The Joyful Call To Worship

"Blessed are the people who know the festal shout..." (Psalm 89:15, ESV)
"... You are ever on their lips, but far from their conscience" (Jer. 12:2, HCSB).  
"... Because these people approach Me with their mouths to honor Me with lip-service--yet their hearts are far from Me, and their worship consists of man-made rules learned by rote"  (Isaiah 29:13, HCSB).  
"I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the LORD" (Psalm 122:1, KJV).

God pours out blessings on those who hear the call to worship, who prepare their hearts, and tune in to meditate on His nature and work.  The essence of this is making a "connection" with God as we make "contact" as it were into His dimension and throne room.  Worship is "worth-ship," and we give God His dues respect (render to God what is God's and to Caesar what is Caesar's ).  Worship is an attitude we can take with us beyond the sanctuary to the workplace, doing all, whatever we do, to the glory of God as one theologian espoused (cf. 1 Cor. 10:31).  Work is a form of prayer which is a form of worship, when done to the glory of God, as Augustine of Hippo said, "To work is to pray."  All work can be done to the glory of God (i.e., worship). 

But we should especially rejoice corporately with the body of Christ:  "I was glad when they said unto me, 'Let us go into the house of the LORD.'" (Psalm 122:1, KJV). We can get into a celestial or worship fix by not letting it become perfunctory or routine, or just memorizing the Dance of the Pious, and going through the motions--any lackadaisical spirit can be avoided and changed by adequate preparation--you cannot just expect to walk into the house of the Lord and expect a miracle at the door!

The point is to spread the cheer: "Once you've experienced it, you want to pass it on!"  Church is a spiritual checkup when we take inventory of our soul's needs and condition, but we must learn that it's not about us!  We must learn to focus on God; getting our eyes off ourselves and our problems long enough to realize the divine. Some may need to get into the mood so to speak, realizing that worship is not passive nor vicarious--we don't admire someone else worshiping!

The call to worship involves both thanking God for what He's done and praising Him for who He is!  When we do this we realize the inherent power of praise, for God inhabits the praises of His people (cf. Psalm 22:3).  This will help us to cultivate a heart of praise and worship as we learn to have the right attitude that no one can take away.   The real key to worship is the measure of our surrender, not the amount of the Spirit we have, but how much of the us the Spirit has.  We rightly submit to God's ownership of our soul.  We don't want to be like those who are the nod to God crowd on Sunday and go about their regular routine on Monday--we want the experience to last and to grow in us.  Some merely offer lip service to God and don't have their hearts in the right place!  But we must realize that there is no "one-size-fits-all" manner or style of worship, we are all built differently and find fulfillment in different ways.

But one thing is sure:  we are hard-wired and designed for worshiping God and won't be fulfilled without doing it.  Dostoevsky said that if we don't worship God, we'll worship something or someone else.  Woe to him who strives with his Maker (cf. Isa. 45:9).  Worship should be seen as a privilege and honor and we can say, "I get to worship!" For this reason, worship ought not ever to become blase!   Church is more than a social event and worship more than an existential encounter (it must be put into action as we turn our convictions and creeds into deeds).   The whole purpose is to get our batteries recharged and to get right with God, back into His service, and to learn more to seek His face and make course corrections in our life.

Malachi was written to those in Israel whose worship had become a sham, mockery, and travesty--and they were not taking it seriously--but their worship had become an insult to the grace of God all because their hearts were not right with Him and they didn't give Him His rightful place, playing church and he exposed the formalism of the worshiping--they were in a worship rut and this is what the doctor ordered:  a spiritual workout!   God frowns upon mere lip service and the memorizing of the Dance of the Pious (cf. above:  Jer. 12:2; Isaiah 29:13).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Where's The Joy?

"But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold"  (Job 23:10, NIV).  

"I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete"  (John 15:11, NIV).  

"He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps"  (Psalm 40:2, NKJV).

If you are a melancholy believer, or one who seems glum, sullen, or dejected, in the pits, in a depressed funk, despondent, or have the doldrums, and don't know how to snap out of it you are a bad advertisement for Christianity, if you're really happy and full of joy, tell your face!  There may be periods of depression when one wallows in self-pity, has a pity party, or withdraws, (even Elijah got depressed), but one must learn how to bounce out of it.  Paul exhorts us in Philippians 4:4 to "rejoice in the Lord always."  " Nehemiah says "... [The] joy of the LORD is your strength." There are some key elements to finding joy amidst the hard times--and He does make us experience hardship:  "You have fed them of the bowl of tears, You have given them tears to drink in great measure"  (Psalm 80:5, NKJV).

This is to develop our character to mold it after Christ's image, which cannot mature without adversity, hardship, discipline, trials, and even temptation--but remember Christ was honest enough to warn us and they are inevitable as a "coming of age" spiritually.  Christ didn't exempt Himself from trouble, and our "crosses" pale in comparison to His.   If you don't know why you are suffering or you think you don't deserve it, be like Job and throw a spiritual fit and cry out to God with your case and complaint.  It's okay to throw a spiritual temper tantrum or fit! Some people are just more vulnerable to getting the blues or even depression, but this doesn't need to define who you are.

There is a methodology or method to the madness, for rebounding from depression, when it is time to seek the Lord and His presence--there is a time and season for every purpose under the sun.  God is in the business of sharing His joy!  When we sin and grieve the Spirit it can show and spread like wildfire.   Every believer has been called to do God's work and if he knows his calling, he can find joy in doing the Lord's will and in being in the Lord's will. There's always joy in doing God's work with a smile and finding fulfillment in that.  When you live for something bigger than yourself you will have a different perspective on life.  Real living begins when we commence serving others and get our eyes off ourselves.  We shouldn't just exist, but live!  Work for something in life that will outlast it.  If you know how God uses you and what your spiritual gift is, you are on the way to finding joy in the Lord and knowing how to spread it as a messenger of the good news with a positive testimony.

When we are in a depressed funk, or "downcast" as Psalm 42 and 43 call it, God seems to be MIA and we need to seek the face of God. We are to seek the Lord and His face or presence.  The whole business of the Christian life is to seek God, not just when we feel down.  Even Job wondered about the whereabouts of God: "Oh, that I knew where I might find Him"  (cf. Job 23:3).  God is never far from each one of us according to Acts 17:27.  He may be no further than the mention of His name! Did He not promise:  "... Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age" (Matt. 28:20, ESV). Remember that where ever two or three are gathered together in His name, that Jesus promises to be among them (cf. Matt. 18:20).  The Holy Spirit dwells in us to be our Comforter and Enabler to live in His power and to overcome trials and the enemy.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd who seeks His lost sheep and brings them to green pastures and to give them rest.

It is a joy to see God at work in others and to share in the blessings by association.  This is an encouragement for us to do the Lord's will and to be profitably engaged in spreading the Word. There is vicarious joy, just like parents relive their childhoods through their children. Remember, we are all on the same team and we must know the real enemy, the devil, who prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (cf. 1 Pet. 5:7).  We learn to "rejoice with those who rejoice" (cf. Romans 12:15).

We really must learn to find joy despite our circumstances and to be strong in our faith, for the Lord must test our faith:  "Behold, I have refined you, but not as silver; I have tried you in the furnace of affliction" (Isaiah 48:10, ESV).   God wants to see if it is genuine and will stand the test of time, and isn't a facade, sham, or masquerade--only sincere, even if imperfect, faith will do.  Learn to rise to the occasion and above your circumstances:  Experience is not what happens to you, but what happens in you! Paul was in prison and rejoiced in the Lord with such testimony with Silas that the jailer got converted in Acts 16.

Joy is contagious and a great testimony, and that is more motive to seek it to be a light and river of life to others, who need to be encouraged.  This is so that we acknowledge joy in the Lord, not in circumstances, which can change.  Joy is something on the inside that is not dependent on happenings like happiness is.  Paul learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself in (cf. Philippians 4:13).

When you know God is with you, everything becomes bearable and that is one of Christ's names:  "God with us." Also, it is written in Isaiah 43:2 (ESV):  "When you pass through the waters, I will be with you ...."   We are to seek the Lord and His presence "as a deer pants for flowing water, so my soul pants for [God]" (Psalm 42:1, ESV).  Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now canonized, says that "true holiness consists of doing God's will with a smile." That is, if we are happy, we should tell our faces!  Soli Deo Gloria!

Happy Campers

I'm a pretty good judge of demeanor and I have seen the faces of many so-called music icons or legends that don't seem truly happy--only on the surface, that is.  This may shock you that money, fame, success, sex, nor power can buy happiness.  There is "pleasure in sin for a season" according to Hebrews 11:25, and then you have to invent new ways to sin as it enslaves you.  Let's distinguish between happiness and Christian joy. Happiness depends upon happenings and happenstance, whereas joy is an inner sense that no man can rob you of, and doesn't depend on outward stimulus. We are to "rejoice in the Lord always" (cf. Phil. 4:4), and in every circumstance--this is not impossible, look at Paul in jail!

The happiness of the world is fleeting and superficial and is always in a state of flux and can vary like a weather vane. Feelings come and go like a roller-coaster or yo-yo, but attitude and character are permanent--it's not what happens to us as much as what happens in us that determines our joy.  To quote Mother Teresa of Calcutta, "True holiness is doing the will of God with a smile." Personally, I am happiest when I am doing the Lord's work.

Joy, on the other hand, does not depend on circumstances and is a gift from God as a fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 (i.e., "love, joy, peace"). You can be joyful in jail like Paul and Silas.   I look at faces of news anchors and television personalities and celebrities, and they do seem happy; but how much of that is dependent on their good fortune of having a high profile job, friends, success, fame, good pay, and a fun to boot?  If some rock idle lost his voice and couldn't sing anymore, or became impotent, how happy would he be.  But to Christians, joy is our strength in time of need from our Paraclete or Comforter, the Holy Spirit:  "... The joy of the LORD is your strength..." (cf. Neh. 8:10).  In short, we are satisfied customers.

Beethoven was one who survived his circumstances, rose to the occasion, and adjusted:  He became deaf and took life by the horns, not giving up on his dreams--he was a survivor! The Epicureans sought pleasure as their premier goal, but not maximum pleasure--only an optimum level.  Our Declaration of Independence announces our right to the pursuit of happiness--it's the American way. The Pythagoreans in ancient Greece discovered that music soothed the savage beast and brought temporary happiness--the therapeutic value of music was esteemed even in antiquity.  

Now, I'm asking you to take inventory and try to analyze what makes you happy--is it the Word of God and worship in the Spirit?  Do you have spiritual goals and aspirations?  The spirit of man is how God sees him.  God judges our motives and our heart, that man cannot see. To be a happy camper doesn't mean you've accepted the status quo--that is complacency! We are to have purpose and raison d'etre for living in Christ.

People like to greet us with pleasantries such as "How's it goin'?"  This implies that we are up and down depending on circumstances.  The honest answer may be:  "It's goin'!"  We need to be set free from this vicious cycle of dependent feeling and realize the only true lasting joy comes as a result of walking with the Lord.  I don't believe in Pollyanna Christianity where everything is always positive, because we all go through many tribulations to enter the kingdom of God (cf. Acts 14:22; Psalm 34:19).  

What I'm saying is that pertinent inquiries might be as to whether we are content, fulfilled, and joyful in the Lord, (does our life have impact and meaning?), not whether we accept the status quo as par for the course, and we are to grin and bear it with the philosophy of the stoical "stiff upper lip" or "Que, sera, sera" (whatever will be, will be) thinking, or something is inherently wrong with us. Most people would be in a state of shock in hearing an honest we should be more honest with ourselves and with others, and make an appraisal of our feelings.

But most people don't want an honest answer either!  This is because Proverbs warns: "Even in laughter, the heart may ache, and sorrow is good for the heart." The Preacher says that it is better to go to the house of mourning than of mirth! We can be laughing on the outside and crying on the inside--how tragic and deceptive.  Beware of those who have picked up on the vocabulary and aren't spontaneous with replies, because situations vary and so should answers.  

Caveat:  We may be tempted to become hedonists who are merely pleasure seekers (i.e., the "eat, drink, and be merry" philosophy), but we must strive for spiritual hedonism, or seeking pleasure in God.  Soli Deo Gloria!

To Complain Profitably

Meditate on these verses to commence the study:

"O God, listen to my complaint" (Psalm 64:1a NLT).
"Those in error will then believe the truth, and those who constantly complain will accept instruction [i.e., doctrine or teaching]"  (Isaiah 29:24).

If you read the book of Numbers you will realize the main theme is the "murmuring" or grumbling of Israel and how they were not content--they wanted to go back to Egypt (representing the old way of life) and eat onions and garlic and eat fish, to boot!  They had become connoisseurs all of a sudden and critics.  And so God gave them their request and then sent leanness into their souls (cf. Psalm 106:15).  We may actually get what we want and suffer the consequences because we don't know what is best for us.  Getting our way is not the best way; that is why we pray for God's will to be done.  We are incapable of running the universe, or even our own lives.

The issue with complaining is to whom you do it and it is not evil in itself.  Habakkuk complained to God and Job never once attributed wrongdoing to God no matter what.  God wants to hear our complaints in the right spirit, but it can be contagious if we tell others and try to leave God out of the equation.

Paul said that he had learned the secret of being content in Philippians 4, but don't confuse this with complacency!  There's always room for improvement and we are never to entertain ideas of perfectionism or having "arrived."  The bad thing about Israel's complaint was that they had become rebels and refused to listen to Moses and God.  They listened to each other and not the leadership that God had appointed over them.  This showed sheer lack of faith and insulted God after all He had done for them.  Only Joshua and Caleb "believed" God and were granted the privilege of entering the Promised Land of Canaan.

The spiritual significance of Moses not being allowed to enter because of his one act of disobedience in striking the rock (representing Christ) twice instead of once was that we know that He didn't arrive as he wanted to and didn't make it to the goal but had to allow Joshua to lead the people to the Promised Land as a type of Christ.  Moses wanted to be like Christ to the people and saw the significance of this role and opportunity.  Moses complained to but he had faith and never wavered in it--though he certainly had a temper which God chose not to restrain.

Tell the Lord how you feel and He will surely listen with sympathy to your plight or dilemma.  We must get in the habit of directing our peeves to God because He is the only one who can solve them.  God does complaints as one would say nowadays!  He is saying:  I'm all ears just speak up, and I'll listen to your case.  Soli Deo Gloria!