Matthew 4:8-10

“Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written,

“‘You shall worship the Lord your God
    and him only shall you serve.’”

Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and were ministering to him.”

“Kids, come on! Let’s get in the car! It’s time to go to church!” This is how it usually goes on Sundays when trying to get the kids and yourself ready to go to church for Sunday morning worship. This is the norm for many Christain families.

The Bible speaks of corporate worship with other believers of faith. Jesus Himself built His church upon Peter’s confession that He [Jesus} was the Christ, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. We see in Acts 13 the beginning of the missionary movement when Paul and Barnabus went out and churches were formed as the called-out believers of Christ. The Apostle Paul’s epistles to the churches and to Timothy and Titus were mainly instructions on how the churches were to function. Yet, and most importantly, the churches were built to worship Jesus Christ as Lord God and Savior. And to them, the church was given the Great Commission to go and make disciplines of men from all nations for Jesus Christ, and to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:16-20).

The worship of God, Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, is essential and fundamental to the life of a Christian. But clearly, there seems to be a disconnect between some people who claim to be Christians to how they perform their Christian duties in their daily lives. Even if they are basically good people, church attendance is of little significance to their lives.

When trying to understand this disconnect between being Christian and worshipping God at church, there seem to be many reasons, however, not well-grounded. I have heard some say they don’t really believe the church is necessary. Others have said they are church members, but not regular attenders; and with their busy lives, they cannot volunteer or be involved in any church-related service or activity. And then lastly and very sadly, some have said they get more out of worshiping God at home while watching a sermon or a modern, Christian musical performance on the television. These reasons, though very wrong, are understandable because so few of these so-called Christians practice their spiritual disciplines as a means to worship God, grow in holiness, and become more mature in their Christian faith as believers.

I place worshipping God as a spiritual discipline that we must practice if we are to effectively glorify and honor the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives. We know that worship is a necessity. As a child, I remember being taught the Ten Commandments, which give us our instructions to worship God only and to have only Him in our lives. Anything else is idolatry. Pure and simple.

However, Donald S. Whitney, author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, correctly says, “To worship God throughout a lifetime requires discipline. Without discipline, our worship of God will be thin and inconsistent…it’s the response of a heart evoked by the beauty, glory, and allure of the object of your mental focus — holy God. And yet, we also consider worship a Discipline, a Discipline that must be cultivated, just as all relationships must be in order for them to remain healthy and grow.”

This is spot on because it suggests that the worship of God is a form of relationship building experience, especially from one in humility and submission to another of great, superior authority and majesty. This relationship-building experience is not only found in corporate worship at church but also as a lifestyle practice of worshipping God in private. In other words, spending time alone with God. This is seen in the New Testament when Jesus was at the house of Mary, Martha, and their brother, Lazarus. Martha was upset because she was busy and overwhelmed with serving Jesus, while Mary was attentively sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening, and talking to Him. Jesus told Martha, that Mary chose the better part and that will not be taken away from her. That is our worship, sitting at his feet as we abide in Him in our all spiritual disciplines (Bible reading, Bible memorizations and meditations, prayer, and growing in faith as we follow Jesus). Jesus in His Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5 said we are to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. And the Apostle Paul, says the same thing in different words when he said, “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corthians 10:31). Our creative purpose in life, to glorify and worship Jesus, is not reserved for heaven only. Nor is it solely performed in a church service, although corporate worship with the saints in the church is explicitly commanded and is a necessity (Hebrew 10:25). Joyful worship of God is our obedience that is given to Him in whatever we do. That means He is above our family, above our friends, above our school, work, or play. In Him, we abide with all our spiritual disciplines so we may practice to persevere in our worship to the very end of our lives. And furthermore, we will worship Him in heaven with all the heavenly host and with all the blood-bought saints in Christ for all eternity.

So let’s worship God in spirit and in truth.

The Doxology in Hawaiian and English… Hoʻonani i ka Makua Mau, Ke Keiki me ka ʻUhane nō, Ke Akua Mau hoʻomaikaʻi pū, Kō kēia ao, kō kēlā ao. Āmene. Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heav’nly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!