Good morning -
It's amazing how many people believe that going to church earns them "points" with God. The assumption is that God is taking attendance and recording it in His judgment book and that, along with a record of good deeds, will allow one into the Kingdom if the good deeds and attendance outweigh the demerits accrued because of sin.
Jeremiah the prophet essentially warned the people of Israel not to rely on their temple worship to offset important lifestyle issues:
"Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, 'This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.' For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever." (Jeremiah 7:4-7)
Temple worship did not offset negligence in areas of justice, oppression, violence, and idolatry. As Jesus would later say, "these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others." (Matthew 23:23)
Salvation is grace-based rather than merit-based, but the "fruit" of salvation is both authentic worship and a lifestyle of good works. We cannot depend upon faithful church attendance to offset injustice, oppression, violence and idolatry nor can we depend upon a lifestyle of good works to offset genuine worship. A part of worshipping "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24) is integrity in all of these areas.
I'm convinced that worship can be the springboard to service and lifestyle. When we encounter our Creator in a dynamic way our heart's desire is to please Him in all our ways; lifestyle and service become expressions of love and worship. The real test of worship is not how well we sing or "amen" in church, but how we walk in faithfulness to that which pleases our God the rest of the time.
My prayer is for each of us to have an encounter in worship with the living God today such that our great joy is to walk with integrity and obedience to Him.
Working on the worship and the walk,
Pastor Steve
It's amazing how many people believe that going to church earns them "points" with God. The assumption is that God is taking attendance and recording it in His judgment book and that, along with a record of good deeds, will allow one into the Kingdom if the good deeds and attendance outweigh the demerits accrued because of sin.
Jeremiah the prophet essentially warned the people of Israel not to rely on their temple worship to offset important lifestyle issues:
"Do not trust in deceptive words, saying, 'This is the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD.' For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly practice justice between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the alien, the orphan, or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, nor walk after other gods to your own ruin, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever." (Jeremiah 7:4-7)
Temple worship did not offset negligence in areas of justice, oppression, violence, and idolatry. As Jesus would later say, "these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others." (Matthew 23:23)
Salvation is grace-based rather than merit-based, but the "fruit" of salvation is both authentic worship and a lifestyle of good works. We cannot depend upon faithful church attendance to offset injustice, oppression, violence and idolatry nor can we depend upon a lifestyle of good works to offset genuine worship. A part of worshipping "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24) is integrity in all of these areas.
I'm convinced that worship can be the springboard to service and lifestyle. When we encounter our Creator in a dynamic way our heart's desire is to please Him in all our ways; lifestyle and service become expressions of love and worship. The real test of worship is not how well we sing or "amen" in church, but how we walk in faithfulness to that which pleases our God the rest of the time.
My prayer is for each of us to have an encounter in worship with the living God today such that our great joy is to walk with integrity and obedience to Him.
Working on the worship and the walk,
Pastor Steve
posted by steve @ 11:22 AM
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