THE ART OF REASONABLE SERVICE OF WORSHIIP

 Greetings and Salutation O Ye Worshippers In Spirit and in Truth. 

How is your worship going?  Do you find it unreasonable and a drudgery...or is it REASONABLE and a PLEASURE to SERVE Him?

According to I Thessalonians 5:23...man in his totality is a three part being...(1) spirit (pneuma) (2) soul (psyche) (3) body (soma).

Trying to separate these three parts of the one being (aka human being)...is as hard to separate praise and worship.  As Pastor Wayne pointed out in his message on Worship as Warfare...praise and worship are like a coin...two sides...one coin.  The writer of the book of Hebrews speaks of the Sword of the Word of God...doing some surgical separation..."For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the DIVISION of the SOUL and SPIRIT of both JOINTS and MARROW, and able to judge the THOUGHTS and INTENTIONS of the HEART." (Hebrews 4:12)

NOTE:  This book called Hebrews is the first mention of coffee and tea in the Bible...where HE BREWS.  Hey (said in my best Uncle Si voice)...it's an old joke...but it still brings a smile to my lips and a chuckle in my heart.

SPIRIT: pneuma (pnyoo'-mah)=a current of air, that is, breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul, (by implication) vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman) an angel, daemon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy spirit: - ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind.


SOUL: psuche (psoo-khay')=From G5594; breath, that is, (by implication) spirit, abstractly or concretely (the animal sentient principle only; thus distinguished on the one hand from G4151, which is the rational and immortal soul; and on the other from G2222, which is mere vitality, even of plants: these terms thus exactly correspond respectively to the Hebrew [H5315], [H7307] and [H2416]: - heart (+ -ily), life, mind, soul, + us, + you.

BODY:  sōma (so'-mah)= the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively: - bodily, body, slave.

INTERESTING SIDENOTE:  The root of the word soma/body is sozo (sode'zo) is where we get the word salvation which means: to save, that is, deliver or protect (literally and figuratively): heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.  The one BODY that does all of that...was the BODY of Jesus...as His BODY hung on the cross, dripping with sin washing, redeeming blood...as He allowed Himself to be place on the cross of SACRIFICE. Now...we are being URGED to present our BODIES as sacrifices...NOT FOR OUR SINS...but for WORSHIP.



"Therefore, I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your REASONABLE service of WORSHIP." (Romans 12:1)

"I appeal to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies--presenting all your members and faculties--as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted , consecrated) and well pleasing to God, which is your reasonable (rational, intelligent) service and spiritual worship." (Romans 12:1 The Amplified Bible)

This thing called THE BODY...is what houses or soul (mind, will, the seat of our emotions), and our human spirits (where the Holy Spirit resides).  Without this thing called the body (flesh, blood, bones, etc.)...our spirits and souls would be floating around unable to accomplish anything in this physical realm that we are temporarily residing. We are called to PRESENT our BODIES as a SACRIFICE.  Again...it is not a SACRIFICE for our sins...because Jesus did that ONCE for ALL...then He was buried...and then He was RAISED from the dead...aka D.B.R...Death, Burial, Resurrection... nothing more...nothing less. (I Corinthians 15:1-5; II Corinthians 5:14-15; I Peter 3:18)

SERVICE: latreia (lat-ri'-ah)=ministration of God, that is, worship: - (divine) service.

WORSHIP:  shâchâh (shaw-khaw')=A primitive root; to depress, that is, prostrate (especially reflexively in homage to royalty or God): - bow (self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do (make) obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship.

WORSHIP: proskuneo (̄pros-koo-neh'-o)=From G4314 and probably a derivative of G2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, that is, (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore): - worship.

"The English word "WORSHIP" was originally spelled "WORTHSHIP" and means to acknowledge WORTH of an object WORSHIP God's WORTH in spirit (in contrast to material ways) and in truth (in contrast to falsehood)." (Note on John 4:24 from Ryrie Study Bible.

Jesus prayed to His Father..."Sanctify them by TRUTH...Thy WORD is TRUTH." (John 17:17) "A worship service experience is not the same thing as living a life in the service of worship..... Selah (pause & ponder)" (Wayne "Mr. Berry" Berry)

NOTE:  The idea of worship...is a bowing physically down of self...but speaks to me of BOWING my SELF NATURE down before Him.  My SELF is me doing things MY way...but as I WORSHIP and bow my SELF (physically outwardly and spiritually inwardly) I will be ready to RISE UP and SERVE HIM. 

I have found...that while I don't UNDERSTAND with my MIND what He wants me to do...I do find it REASONABLE in my spirit and my renewed mind.
REASONABLE:  logikos (log-ik-os')= rational ("logical"): - reasonable, of the word.
 
In the book by C.S. Lewis...The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe...we see Aslan (the Lion) willingly walk up on the stone table of the Queen/Witch...and allowed himself to be bound as He PRESENTED Himself as a substituted for the sins/deeds of another.

NOTE:  It has been said...that in the Fat Part of the Book (aka The Old Testament)...when a sacrifice is place on the altar...they would BIND it because they would leave the altar and that once they were sacrificed, muscle spasms would take place and they would twitch off of the altar.

We are called to be like WILLING and LIVING sacrifice who like the allegorical view of Jesus in the form of Aslan...willingly walked up on the stone table...and allowed himself to be bound and allowed Himself to be killed in the place of another. 

Randy Matthews in his classic song... DIDN'T HE...sings about the act of love that Jesus allowed.

"Spilled his precious blood
 Sacrifice of love
 We didn't take his life from him
 He gave it willingly
 Fulfill the prophecy"

Here is what Jesus Himself says about this matter.

"The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.” (John 10:17-18)

FINAL THOUGHTS...FINALLY
This thing called SERVICE...brings to mind the THINGS WE DO.  Paul (who wrote Romans 12:1) also spoke of his services as a bond-servant in Romans 1:9)

"For God, whom I SERVE IN MY SPIRIT...in the preaching of the Gospel of His Son, is y witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you."

SERVE: latreuo (̄lat-ryoo'-o)=From λάτρις latris (a hired menial); to minister (to God), that is, render religious homage: - serve, do the service, worship (-per).

This thing called SERVICE/WORSHIP...always starts from the inside out.  The physical acts that your body performs is really...and should be...a manifestation of you being in His presence first.  It is an inside out expression not an outside in demonstration.  Many can do the physical aspect of singing, dancing, preaching, feeding the poor, going on a mission trip...and miss the point and mark...unless they have first been in His presence.

FINAL THOUGHT...FINALLY...NO REALLY...THIS IS IT

Jesus spoke to a woman of Samaria at the well...and defined the PLACE of WORSHIP.  Here is His response to her religious rhetoric.

"Jesus said to her, Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you WORSHIP the Father.  You WORSHIP what you do not know; we WORSHIP what we know, for SALVATION IS FROM THE LORD.  But an hour is coming and NOW IS...when the TRUE WORSHIPERS will WORSHIP the Father in SPIRIT and TRUTH; for such people the Father SEEKS to be HIS WORSHIPERS.  God is SPIRIT and those who WORSHIP HIM must WORSHIP in SPIRIT and TRUTH." (John 4:21-24)

Love and Worthy Kisses
Rodney "Serving and Worshipping Reasonably" Boyd