.  If you’re not worhipping God on Monday-Saturday, don’t
expect that you’re worshipping God on Sunday is the way Tozer put it.

A worshipping heart can hear a speaker as dry as the Arizona desert and
have his thirst quenched by the living water from the Spirit of God. 
He can sing the dullest songs, and know that it is music to God’s
ears.  He can be in the most difficult trial and know that God is with
him.  A truly worshipping person is a person amazed and captivated by
who God is.  He has a true understanding of how small he is compared to
God, and yet knows God loves him.

Oh that we had more men and
women that worshipped God at all times– our churches, our workplaces,
our schools, and our world would not be the same.

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