WORSHIP AND RESPECT
Good Morning,
Please continue to pray for those who are lost that they might trust Christ, pray for those who need to be revived spiritually, pray for those who are filled with spiritual apathy to be moved by God to a place of commitment and service, pray for those who are bound to their sin, needing to repent and find freedom in the power of Christ, and finally, pray for those who need physical and/or emotional healing.
Ezra 8:5-6, "And Ezra opened the book (the law) in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up: 6And Ezra blessed the LORD, the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands: and they bowed their heads, and worshipped the LORD with their faces to the ground."
I don't think it is possible to worship the Lord without respecting the Lord. I believe one of the great problems in American Christianity is a lack of respect for things we ought to respect. We used to respect our parents, our teachers, our preachers, our doctors, our presidents, and most importantly, our God. But in this entitled age, respect seems to have gone by the wayside. And since respect has fluttered away so has genuine worship. The actions of the people in Ezra 8:5-6 are the actions of a people who demonstrated respect for the Lord, and who worshipped God out of a sincere heart.
- When the book of the law was opened they were not asked to stand, they stood, out of respect for this divine Word. They showed respect for the Word of God.
- As Ezra praised God in the presence of the people, ALL THE PEOPLE ANSWERED, AMEN, AMEN, lifting up their hands. They responded with an act of worship that reflected the greatness of God in their individual lives, but it had a corporate impact.
- They then demonstrated humility and submission in their worship when they bowed their heads with their faces to the ground.
You see, Biblical worship includes respect for God, agreement with God (Amen), humility before God, and surrender to God. What many churches have done in this age is they have made worship a music fest that feeds the mind and the emotions of our carnal, fleshly Adamic nature.
I hope this helps us to understand the true nature of worship. We will not worship as we should, until we respect as we should.
Have a great day!
Your friend,
------
Pastor Mike Abbott