Real Worship

READ THIS FIRST!

Isaiah 58 In English

Jesaja 58 Eesti keeles

Siku told me to read this chapter, and I haven't been able to get it out of my head. It tells of God's dissatisfaction with the way Israel 'worshipped'. They thought that their worship really meant something because they went 'through the motions of penance'. They fasted, they spent loads of time in the temple and seemed to be really holy. But God wouldn't listen to them, because for him, it was all false. God's heart was for justice and seeing His people show His love. This is what God wanted...

⁶ “No, this is the kind of fasting I want:
Free those who are wrongly imprisoned;
lighten the burden of those who work for you.
Let the oppressed go free,
and remove the chains that bind people.
⁷ Share your food with the hungry,
and give shelter to the homeless.
Give clothes to those who need them,
and do not hide from relatives who need your help.
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.
Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumours!

¹⁰ Feed the hungry,
and help those in trouble.

I have thought about the church now, thousands of years after this was written, and I can't help thinking we're guilty of much the same thing. We put on big 'worship' events, prayer meetings, listen to preaches on the internet, but is this not the same as the Isrealites were doing, just in a modern setting?

I've had the privilege of playing guitar with the Piiblipaevad band over the last few months and in many ways it's been a great experience. But what does God think of my worship when I'm there? I can't stand on stage with a clear conscience if I'm not worshipping with my actions. We need to show people that God loves them, that's how he will be glorified.

In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see,
so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.

(Matt 5:16)

If we really want to worship God, and if we want him to hear us, the bible says we need to do something!

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough.
Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

James 2:17

Now, we need to get one thing clear at this point. The focus here isn't on good deeds. It's not the good deeds that save us (Ephesians 2:8-9). But good deeds are the fruit, or evidence, of our faith. If we have faith in God, there should be some evidence that goes beyond what we say or sing, right?

Jesus says something really challenging and exciting at the end of Matthew 25. Talking about feeding the hungry, giving a drink to the thirsty, being hospitable, clothing the naked, caring for the sick and visiting those in prison, He says that ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’ He actually says then when we help someone in need, we are doing it to Him. Think about that for at least a second, preferably longer. This is incredible news. When we feed the hungry, we are serving Jesus himself. If we really understood that I think our priorities would be very different.

This can and does happen in Estonia or the UK in the 21st century. For example...

• Imre Kuller let someone have his house and slept on my floor. True worship and sacrifice. He literally gave shelter to someone.
• Kristel Luide moved out of her apartment for a week so some people could stay there.

Actually, I was about to write a long list, but you get the idea. And I'm sure we could do so much more. God doesn't give us an option here. We don't get out of this just because we're too busy doing church stuff, or working, or playing the guitar, or singing. It may take sacrifice to really worship God, but we must make that sacrifice.