Last year, my then-four-year-old niece was enrolled in softball. You can imagine the laughter and entertainment we received from watching a group of four-year-olds play softball. My niece Collins had a great time playing in the dirt with her friend in the middle of the ball field. She was not as interested in playing the actual game. In fact, she did not participate at all. She watched everyone else practice hitting the ball while she played with a friend in the dirt the entire time at her practice that I attended. She had to learn to participate. She was not there to be a spectator. She was there to play and get in the game. When it comes to our worship, unfortunately, too many of us walk into church with the same attitude as my niece. We walk in prepared to be spectators when what God really desires from us is for us to participate and get in the game.
The apostle Paul encouraged believers to actively participate in worship in Ephesians 5. In this chapter of Ephesians, he told believers to live according to their new lives in Christ. Specifically, he told them to live in the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in them. He wrote, “Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts” (verses 15-19). Instead of living life for the things of this world, we believers are called to live according to the Holy Spirit, not this world. Specifically, we are to sing our praises to the Lord. This means that we are to come to church ready to participate, singing to the Lord and praising Him! This encourages our hearts and everyone around us.
When you come to worship on the weekends, are you a spectator, watching and waiting for the church to meet your needs and match your preferences, or are you a participant, actively engaging in worship and the weekend message? It is time for each one of us to step out of the sidelines and get in the game. May we all resolve to actively worship Him with everything in us.
How can you be an active participant when you come to church to worship God? Maybe this includes singing loudly and engaging in worship. Perhaps it means taking notes during the message. Maybe actively participating in worship means obeying the Scripture that you read during the message. Whatever it looks like for you, come ready to actively participate in worship at one of our weekend services this weekend.
1Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 2 Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.
3 Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 4 Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 5 You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.
6 Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 7 Don’t participate in the things these people do. 8 For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light! 9 For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.
10 Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 11 Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 12 It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 13 But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 14 for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,
“Awake, O sleeper,
rise up from the dead,
and Christ will give you light.”
15 So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 16 Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 17 Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do. 18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 19 singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 20 And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
