In days in the not too distance past, people dressed up to attend the worship of God. Granted some people made a show of it, but in general the attitude was one of entering the presence of God in worship, so it was imperative to give God our very best, including the way we dress. Likewise, there was an attitude about the building in which the church met to worship. Children were taught to avoid running, voices were lowered, and there was a general sense of respect for the building because it was a place of worship. So much so was this a precedent that it was most common to enter the sanctuary quietly and spend moments in prayer in preparation for the worship of God.
What happened? Enter the “relaxed atmosphere” of casual worship that saw “seeker friendly” churches planted and seemingly growing so most other churches took to advancing the new standard. But wait a minute. The church is not called to be friendly to the world by adopting worldly standards so people of the world will be comfortable. The church is to be a light reflecting the light and truth of God’s word, under the premise that we are “seeker friendly,” as the seeker to whom we are to be friendly is God, Himself.
John 4:23–24 (ESV) — 23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
With that precedent in mind, the call for the church today is to take a serious look at how much the world has entered and is influencing the worship and service of God, as well as the attitudes of the Lord’s people, to assess what happened. It’s like a farmer realizing his crops are not growing but refuses to see how overrun his fields are with weeds, thorns, and trash. The attitudes and influences of the world will not bring the blessing of God, since He is the One we are to seek to please. As God’s word calls to His people in the past, so He calls the church today to “break up the fallow ground” and present to God a ground that is pliable and welcoming as in submissive to God, where the seed of His word and the application of His Spirit is most welcome.
Hosea 10:12 (ESV) — 12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground, for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.
Jeremiah 4:3 (ESV) — 3 For thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: “Break up your fallow ground, and sow not among thorns.
Does God care about how things are done in His worship? Consider the actions of Nadab and Abihu. The two sons of Aaron who assisted in the service of God in the Tabernacle decided to offer “strange fire” instead of following the precision laid out by God. God didn’t wink at their rebellion or just express His displeasure. They died. Worshipping God is serious and is not to be taken lightly or casually. Realizing we are entering the presence of God before whom heavenly creatures’ cry: “Holy, Holy, Holy” is important if we are going to offer acceptable worship.
Some people flippantly participate in the Lord’s Supper, giving no thought to what is being said and represented – that is a dangerous place to be.
1 Corinthians 11:23–32 (ESV) — 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. 27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
The Lord’s Supper is a wonderful time for believers who are looking to the death of Jesus Christ and His shed blood alone for their salvation and the blessing of the new covenant in His blood. But those who do not discern the body of Christ will reap the judgment of God. The passage above says clearly that some people are sick, and some people have even died because of their failure to take the Lord’s Supper seriously. Of course, unlike when Annanias and Saphira lied to the apostles concerning the sale of their land and were struck dead immediately, we don’t know if a person’s sickness or death is a result of their taking lightly the holy worship of God in the Lord’s Supper or not. But it could be.
Hebrews 10:31 (ESV) — 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
My purpose in writing this is not to criticize those who prefer to dress casually, rather to bring a wake-up call to Christians everywhere. Are we bringing our best in attitude to the worship of God or has the world influenced us to the point where we are accepting a lower standard? Wake up to the fact that the world, our own flesh, and the devil have been at work to bring down the worship of God, to make the worship of God fit the dictates of the world, and to treat the things of God lightly. That is unacceptable to God, and we need to repent by breaking up the fallow ground and get serious about how we demonstrate our devotion to God by going back to His word instead of listening to what is popular. Notice how God has expressed His feelings about bringing Him down to our level.
Psalm 50:21 (ESV) — 21 These things you have done, and I have been silent; you thought that I was one like yourself. But now I rebuke you and lay the charge before you.
What would cause us to do anything like that? The strong draw of the world is polar opposite to God, our own flesh longs to rebel against God, causing us to be devoted to do whatever we please and resist anything that rises against it, and of course the devil, who seeks to exalt himself above God, who feels he is winning whenever God’s people take God, His word, and His worship lightly.
2 Corinthians 11:3 (ESV) — 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
It’s time to break up the fallow ground by looking back at how the past generations entered worship. They dressed accordingly, giving God their best. It may not have been fancy, but they were determined to give God their very best instead of dressing down and focusing upon the casualness of the occasion. The people of the past took seriously the place of worship doing their part to teach children and adults to respect the place where God is worshiped as well as doing their part to make sure the church presented the best house they could to God. Above all, the people of God in the past entered worship in a spirit of reverence in preparation to meet with the living God.
Break up the fallow ground of our hearts that have grown over with selfish hearts that refuse to change and refuse to show reverence for God. We need repentance.
Acts 3:19 (ESV) — 19 Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out,
Wouldn’t it be great to be part of a body of Christ who decides to take God and His worship seriously, where the fallow ground has been broken up so that the seed of His Word can bring forth fruit? It would be a good occasion to say “What happened?”
God and His worship demand our reverence.
Godspeed,
Bob Brubaker, Pastor
Christ Community Presbyterian Church
Clearwater, FL
