Last night at the House of Prayer I was disciplined by the Spirit of God.
He said to me, "For you it's less important that you worship me in intimacy one on one than gathering together with others and entering into corporate worship". Worship has become a social event for you.
It was true. I knew I had been instructed. I'm so busy trying to engage and help others enter into worship and find the deep things of God that sometimes my own quiet time, my own seeking after God suffers. Like the Shulamite in Song of Solomon. I'm so busy tending other people's gardens my own goes to weeds.
And, I pay a big price to put myself in a place of corporate passionate worship. Drive long distances. Find blazing bonfires of Holy Ghost explosion and jump in.
What I came to see last night is it's not about us, it's not about we, it's not about the congregation, it's about ME. More accurately it's about HIM and ME. In a way, in HIS eyes I should be in ME church. There was a funny video some time back that Ben showed called ME CHURCH. I don't mean that. I do mean that His concern is my relationship to HIM. One on One. Just Me and HIM. Don't worry about the beam in the other guys eye, get worship right one on one.
I can do nothing about anyone else. They have whatever one on one with Jesus that they have.
The old worship chorus, "I love you Lord and I lift my voice to worship you Oh my soul rejoice" had been replaced by "We love you Lord and we lift our voice to worship you oh our souls rejoice".
Worship of God has become a social event, a corporate endeavor. RELIGIOUS EXERCISE. There I did it again. I am imputing corporate worship to represent what is really my issue.
I am going to stop singing US, WE, OUR songs, stop saying US, WE and OUR Prayers and start saying I, MY and ME. It's become too easy to duck behind the Congregation blaming them for a diminished spiritual fervor.
The Hebrews 10:25 doesn't apply here. There we come tot ether to encourage each other. The 1 Corinthians 14 doesn't apply here. We edify one another in that passage. Nothing about Corporate Worship.
In fact, I'm re examining the personal pronoun usage in the "Lord's Prayer".
Maybe it should be:
My Father who art in heaven,Hallowed be your name,Thy kingdom come,Thy will be doneon earth as it is in heaven.Give ME this day MY daily breadand forgive me MY trespassesas I forgive those who trespass against MELead me not into temptationBut deliver ME from evil
I'm not sure, but I kind of think maybe that's what Jesus really taught. It's more meaningful. More intimate. More accountable. Think about when we pray it corporately, Forgive us our trespasses (I'll bet that other guy really needs this)"
as opposed to
Forgive me my trespasses, I really need this.
It's not about US, it's About ME and YOU in intimacy with HIM.
2 comments:
it's not 'either or" but it is "both and"......H.
5 words - Brian McClaren "The Worship Industry". This is how bad it's gotten.
If you can't do it on-on-one with an Audience of One, you surely won't be able to do with with 120 or 12000.
Start here.
If you're serious, grab your wife, go out in the back yard, kneel towards each other, grab each others hands, close your eyes, and just tell God how great He is in your marriage. Sing a few songs, pray in the Spirit, etc. The Holy Ghost will guide you. Be spontaneous and sincere.
Ask your Worship Pastor how to get more intimate with God one on one. They know. They want desperately to share that with you. Most people don't/won't ask or listen because it is hard. BUT, it's worth it.
Worhip goes way beyond singing, preaching, serving, praying, and believing. Worship is revealing the greatness of God in what you do, say, and act.
Need I say more.
Selah.
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