Lifestyles of Worship
In the previous lesson I talked about the 2 Main Goals of Worship Ministry: 1) Leading in Moments of Worship, 2) Leading in a Lifestyle of Worship. The latter is clearly the more demanding as it involves every part of our life. I pose the question: How do we lead people in a ‘lifestyle of worship?’ Well to answer this, I look to Romans 12, one of the best guidelines for worship in the Bible.
Romans 12 (NLT) 1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
3 Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.
6 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. 7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. 13 When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality.
14 Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all!
17 Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone.
19 Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, “I will take revenge; I will pay them back,” says the Lord. 20 Instead, “If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals of shame on their heads.”
21 Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good.
True Worship
The first thing that stands out to me in this passage is the last sentence in verse 1 ”This is truly the way to worship him.” This translation gives a new and clearer meaning to this verse. Its so easy to relate to worship to music and unconsciously assume that you can’t have worship without music. This is obviously not true. True worship is life. Its our lives, given to God in a sacrifice that is praise.
Leading By Example
Verse 2 talks about how we need to let God transform us by changing our thought lives. We as believers are called to be set apart and not to act like the world. We respond differently to the world based on God’s standards, not the world’s. As this different way of living becomes more apparent, we will stand out to the people around us. Understand that people are watching you. Whether you realize it or not, you are watching the people and responding based on how they act. In the same way, people are watching you and will respond based on what they see and how you live. If you are in any type of leadership position, this is amplified.
Lead people by example. Let them see that God has changed your life and it affected the way you live. You are not like the world and don’t respond the way the rest of the world does. We are called to live like Jesus, the ultimate example.
Using Your Gifts
The next section of verses (4-8) talk about the value of each member of the body (church). No one is called to be an island, and no one is supposed to sit on the sidelines of the church. “so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.” Every person is essential to church growth. If we as the church are going to know God fully and do all He has called us to do, we need to all be involved. People need to get involved in the body; if its serving in the children’s ministry, volunteering as an usher, or setting up for an event, whatever the need and their gifts direct, we need to find our role in the church. As people serve and find that role, they begin to realize they are a part of something bigger and take pride and responsibility in what they are doing.
Loving Others
Verse 9 introduces one of the simplest yet most compelling concepts for us, especially in our world today. “Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them.”
Its so easy to be fake in today’s christian culture, and I would dare to say that we do it far too often. We put on our smiling church face, and have superficial conversations with people we don’t really know or have relationships with outside of church functions. If we are going to live as Jesus and lead a lifestyle of true worship we need to give up our shallow relationships, stop pretending we love people and really love them. Open up yourself to relationships where you can share your life with someone. Get to know them and let them get to know you.
The rest of the chapters goes on to talk about how to handle relationships of all kinds. We are called to live in kindness and harmony with all people, friends and enemies. This is the difference between God’s worshippers and the world. How we respond to the world through our relationships means everything. If we would love the way Jesus did, we would see that difference start to change the people around us. It is after all the 2nd greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:37-40 (NLT) 37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” If we follow this law and love people, really love them, we are truly worshipping Him.
Questions
What stands out to you in this passage?
What are some of the ways we ‘live out’ our worship?
How can you lead people by example?
What gifts do you have that you can use to worship God? – In church? – In your everyday life?
How can you improve your relationships with others?