CORONA VIRUS: ITS EFFECT ON CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

CORONA VIRUS: ITS EFFECT ON CHRISTIAN WORSHIP

I’ll continue my explanation of what worship truly means with this expository outline:

·         Word of God

·         Originality

·         Repentance/reverence

·         Simplicity

·         Humility

·         Ingraftedness

·         Praises

At a time like this, we need to review how our worship to God has been and how it ought to be. I found myself thinking about worship gatherings of children of God have been banned due to the pandemic ravaging the planet commonly known as covid-19. It has dawned on the church that indeed we shall neither worship God in Jerusalem or any mountain but now is the time to worship God in Spirit and in truth. Many people’s spiritual life can be likened to the symbiotic relationship of the shark and the remora fish; God being the shark and they being the remora. All the ever do is to stay with God because of the benefit they can derive from Him. They are literally using God, never caring to ask what He wants from them. Even at this crucial time in the history of the world when the believers can no longer congregate, there is a very great possibility that the faith of many will wax as cold as a dog’s. It’s a great pain in my heart when I see some lazy Christians very happy and relaxed when the only thing that ought to bring them joy has been forcefully taken away from them. This should be the time when we put on the mantle of priesthood and crawl beneath the veil to atone and obtain mercy for our world, when we gather the twelve stones and rebuild the broken down altars of true sacrifice and also mend the breaches in the temple. I’ll be taking us on a brief tour through the highlights above, and hopefully we’ll make adjustments that will make our sacrifice truly a sweet-smelling savor.

WORD OF GOD

This is the backbone of all true worship. The bible says let the high praises of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hand. Worship which doesn’t originate from the depths of God’s word is often shallow. It’s the word that makes us to know the true nature of the on ewe claim to worship; no one has ever seen God and our knowledge of him is only based on what He reveals by His word.

ORIGINALITY

Jesus told His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisy. We have to let the worship spring out of the depths of our heart and not just based on the ideas that men try to infuse in us. Jesus warned hypocriites with the words of Isaiah: “These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain.” (Mark 6:6-7 quoting Isaiah 29:13).

REPENTANCE/REVERENCE

The way of God is always not easy for the flesh to handle. That’s why I said in my first blog that worship in its true sense means death. Repentance requires that your pride and ego is thrown aside and you bow with a sense of your unworthiness to come before his throne. God is intolerant to even the tiniest speck of sin. So we must repent of all our sins. Our approach to God must be reverencial and must involve our full concentration. Luther said, “To let your face(mouth) blabber one thing while your heart dwells on another is just tempting God… Any and every thing, if it is to be done well, demands the entire man, all his mind and faculties.”

SIMPLICITY

The genuineness of our worship is what God is really after. During this period of lockdown, let’s be real with God and end all the complexities of life. Aren’t you tired of rushing through life and missing out on the moments of peace and refreshment in God’s presence? If you are, here are some tips Wayne Jacobsen gave in his book A Passion for God’s Presence to promote simplicity in our worship:

·         Set aside at least ten minutes a day to be alone with the lord. (No more excuses- you’ve got all the time now)

·         During that time get away from distractions e.g TV, children, chore, phone… (they’ll surely come as a temptation so be ready)

·         Begin by seeking God’s forgiveness for past sins

·         As you sense His cleansing, begin to praise the Lord. Sing familiar choruses, read out psalms, or express how you feel about Him out loud in oyur own words.

·         Keep a tight rein on your mind if it begins to wander to other concerns of the day. Bring it back to God.

·         Once alive to His presence, enjoy the conversation: pray about your concerns, listen to His, relax form the world’s pressures in the safety of His presence, intercede for others or receive insight for the day.

HUMILITY

We must surrender our heart to God in absolute humility.

“…But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit…”  Isaiah 66:2

“The sacrifices of god are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, o God thou will not despise.” Psalms 51:17

Your submission to God is the key that unlocks God’s presence to you. Keep your heart humble before God. Though scripture tells us to come confidently before him, we cannot forget that our communion is between two unequals. He is farther above us than we are above ants. – Wayne Jacobsen. Don’t allow pride to blind you to God. Don’t allow ego to make you be so legalistic like Micah, David’s wife who paid dearly for her pride.

INGRAFTEDNESS

Jesus said abide in me and ye shall bear much fruit and that’s exactly what we must do if we are to bear the abiding fruit of true worship.

PRAISE

This is the crown of it all. To praise God just as David did. God dwells in the praises of His people; HE is enthroned upon it. So shout Hallelujah!!!