Morning Moments

The manner of worship is not nearly as important as the motive of worship, but Paul, in his first letter to Timothy gives some guidelines for public worship in chapter two.

As a young pastor, Timothy was to learn how public worship is to be led and how it is to be limited. The thought of that will make some folks cringe, but it is nevertheless true. If there are not Biblical limitations imposed upon public worship there is a tendency for them to be either dead or disorderly. The Bible maintains balance whereas opinons only make for obstacles and opposition.

Over the years I have seen some pretty amazing sights of worship in the name of being "free in the Spirit." I remember being in a service once where a young woman wanted to sing a song "God has placed upon her heart." It was like the Gong Show and certainly not conducive to worship. Her song had no melody, no meter, and no meaning.

I can hear someone say, "Oh but it might have been a sincere expression of her heart." Okay, let's accept that line of thinking for a moment. The next time your preacher gets in the pulpit unprepared and rambles and stumbles and struggles through a sermon that was just "on his heart" DON'T complain. In fact, if he did that with any regularity, you would either seek a new church or a new pastor. God's way is to 1) Prepare our hearts, 2) to seek the truth of God's Word, 3) to apply it to our lives, 4) and then, to teach it. May God help us to do it HIS way.

True worship and work according to Scripture edifies and evangelizes, and thus fulfills the Great Commission. Tomorrow, God willing, we shall see what true worship involves.

PRAYER: Father help us to really understand that you are not the author of confusion, but that you do all things decently and orderly. Teach us to seek not our own, but to seek to glorify YOU in work and worship.