Worship Chapel (not a song chapel)
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Worship
Worship is about the Lord. Almost every time you see the word ‘worship’ used in the Bible, it’s in response to what God has done. God reveals himself, we respond. God opens our eyes, we give an appropriate response to who God is.
Is 6-Story of Isaiah
In the story of Isaiah’s calling, God opens Isaiah’s eyes. Isaiah repents (response). God calls Isaiah to action.
John 15 – abiding linked to obedience of commandments.
Rev 12 – spiritual act of worship is giving bodies to God and renewing our minds.
Everything starts with a revelation of who God is. It is not necessarily always a dramatic thing.
It’s about an appropriate response.
Music is rarely attached to the idea of worship in the Bible. It’s simply a narrow aspect of the concept.
Worship is first used in Gen 22 in the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. It’s including obedience and sacrifice. Worship doesn’t happen with the first strum of the guitar; it’s already happening in heaven and we get to join in.
Remember, we’re not trying to convince God of anything, we’re responding to him in obedience and sacrifice. Sometimes, we obey even when we don’t feel like it. That’s why the Psalms refer to it as a sacrifice of Praise. Whether you feel like it or not makes no difference. Our emotions are fickle things. We live by our beliefs not how we feel at any given moment; that’s why we’re called ‘believers’. We live life from a different reality. When we come together for chapel, we come bringing all our life experiences with us. God doesn’t ask you to pretend that your life isn’t happening while you sing to him, or pray, or read the Bible. God is asking you to worship him through your life. We bring all of our experience before the cross and we say, God I give you all of it and I bless you through it.
So, when we talk about ‘chapel’ as a time of worship, I’m not talking about singing—I’m talking about us responding to who God is for us. If you come and your not interested in worshiping with us as a community, perhaps you need to reevaluate your image of God. It could be that chapel is not boring but that your picture of God is so small he doesn’t merit your worship.
Worship is about the Lord. Almost every time you see the word ‘worship’ used in the Bible, it’s in response to what God has done. God reveals himself, we respond. God opens our eyes, we give an appropriate response to who God is.
Is 6-Story of Isaiah
In the story of Isaiah’s calling, God opens Isaiah’s eyes. Isaiah repents (response). God calls Isaiah to action.
John 15 – abiding linked to obedience of commandments.
Rev 12 – spiritual act of worship is giving bodies to God and renewing our minds.
Everything starts with a revelation of who God is. It is not necessarily always a dramatic thing.
It’s about an appropriate response.
Music is rarely attached to the idea of worship in the Bible. It’s simply a narrow aspect of the concept.
Worship is first used in Gen 22 in the story of Abraham sacrificing Isaac. It’s including obedience and sacrifice. Worship doesn’t happen with the first strum of the guitar; it’s already happening in heaven and we get to join in.
Remember, we’re not trying to convince God of anything, we’re responding to him in obedience and sacrifice. Sometimes, we obey even when we don’t feel like it. That’s why the Psalms refer to it as a sacrifice of Praise. Whether you feel like it or not makes no difference. Our emotions are fickle things. We live by our beliefs not how we feel at any given moment; that’s why we’re called ‘believers’. We live life from a different reality. When we come together for chapel, we come bringing all our life experiences with us. God doesn’t ask you to pretend that your life isn’t happening while you sing to him, or pray, or read the Bible. God is asking you to worship him through your life. We bring all of our experience before the cross and we say, God I give you all of it and I bless you through it.
So, when we talk about ‘chapel’ as a time of worship, I’m not talking about singing—I’m talking about us responding to who God is for us. If you come and your not interested in worshiping with us as a community, perhaps you need to reevaluate your image of God. It could be that chapel is not boring but that your picture of God is so small he doesn’t merit your worship.
