[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-call-to-worship":3,"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-call-to-worship-surround":69},{"id":4,"title":5,"author":6,"bibleBooks":8,"body":10,"columnName":51,"date":52,"description":16,"extension":53,"image":54,"meta":55,"minRead":56,"navigation":57,"path":58,"postType":59,"publication":60,"publicationUrl":54,"seo":61,"stem":62,"topics":63,"__hash__":68},"blog\u002Farticles\u002Fa-call-to-worship.md","A Call to Worship",{"name":7},"Dave Faust",[9],"Psalms",{"type":11,"value":12,"toc":47},"minimark",[13,17,20,23,26,29,32,35,38,41,44],[14,15,16],"p",{},"Lately the topic of worship has brought a lot of churches more heartache than joy.",[14,18,19],{},"Isn't it sad how God's people are dividing over worship, when worship ought to bring us together? In some churches, older people or those who prefer more traditional forms of worship feel pushed aside, left behind, and dishonored as if they no longer matter. Meanwhile, other worshipers—many of them young and innovative, but with a genuine heart for God—are often stereotyped as shallow and irreverent.",[14,21,22],{},"It bothers me when services seem poorly planned and poorly led, with sermons that don't teach the Bible and music that's more about feeling good than honoring God. It saddens me when, instead of entering with joy into the presence of God, many Americans treat worship like \"comparison shopping\" where Christian consumers simply try to find the best show in town.",[14,24,25],{},"It troubles me to ponder the possibility that God himself is heartbroken over our worship wars. And it pains me to realize that I myself still have so far to go as a worshiper of God, though I've been a Christian for years.",[14,27,28],{},"Healthy worship isn't a ritual; it's a relationship. It isn't entertainment; it's an appointment with our heavenly Father. It's not just a pleasant emotional experience or a boring academic exercise; it's loving God with all of one's heart, soul, mind, and strength.",[14,30,31],{},"Worship isn't just watching through a window while a spiritual parade passes by; it's walking through a door into the very presence of God. It's more than just singing songs, listening to a sermon, or following the schedule printed in the bulletin. It isn't a religious game we play to get the guilt off our backs for another week. True worship confronts the real you with the real God. The focus isn't on us and what we like or dislike; it's on God and what pleases him.",[14,33,34],{},"Real worship isn't about a place or a musical style as much as it's about an attitude of faith and obedience. Moses worshiped God on a mountain. David worshiped in a cave. Solomon worshiped in a beautiful temple. Paul worshiped in a stifling prison. In Heaven, elders and angels and saints of God praise the Lord around his throne.",[14,36,37],{},"Worship isn't just a once-a-week obligation, but an all-the-time privilege. Augustine said, \"A Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot.\"",[14,39,40],{},"Worship is something to do individually as well as together. If we haven't stayed in touch with God during the week, a one-hour fix on Sunday morning won't flip a magic switch and make everything OK. Yet, great things happen when we gather in Jesus' name on the Lord's day. Lives are changed. Families are strengthened. Hope is renewed. Values are shaped. Priorities are rearranged.",[14,42,43],{},"So, while many questions about worship need to be prayerfully discussed and resolved, let's face the music and admit that the deeper issue isn't just music; it's the condition of our hearts! The devil would love for Christians to replace real worship with debates about worship. Surely we grieve the Holy Spirit when we turn worship into a battleground instead of holy ground, treat the Lord's Supper like a thoughtless routine, or come to church with a chip on our shoulders and stubborn pride in our hearts.",[14,45,46],{},"Before we engage in any more worship wars, let's humble ourselves and \"kneel before the Lord our Maker\" (Psalm 95:6). It's time to simply worship God.",{"title":48,"searchDepth":49,"depth":49,"links":50},"",2,[],"From the Editor's Desk","2000-03-05","md",null,{},3,true,"\u002Farticles\u002Fa-call-to-worship","column","The Lookout",{"title":5,"description":16},"articles\u002Fa-call-to-worship",[64,65,66,67],"Biblical Theology","Christian Unity","Discipleship","Church Leadership","bEfuFWBCw6DCcm4sYHkpJKXYFs_NZZupx2_Hz4Ym11I",[54,70],{"title":71,"path":72,"stem":73,"description":74,"children":-1},"A Cut Above","\u002Farticles\u002Fa-cut-above","articles\u002Fa-cut-above","\"From our ranch you can see two mountains that look almost exactly the same size,\" says Dr. John Walker, director of Blessing Ranch, a resource and renewal center for Christian leaders near Fort Collins, Colorado. \"But when you actually drive to the mountains 31 miles away and stand at their base, you realize that one peak is far larger than the other."]