Dear Friend,
In the first century AD, those who worshiped Greek and Roman gods paid no attention to the way they lived on a daily basis.
They just brought offerings to the local temple worship, dined at the deity's monthly honorary meals, and participated in other cultic temple rites, which often involved immoral acts with temple "priests," who were little more than religious prostitutes. As long as they fulfilled these ritualistic obligations, all was well. It didn't matter how they were living at home, on their jobs, or in public life. Their god's wrath was placated. Thus, they expected to prosper. And they considered themselves good pagan worshipers who stood well with their deity.
Then came Christianity. These followers of the Way were radically different. One prime reason was that their strange God - a Jewish Carpenter turned Rabbi and miracle Worker, a Messiah condemned and crucified as an insurrectionist - required that they live right to worship right. This was odd, and many pagans shook their heads and walked away, preferring their old gods and ways.
But for those who came to Christ, their lives underwent comprehensive changes. They received Christ's nature in a spiritual rebirth. They received the fullness of His Holy Spirit in a spiritual Baptism. They sat regularly under the teaching of the Jewish Scriptures, Christ's wisdom sayings, and the teachings of His apostles. And they were expected, as "doers of the Word, and not hearers only" (James 1:22), to diligently apply these spiritual and moral instructions to every area of their lives day by day.
Thus, aided by Christ's nature and ever-present, supernaturally powerful Spirit, they entered an amazing, new life of living righteously - "work[ing] out" the salvation and right relationship with God they had received by grace (Philippians 2:12). Eager to change to please their Savior, they consciously chose to get their entire lives bit by bit into His order. Every day brought new opportunities to delight Him by conforming more and more to "His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33).
They wanted to think the way Jesus wanted them to think. They wanted to speak the way He wanted them to speak. They wanted to interact with others the way He wanted them to interact. They wanted to go through hardships, or tests, as they came to be called, the way He wanted them to go through them. Their new goal in life was continually before their minds, and it was clear: they wanted to be "conformed to the image" of God's Son (Romans 8:29), thoroughly changed from their innermost to their outermost, all to please Him. This had nothing to do with earning salvation and everything to do with pleasing their Savior.
Then, as they learned to live, move, and have their being in this right relationship and right behavior, supernaturally powered by sufficient quality time spent in Christ's presence, Word, and prayer daily, they learned to offer Him worship. Worthy worship! As with the other aspects of their new life, they wanted to offer worship the way He wanted it, not the way they chose.
So, they followed His personal instruction by committing themselves to worship Him - or express His inexpressible "worth-ship" audibly and demonstratively - "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24). From the depths of their spiritual core (or human "spirit"), aided and guided by His Spirit, abiding in and practicing His "truth" (or Word), and walking in the "truth" of complete honesty before Him, and living in the "truth" of faithfulness to Him and their fellow man, from this basis of a thoroughly changed life, they worshiped. They worshiped in private. They worshiped in public. They worshiped alone. They worshiped with others. All to please their Lord. And He was pleased. Very pleased! Why? This was His Father's heart's desire: true worship arising from transformed worshipers! "The Father seeketh such to worship Him" (John 4:23).
Soon these early Christians, and even their pagan peers, recognized that this new form of worship was not pagan worship. It was God-pleasing worship. And God received every bit of it as it ascended upwards to His heavenly throne room. Thoroughly delighted, His response was strong and steady. As worship came up daily, He sent down responses daily - angels bringing fresh biblical insight, answers to prayer, human blessings, bodily healings, signs and wonders, understanding of the times, prophecies of times to come, divine guidance, relief from oppression just when His people could stand no more, and countless other tokens of His flowing favor. Why? These early Christians were practicing pleasing worship, not pagan worship.
Now let's fast-forward to this twenty-first century. How many of our churches today offer pleasing worship? How many offer pagan worship - if you will, Christian paganism? Let me explain.
If we seriously desire to let Christ's Word, His Spirit's correction, the New Testament letters, and the instruction of our godly ministers change us, and walk "in spirit and truth" day by day, then all our worship, private and public, spontaneous and scheduled, will be "in spirit and truth," and a pure delight to the Father. And He will respond by sending a river of steady outward blessings, as described above, and inward blessings.
Inward blessings are hard to explain but readily identifiable when we experience them. They may be: the tangible sense of God's presence quietly permeating us as we sit before Him; His reviving strength coursing through our weary bodies; His supernatural peace holding our minds perfectly calm and still in swirling adversities; the sweet experience of the Holy Spirit opening to us the deep, inner meaning of Bible texts; the quiet voice of God speaking reassurance to our hearts in the night just when we need it; miraculous spontaneous anointings of inner gladness amid bitter, unjust sufferings; and other indicators of Christ's nearness, intense watchfulness over us, total control of our circumstances, and unfailingly faithful love.
But if, as many do, we merely come to church weekly, dutifully participate in worship, and go home, with no serious intention of letting Christ thoroughly change us, inwardly and outwardly, we are simply reliving ancient pagan worship. And we are deceiving ourselves! We imagine Christ is satisfied with unworthy worship offered by unworthy worshipers. We assume He is no better than the Greek and Roman gods - content to have our public show of religious allegiance without any true changes in the way we privately think, talk, and behave daily.
Are we offering pagan or pleasing worship? If the latter, let's continue and grow in it! If the former, let's repent, and immediately begin walking in pleasing worship - true worship offered by transformed worshipers.
Pursuing pleasing worship,
Greg Hinnant
Greg Hinnant Ministries