A TIME OF WORSHIP

As Pastor Harry led the Christ-following body at Mosaic in a time of prayer this
past Sunday, a response of worship manifested itself among the attending
Mosaics. The total body attending was engaged in focused prayer for each
person individually, for the collective Mosaic body and for the nation. The
service caused a recollection of the meaning of worship and its associate joy,
which includes focusing on and responding to God, done in Spirit and in truth,
is both public and private and is a discipline to be cultivated.

God expects us to worship because it is why He created us, to glorify Him.
Worship often includes words and actions, but also requires the focus of the
mind and heart. It is preoccupied with God and nothing else. We must always
be fully engaged (mentally and Spiritually) when we worship the Lord. John
called this worshipping in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). This is
worshipping from the inside out. The heart has to be plugged in and the mind
engaged.

A reflection on the service begged the question, how often do we really
worship? Believers are expected to participate regularly in corporate worship
(Hebrews 10:25). The first exercise of the discipline of worship is to develop
the habit of faithfully assembling with other believers in meetings where the
primary purpose is to worship God. Following Christ is not an isolationist
exercise. The church is described in the New Testament with metaphors like
body (1 Corinthians 12:12), building and household (Ephesians 2:19-21). It’s
undeniable that meeting together as a body means to worship God in the
physical presence of other believers. However, private worship is just as
important and there are experiences with God that only occur in private
worship. Our ultimate model, Jesus, often withdrew to worship His Father
privately (Luke 5:16).

There are times when we don’t experience worship during a Sunday service.
Our God is always available so that condition must be one of our own making.
It could be because we haven’t spent any time with Him during the week. Our
joy in life is more robust when we regularly worship privately and corporately.