The Culture of Hope Founded on Faith
To Worship God, part 3
When we think of worshiping God we generally envision singing in a church sanctuary on Sunday as the setting. But worship is a daily lifestyle activity that is not only expressed in words but also in our attitudes, actions, and choices. Today in part three of a four-part series I will discuss how our activities express worship.
Colossians 3:17 tells us, “whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.” I remember a speaker making the connection between what we do and what we do with Christ. He asked the question, “If He physically appeared today, would you take Jesus with you to a bar for a drink or to dally with a prostitute?” When we intentionally do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, our activities are going to be different from those we do merely to please ourselves. All that we do in the name of the Lord Jesus is in worship of Him.
In addition, 2 Corinthians 6:19-20 declares “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” For the Christian there is no longer a separation of sacred versus secular. All that we do should be for Jesus Christ who purchased our salvation with His blood. We do not do “works” in order to be saved; we serve God, who already saved us through the blood of Jesus Christ, by doing what He calls us to do in the name of Jesus. And all that we do needs to represent Christ in us to a world seeking hope. How is this possible?
We have in us a new nature because we are indwelt with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 2:13-14 describes the presence of the Holy Spirit in terms of a contractual commitment by God in which we have the assurance of our eternal inheritance that began at the moment of salvation. As the temple of the Holy Spirit, then, each of us is responsible to resist defiling the house where the third person of the trinity dwells. That means we personally reject sin when we recognize it and repent of sin as soon as we identify our participation in it. How do we do that? James 4:7 tells us to “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
Finally, Romans 12:1-2 states, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Many times I have heard a tongue-in-cheek saying that the problem with Christians being a living sacrifice to God is that they keep crawling off of the altar. In essence, believers are no longer bound by sin but we still live in physical bodies that are subject to sin. The sacrifices of the Old Testament were part of the worship of the Israelites. The significance of the altar is complete surrender of our entire being to the One who created us, holding nothing back from the control of God.
Whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord, for you are the temple of the Holy Ghost, bought with a price, belonging to God. Live, then, as a living sacrifice, glorifying and worshiping God in all that you do.
Update and Prayer Request: In the absence of Pastor Mike Scanlan, Dan will be speaking at Calvary Chapel Susanville this Sunday. The services will be live-streamed on KWLK 88.5 FM radio and the church’s Facebook site at 8:30 and 10:30 PST if you wish to hear it. Dan has had what appears to be a virus this week which has cut into his prep time somewhat. We’re not sure if his digestive issues since last Thursday’s infusion are part of the increasing side-effects of his immunotherapy or not. Please pray for his ability to focus and to study in preparation for Sunday services. Also, please pray for continued healing of both the remaining tumors and the cumulative side-effects of his treatment.
