Worship Is More Than Sunday Attendance!

“I appeal to you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” Romans 12:1 (RSV).

Worship is more than attending a church to praise and thank God. Of course, attending a Bible-teaching church to praise him is vital. God instructed us to do this in the Bible. However, worship the way God reveals is more than open public worship in a building where the church gathers.
The Lord said in Isaiah 1:13-14 to the worshippers who brought sacrifices these words. “Stop bringing meaningless offerings!
Your incense is detestable to me.
New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations—
I cannot bear your worthless assemblies.
Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals
I hate with all my being.
They have become a burden to me;
I am weary of bearing them.
When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I hide my eyes from you;
even when you offer many prayers,
I am not listening.
Your hands are full of blood!
Wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds out of my sight;
stop doing wrong.
Learn to do right; seek justice.”

1. The Motivation for Worship.

What motivates you to worship the Lord? Our passage above says the motivation to worship is His mercies and kindness toward you. It says “by the mercies of God.” God’s mercies are all things He gave to you that you do not deserve. His love, kindness, forgiveness, favor, hope, reconciliation, peace of God and with God, Christ’s death for your sins, eternal life, His protection, deliverances, health, well-being, and the list goes on.
Especially in the context of the book of Romans, God’s mercies are His salvation-that Christ died for you while you were yet sinners and enemies to him and paid in full all the debts that you owed to God. 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” In the immediate context of chapter 11, he says, you were gentiles, away far away from the covenants and promise of God, away from the commonwealth of Israel. But through their rejection of the promised Messiah, you who were the branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted into God’s special olive tree, sharing the rich nourishment from its root. Listen, how much God extended His lovingkindness toward gentiles who were not Israelites! By the rejection of Jesus Christ by the children of Israel, God offers salvation to you, the gentile who was not part of the Abrahamic, Davidic, and New covenants and special promises. God’s mercy and salvation come to you in Jesus Christ upon the disobedience of Israel. How great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge!
Apostle Paul says, therefore, I urge you, brothers & sisters, in view of God’s mercies- the varied and manifold mercies of God toward you- is the motivation to worship God.

2. The Manner of Worship.

A. Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.

There is an intended connection between this verse and 6:13 & 19. It says there, “do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have a new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.”

When it says to offer your body, it does not mean you sacrifice your body like the animal sacrifices of the Old Testament time. Hence he used the term, “living sacrifice”. You don’t kill yourself or another person. But offer a living sacrifice. You live and offer your bodies. You offer your whole being-body, soul, and spirit to the Lord. You see, your whole body belongs to the Lord. He has a definite plan and purpose for it. God said to Israel through the prophet Jeremiah in their lowest time of life and is recorded in Jeremiah 29:11. It says,” For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

You must continue living even if life gets tough and present your life as an offering to the Lord. God will empower you to do it even in the most difficult circumstance of your life.

B. Holy.

Holy means moral and ethical wholeness. Your character must be morally and ethically upright. There is another meaning for the word ‘holy’ and that is ‘set apart’ or ‘sanctified’. You as a believer in Christ are set apart for God and His plans and purposes. You are otherly in the sense that you as a believer are different from others. The Holy Spirit sanctified/set apart you and sealed you for God’s purposes and kingdom. You don’t belong to the present age or present world system and its desires and thought process that is under the rulership of the devil.

Colossians 3 says, “since then you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears then you will also appear with him in glory.” You see your standards, goals, and thought process are different from others. You progressively become more like Christ. Certain things you like in the past, you would start hating as you are set apart for him and his purposes.

C. Pleasing to God.

What is pleasing to God means. I will especially highlight certain points here. You as a believer should not try to please men around you. You are called to please God. The Bible says in Galatians 1:10 that you cannot please men and God at the same time. Many believers try to please others. The fundamental question is this- Am I seeking the approval of men or God? When you seek the approval of God, then you will stop getting the approval of men. Simply, you cannot please men and God. If you try to get pleasing of men, you would not be able to continue as God’s faithful servant to fulfill his plans for your life.
Pleasing God also means having the mind of Christ. Christ is full of grace, compassion, love, kindness, goodness, humility, patience, perseverance, and long-suffering. His sweat becomes drops of blood in Gethsemene, but he still, fulfills God’s plan and did not deviate from it in severe beatings, pains, and crucifixion.
Christ loved all with no bias of their backgrounds. He never discriminates against people. He reached out to sinners with love, grace, and compassion. You can not be like the elder brother who did not like the return of his lost younger brother. Be like God the Father, and Jesus Christ. Forsake pharisee attitude and mindset. Embrace Christ’s attitude and mindset. Only if you got a glimpse of the fullness of grace in Christ and Father, you would be able to respond in grace and kindness.
This is how you would please God.

We have discussed the motivation to worship. We also discussed three manners of worship- offer your body as a living, holy, and pleasing to God.
In short, what is true and proper worship? Beloved, worship is more than just attending Sunday services, though they are essential. Worship is the dedication of your whole being every day to the Lord in view of His manifold mercies toward you. You must attend regularly church services and corporate worship because the Bible says in Hebrews “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” As you grow spiritually understand spiritual worship is more than gathering together to remember the Lord once a week. It’s a daily day-by-day and moment-by-moment lifestyle that the Lord urges you to do.

The Message Bible transliterates the above verse this way. Listen! “Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going to work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering.”

“Father in heaven, I dedicate my body and whole being as a living, holy and pleasing sacrifice to you. May your plans and purpose be fulfilled in my life. The grace you have heaped on me, may it flow out of me to others around me. May I not try to please men but only please you, Lord. I fully surrender myself to you. Use me for your glory.