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Lead the Way Through Worship

Strong souls worship well.

The Primacy of the Soul (7)

So when they had appointed elders in every church, and prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed.
Acts 14.23

Disciplines of self-denial
I think we can assume that what we see Paul doing in these churches in Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch is pretty much what he did everywhere: strengthening the souls of people by pointing them to the Kingdom, warning them to get ready for tribulation, grounding them in Kingdom disciplines, and leading them to appoint and submit to shepherds to watch over their souls.

So I think we can assume that his parting act of committing all this to the Lord was also important in helping the followers of Christ grow strong in their souls.

We note here the mention of three matters: prayer, fasting, and some act of committal. Each of these would have been specific, overt, liturgical actions, done in, for, and with the community of God’s people, and done probably as a way of showing these congregations what they needed to do over and over again. In other words, Paul led them in worship in the ways he expected them to continue worshiping for the strengthening of their souls.

And it’s important to note that each of these specific acts involved self-denial. Strong souls begin and end in self-denial, in public acts of abject, utter, and entire dependence upon the Lord of glory, rather than on ourselves.

Strong souls require self-denying worship.

When worship fails
What is the goal of worship? What are we trying to accomplish when we come together as a community on the Lord’s Day and offer Him our worship? Looking at the state of worship in churches today suggests a variety of answers to that question.

Some churches seem to think that the purpose of worship is to preserve  or advance a peculiar kind of status quo. Worship always goes so long, sings these kinds of songs, follows this order and not that, and involves the same leaders, week after week. We like our worship the way it is, and we see no need of changing anything. The way we worship identifies the kind of church we are, and we’re not interested in changing it.

Other churches would seem to be at the opposite end of the spectrum from these. They only want what is new and different – new songs, now forms of worship, new environments, new people leading, new forms of spontaneity in worship, and so forth. The purpose of worship in such churches appears to be to accommodate whatever is new and “exciting” or “relevant”. Such churches are typically adamant about preserving their worship against any reversion to older “traditional” styles.

Many churches seem to think that worship is an activity people engage in to feel good about or at least within themselves. The challenge to worship leaders in such a setting is to figure out what will make the people “enjoy” worship so that they’ll go away with a good feeling and want to come back next week. Above all, we don’t want anything in worship that might offend someone or make anybody feel bad. Speak to their needs. Play to their likes. Downplay their failings and foibles. Don’t burden their souls; buffer them.

Worship will fail in its goal of strengthening our souls if it takes any of these people-and-preferences approaches. The danger in each of these is that they lose sight of the proper focus of worship, which is God, not us. Worship is not about what we want or what we like or what makes us feel good or better or whatever. Worship should focus on the worthiness – the “worth-ship” – of God.

Any church that structures and conducts worship for the sake of the worshipers has lost sight of the purpose of worship, and cannot expect that its worship will strengthen the souls of those who participate. They might indeed “enjoy” such worship, or feel better for having gone through the experience, but they will not be strengthened for the Kingdom.

Worship is for God
The purpose of worship is to engage with God using elements and forms as can bring us into His Presence, so that we commune with and participate in Him. Worship is not a matter of styles or preference or traditions. Worship looks to God, speaking in His Word, to reveal the elements and forms He has designed to bring us into His Presence in worship. Such elements and forms will have to accomplish several things if we are to realize the purpose of worship and strengthen our souls.

First, our worship will need to employ the elements and forms God prescribes. Do we really think we can come before the Lord doing whatever seems right to us in whatever ways make us feel OK? Are we insane? Would you attend a meeting with your boss on those terms? Why do we think we can do worship without doing it in the ways and with the elements and forms God teaches us in His Word? Why do we think that worship is only worthwhile as it satisfies our pleasure, rather than God’s?

Second, in our worship we empty ourselves before the Lord, confessing and repenting of our sins, and giving ourselves to Him from the inside-out. Worship is not a matter merely of what we do with our bodies, although it certainly includes that. We want our minds to focus on God in His greatness, goodness, majesty, holiness, and might. We want our hearts to pour out expressions of admiration, love, and conviction toward Him. We employ the elements and forms of worship to renew our commitment to God and to firm up our consciences in His presence.

In worship we stretch out in our souls toward God, so that God can fill and stretch our souls with more of Himself. And He will only receive our worship and strengthen our souls in it as we worship on His terms. Prayer, fasting, singing, offerings, hearing the Word, committing ourselves to the Lord – these are the elements God is seeking in worship.

Thus, when we empty ourselves and focus our soul entirely on the Lord, worship becomes a setting where the strengthening of our souls takes on a corporate dimension, precisely as Paul intended. Whatever we do to strengthen the souls of believers – heart, mind, and conscience – the end of that strengthening will be worship.

For reflection
1. How can we know whether our worship is pleasing to God?

2. Worship is not so much a matter of style as of forms, of fun as of focus, of filling ourselves as emptying ourselves. Explain.

3. How can you bring more worship of God into your daily walk with and work for Him?

Next steps – Preparation: Review your understanding of and practice of worship. What can you do to improve your worship of the Lord? Commit your conclusions to Him in prayer.

T. M. Moore

Your soul in the Kingdom of God
Jesus has conveyed us into the Kingdom of God. It is in the context of seeking the Kingdom that we can grow strong souls. Our book, The Kingdom Turn, can help you understand and begin making yourself more at home in the Kingdom of God. Order your free copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

T.M. Moore

T. M. Moore is principal of The Fellowship of Ailbe, a spiritual fellowship in the Celtic Christian tradition. He and his wife, Susie, make their home in the Champlain Valley of Vermont.
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