Don't
you realize that all of you together are the
Worship cannot be some detached ritual we suffer through to get to the Word during a church service beloved. It has to be a method of entering into the presence that lives within us. Remember, it is the Spirit that interprets God's Word for us:
But it was to us that God revealed these things by his Spirit. For his Spirit searches out everything and shows us God's deep secrets. 1Corinthians 2: 10 (NLT)
In order for your worship to be pleasing to God, your life needs to be pleasing to Him. Your life is the ultimate form of worship. The Jews at this time did not worship God in spirit. They over-relied upon the regulations of man and in doing so choked the true spirit of God out of their daily lives. Jesus rebuked them for such:
"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel. Matthew 23: 23-24 (NIV)
They were so busy upholding the law they neglected the very
spirit of the lawgiver! Do you think God honors the raising of our hands on
Sunday if we behave like hell on Monday? We see in the days of the Prophet
Amos,
"I hate all your show and pretense--the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won't even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. Amos 5: 21-24 (NLT)
The number one reason people do not come to church and dismiss Christianity is the hypocrisy shown by the church. When you bear the name of Jesus, your life has to back it up. Note the harsh criticism from God here and how it can easily be attributed to the modern church. We must be vigilant to make sure that our worship is not about being "show and pretense." To avoid the hypocrisy of solemnity and piety while our lives are whitewashed tombs. Oh Lord let our worship never resound in the ears of God as "noisy hymns of praise." We can sometimes get it backwards. We have no problem raising our hands on Sunday but we will work on the mighty flood of justice and endless river of righteous living tomorrow. God wants your life first, then your worship. That is worshipping Him in Spirit His Spirit.