Worship

     Ephesians 2:10 tells us that "we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."  A "virus" has infected the American church.  Call it commercialism, a consumer model or what have you, the effect is the same.  People attend a church, "do" church but tend to lead compartmentalized lives.  Any local body of believers is a community of people, indwelled by God's Spirit, equipped for ministry and partakers together in Christ.   It isn't like going to the store or to the gym:  there we go, receive services or purchase goods and leave.  It is something that we do,  not necessarily something that we are.  Some groups target a certain demographic.  Much like a radio station arranges programming to appeal to a certain segment of the population and targets advertising accordingly, there are churches that do the same.  Some have traditional services, youth services, contemporary services etc.  Many mean well, wanting to reach people in those groups but I fear that the end result is further fragmentation of God's church and the fostering of a consumer mentality within their group.  A redeemed community should cross ethnic, economic, cultural and educational lines.  God's church is diverse and local congregations ought to reflect this.  And God's church is not a place to come seeking to be served but rather, a place to come as a participant.  We should seek mutual ministry.  God has gifted, equipped and empowered each one of His people for a purpose: that we might glorify God in His church as each part operates in His gifting.  When body parts fail to operate as designed in our physical bodies the result is infirmity and impairment.  It works the same in the church.  I think that too much of purported "worship" is actually self worship.  We seek our comfort zone, seek to please ourselves etc.  Our focus is to be Him.  To look out rather than in.  Worship is focused on God and on His people for His sake.  I saw a young man wearing a t-shirt a few years ago that had a short message printed on the front and a verse printed on the back.  The message?
     "It's not about me."  That pretty well says it.  Seek Him, believed through the word, prayer, fellowship and service.  Everything else will fall into its proper place if those things are kept first.  Love in Jesus, Tony