You may have heard the story of two men debating issues of worship. They had quite different ideas on the subject and were unable to persuade one another. At the end of the frustrating discussion one of the men said to the other, “Well, you worship God in your way, and I will worship Him in His.”
We may smile at that comment, but we need to remember how varied are the forms of worship that churches have practiced and how vehement debate over worship sometimes has been. The debate over the use of icons in the eighth and ninth centuries led to violence in the Eastern church. Differences over worship in the sixteenth century were part of what divided Protestant from Roman Catholic Christianity, a division that continues to our day.
Among contemporary Christians we find significant differences in worship. As we continue to walk in our spiritual journey at Oakland, it is my prayer that we will be lead by the Holy Spirit to worship God in ways that are truly pleasing to Him. Authentic worship is not a show that we watch on Sunday morning and night; it is a personal experience between each of us and a very personal Savior. May we always follow the admonition in Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.”
Please join us as we seek to worship Him every Sunday!!
Brother Tom