Devoted Worship
Acts 2:42, “They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Acts 2:43, “Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe…”
Acts 2:44, “And all those who had believed were together…”
The above verses are signs of the early believers gathered and personal worship. God created humanity with the capacity for worship. All people worship. That is seen in the most primitive tribes worshiping sun or moon gods. It is seen in the complex arrays of the worship of false gods like those of Hinduism, and it is seen in the adherents of Buddhism, worshipping an unknown essence.
We think of worship and categorize it into Christian worship and false worship. But the truth is, we are such worshipping beings that humans are in a constant state of worship. Worship is ascribing worth to someone or something. What we want to be doing is ascribing supreme worth, infinite worth, to the right One – that is the Triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He alone deserves our supreme worth from us, recognized internally and expressed externally.
Who is getting the supreme value, and what are ways we worship? John Piper has said, “The inner essence of worship is the response of the heart to the knowledge of the mind when the mind is rightly understanding God and the heart is rightly valuing God.” This is the internal aspect of worship. A mind that understands which rightly understands who God is, and a heart that rightly values God for who He is and what He has done. Think Romans 12:1-2.
Acts of worship come in two forms: words and actions. Worship is preaching and hearing preaching, singing, confessing, and pray all that occur in small groups and in worship services of the gathered body. Consider Hebrews 13:15-16, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. 16 And do not neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”
In those two verses you see not only words of worship, but acts of worship – “do not neglect doing good…with such sacrifices God is pleased.” He experiences His worth from His children.
CHBC exists to exalt Christ. We define our exaltation as the pursuit of personal and practical holiness (Rom. 12:1-2; Heb. 13:16) and corporate, public worship (Heb. 13:15). Daily inform your mind with the Word of God about who God is. Choose in your heart to value God above all other things. Do not neglect doing good. Gather each Sunday, each Lord’s Day, with other believers, and onlooking unbelievers and worship God by singing, praying, and hearing God’s Word.
By His Grace and For His Glory,
Pastor Mark
