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Home > Worship Is Not A Style
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Worship Is Not a Style by Dianna Hobbs
All day today I've been thinking about how we, as a body of believers, need to return to true worship and holiness. It's what the Father so deeply desires for each of us. Now, I don't want you to click away from the blog because I said holiness! Don't act like that . . . hear me out.
It's so easy to get caught up in the idea of worship and miss the true essence of it. You see, worship is not a casual, contrived, mechanical act that we engage in, from time to time. It is not a song. It is not a tongue. It is not a particular type of music. Rather, it is a lifestyle.
Worship is exemplified in the life we live before God. Furthermore, the life we live is an outgrowth of the condition of our hearts. Now, ask yourself, "Is my heart pure before the Lord, or am I merely going through the motions, without a real commitment to Him?"
Truth be told, many individuals lead worship service, but don't have authentic communion with God. They're adept at "having a form of godliness . . . " But, in reality, they don't really know Him at all. I know this may be a little heavy for a blog post, but it needs to be said.
I want to pause a moment to say, I don't want you going around feeling condemned. That's not what this is about. I'm not claiming that you need to be perfect to be a worshiper, because that's untrue. If that was the case, David, son of Jesse, would have been out of the running. He was an adulterer and a murderer, yet He was a worshiper and a man after God's heart.
So, don't get legalistic on me now. Please realize that, according to 1 John 2:1, if we sin, we have an advocate with the Father. Thank God for Jesus! He will plead on our behalves, but God's desire is that we say no to sin and say yes to Him. Just because He is gracious does not mean we have an excuse to live any old kind of way. "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?" (Romans 6:1)
See . . . you've got me preaching now. All I need is a Hammond B3 and an "Amen corner."
I am reminded of my earlier years growing up in my father's church; I was the choir president. Well, when I was a teenager, we used to have good old fashioned testimony service. Remember that? We would sing a few "call and response" songs like: I'm a soldier, Have you tried Jesus, Victory shall be mine, This is the day that the Lord has made . . . If you grew up Pentecostal like I did, I know you've got a few of your own you can recall (Be sure to email them to me). Well, we would sing, testify and have a shoutin' good time. And all of the testimonies would end the same way . . . "pray for me that I'll grow stronger in the Lord."
Then, something happened. The new "in" thing suddenly became praise and worship service. As a result, testimony service was phased out. All of a sudden, it wasn't cool anymore to follow the old format. So, I started learning more Contemporary Christian Music (CCM). Testimony service was treated like the crazy step cousin and had to be saved until Sunday night.
On Sunday morning, we started singing "Hosanna Music," or at least the best Fred Hammond songs we could find to fit the bill. The congregation was required to stand THE WHOLE TIME, lift up their hands, close their eyes and . . . wooooorship, halleluuuuuujah, gloooooory, God we looooove you. Now, everything had to be drawn out, said very slowly, breathy, and quietly. That meant you were really sanctified! Don't get deep. You know I'm telling the truth.
Don't misunderstand me. I have no problem with a more contemporary style of worship. I enjoy it immensely. So, don't lie on me and say I'm anti-praise and worship. And please, don't break out the petition for everyone to return to testimony service, because I'm not signing it!
Here's my point. It doesn't matter what kind of songs you sing, or how you show your love for God. What's most important is that you don't mistake the outward expression, for the true essence of worship. That's all I'm saying.
God requires that we walk circumspectly and live holy. He's searching for those that have a heart after Him. Are you the one? Can God trust you to present your body as a living sacrifice unto Him? (See Romans 12:2) Do you love Him in deed and not just in word? God doesn't want us to merely cry out to Him with our lips when our hearts are far from Him.
I don't know about you, but, I don't want to just talk and sing about loving God. I want to make sure that my life reflects His image, so that I can bring glory to Him everyday.
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16 NKJV).
Until next time . . . may you be empowered to prosper!
© 2007 EEW Magazine. All Rights Reserved.
Dianna Hobbs is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empowering Everyday Women Online Magazine, the premier online magazine for African American Christian women. This article is taken from Dianna's highly popular blog series called, Dianna Hobbs: Empowering Everyday Women. It is circulated to thousands of Christian women in search of inspiration for their ministerial and entrepreneurial efforts. To receive these exceptional articles directly, simply log onto http://www.diannahobbs.typepad.com and subscribe to our email updates.
About the Author
Dianna Hobbs is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Empowering Everyday Women Online Magazine, the premier online magazine for African American Christian women. This article is taken from Dianna's highly popular blog series called, Dianna Hobbs: Empowering Everyday Women. It is circulated to thousands of Christian women in search of inspiration for their ministerial and entrepreneurial efforts. To receive these exceptional articles directly, simply log onto http://www.diannahobbs.typepad.com and subscribe to our email updates.
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