4.32 Tuesday

8.16.11

Followers of Christ, one in heart and mind.  – Acts 4.32

Our pastor was leading the staff team in a devotional.     He was talking about worshipping in holiness.    The text that he used was from Psalm 29.2 and the general idea was that we worship God because of His holiness and  His holiness abounds because of His attributes.       Our staff team shared of our wonder in God and of our fear, awe and reverence of and for God.  We talked about His creation and His sovereignty and all of those God-type qualities that compel us to worship Him in His holiness.   We talked about His holiness.

Then, we talked about us.

The conversation took a sharp turn.    The devotion surged in our hearts as we talked about our ability to worship.     We worship in holiness.  Our holiness does not stem from our feelings or our actions or our current status or our recent decision making or how life might be treating us at the moment.    We are MADE holy because of one simple, yet life-altering and eternity-changing decision.    At the moment that we made the decision to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and to embrace Him as our life, hope, & salvation, we were made holy in Him.      In Christ, we are ROBED in righteousness and we are made whole and fully forgiven and holy and complete and free and accepted and we are a friend of God and redeemed and secure and FREE from condemnation and incapable of being separated from His love and anointed and chosen and all of this truth, and more, flows out of  His grace toward us.   We worship in the holiness of wonder because of who we are in Christ.

Billy asked us a simple question.   On a scale of 0 – 100%, what % righteous are you?     The answer is tricky, unless you understand the transaction of the cross.  The answer will rely upon something that you do or have done if you do not fully grasp the work of the cross.     The answer is clear, easy, and overwhelming when you get the cross.  You are 100% righteous!    You are righteous because you are covered in Christ.    The justifying work of the cross brings freedom, hope, promise and the cross invites passion.    When we begin to grasp the cross, our hearts are unleashed toward our God.

Therefore, we worship in HOLINESS.  We are stunned by grace.  How could we do anything less when we grasp the overwhelming love of Christ that is poured over us and into us and flows through us into this earth?  We worship in response to His holiness and out of our own holiness, which was granted to us by the finised work of the cross.   Amazing grace, how sweet the sound…..

Paul prayed a great prayer for the church at Ephesus.  Maybe you could linger in the truth of that prayer in Ephesians 3.14-21.   Paul prays for us, that we will grasp what we can never grasp, which is the great and wondrous love and grace of Jesus Christ.  Dive deep.  Read the Word.  Pray.  Enjoy.  Transform.

Check out the video below.  It is a compelling video as you continue to discover your identity in Christ and how your identity shapes your worship.

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