Day Thirty-one = A Matter of Opinion

And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. (1 Kings 18:21)

Worship in the church is sometimes thought of as a matter of opinion. Even worship styles are considered a matter of opinion. One church worships very lively while another might worship more leisurely. But one thing is definitely not a matter of opinion; that we must worship Him.

So much of the church’s operation is up for debate. The traditional congregation only wants hymns from a hymn book and pews rather than chairs, and of course skirts no pants ladies please! On the other end of the spectrum many contemporary congregations seek out loud exciting new music with lyrics streamed across a big screen for easy reading. As for the pews, the answer is no way! Comfortable stadium seating with soft padded chairs and ample leg room is the only way to go. The dress code is comfort, whatever that means to you. Jeans and a tee-shirt are equally accepted alongside the couple with the full 3 piece suit and a long skirt. As Christians we often put so much emphasis on the details of the operation itself that we lose sight of what is truly important… Worship to the one true God!

In the time of Elijah the people couldn’t even decide which god to worship. Talk about a church splitter! Back and forth they went today we worship Baal tomorrow the one true God. Fed up with the nonsense Elijah finally stood up and said enough. Worship was not the struggle of that day. Elijah did not have a problem getting the people to perform worship. The struggle was in the details, it was in the differences of opinion. The struggle was in the operation of church. Elijah had enough! He knew that other gods were an abomination to the Lord. So he told them to pick one. Pick a side. Worship must be performed but God doesn’t accept our worship if it is divided.

What we can learn from Elijah’s circumstance is that true worship is a necessity. Our difference of opinions in the Christian church today may not be as severe as the one in the time of Elijah. We may not be arguing over which god to worship, however we do at times lose our focus on worship. We do occasionally get caught up in the detail of the operation and forget to perform that true worship that God so lovingly desires from us.

As we begin the last set of 10, in our 40 day fast. As we start the countdown to its completion; remember to spend time each day in true worship. The song isn’t important; the setting is of little consequence. Whether you prefer Hymns of the Spirit or Christian Rock, whether you are in your snugly p.j.’s or your work uniform take time to worship the Lord in spirit and in truth. (See John 4:23)