Worship

We were created to worship something, whether it be God, Football, Money, etc.  Worship is just spending your time and resources on the pursuit of something you value.  God wants to be placed first and foremost in our lives, and in return He promises His best will for us.  Matthew 6:33 says to seek after Him first, and then we'll be given everything else.  It's not "so that" we'll get everything else.  God is not a means to an end.  He is the end.  He is all.

Never do I feel closer to God than in corporate praise and worship, meaning group singing of praise songs.  The Holy Spirit falls on the room whether you're singing hymns or the latest Chris Tomlin song.  I have seen spiritually dead congregations where they sing out of necessity, and I have seen the Holy Spirit blast a group of about twenty 8-12yr old kids.  I've been a part of large worship services at Watkinsville First Baptist Church, including a live CD recording, where the Holy Spirit shows up in force.  The Spirit moves us to song, to poetry, to raw emotion.  I'm not saying this doesn't happen in other religions, but I personally haven't seen it.  I know other religions have their ways to show their devotion, but most of the time it seems like they're saying, "I don't know what to do, so I'll do this and hope and pray you like it." whereas Christians acknowledge that Christ has already done it, and the least we could do is sing to Him.  Sometimes vocal singing isn't even necessary. 

I don't have much time to go truly in depth, but this is just my way of saying I love being in corporate worship sessions.  Whether it's a fully-plugged in band, or one man w/ an acoustic guitar, as long as the Holy Spirit is there, it's amazing.  We need to be less focused on the spectacle and more focused on the presence of God.  A church body led by the Spirit is a force to be reckoned with indeed.  I'm thankful for the worship leaders and singers/players in my life.  You know who you are :)

For the Kingdom,
Stuart