I have the privilege of co-leading an evening service at our church called “The Well.” The name was purposely chosen to tell attendees the intention of the service. It is a place to come and intentionally seek the presence of God. To be immersed in His presence. To drink and be refreshed by the Holy Spirit and to be cleansed of our sin and from the tainting of the world of our minds and spirits.
There is no agenda other than to worship God and allow Him to speak. You can come and sit, or lie down, or walk or dance as songs of worship are presented to God. As you draw near to God and enter His presence, if you believe you have a word of knowledge or encouragement or direction, it is a safe place to come and share. It is an opportunity to grow in your spiritual gifting. There is also the aim to pray into situations or to pray for those who have come looking for cleansing or freedom from bondage in their lives.
It amazes me how even in this forum different agendas can arise relating to the worship. It is too loud, too soft, too long, not long enough etc.
Worship is described as “the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for God.”
All of us, have a preferred environment to worship God. The challenge comes to adjust to our present environment without being distracted from the objective which is to revere and adore God in His presence. Let us look at Acts 16, where Paul and Silas get arrested and taken to jail. “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them” (Acts 16:25). Paul and Silas were not praising their problems. Neither were they complaining about the fact they are stuck in prison for doing God’s work. They understood that praising God is not dependent on what God does, but on who He is.
On the website “Got questions - What is the meaning of Christian worship” we read; Paul exhorts us to “present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:1b, 2a). Only when our minds are changed from being centred on worldly things to being centred on God can we worship in spirit. Distractions of many kinds can flood our minds as we try to praise and glorify God, hindering our worship.
We worship “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). Worshiping in the spirit has nothing to do with our physical posture. Nor does it rely on our physical environment, as with Paul and Silas. We can worship in a prison or exploring the wonders of His creation, with the sound of the waves or the wind. There is also huge power in silence, but it is not always a comfortable way to worship.
Worship has to do with our innermost being and requires several things. Firstly, we must be born of the Spirit of God, without Him we cannot respond to God in worship because we do not know Him. “No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God”. Thus, the potential to worship is always with those who know God because He is always with us. This is the truth of the revelation of Christmas, Emmanuel God with Us! So secondly, are we really ready to accept the Christmas gift we have been given, God’s presence in our lives.
So, brothers, how is your worship of God? Are you offended by an environment that stops you worshipping? Are you free in spirit and heart to worship God? Is your daily activity, throughout the day, a worship of God? If not, can I encourage you to share with a brother and ask him to pray with you. Actively seek places, events of corporate worship and activate private worship by reading and meditating on the Word, listening to songs of worship, walking in His presence in creation and just sitting quietly or even being silent seeking His presence.
Blessings
Peter Goulter