In last week's article we focused on the inward nature of worship. We saw that God does not just want us to go through the motions and give Him lip service. He wants us to draw near to Him with hearts of genuine reverence. We must worship Him in “spirit and truth,” not just in outward ceremony and display. Worship, is first and foremost an activity of the inner man.
However, this does not mean the outward aspects of worship are to be ignored. Our words and actions reflect the attitude of our hearts. “The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart” (Luke 6:45). We must make sure the way we conduct our services effectively demonstrates the reverence and devotion of our hearts. The purpose of the inner man must shine through in the external aspects of our worship. We must seriously consider how our assemblies can most effectively aid the inner man in accomplishing the goals of worship and edification. In this article we will discuss the importance of evaluating the outward aspects of our assemblies in order to align them with the spiritual objectives God has set for us.
First, consider the outward aspects of worship. In the Old Covenant God gave very specific standards for how He wanted the Israelites to express their devotion. Sacrifices were to come from the very best of the flock, not the left overs. God warned them He would not accept an offering with any type of defect, but that an animal must be perfect in order to be accepted (Lev 22:20-24). When the priests failed to meet these standards, notice God’s response:
“‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the LORD of hosts… ‘When you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?’ says the LORD of hosts… ‘Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar!’” (Mal 1:6-10)
We understand that honor for our parents or governing officials can’t just be felt, it must be shown. It is certainly not just the thought that counts, but the effort. We must strive to effectively demonstrate and express our honor and devotion. This does not cease to apply when we talk about our worship to the Lord. God wants us to put our reverence to work and let it show in the way we conduct ourselves.
Imagine the priests of Malachi’s day defending themselves: “We can worship God just as effectively with a mangy old goat as an unblemished firstborn. After all, God doesn’t really care about the sacrifices; He cares about the heart!” Something tells me God wouldn’t have looked too favorably on an excuse like that.
Yes, even in the days of ceremonial cleansing and animal sacrifice, God’s first concern was always with the heart (Ps 51:16-17). No matter how precisely the external obligations of the Law were kept, God took no pleasure in sacrifices that came from irreverent and sin-stained hearts (Is 1:11-15). Yet this did not release the “good-hearted” from properly performing the outward aspects of worship. Worship must flow forth from the inner man, but it must be effectively expressed by the outer man as well.
Furthermore, the outward aspects of edification within our assembly are just as vital. The church in Corinth was very zealous to use the spiritual gifts God had given them. Yet Paul urges them to “seek to abound for the edification of the church” (1 Cor 14:12). He then gives detailed instructions about the ways in which these gifts should be employed, concluding that “all things must be done properly and in an orderly manner” (1 Cor 14:40). Zeal alone will not ensure that we are successfully building up our brethren in the assembly. We must employ that zeal in pursuing the most effective ways to stir up and encourage one another spiritually. Edification is not something that just happens by accident, it is something to which we must give serious consideration (Heb 10:24).
In conclusion, the spiritual goals of our assembly cannot be effectively accomplished without evaluating the outward aspects of our worship. We must strive to conduct our assemblies in a way that will aid the inner man in expressing reverence and being stirred up and built up spiritually. Many of the articles to come will be focused on how we can improve different aspects of our assemblies to most effectively fulfill God’s purposes of worship and edification.