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But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

The “Body of Christ”, which is the church, is a many-faceted thing. God created everyone differently. Our DNA, fingerprints, retinas of the eyes…everything about us is unique and different. Thus, is it any wonder that we have so many approaches to worship and getting to know God our creator?

Yet, in the flesh, mankind is competitive and judgmental of others. We tend to gravitate to those who look, think, and act like ourselves. We also tend to be critical of differences between us. From there rises judgmentalism which is probably the biggest secret sin of otherwise faithful Christians.

God’s character…and that of His people…is very complex and mystical in many ways. It is not easy to define God…or man…in a few short terms or phrases. Our whole lives are meant to be lived in pursuit of the knowledge and relationship to our Father. Similarly, our earthly focus is to be likewise dedicated to our parents, families, and other relationships that fall in our paths. How we treat others is seen by God as to how we are treating Him. “What you do to the least of these you have done unto me” (Matthew 25:40).  This is a heavy task and obligation that is at the very core of life’s purpose…and part of our worship to God.

As I get reacquainted with so much of what the Bible, God’s Word, has to teach us in this short life, I am amazed how little of it really sinks into where or how most Christians live. So many of us go through the motions of church, devotions, trying to live righteously…and yet many seem downtrodden,  sad, suffering in our “pursuit of righteousness”, and constantly struggling with sin at the expense of our happiness.

I am convinced that a large percentage of Christians today are living under the legalism of the dark ages. Many have not fully accepted the freedom and spirit of the new covenant of God that has been revealed in the New Testament.  It seems part of our fallen human nature is to reject spiritual freedom for the sake of “following the rules” of antiquity or traditions. Many want to continue living in the bondage of religion and theocracies versus take the chance that God may want something completely new and different for their lives.

We are not designed to live as duplicates of each other. We are to imitate Christ. We are to love and accept difference…as long as those differences are not obvious sins or against the eternal commandments of a just and holy God. Even where we observe strange behaviors or statements from fellow believers, I believe we need to be careful about passing judgment on them just because their “styles”, expressions, or emotions may be different than ours. I think we are to celebrate diversity. Not diversity of lifestyles or behaviors necessarily, but a diversity of focus, gifts, and fruits of the Spirit of God.

One of the factors in the faith of my youth that I allowed to drive me away from faith was the seemingly constant stress of living under the microscope of other believer’s views or interpretations of our choices. Grace and mercy seemed rare in many churches I was involved in while judgment and conflict were plentiful. It became hard for me to focus or worship the God I thought I understood in the midst of all these human manifestations and judgment. I thought I was supposed to obey God more than men?  Yet, most of my life became centered on pleasing others…not necessarily God. This is neither worship nor faith.

Now over three decades later returning to the faith and the church, I find things haven’t changed all that much really. Hopefully, I have!

True worship involves sacrifice. Sometimes it involves financial sacrifice…giving to others in need or causes that propel the gospel of Christ in this dark world. Sometimes worship is sacrificing our time or pleasure when someone needs us when we had other more self pleasing plans. Sometimes worship is simply closing our mouths when someone needs us to listen or build them up when our natural tendency might be to tear them down. Worship is putting God and others (and sometimes their opinions) before ourselves…which is the ultimate form of Godly love.

I have also been pondering a lot lately the balance and connection between thought and emotion. If God wants us to worship truthfully, He expects us to be true with our emotions…not cover them up. Jesus wept…so should we. Jesus laughed…so should we. God and Jesus expressed anger and wrath…so will we. Jesus celebrated and socialized with sinners…so should we (since we all are sinners).  Jesus balanced time alone against his time with the multitudes and His disciples. We all should be comfortable alone or in fellowship. If we are to emulate Jesus in our lives, we should be experiencing all and doing all that He did…at least to the extent that He enables us.

As Eccleciastes 3:1 instructs us…there is a time for all things under the sun. A time to be quiet or silent in our meditations, a time to shout, sing and dance before the Lord, a time to lift our hands in praise to our God, and a time to outstretch our hands to our brothers and sisters in need. And yes, there is a time to let others minister to us. No one stands alone for long in the front lines of spiritual battle. If you think you can go it alone, you will soon disappear from the fight.

Worship is not just something we do in a church or at an altar. It is something we are supposed to be doing constantly throughout every waking moment. Every effort, idea, or activity…our work or our pleasure…should be an expression of worship and thanksgiving to our God. It can be a wide variety of things. He can handle variety. Just look at His creation. “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. (Romans 12:1)”  This is true worship, in everything we do! Find joy in everything you do…or don’t do it.