pastoral perspectives...

Defining Words of Worship Part Six with Conclusion...

Wed, 27 Jan 2010 09:10:49 -0800

Serve – Douleuo
For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God;  - 1 Thessalonians 1:9

Our final word is Douleuo, which conveys “the notion of total dependence and of obedience without any right of personal choice.” Now, the Greek word Douleuo is related to the Greek word Doulos, which is often translated as slave or servant. Well, the idea here is that “no man can serve two masters.” This leads us naturally into the context of our passage. Paul is commending the Thessalonians for their decision to turn from the master of idols and paganism to the master of the living and true God. In other words, before we can properly serve or Douleuo God, we must turn from the idols of this world. “Conversion from idols was the necessarily preliminary to a life of service to the living and true God.” Unfortunately, we know that our decision to trust Christ as savior and turn from idols is an inward act of faith but the outworking of that inward decision is something that must be fleshed out on a daily basis. In other words, we must forsake the idols of this world, rendering Christ the preeminence. Ezekiel chapter fourteen speaks about the idols of the heart. As worshippers of God, we must make sure that nothing steals away our devotion to God. Not our job, our family, our spouse, ambition, present circumstances, or anything else should occupt a higher place in our hearts than the living and true God. May we strive to worship one master, even Christ! 
CONCLUSION
Every soul belongs to God and exists by His pleasure. God being who and what He is, and we being who and what we are, the only thinkable relation between us is one of full Lordship on His part and complete submission on ours. We owe Him every honor that is in our power to give Him. Our everlasting grief lies in giving Him anything less.  – A.W. Tozer

Some may question the importance of worship. Some are critical toward it. They view it as some fad appropriated by the more charismatic or talented. As we stated in the beginning our worship is our life, not our music. At the same time, in the context of music the words we have studied reveal to us that music is a natural expression of a life of that pursues, worships, ministers to, serves, and sacrifices for God. All of these aspects are the reasonable service of we, the creature, to Him, the Creator. Amen.

To download the entire study with footnotes, click here.

Defining Words of Worship Part Five...

Tue, 26 Jan 2010 09:08:27 -0800

Living Sacrifice – Zao Thusia
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. – Romans 12:1

The context of this term really contributes more to its significance in worship than does the actual definition of the terms. Very simply Zao means living and Thusia, sacrifice. Thusia is in this case significant because in all of its uses, it is used to define something offered to God as dead. The very nature of the term Zao Thusia is somewhat an oxymoron when you consider the normal use of the terms. The very idea, whether pagan or Christian, is that the sacrifice dies. Yet here, we see that the sacrifice is still alive. The sacrifice is our body. By placing the focus on the living sacrifice of our body, Paul was focusing “on the service of everyday life.” Again, we must realize that our consistency as Christians is an aspect of our corporate worship when we gather. In other words, when we come together or lead worship, we are bringing to the table the reality that we have or have not offered to God our bodies as a living sacrifice. The problem is that we like to live our lives as we would and then expect to encounter God as if we had lived another life of sacrifice as opposed to the selfish withdrawal of our bodies, God’s living sacrifice. Consider these timely words:
Congregational worship in some contexts can be like a narcotic trip into another world to escape the ethical responsibilities of living a Christian life in this world.

Instead of our corporate worship being an escape from our ethical responsibilities, lets have our worship be a natural outpouring of consecrated, holy, and obedient living Monday thru Saturday. Amen.
To download the entire study with footnotes, click here.

Defining Words of Worship Part Four...

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 09:05:24 -0800

Service - Leitourgia
Yea, and if I be offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all. – Philippians 2:17

Somewhat related to our last word Sharath, the Greek word Leitourgia describes “service rendered to meet the needs of others.” Leitourgia relates to the Hebrew word Sharath because in the Greek translation of the Masoretic text (Hebrew), leitourgia was used to translate the service or office of the Levites. In other words, in describing the privilege, and in some ways liability, the translators of the LXX chose to render it as a sacrificial service to meet the needs of others to worship. The word first found its use as a description of a Greek who carried out his/her office at their expense. In other words, our service to Christ is something we offer in spite of its cost to us personally. In the context of our passage, the apostle Paul is speaking of the reality of his present imprisonment. “The present tense clearly indicates that he was speaking of his current experience as a prisoner.” What the apostle Paul is saying is that if the offering of my life as a prisoner is the necessary reality to bring about the sacrificial Leitourgia or service of the Philippians, he would rejoice. Paul rejoiced because his bonds only helped to further the service of the Philippians in meeting the needs of others, in this case himself. Paul used the same word in 2 Corinthians in reference to that which “supplieth the want of the saints.” As leaders of worship, we must realize that our service of worship is something helps to meet the needs of others. Now, this is something we willingly contribute to. Realizing that our goal is not only to glorify God, we strive to meet the needs of others to glorify and worship the Lord. To download the entire study with footnotes, click here.

Defining Words of Worship Part Three...

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 09:00:32 -0800

Deuteronomy 10:8 – Minister - Sharath
At that time the LORD separated the tribe of Levi, to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD, to stand before the LORD to minister unto him, and to bless in his name, unto this day. – Deuteronomy 10:8

This is our last word of worship from the Old Testament. Again, this is by no means an exhaustive study. Our intent was to simply highlight some aspects of both Old Testament and New Testament words of worship. In some aspects, this may be the most significant word we study. Those who partake and may even lead worship will see that even in the time of Moses, there were those separated unto God to lead the worship of Jehovah. The Hebrew word Sharath “describes the priestly ministry of worship.” In the context of Deuteronomy chapter ten, we see that this office of worship was in one way a privilege and in another way a liability. In the following verse (verse nine), the Bible states that since the tribe of Levi had the Lord as their inheritance, they had no official inheritance with their brethren. In other words, the Levites had a privilege unlike others in Israel, but they also were kept from sharing in basic aspects of Israel’s culture. This is an important principle to grasp for worship leaders. As leaders of corporate worship, I believe the same principle holds true. The importance of our testimony, public appearance, and demeanor are all held at a higher level as leaders of corporate worship. Oftentimes, leaders and those who contribute musically don’t understand this privilege. We must understand that, whether we like it or not, we are held to a higher standard than the average church attendee. Some may ask how we translate this into the Church age. Consider the principles of avoiding stumbling blocks (1 Corinthians 8:9), abstaining from even the appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22), and not letting your good be evil spoken of (Romans 14). These are all general exhortations to all Christians that find greater significance in the lives of those who have the privilege of leading God’s people in worship, service, and so forth. It is a privilege to lead in worship, but it is also something to be taken seriously as others are looking to your example. To download the entire study with footnotes, click here.

Defining Words of Worship Part Two...

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 08:57:06 -0800

Genesis 24:26 – Worship - Shachah
And the man bowed down his head, and worshipped the LORD.  – Genesis 24:26
The word Shacah here is translated as worship. This is the “most widely used Old Testament word for worship.” As we see in the context of this chapter, the bowing or falling often accompanied this word for worship (Genesis 18:2; 47:31; Isa. 49:7; Ex. 12:37; 2 Samuel 14:22; 1 Kings 1:16; Ps. 95:6). “The literal meaning of the verbal root is the act of falling down and groveling.” Furthermore, the basic idea of this prostration is very simply, humility. In the Old Testament, it is almost customary for the worshipper to bow down and worship the Lord. In our contemporary society, our pride or station in life often restricts us from such displays of devotion. I will admit that the outward expression of humility isn’t the focus. The focus is our attitude or hearts. On the other hand, I will point out the parable of the just publican and the unjust Pharisee. If you will remember, “The Pharisee stood [emphasis added],” and “the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven.” In other words, our outward expressions often say much about our hearts (Luke 6:45). Now, in the context of our passage we see Abraham’s servant (most likely Eliezer of Genesis 15:2) worshipping God due to the answer to both his prayer and Abraham’s desire for Isaac. The servant had asked God to do a miracle in finding Isaac a wife, and God answered that prayer. Humbled by the providence and provision of God, the servant bowed down and worshipped the Lord of his master, Abraham. He was overwhelmed, humbled if you will, by God’s answer to his prayer. The Shacah of the servant was essentially “a gesture of awe and surrender to God, often with thanksgiving, in response to some gracious revelation of the Lord in word or deed.” Over and over in the word of God, we see that the true and acceptable element of our worship is our humility. In the famous Psalm of David, after he had sinned with Bathsheba, David wrote:  For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Another example would be in Isaiah 66:2, where the scripture defines the individual who gets God’s attention, “For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.” You see friend, what we must understand is that the intent of our worship is simply to praise the God whose attention we already have because of the humility of our hearts. Worship is simply the expression. Here we see it as the outward expression of our inward humility and devotion to God.

To download the entire study with footnotes, click here.