Smokin' ORDERLY Worship?

*scripture references and some of the applications in today’s blog were shared  by Pastor Bruce Powell , Siler Presbyterian Church,  from his smokin hot preaching series on the book of Nehemiah.  Thanks Bruce, YOU rock!

ORDERLY worship.  

Does that give you visions of boring old people falling asleep singing worn out hymns  they have known all their lives?   YAWN

If you really want to “worship”’  nowadays, you MUST have the best cutting edge praise band, leading everyone in the latest, most hip,  FABULOUS  contemporary tunes.

 

The louder the better. 

The more angst ridden the better.  

Fireworks are good 

It could go on for hours if the spirit leads. 

 Forget praying or preaching,  contemporary Christian music is where it is AT. 

Please don’t misunderstand me.

 I like contemporary worship.

 I like old hymns.

 I like Gregorian chants, 

 

 fer cryin out loud.

 All forms of worship are GREAT and usually God honoring. 

But when worship become a performance and a competition of the grooviest band you can find, it makes me want to say

WHAT IN THE CAT HAIR

 in a major way.

Well…..what about orderly worship?  In the OT book of Nehemiah, 12: 27-47.  That is EXACTLY what happened. I don’t have space or time to give you the entire story, but the short version  is this: 

Nehemiah came back to Israel from exile in Persia, got some other exileites to join him, and motivated and led the people to rebuild the wall of the Holy City Jerusalem.  Most of the book is about that, and the major problems and opposition they encountered. 

 

 In Ch 12, however, ROCK OUT  BABY!!! 

 The wall is built, and the most amazing, joyful ,awesome, WORSHIPFUL  celebration ensued. 

 BUT -  the service was also ORDERLY.  

 Allow me to give you some exerps to prove my point:

Nehemiah 12:27-47 (selected verses, NIV)

“At the dedication of the wall of Jerusalem,  we brought the Levites to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving and with the music of cymbals, harps and lyres. The singers were also brought together…I had the leaders from Judah go up on top of the wall, I also assigned two large choirs to give thanks, one was to proceed on top of the wall to the right..as well as some priests with trumpets…along with others with musical instruments prescribed by David the man of God. .. The second choir proceeded in the opposite direction. I followed them on top of the wall, together with half the people.  The two choirs gave thanks, then took their places in the house of God…rejoicing because God had given them great joy.THE SOUND OF REJOICING IN JERUSALEM COULD BE HEARD FAR AWAY.”

HOLY  CATHAIR, Batman!  

 

 What an epic worship service of …..can I say Biblical proportions?     ( YUP- I can say that)  

 My imagination runs away with me, thinking what Hollywood could do with this description. Yet it was not a free for all- it happened in an orderly way.

 

It gives me visions of what worship might be like in Heaven...

Here are some things we all can learn about worship from this event in Scripture:

1.Worship in a corporate setting is orderly, not a free for all that no one really knows what is going on.  God’s Spirit can and does move in orderly worship.

2.That being said, making a joyful noise unto the Lord can be a guy in Papua New Guinea pounding his kanga drum, or my hunny who can’t carry a tune singing at the top of his lungs:)

3.Corporate worship is joyful and moving, (just like Nehemiah 12) whether it is hymns or a great praise band.  It can be quiet or it can be rockin:)    But it is NOT a performance, and it does not go on for 2 hours with no time for preaching or praying. 

4.Be respectful of those who prefer other forms of worship than you do.  Making fun of,or making disparaging remarks about another church’s style of worship is a sin.  Period.

5.Corporate worship is not an end all. Worship is highly important, and please go to a church where you can make a joyful noise joyfully  in the style you most enjoy.  But it is not the most important thing. Prayer, bible study, preaching, and living the way Jesus wants us to, are just as important.  Some might argue all of those things are forms of worship.

6.Worship is to be entered into humbly and with much prayer.  
  Worship with your whole heart.

There is much more to be said about worship, I have just scratched the surface, and I know some won’t agree with me.   That’s OK.  That is why God made chocolate and vanilla.

Scripture tells us we were put on this earth to Glorify God.           

 End of Story.

How we do that matters to our Jesus immensely. 

So be purposeful with your worship. It’s not a rock concert, and it’s not falling asleep singing hymns.

In closing I want to share my favorite worship song with you written by  Horatio Spafford.  Many of you know the history of this song.  This fine Christian man had lost a son at 4 years old, survived financial ruin after the Great Chicago Fires, and then got word that 4 of his daughters were drowned at sea. He penned this song  later while traveling by ship over the spot in the Atlantic where his daughters were lost.  His joy in worship is the deep inner joyful peace that comes from intimately knowing his Savior.  If you have never heard it, get out your hanky:)

And YUP it is a hymn:)

It is Well With my Soul: 

 My favorite verse:

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought!
My sin, not in part but the whole,
Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more,
Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

click here:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8_EfDqF7YI