The Psalmist, when speaking of God, said: "Iwill extol thee, my God, 0 King: and I will bless thy name forever and ever." (Psalm 145:1) David expressed a proper attitude toward God. Jesus, when instructing the disciples how they ought to pray, taught them to address God, "Our Father who art in heaven, "Hallowed be thy name." (Matthew6:9) Jesus taught that any approach to God should be with reverence and awe. David further said of God, "Holy and reverend is thy name." (Psalm 111:9) Reverence includes solemnity and correct form; however, it is possible to be solemn and correct in outward form and still not be reverent.
Reverence is defined as "a feeling or attitude of deep respect, love, awe, and esteem, as for something sacred; veneration." Some of the synonyms for reverence are "honor, veneration, awe, adoration."(Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary)
Proper expression of a reverent attitude toward God reveals the character of the heart. The greater our character, the greater our reverence toward God will be. On the other hand, many have become so casual in attitude toward sacred things that they have a blurred view of who God is. The prophet David clearly expressed God's attitude toward His children"™s irreverence: "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself." (Psalm 50:21) Many have lost sight of Almighty God"™s greatness, and they consider Him to be no greater than themselves. Perhaps we have gotten so immersed in the world, and so absorbed by that which is foul, that real reverence is almost impossible. Whatever the cause, we must understand God's attitude toward this lack of respect and honor that is due Him. We must examine our own lives for any evidence of such dishonor, and if we find such evidence, seek to change our attitudes toward God. God demands reverence. "And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground." (Exodus 3:3-5)
Not only does God demand reverence from the individual, but He also demands it from the entire assembly. David wrote, "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him." (Psalm 89:7) Under the New Covenant, God also demands and expects reverence from His children. "But let all things be done decently and in order." (1Corinthians 14:40) "Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well pleasing to God with reverence and awe." (Hebrews 12:28) That we should show the greatest reverence possible toward God should be the purpose of our life and certainly the purpose of the worship we offer Him. Evidence of disrespect and irreverence toward God can be seen in what we wear to worship God. Unfortunately, many Christians attend the worship services dressed as they would to mow the yard. Our clothes do send messages to God, and to others. Some, in an effort to suggest that our clothes do not send a message, quote 1Samuel 16:7, "(Jehovah seeth) not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looketh on the heart." However, by what we do, and even by what we wear, we vividly reveal what is in our hearts (Matthew 15:18-20).
The wisdom writer said, "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: " (Proverbs 23: 7) What are we saying about this glorious occasion of worship, about our attitude toward our Creator? Rarely do we see people dressed in casual attire when they attend a wedding or funeral. People realize that such occasions call for more formal attire. Should it be any less formal for our Lord when we assemble to worship Him? No one is suggesting a strict dress code; however, our attire should reflect the dignity associated with the purpose for which we have come together. Further evidence of disrespect and lack of reverence exists when we applaud and cheer in worship to God. In many churches, this has become the norm in many churches when one confesses wrong or is baptized into Christ. The reasoning that seeks to justify clapping and cheering in worship does not argue from Scripture, but purely human, secular logic. Some argue that "worship is a right thing to do, and that there is no wrong way to do it." Some appeal to Old Testament practices to find authority for shouting and clapping in worship. Certainly, we must remind them that today, we do not live under Moses"™ law, but under Christ"™s law. In spite of this, some quote from the Old Testament (1 Samuel 4:5; 2 Samuel 6:15,16; Ezra 3:11,12) to justify shouting or clapping in worship assemblies Yet, these passages, and other Old Testament passages, have nothing to do with what the church today does during worship.
Reverence in Worship
By Micky Galloway
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The great day of the LORD is near, it is near, and hasteth greatly, even the voice of the day of the LORD: the mighty man shall cry there bitterly. Zephaniah 1:14
פרץ
Amen Alex.
One of my pet peeves...I thought they showed a great deal of reverencewhile I was inchurches in Israel . Churches should be a quiet reverent place ..THAT honors God alone..
Some have made it a. placeto stand and crack jokes. b. a place to try out for the American idol c. a place to make merchandise of man d. a placeto just sit around for 1 1/2 hours thinking about everything under the sun but God e. a place to make friends and influence people.. f.a place to play their Gameboys g. a place to flirt with others h. a placeto sleep
rather than... a. A place to grab the horns of the altar and find forgiveness b. a place to find peace from a world out of control c. a place for the lost to find Christ d. a place to hear the Word of God... e. a place to commune with other Christians by The Lord's Supper and Studying of the Word. f. A place to find healing G. A place to be equiped. h. A place to worship Jesus i A place to be still WITHOUT any interuptions
Very good reading. I see a question raised by this qoute.
Evidence of disrespect and irreverence toward God can be seen in what we wear to worship God.
Can we separate reverence from obedience? IMO they are very much interwoven, causing disobedience and a casual, unconcerned approach in all areas of service to God when lacking in the life of the believer.
Are you an Irreverent Christian ?
