I once read an article by a theology university professor who asked his students about authentic worship. Predictably in this modern age, his students having spent a lifetime being indoctrinated with multiculturalism and relativism came back with these ideas:
Authentic worship is:
• true to their emotions,
• true to their knowledge level,
• true to their culture,
• true to their experience,
• true to their language.
In this modern age one does not seek enlightenment, life is not about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself!
Put simply, this modern religious doctrine is focused on the individuals experience and expression. Worship is "authentic to them". They develop a tradition in and of themselves.
So, who is truly being worshipped?
What is authentic to God?
Is authentic worship simply a mirror?
Right along side these self interested traditions is a new age kind of legalism. The legalism of the self. What typically falls by the wayside in this religion of self is; humble prayer focused on discovering God's will, praise that pleases God Almighty, costly forgiveness that reflects Christ's nature, true grace and not a false religiosity, and love for one another, love as Christ loved them. Much of their worship expresses an ambiguous God, a largely passive deity, waiting for someone to find the time to give him praise. A father forgotten by his grown child, only authentically visited when all else fails.
This modern self focus model misses the triune nature of the Almighty One. They miss the Father who is active, the Lord who is preveniently calling us to worship; the Son of God who is engaged in perfecting our worship, and the Holy Spirit who empowers worship in our every breath. Absent from this mode of worship is the grace of God in a person's life which precedes and prepares them for conversion, which enables them to respond to his offer of salvation. Often this grace is deemed unnecessary or even undesirable. It's seen as not necessarily reflective of the individual's experience and self expression. The self worshipper resists the call to grace. The self worshipper doesn't believe in the power of prayer. The self worshippers don't reach for sanctifying grace. The self worshippers are not seeking the supernatural enlightenment of their human mind, which then enables their belief.
They have not because they ask not.
The self worshipping church, who turned from God by their sins, are being sought and pursued by God's grace to turn them back and to become justified and ultimately sanctified by freely assenting to those graces. This active searching and goading grace is pursing authentic worship. God pursues this authentic worship because no one can say 'Jesus is Lord' except by the power of the Holy Spirit giving them those words. Authentic worship MUST be empowered by the Holy Spirit. In another word, you have to go from ask to seek. Prayer is empowering when The Holy Spirit is engaged and sought out continuously.
Authentic worship cannot be rote.
Why?
Not because practice, memorization and repetition is wrong, but the reality is, it is often done without one's full attention or comprehension. And let me tell you why this happens. Unconfessed sin hinders the attention span. Mechanical or unthinking routine unconfessed prayer is an empty worship. This is why the scriptures tells us the prayers of a righteous man has great access to the Lord's power and mercy (James 5:16). If you're looking to have God hear your prayers, time to confess your sins.
The greatest most powerful and transformative prayer can be spoken in less than 5 seconds.
1. Father
2. Forgive me
3. Sinner that I am
The Gospel of Luke 18:13
But the tax collector, standing at a distance, would not even raise his eyes toward heaven, but was striking his chest [in humility and repentance], saying, ‘God, be merciful and gracious to me, the [especially wicked] sinner [that I am]!’
Humble your SELF worship.
Jesus said AUTHENTIC worship looks like this.
Luke 18:14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”
Don't focus on yourself and that tiny little mirror image god you've cobbled together and shoved into your coat pocket. Humble yourself. Confess your sin. Cry out to the Lord for his blessings. And seek out the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The university students focused instead on their emotions, their particular abilities, and their language and culture. But there's one thing about themselves that they didn't reflect upon. They didn't factor in their own sins.
Think about the word sincerity. You could think of it like this. It's sin wrapped up and separated from the whole (cere). It's unadulterated. Your not mingling with sin anymore. It's whole, pure and clean, it's genuine. It's authentic. You've got to wrap up that sin and keep it from poisoning your worship. It must be confessed. It can't be truthful and candid if you're living a lie.
Authentic worship is not hybridized by our individual self interest.
In today's religious and spirituality movements, the book of truth and enlightenment is simply a reflection of self.
Jesus on the other had said, you want to know me? "I Am."
"I am the bread of life." John 6:35
It's he who you authentically worship.
Not you.
Him.
He said, I am the light of the world and if you follow him you'll find your way. John 8:12
It's his way you worship.
Not yours.
Jesus said I am the door, everyone else is a thief. John 10:9
He leads to the sheepfold. He's the entryway.
Not you.
Jesus said I am the good shepherd. John 10:11-18
He's not the hired hand. He owns the sheep.
Not you.
The will of God is a process, a process leading into eternal life. And Jesus said, " I Am the resurrection and the life". John 11
Our way leads only to death. To nothing. No hope, no life.
Cord looks into the book of truth and finds himself. There is no truth, no enlightenment, only his own story. (From Circle Of Iron 1978 movie)
This is the religion of self.