Worship
We have too long been conditioned to think that the church is to entertain us. That is not the case. Soren Kierkegaard said, " People have the idea that the preacher is the actor on stage and they are the critics, blaming or praising him. What they don't know is that they are the actors on stage; he is merely the prompter standing in the wings, reminding them of their lost lines" And God is the Audience.
It is not unusual to hear someone say; " I don't get anything out of church." MY response is " What did you give God? How was your heart prepared to give?"
If you go to church selfishly to seek a blessing, you have missed the point of worship. We go to give glory not to be blessed. An understanding of that will effect how you critique the church experience. The issue isn't, did I get anything out of it? But, did I from my heart give glory to God? Since blessing comes from God in response to worship, if you aren't blessed, it isn't usually because of poor music or preaching (though this may occasionally prove to be insurmountable obstacles) but because of a selfish heart that does not give God glory.
(The Ultimate Priority On Worship, John Macarthur, JR 1983 The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago)
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2 comments:
james mackie never ceases to suprise me!
That's a good quote. It is a great blessing when you "feel it" - but even when you don't, that isn't why you're there. Praise him for the blessings you already have. Praise him without thought of blessings at all!
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