9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: 11“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:9 – 11)
God is passionate about His glory and hopefully you have seen how Bible Study, Spiritual Warfare, Prayer and Fasting are conduits to giving Him the glory that is His alone. This week we focus on the Disciplines of Worship and Fellowship, starting with Worship.
The concept of God’s glory brings the discipline of worship into very sharp focus. Consider these two implications of internalizing God’s glory as the motivation for worship:
- We avoid the seduction of many activities that are labelled as worship but are really not. For example, some so called worship activities are really just entertainment without substance.
- We avoid falling victim to what I consider the “exclusive zone of worship” syndrome. This occurs when we believe we must be at church and in a worship service for worship to occur. This “constrained” view of worship is unfortunately pervasive.
Please read the passage above prayerfully and consider the object, motivation and attitude of worship displayed.
Question:
What are some of the practical implications of seeing worship as a lifestyle rather than a church activity?