Christian Living

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October 24, 2011 – External Worship?
27 External religious worship [religion as it is expressed in outward acts] that is pure and unblemished in the sight of God the Father is this: to visit and help and care for the orphans and widows in their affliction and need, and to keep oneself unspotted and uncontaminated from the world. – James 1:27 AMP
Pure external religious worship is something we should all strive for. And to the surprise of many Christians, external worship is not raising your hands while singing along with the praise band at church. Some people do that to draw closer to God that way, but worshiping purely before God is so much more than that.
I think many believers fail in expressing their devotion to God. We buy a Jesus fish for our car. We buy a new Bible and possibly a highlighter for it. We even buy tee shirts with Scripture on them. While these things may show our affiliation with Christianity, they express what we are, not who we are. You see, any of us can say we’re a Christian or that we even believe in God. Saying it is the easy part. I can say that Barak Obama and George Bush are my first cousins, but that doesn’t make it true (It is true that I am not related to either). Likewise, we can say we’re a Christian and buy all the accessories that go along with it, but none of it will ever be an outward expression of our love for God. Sure, we may look good with our Christian stuff right down to the Jesus keychain with mini flashlight, but it’s surface and not pure in God’s eyes. There are only two things that are pure outward expressions of worship in His eyes, and for many in the body of Christian believers, they seem insurmountable.
First we must care for orphans and widows in their need. You can help in those programs at church who reach out to such people. If your church does not have an outreach program such as this, then I ask you to consider taking matters into your own hands. Volunteer at a local orphanage. Adopt a child. Become foster parents. Or even take that little old lady who you know is at home alone night after night to lunch Sunday after church. Anything you can do to help those who are in need in these and other similar situations is pleasing to God. Make every effort to help them whenever you can.
We must also keep ourselves uncontaminated from the world. This is where many Christians fail miserably today. It’s easy to volunteer and help others. But our world today is filled with things that try to lead us further away from God. Social networking, sporting events, PTA meetings, and even church can pollute our lives and lead us away from God. Now I am by no means saying that we should not participate in any of these activities, aside from social networking, which is absolutely deplorable, but I am saying that these things should not negatively impact our walk with God.
I am sure some are wondering; how on earth could church contaminate us? It can happen very easily. Balance is the key. If we become overly involved in anything, whether it’s a civic organization, our child’s sports team, or even church, we run the risk of putting something ahead of God in our life. When that happens, we allow the world around us to taint our life. We may even be doing things at church under the pretense of helping advance the kingdom of God, but if we’re thinking about working our shift at the church coffee house more than we think about God and our love for Him, our loyalties lie not in Him, but in the world around us.
The solution to having pure external worship in our lives is having pure internal worship. No, that does not mean to have a place at home where we can worship, like an office or closet, although it’s not a bad idea. It means making a commitment to God in our hearts to serve Him and follow His ways. When we make that commitment internally it’s a cinch to worship externally. Our outward acts will show the inmost parts of our heart. Then those around us will know that we are a Christian by something other than the accessories we carry around.

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