Tuesday, December 1, 2009

The Way of Cain

In our consideration of what The Visible Church has to answer for, few of its failures are more destructive than the current contemporary, seeker-sensitive, emergent worship forms.

It is the sin of Cain: The stubborn refusal to worship God the way He prescribes.

This is not a comparison of the music I like vs. the music you like. Nor is it where you worship or what name you give your church. This is about honoring God.

Christians worship God. The unsaved (seekers) do not and cannot
Christians worship God in spirit. Indulging fleshly desire or sensual gratification is not worship of God. It is the worship of self.
Christians worship God in truth. It is God Who determines what worship is.

Contemporary worship-forms are drawn from the culture and from personal desire, not from anything biblical. Efforts to sanctify your idea of worship, from the scriptures, simply exposes your lack of biblical knowledge.

It is not God Who desires the worship of unsaved souls.
It is not God Who likes the sound of raucus or sensual music forms
It is not God Who encourages worshippers to give vent to emotional expressions that result in swooning or thrashing on the floor or "mosh-pits" at concerts.
It is not God Who equates the singing of songs with worship.
It is not God Who ignores the heart-attitude, illustrated by the disrespectful fashion choices of those who claim to be worshiping God in the beauty of holiness.

The list is long. But the point is the same: If God is the One being worshiped, it's His goals, standards and expectations that are important, not our's.

Try showing up in a court of law, dressed for Church. But don't be surprised at the scolding you get or the penalty imposed, simply because you demonstrated disrespect for the Court. The least you can expect is to be sent home to change.

Cain had no respect for God. He expressed his disrespect by choosing a worship form that pleased him.

That's the Way of Cain!

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