Tag Archives: reverence

Reverence

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by David E. Moss

There is quite a variety of worship styles these days – all the way from very quiet to very excited. Some prefer the more formal atmosphere while others insist that excitement during a worship service is much more appealing. The illustration is offered of a football game.

“If we can shout and cheer and jump up and down and wave our banners in support of a ball team, why shouldn’t we be just as excited about our salvation and our God?”

Is this analogy Biblically correct? If it is, we might have to ask the question then, “What about the tailgate parties before the game? Are our activities before worship like a tail gate party?” Unfortunately, I think they are. Our church auditoriums (or sanctuaries, if we can still call them sanctified places) are often as noisy five minutes before service time as a football stadium during warm-up exercises. I guess we are stirring up the adrenalin so we are ready for our sanctified cheers.

Our focus even in worship has become man centered rather than God centered.

I do not mean to belittle the sincere spiritual sacrifices that people offer to the Lord. My concern is not really one of volume or emotion. Both may very well have appropriate places in a worship context. My concern is one of motive and objectivity. It seems that even our worship has become man centered rather than God centered. So many aspects of worship that are excitable to human emotions are used not because God necessarily benefits from them, but because they help us feel good about ourselves and about what we are doing. On the other hand, what is it that God wants most from our worship?

Is worship about what we humans get out of it, or is worship about what we humans are giving to God?

This is the serious question we must consider: Is worship about what we humans get out of it, or is worship about what we humans are giving to God? The Hebrew word for worship, Shachah, means to “bow down” or “prostrate oneself before.” The Greek word, Proskuneo, means essentially the same thing. It even adds the humble imagery of the bowed individual kissing the hand in the same fashion a dog would lick the hand of his master. Noah Webster said way back in 1828 that worship was

“Chiefly and eminently, the act of paying divine honors to the Supreme Being; or the reverence and homage paid to him in religious exercises, consisting in adoration, confession, prayer, thanksgiving and the like.”

It appears to me that the predominant, if not the exclusive, thought in the concept of worship is giving – not getting.

Key Word

If there is one word that can summarize this for us, it is the word “REVERENCE.” Both the Hebrew and Greek concepts of reverence consist of fear, an overwhelming sense of awe, shamefacedness and bashfulness, none of which lends itself to the showmanship so often a part of contemporary “worship.” Psalm 89:7 says, God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and had in reverence of all them that are about him.

When we come together in one place as the Body of Christ, it is an opportunity for us to demonstrate the unity of our faith to Almighty God who deserves our corporate praise and adoration.

The antithesis to this key word is “ENTERTAINMENT.” As a society, we have become immersed in the desire to be entertained. Our heroes are those who can perform spectacular feats and thrill us with their talent or their courage. This has so completely been soaked up in the Christian community that the church with the greatest “show” gets the biggest crowd. We advertise our newest innovation in the Newspaper or on Radio vying for our portion of the floating congregation waiting to be teased with the most enticing “performance” of the week.

Confession of an Old-Fashioned Preacher

I have a confession to make. I happen to believe that the type of format we use for our Worship Services at the North Hills Bible Church is the kind of format conducive to reverent worship. I am committed to preserving this format. This includes the use of the old hymns that glow with reverence as well as doctrinal substance and wonderful harmony.

Granted, this is not very progressive. It may not be appealing to the unchurched masses and it may not be very entertaining.

But while I am confessing, let me go a step further. I believe it is wrong for the church to change so that we will be more attractive to people who are reluctant to attend church services. It ought to be the other way around. The church ought to be that place of stability, demonstrating the awesome unchangeableness of the Almighty whose name is holy and reverend (Psalm 111:9): to which wayward souls pursuing the restless and unfulfilling pleasures of the flesh can turn for refuge. Instead, the church has chosen to appeal to those same useless instincts of the flesh to draw the unsuspecting in hopes of capturing their hearts.

Conclusion

When we come to church on Sunday, it ought to be our desire that God receive the greatest benefit from all that transpires. Let me suggest some ways we can work to this end.

  1. Begin preparing for worship on Saturday. Pray throughout the day for cleansing so that you can be a vessel capable of beautiful sounds on the Lord’s day. Saturday evening, think about what you will be doing the next day and ask God to prepare you.
  2. Set your alarm early enough for Sunday morning so that you do not have to be frustrated by the rushof getting ready on time. During that pre-church time, concentrate on the worship that is to come and practice spiritual Christian character toward everyone with whom you have contact.
  3. Between Sunday School and church, practice quietness. Go into the auditorium, be seated quietly, read over the Scripture passage for the morning and pray.

Then, when it is time to worship, you may be surprised at the high level of emotion within you. But it will be different – selfless, giving, adoring, reverent. You may discover real fulfillment for the very first time.

Old-Fashioned Church

Literature, , ,

by David E. Moss

An old Doonesbury comic strip portrayed a conversation between one of the characters and a Minister:

Man: “So how’d your new church get started Rev.?”

Minister: “Aerobics.”

Man: “Aerobics?”

Minister: “I needed something to attract folks from the community. The focus group suggested an aerobics class. It worked, so I added yoga and bingo, and then a few 12-step programs, and then we opened a soup kitchen, which led to cooking lessons. Before I knew it, I had my own denomination.”

Man: “Wow… so that’s how religion spreads.”

Before you dismiss this as a mere spoof on the church, consider this. In the early 1970’s, a young man and three friends conducted a door-to-door survey “to find out what people wanted in a church.” With results in hand, they began to construct a church based upon the opinions and interests of unchurched people. This was the beginning of a dramatic change in the way churches “minister” to their communities. With a theater-like atmosphere, and a come-as-you-are invitation, church services are becoming more like television variety shows. This is necessary, it is argued, because traditional forms of worship have become boring and predictable and consequently do not appeal to people where they are.

The flaw in this philosophy is in believing that what goes on inside the church should be driven by the experience of people outside the church. Worship, they say, should include elements of daily cultural experience so that people can relate to a spiritual message in a context they understand.

Proponents of these changes are the ones who do not understand. What good is a church that is patterned after the world? The church should be a place that stands in stark contrast to the world, offering itself as a refuge from all that is wrong. Instead, it is becoming a place in which each person who attends can find some element of compatibility with his personal experience.

  1. The Culture Gospel

    Nearly a century ago, Christians were concerned about the Social Gospel. Instead of being a light house for lost souls, the Church became a soup kitchen.

    Now, in the latter part of the 20th century, Christians need to become concerned about the Culture Gospel. Instead of being an oasis for the spiritually desperate, the Church is becoming a play house of cultural relevancy.

    Traditional forms of worship are disappearing as if they were dinosaurs. An atmosphere of reverence is nearly extinct. An expectation that people attend church services dressed respectfully for the occasion is frowned upon as archaic and old fashioned — as if there is something wrong with being old fashioned.

    Popular wisdom prescribes observing the cultural elements of people’s daily experience, transcribing them into a liturgical format, and presenting a Christian message in a vernacular setting. The more diverse the demographics of the community, the more diverse “worship” becomes. Something must be included to appeal to every segment of society. Baby Boomers, Generation X, Singles, ethnics, and an infinite list of other special interest groups become targets with new innovations. The activities of “worship” are fabricated with great sensitivity to all the people who may enter the refurbished halls of the Church.

    There is a very simple explanation for this phenomenon. The Church used to be focused on God. Now, it is focused on itself.

  2. Real Worship

    Traditional forms of worship are being discarded because of a misconception about their origins. The movement of Multiculturalism contends that European culture is oppressive and chauvinistic, preventing the free expression of other cultures. The carry-over into Christianity leads to a claim that traditional forms of worship are too restrictive because they originated within European culture. The conclusion is that they must be replaced with forms of worship that are more culturally inclusive.

    If truth be told, traditional forms of worship are not rooted in culture at all. It is mere coincidence that they were developed in a European cultural context.

    Traditional forms of worship are actually based upon a set of beliefs. 1. God is holy. 2. Those who approach God should do so in a manner which acknowledges His holiness. 3. This requires reverence, respect, order, mannerliness and a decorum honoring the station of Godliness. 4. Worship is the act of approaching God. 5. Therefore, worship is a sacred activity in which man conducts himself appropriate to the occasion.

    The effect of this is to bring people from all cultures into a uniform approach to the Almighty. Culture becomes irrelevant in worship because worship has nothing to do with where man is, and everything to do with where God is. The objective of worship is not to help man find himself, but to help man find God.

    1. Respect

      Respect is a primary ingredient of worship. It is demonstrated by attitude and appearance.

      One should enter a church service quietly and thoughtfully. This is so, not because the building is a hallowed place on the order of the Old Testament Temple, but because the gathering of the believers for the purpose of worship is a hallowed occasion.

      One should also dress appropriately for such an important event. Clothes communicate our attitude toward our activities. In the secular world people dress up for appropriate occasions. Business men wear suits to work, women wear evening gowns to banquets, and teens rent formal wear for graduation parties. But along comes the church with an invitation for people to attend the most sacred activity imaginable, dressed in clothes more suitable for the playground.

    2. Reverence

      Reverence is another primary ingredient of worship. It is demonstrated by our conduct.

      A worship service should be characterized by activity that shows the Lord God, our Heavenly Father, we understand who He is. One’s deportment in worship should communicate a reverence for the importance of the person to whom sacrifices of praise are being made.

      Entertaining ourselves ought to be the furtherest thing from our minds in a worship service. Sensuous music, lewd gyrations, hilarity and applause have absolutely no value in reverencing a holy and sacred God. They are totally man-centered activities. Worship should be completely focused upon the Lord God.

  3. Old-Fashioned Church

    There is a great deal of pressure on local churches to conform to the new ways. Not only is there competition from the secular world of entertainment, now churches are competing to create the most effective appeal to a demanding, self-indulgent community.

    In spite of this, there may yet be a place in each community for a local church that will resist this tidal wave and maintain an old fashioned form of worship. It can be an oasis for those who are being strangled by the crassness of man-centered worship. It can be a gathering place for the remnant who desire to acknowledge the real God in a worship format that is not based upon a cultural experience, but upon a set of doctrinal convictions. It can be a refuge for those who want to rest in all that God is, instead of relishing in all that man can do. It can be a quiet place of worship, where a soul can rest with other weary pilgrims and escape the disconcerting noise of a confused and disorderly world.

Conclusion

This may sound out of touch. It is. It is out of touch with the wisdom that descends not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish.

But this is in touch with the wisdom that is from above. Such wisdom is first, above all things, pure. It is only with this wisdom that the Church can offer worship to God that is truly acceptable to Him.

The people of every local church face this decision. Will they give in to the demands of a group of people who are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God? Or, will they stay the course, maintain respect and reverence in their worship, and think first about God and last about themselves? Will they be a modern innovation with a man-centered priority, or, will they be an old fashioned church with one simple objective — approach God on His terms, rather than their own?

Lifting Up Holy Hands

Literature, , ,

by David E. Moss

What was once primarily a charismatic practice is now becoming more wide spread among evangelical Christians: that is, the raising of hands while praying or singing during worship services. Those who do it believe they are obeying Scripture, for they read in 1 Timothy 2:8, I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. Certainly, we do not want to cast doubt upon the sincerity of Christians who are trying to be intense in their worship of God by raising their hands. We do, though, want to have a right understanding about the things God has said. If God meant for us to raise our hands in the air while praying, why do so many of us not do so? Are we too lazy? Do we lack the feeling that charismatic worshipers possess? Are we missing out on something God wants us to experience? Or, could it be that God did not use those words in a literal sense and really meant for us to understand them in a figurative sense? Could this phrase, lifting up holy hands, be an idiom?

An idiom is a statement which is not intended to be literal, but to represent a peculiar concept. For example, when we want to describe how nervous a person is before a big performance, we say he has “butterflies in his stomach.” We do not mean by this that he has real physical butterflies flitting around inside his body. We are only drawing a comparison between the nervous sensation he is feeling and the erratic activity of those little animals. In this way, “butterflies in the stomach” serves as an idiom, that is, a statement not intended to be understood literally, but to describe a peculiar concept.

There are many idioms in our English language. Someone who is said to have a green thumb does not really have a thumb colored green. A green thumb is an idiom referring to someone who has a talent for gardening and an ability to make things grow. Similarly, to say someone has “cold feet” means he is nervous and hesitant to proceed. To be an “eager beaver” is to always be ready to work or do something extra. To “hit the bull’s eye” is to make the point of your argument. To be “dressed to kill” is to wear one’s finest clothes. None of these idioms are intended to be understood literally and everyone familiar with the English language understands the figurative implications when such statements are used.

Other languages also use idiomatic statements and the language of Scripture is no exception. When David said in Psalm 6:6, all the night make I my bed to swim, was he saying that his bed was doing the back stroke in the palace swimming pool? Of course not. He used the phrase as an idiom to describe the abundance of his tears. Or, how about when Jesus said, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet (Matthew 7:6)? Was he advising women against throwing their pearl necklaces in a pig pen where they would get squished into the mud? Obviously not. He used the statement as an idiom to show us how unprofitable it is to give the truth to those who have no interest in receiving it.

Among the many idioms that can be found in Scripture is this one, “Lifting up holy hands.” In telling us to lift up holy hands in prayer (1 Timothy 2:8), God did not have the physical gesture in mind at all. He used the statement as an idiom to represent the quality of a man’s behavior. In fact, God’s idiomatic use of hands in Scripture can be substantially demonstrated. And the lifting up of holy hands teaches a particular spiritual principle that all believers should practice.

God’s Idiomatic Use of Hands In Scripture

Some will argue that physical gestures like the raising of hands in worship were literal in the Old Testament and serve as an example for how we should worship in the New Testament era. In doing so they will refer to such verses as Psalm 134:2 which says, Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. On the one hand, it is possible that Old Testament references to lifting up the hands in worship were also idiomatic. On the other hand, the fact that Old Testament saints may have used certain physical gestures in worshiping God is not in and of itself a sufficient argument for New Testament believers to do the same thing. Many of the physical activities of the Old Testament served as pictures for spiritual activity in the New Testament. For example, in the Old Testament, unleavened cakes mingled with oil were offered to God as a sacrifice of thanksgiving (Leviticus 7:11-13). But in the New Testament, the fruit of our lips [itself an idiomatic statement since our lips do not actually bear fruit like apples or oranges] accomplishes exactly the same thing.

Hands are used idiomatically throughout Scripture to represent the activities of a man’s life. For example, Psalm 24:4 refers to clean hands and a pure heart. We easily understand that the word heart in this verse does not refer to the physical organ of the human body, but to the inner man, the person housed in the body. Used here in conjunction with a pure heart, we should also be able to see the idiomatic nature of the term clean hands as referring to outward man, and the things he does with his body. Thus, “clean hands” does not refer to physical hands that have been washed with soap and wa ter, but to the sanctified way in which a man has lived his life.

In 2 Samuel 18:28, Ahimaaz brought news concerning Joab’s victory over Absalom. In his report he said, Blessed be the LORD thy God, which hath delivered up the men that lifted up their hand against my lord the king. Absalom and the men who followed him did so much more than simply raise their hands in the air as a gesture of defiance against David. The phrase lifted up their hand was used idiomatically by Ahimaaz to describe the total movement of rebellion against the king.

In the book of Lamentations, Jeremiah described the great distress experienced by the remnant left in Jerusalem after it was decimated by Nebuchadnezzar. He also directed this little group to finally do what the nation had failed to do up to the very end: turn back to God with sincere repentance. His words were: Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens (Lamentations 3:41). Could anyone really think that he was suggesting a person should remove his physical heart and lift it up to heaven with his physical hands? Of course not. This statement is obviously idiomatic both for the word heart and the word hands. To lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens is to show God the genuineness of our repentance by a change in the behavior of our lives.

Thus in Scripture, as the heart often represents the inward man, the hands often represent the outward man. As in Proverbs 23:7, Solomon said, For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he…, referring to the character of a man’s soul, so in Ecclesiastes 2:11 he said, Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought… referring to the activities of a man’s life. Of course, much of the physical activity of a person involves the use of his hands, whether in writing, or eating, or using tools, or a thousand other things. The hands are thus the logical part of a man’s body to be used as an idiom in referring to his behavior.

God’s Use of Hands In Making Spiritual Applications

The Bible is consistent in using the terms heart and hands when evaluating a man’s life. The heart represents the internal part and the hands represent the external part. Genesis 20:5 says, Said he not unto me, She is my sister? and she, even she herself said, He is my brother: in the integrity of my heart and innocency of my hands have I done this. Abimelech offered this statement as a defense for nearly taking Sarah to be his wife. The integrity of his heart described the motive of his inner man and the innocency of his hands described the actual deed. Abimelech used these two idioms together to say that both in motive and deed he was guiltless in his conduct toward Sarah.

This perfectly illustrates how the hands are used throughout Scripture to evaluate the activities of a person’s life. The following list of Scripture verses gives additional evidence that this is so.

Regarding evil or irresponsible activity:

  • Deuteronomy 31:29 – …because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
  • Psalm 7:3 – O LORD my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands…
  • Psalm 9:16 – …the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands.
  • Psalm 26:10M – In whose hands is mischief, and their right hand is full of bribes.
  • Proverbs 6:10 – Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep…
  • Proverbs 21:25 – The desire of the slothful killeth him; for his hands refuse to labour.
  • Ecclesiastes 10:18 – By much slothfulness the building decayeth; and through idleness of the hands the house droppeth through.
  • Isaiah 59:3 – For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity…
  • Mark 9:43 – And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off:…

Regarding good or responsible activity:

  • 2 Samuel 22:21 – The LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
  • 1 Chronicles 12:17 – …seeing there is no wrong in my hands…
  • Job 16:17 – Not for any injustice in my hands: also my prayer is pure.
  • Job 17:9 – …the righteous also shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger.
  • Job 22:30 – He shall deliver the island of the innocent: and it is delivered by the pureness of thine hands.
  • Psalm 18:20 – …the LORD rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me.
  • Psalm 18:24 – Therefore hath the LORD recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.
  • Proverbs 31:31 – Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

The Idiom of Lifting Up Holy Hands

Following a consistent practice in Scripture, God uses the phrase lifting up holy hands as an idiom in order to teach a spiritual principle. He uses these words to say that a man’s prayers to God should be preceded by holy living. God, after all, is a holy God, and those who approach Him in prayer and worship should do so worthily: in a manner that shows respect and honor for the nature and character of His Divine Person.

In Isaiah chapter one, God confronted the nation of Israel for the impurity of their worship. In verse 13 He called their oblations vain, their incense an abomination and their solemn meetings on the Sabbath iniquity. But their worship was filthy only because their lives were corrupt. In verse 4 He said, A sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the LORD, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. The only way their worship could be pure was for their lives to be clean. So, in verse 16 He says, Wash you, make you clean: put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes…

In the Old Testament, God put a great emphasis on cleansing in preparation for worship activities. In Numbers chapter 8, He gave instruction to the Levites regarding this. In verse 6 He said, Take the Levites from among the children of Israel, and cleanse them. He explains in the chapter that this is necessary because the Levites have been set apart to do the service of the children of Israel in the tabernacle of the congregation (verse 19). No one who had not been properly cleansed would be allowed to participate in this service. Approaching the holy God was and is serious business and must not be attempted without appropriate preparation.

This same concept of cleansing in preparation for worship is carried over into the New Testament. In 1 Corinthians 11:17-31, Paul confronted local church members for failing to properly prepare themselves for the observance of the Lord’s Table. He said in verse 29, For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. He then suggested that some of them were experiencing physical infirmities, even physical death, because of their failure to be properly prepared before approaching God in worship. He said in verse 28, Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. And in verse 31 he said, For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. In other words, a time of self examination and confession of sins is a prerequisite to acceptable worship because God wants those who approach Him to be clean.

It is for this reason that He said in 1 Timothy 2:8, that He wants people to lift up holy hands when they pray to Him, with more emphasis on the word holy than on the word hands. He wants people to present a clean life to Him when they intercede for others and make their requests known to Him. To approach God any other way seriously jeopardizes the chances God will respond affirmatively. As James 1:6-7 says, But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. God told the Israelites virtually the same thing in Isaiah 1:15: And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you: yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.

Conclusion

Think about this logically for a moment. A person meanders through life during the week, moderately living by biblical principles, working a little, playing a little, but not really setting the world on fire by his faith. !n fact, occasionally he commits a little sin and causes his unsaved acquaintences to wonder about the genuiness of his profession. Then on Sunday he goes to church. He is greatly moved by the music and the excitement created in the worship setting. As the songs begin to affect his mood, he becomes very sentimental about God. He raises his hands above his head, closes his eyes, and slightly sways his body back and forth, feeling very spiritual because of the experience. In such a situation, has the raising of the worshipers hands really enhanced his approach to God, and has he gained any advantage that he would not have been able to secure without this physical gesture? Is God worshiped more effectively by raised hands than if the hands are not raised? After all of God’s rebuke to Israel for showy worship without substance (Isaiah 58, for example) are we to believe that He is pleased with such sentimental exercises while little attention is given to sanctification in the worshiper’s daily life?

A reverent posture in worship is certainly advisable. But even if we were to concede that raising the hands in worship was appropriate, there is another way that it can be done besides the charismatic model. By bending the arms at the elbows, a person can raise his hands to his chest and fold them together. With hands raised in this manner and with his head bowed, a person can assume a very reverent, respectful, and biblical worship posture. For all through the Bible, you find true worshipers bowed, fallen prostrate, and humbly subdued when in the presence of the Almighty. No where do you see them swooning sentimentally to visceral music.

But without a clean life to present to the Lord, no posture of the body is of any consequence to Him. Certainly, He Wants people to pray to Him. Certainly, He wants people to worship Him. But when they do, He wants them to seriously consider the divine majesty of the One they are approaching and to present themselves worthily. So He says, I will that men every where pray. But when they do, remind them to lift up holy hands. I want to see hands that are without wrath: that is; a life that is without violence and anger and offensive behavior. I want to see hands that are without doubting: that is, a life that is characterized by a vibrant faith and unwavering trust. I want people to pray to Me who have prepared themselves with holy living, showing by the daily conduct of their lives that they know and respect who I am.

So when you pray, lift your life up to God, not just empty hands. Let Him see how you have prepared yourself to meet with Him in holy communion. In doing so you may enter into a fellowship that is filled with joy and rejoicing because there is harmony between your spirit and God’s. How could it be that God would desire any less? How could it be that we would want to give God any less? How could it possibly be that God would be satisfied with a few sentimental physical gestures? We ought to know that His interest in us goes much deeper than that.