Worship is really a BIG thing for me. I love to worship through song and through prayer and throughout my day by day life. I am constantly sending thanks to the Lord for all that He has done and continues to do in my life.
Romans 12:1 is kind of a pathway for all of us to use in regards to our worship. It tells us the most effective way to “connect with God.”
Let’s explore this together:
1. Allow your behaviors to flow from your beliefs.
What do you believe? Do you know?
The word “therefore” is meaningful. Whenever it is used in scripture we must ask - “Why is it there for?” Based on all that has been taught previously we will now precede in a manner that coincides with our beliefs.
The Book Of Romans is one of the best “doctrinal” books to teach us about the principles and foundations of “faith in God.” But as you come to chapter 12 of Romans, Paul helps us make a transition from doctrine to duty, from creed to conduct, from principles to practice, concerning what we believe.
As one pastor put it, “the truth we believe must at some point embrace us.” Have you heard people say that it doesn’t really matter what you believe? Well, it does matter because what we believe ultimately determines how we behave.
Theology is never meant to be cold and lifeless. It must always have a practical application. It’s as if he’s saying, “Based on everything that I’ve just said, this is what you now need to put into practice.” Incidentally, the first two letters of “doctrine” form the word “do.”
We must allow our worship behaviors to flow out of our beliefs.
2. Answer God’s urgent appeal.
Based on all that God has done, Paul says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren,”
This means “to call to one’s side” in order to persuade someone to do something. I like how the Amplified Bible renders this: “I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you…”
Even though Paul could have used a command here, he instead makes an appeal from love, not law. He does a similar thing in Ephesians 4:1: “I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”
Notice that he refers to them as “brothers,” indicating his affection for them as members of God’s family. This is a term of warmth that literally means from “one womb.”
He’s begging brothers and sisters, not unbelievers, to do something that has not yet been done – it’s a decision that disciples need to make. And yet, it seems as if Paul is leaving it up to each of us individually.
3. Be motivated by God’s mercy.
Paul makes this plea “by the mercies of God” The original word used here for “mercy” is actually plural and refers to God’s multitude of mercies.
Listen to 2 Corinthians 1:3 in the King James Version: “Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort.”
Pastor Mark Batterson says that the prerequisite to worship is mercy: “And the prerequisite to mercy is doing something wrong. So if you’ve done something wrong you qualify for mercy. And if you qualify for mercy you qualify for worship…don’t let what’s wrong with you keep you from worshipping what’s right with God.”
God is not merciful just once but again and again. He is consistently and constantly full of mercy.
John Calvin once said that “we will never worship with a sincere heart or serve God with unbridled zeal until we properly understand how much we are indebted to God’s mercy. God has demonstrated so much mercy to us that we can’t help but respond by fully surrendering our lives to Him. In Isaac Watt’s amazing hymn, “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,” we read these words: “Love so amazing, so divine; demands my soul, my life, my all.”
Louie Giglio offers this helpful definition: “Worship is our response to what we value most.” If we value God’s mercy we’ll be motivated to give Him our very lives. He then writes: “So how do you know where and what you worship? It’s easy. You simply follow the trail of your time, your affection, your energy, your money and your loyalty. At the end of the trail you’ll find a throne; and whatever, or whomever, is on that throne is what’s of highest value to you. On that throne is what you worship” (“The Air I Breathe: Worship as a Way of Life,” page 13).
4. Offer your body on God’s altar.
We are urged, in view of the many mercies of God “to offer our bodies as living sacrifices.”
This word “offer” is a technical term that was used to describe the bringing and presenting of an animal for sacrifice on an altar. It means “to present once and for all” by placing oneself at the disposal of another and has the idea of relinquishing one’s grip.
In the Old Testament a live animal was brought to the priest and the owner would lay hands on the beast to symbolically say, “This animal takes my place.” The animal was then killed and the blood was sprinkled upon the altar.
This idea of a “living sacrifice” must have been a novel idea to the Jews of that day because they were used to offering dead sacrifices. Once a sacrifice is offered to God, you can’t take it back. When we are called to present our “bodies” to the Lord, we are exhorted to offer our total being to Him, not just bits and pieces.
1 Corinthians 6:20: “You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” God does not just want to be a “part” of our lives; He wants us to be completely committed to Him.
Romans 6:13 tells us to offer every part of our bodies to Him as instruments of righteousness. God is looking for bodies of believers who will be sold out to Him.
You’ve no doubt heard the story of the pig and the chicken walking down the road together when they come upon a sign advertising a breakfast to benefit the poor. The chicken said to the pig: “We should donate to that worthy cause. How about if I give an egg and you provide the ham?” To which the pig replied, “Not so fast. For you that would be a contribution, but for me it would be a total commitment.” Too many of us have made some contributions but we resist total commitment.
5. Live a lifestyle of “service worship.”
We’re so accustomed to equating worship with what happens in the church on Sunday mornings.
When we come to church we call it a “worship service” when this phrase is never even used in the Bible. In fact, nowhere in the New Testament are we commanded to “go to worship.”
Actually, for many of us we equate “worship” with the singing we do together for 20 minutes each week.
If we just have 75 minutes together on Sundays, we should make it the best it can be, right?
James MacDonald, pastor of Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago (www.walkintheword.com). He shared four principles that I found to be very helpful.
* Prepare yourself.
Get yourself ready Saturday night. Confess any sins. Read your Bible before you arrive. Come with a holy expectation.
* Be punctual.
I know this is not easy but there are places around the world where the doors are locked if you are not on time.
* Work on your posture.
Don’t slump down and settle in for a long-winter’s nap. Don’t write notes to each other and don’t check out if you don’t like a song or the sermon. We are not customers or consumers, we are participants. God is the audience.
* Ignite some passion.
Come ready to fully participate, knowing that God is seeking worshippers who have their hearts and their heads engaged.
Friends, we can’t just be spectators here. Someone described a football game as twenty-two men on the field badly in need of rest being watched by seventy-two thousand spectators badly in need of exercise.
Christianity is not a spectator sport and worship is never meant to be something we just watch, applauding when we like it or booing in our hearts when we don’t.
I turn to Giglio again: “Most of my life, I thought that you went to church to worship. But now I see that the better approach is to go worshipping to church” (page 115). While our time together on Sundays is extremely important, I want to suggest that God is less concerned with how this service goes and more concerned with how our service of worship goes outside these walls."
This then is our “spiritual act of worship.” The phrase “spiritual act of worship” or “service of worship” was familiar to those who understood the Old Testament sacrificial system.
The word “service” refers to any ministry that priests and Levites did. Check this out. As believer-priests, when we offer our bodies we are involved in the sacred service of worship.
Harold Best, who teaches at Wheaton College, points out that this word was originally a secular term signifying work to be done or a service to be performed by a carpenter or other tradesperson.
We must therefore be at “work” worshipping while we walk with Christ in our homes, in our jobs and wherever else.
That, my friends, is something to think about.
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