I’m sure we’ve all heard the phrase, “You just crossed a line.” Many times it’s used in a negative context – you’ve gone somewhere that you may not be able to go back from. When we speed on the road, we cross a line. If we get caught, there will probably be a consequence. There are literally millions of examples.
There are also what could be considered positive examples of “crossing the line.” Hope and I were married for 8 years before we decided to try and have children. Conversation and theory about what having a child would be like were abundant in that time. But when she came home with that positive pregnancy test, I think you’d agree that a line had clearly been crossed. There was no more theory now – now it was time for some reality.
I think there’s a line to be crossed in worship too. It’s the line between singing and worship. It’s the line between saying words and praying. It’s the line between “head knowledge” and “heart knowledge.” It’s the line between dutiful worship – singing, or praying, or whatever because you think you’re supposed to – and true, authentic, extravagant worship.
Here’s a simple example. Say these words – whether out loud or just inside of your head. “I love you, Lord.” Simple to read. Simple to say. Pretty unambiguous meaning. But now, (and really do this)… focus your mind and heart on God. Think about Him – about who He is in your life. About what He’s done. Then respond – giving these words to Him. Tell Him, “I love you, Lord.”
If you followed those directions, you just crossed the line. I think it’s pretty easy to see the difference – one has no meaning; no real action. They’re just words. The other is focused; directed. There is meaning behind it. There is thought behind it. It’s authentic communication from us to God.
How often do we find ourselves after a church service having experienced… nothing. How often when someone else is praying do our minds seem to focus on anything except what the person praying is saying? How often do you go through the worship part of a church service, and never even think about the meaning behind the words that are being sung? And if and when these things happen, the big question is “Why?” I think one of the biggest reasons is that we sometimes don’t cross that line.
One thing that has helped me in understanding exactly where that line is has been to look at the difference between “worship” as a noun and “worship” as a verb. Here are the definitions off of my trusty dictionary program:
worship |ˈwər sh əp|
noun
the feeling or expression of reverence and adoration for a deity : the worship of God | ancestor worship.
• the acts or rites that make up a formal expression of reverence for a deity; a religious ceremony or ceremonies : the church was opened for public worship.
• adoration or devotion comparable to religious homage, shown toward a person or principle : Krushchev threw the worship of Stalin overboard.
• archaic honor given to someone in recognition of their merit.
• [as title ] ( His/Your Worship) chiefly Brit. used in addressing or referring to an important or high-ranking person, esp. a magistrate or mayor : we were soon joined by His Worship the Mayor.
verb ( -shiped |ˈwərʃəpt|, -shiping |ˈwərʃəpɪŋ|; also -shipped, -shipping) [ trans. ]
show reverence and adoration for (a deity); honor with religious rites : the Maya built jungle pyramids to worship their gods.
• treat (someone or something) with the reverence and adoration appropriate to a deity : she adores her sons and they worship her.
See note at revere .
• [ intrans. ] take part in a religious ceremony : he went to the cathedral because he chose to worship in a spiritually inspiring building.
Now, many people tend to focus on the noun part. It’s the easier part. “I went to the worship service.” The words “worship,” “program,” and “service” have almost become interchangeable in Christian society. And then it’s applied to all of worship. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the phrase “everything is worship.” All we are. All we do. When I’m sweeping the floor, I’m worshipping. When I’m driving the car, I’m worshipping. When I’m eating dinner, I’m worshipping. It’s a theology built upon the noun usage of worship. Now, I’m not saying that you can’t worship while you’re sweeping. You definitely can. But I would ask, under most normal circumstances – are you really?
People who will inevitably argue with this line of thought will next tell me that our very lives – just by being living, breathing creations – is worship in and of itself. They would say that this is true of all creation – that the earth, the rocks, the trees – everything is worship to God. For this, I’d like to make a simple distinction. When something by it’s very nature reveals or makes clearer who God is and what He does, that’s glorification. And we do – we glorify God by our existence. All of creation testifies – and therefore glorifies – to the presence and greatness of God. And don’t get me wrong – this is a good thing! God set it up this way – how could it be but a good thing. But it’s not the whole story. This is passive – it takes no effort on our parts, or on the part of creation. We glorify God by our existence, but I’m not sure that worship happens until we start getting active about it.
Now, contrast that with what you get when you do a simple search on the word “worship” in the bible. (Go ahead. I’ll wait right here. Try crosswalk.com, biblegateway.com or youversion.com if you need some suggestions). Here’s what I see. In practically every example (I couldn’t find any that this wasn’t true of, but for the sake of argument we’ll just say that this is true of the vast majority of the verses), worship is used as a verb. It’s an action word. It’s talking about doing something. It’s not passive – it’s active. It’s a choice – not an automatic function of reality.
I’ll take one more step back for those of you who are just crying out, “What about 1 Cor. 10:31?” It says “So whether you eat, or you drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” Lots of people have used this verse to try and espouse the theory that everything is worship. You can read the passage (and it’s context) on your own, but I think the point of the passage is to tell people that though there is freedom in Christ, whatever circumstance you are in you should keep God and others in mind. They are talking specifically about food sacrificed to idols (I’m not sure if that’s a big problem now days,), but there’s a bigger point – that what you do should be done for the glory of God. It doesn’t say that everything is automatically that way – and the very fact that Paul is talking about it shows that you could do something that is not to the glory of God. (Thus the reason he sums it up that way). Once again – it’s a choice. It’s purposeful. It’s active.
Now, back to the questions I asked a little earlier. How often do we find ourselves after a church service having experienced… nothing. How often when someone else is praying do our minds seem to focus on anything except what the person praying is saying? How often do you go through the worship part of a church service, and never even think about the meaning behind the words that are being sung? And if and when these things happen, the big question is “Why?”
We have to make worship a verb. We have to cross the line from singing the words “I will love You, Lord, with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength,” to giving those same words to God. We have to cross the line from attending a worship (noun) service to participating in worship (verb). We have to cross the line from listening to another person praying to agreeing with them in prayer and giving those prayers to God. Let me tell you, when we become an active part of worship (verb), then our worship lives (noun) will be much greater. We won’t be able to go through a service having experienced nothing, because we are actively and purposefully fulfilling what God has asked us to do. Psalm 29:2 says “Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness.” All action. It takes effort on our parts. It takes commitment. It takes choice. But when we make that choice, we enter into His presence in a special way – and God moves in a special way when we choose to give something of ourselves to Him. In His presence, there is fullness of joy. (Ps. 16:11).
I want to close with a few very practical ways to grow in this. Maybe this is something you’ve never thought of, and you want to give it a kick start. Maybe you’ve lived your life “crossing the line,” and just want to continue to grow. Either way, here are some things that have helped me in my journey:
- Do personal devotions on song lyrics that you sing in church. I find that when I really delve deep into what a song has to say, I am able to understand it better. When I understand it better, I can express it with far more passion. It amazes me how many times I’ll be talking with someone about words to a song or hymn, and I ask what a particular word or phrase means, only to be responded to with the resounding silence of “Huh?” But think about how much more meaningful it would be to sing authentically. “Come thou fount of every blessing, tune my heart to sing thy grace.” What does that mean to you. Are they just words, or are they an invitation to God to come into this time, right here, right now, and focus my mind and heart on Him?
- Focus on praying. It’s so easy for us to “zone out” during prayers. Make a point not to. Ask God for focus – on Him. Make a point to really focus on what is being said. Ask yourself, “Am I really in agreement with what is being said or prayed about? Do I believe that God is capable of doing what we are asking? Am I praying, or am I just going through the motions?”
- Have a personal worship life. I was listening to some training audio a couple of months ago, and the person speaking said something that really struck me. He said, “If you really want to find out how people are doing in worship, when you get up there to lead, just tell them to do what they do at home.” <Insert cricket noise here>. His point – our worship in the corporate setting (church) should be an outpouring and reflection on our everyday worship. If the only worship (verb) we get is at the worship (noun) service, then we aren’t doing it right at all. Worship needs to be an “all the time” kind of thing. And guess what… you don’t need a band, and singers, and horns, and drums, and lights, and cameras… you get the point. You don’t even need music. Singing is a way to worship God – a tool we can use. You can worship through prayer. You can just talk to Him. The style and format isn’t important – this is the difference between New Testament and Old Testament worship. What’s important is that we are authentic, passionate, and whole-hearted.
I’ll be the first to tell you: I don’t have all of this figured out. I get distracted. There are times where I find myself just going through the motions just like everyone else. But I’ve found when I don’t – when I make a concerted effort to “cross the line,” God moves in a very different way. He moves in my life and my ministry. He’s searching – looking for those who will “worship Him in spirit and in truth.” And I think He’s calling all of us – all of us – to a “crossing the line” kind of worship.
