All Eyes on Jesus in Worship
by Gary Johnson
When you hear or think of the word “worship,” what comes to mind? A Sunday morning service? A less than fulfilling hour spent in church? What IF your definition of worship meant more than a Sunday morning gathering and took you to a far deeper encounter with Jesus?
Throughout this election year, we have pursued all eyes on Jesus (Heb 12:1-3), focusing on the twelve spiritual disciplines each month, as each discipline moves us into a deeper relationship with Jesus. December’s discipline is that of worship.
This is a great spiritual discipline with which to end the year. After all, December is full of worship opportunities, whether on Sunday mornings or on Christmas Eve. We sing familiar carols, read familiar Scripture and cling to our belief that Jesus deliberately came into this world (John 1:14) to seek and to save what was lost (Luke 19:10). Churches across the country and around the world are filled with people practicing the spiritual discipline of worship.
Yet, what IF worship was more than gatherings on Sunday morning or Christmas Eve? Let me stretch your thinking with how I have come to think of what worship is and how it is to be practiced.
When I read through Romans, I have come to appreciate “the gospel according to Paul.” In his typical fashion, Paul wrote this letter much like his other letters. He devoted the first portion of Romans explaining theological truth, and he ended with the practical application of that truth. Specifically, Romans 1-11 is theological, whereas Romans 12-16 is practical. Moreover, Romans 12:1-2 is a pivotal hinge.
Imagine chapters 1-11 as being an enormous wall, and chapters 12-16 being a door in that wall whereas Romans 12:1-2 are the hinges on that door. These two verses of Paul are some of the most life-changing and challenging words of his entire letter!
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Did you notice the words that I emphasized? Worship is not relegated to a day or time of the week. You and I can actually worship God 24/7/365 by presenting our very lives to God sacrificially. Paul was steeped in his understanding of the OT sacrifices required by God. When oxen, sheep, doves and more were sacrificed to God, they were very dead. They were offered in their entirety and required their deaths. When Paul called us to offer ourselves as “living sacrifices,” he urged us to sacrifice our lives, giving ourselves completely over to the lordship and sovereignty of God. And THAT is worship!
What IF every Christian lived out this definition of worship in his or her life? What IF every believer lived under the authority of the Word, following the sterling example of Jesus? Every marriage would improve, every family would be wholesome, every workplace, school and neighborhood would change!
To experience this deeper, more compelling form of worship, we need to take to heart verse 2, where Paul commands us to think differently. Rather than being conformed to the pattern of this world, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (i.e., when we think differently). Remember, how we think determines how we live.
When we wake up in the morning and we are thinking that this new day is a gift of God to be lived for His glory (Isaiah 43:7), we begin the day with worship! We are presenting our “bodies as living sacrifices” to Him. After all, worship is a response. When we remember the love of God for us, the sacrifice of Jesus for us, His provision and protection of us, etc., we cannot help but to respond to Him in worship – and this response can be 24/7/365.
As we end 2024 with our eyes on Jesus, let’s redefine worship. Do not merely relegate worship to a specific day of the week or a time of day. Let’s understand that worship is a way that we live – as a result of a new way that we think.
May this cherished time of year be filled 24/7 with worship of Jesus.
