Four Foundational Convictions About Worship: Part 2

In this 4-part series, we’re discovering four foundational convictions that every follower of Jesus should have. Go back and check out Conviction #1 if you haven’t yet.

Conviction #2: Worship happens in every sphere of life.

North American Christianity often has an obsession with separating the spiritual world from the physical world. We see the evidence of this false dichotomy when people refer to church buildings as “places of worship,” or when we hear statements like, “I worship better to Hillsong.” On some level we understand what people are saying, but statements like these compartmentalize our lives to the extent that we lose the true meaning and heart of worship.

A.W. Tozer said, “There is no such thing known in heaven as Sunday worship unless it is accompanied by Monday worship and Tuesday worship and so on” (A. W. Tozer, Tozer on Worship and Entertainment, p. 9). In other words, authentic worship happens in the daily grind of everyday life. We must not make the mistake, as people have done throughout the history of the Church, of creating false distinctions between the sacred and the secular. The Bible does not make this distinction. Instead, it views all of life as sacred.

The apostle Paul explained in Colossians chapter three that our work can and should be done for the glory of God—as worship. He said, “And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him…Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving (Colossians 3:17, 23-24, NIV).

God genetically encoded into us certain talents, gifts, and interests that He wants us to use for His glory. Eph 2:10 says, “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” The word workmanship originates from the Greek word poema, from which we get the word poem.  

Do not miss the application. You are God’s poem. You are God’s work of art, and He made you to express certain gifts, talents, abilities and interests. This creative God desires that you produce meaningful and useful work, which then becomes an outpouring of worship. When this happens, the secular becomes the spiritual because it’s done for the eternal.