Getting into Spiritual Shape – Being Active in a Local Church, Part 2

Have you ever been to a live sporting event?  It’s a great place to be if you are a sports fan.  I have been lucky enough to attend several sporting venues over the years.  I have seen the Pittsburgh Penguins play in play-off games, been to a half a dozen or so major league ballparks, watched a few NBA games, and been able to watch the Buckeyes play in the Horseshoe.  I had great times at all of them.  What makes these events so special?  It’s being a part of the event.  I can see the game better on television, but there is an excitement and an enthusiasm that comes with being a part of the crowd. 

Being active in a local church is like that.  Obviously, we can worship God alone, but there is something special about gathering with other people to celebrate who He is and what He is doing.  There is something exciting about rubbing elbows with people who want to express their thanksgiving and praise to their Creator and Savior.  Simply stated, church can be a great place to worship.

I hear some of you saying, “you don’t know my church.”  Maybe you don’t particularly like the music, or your musicians struggle a little bit.  Maybe your pastor doesn’t preach as well as the guy on the radio or t.v.  Perhaps your worship service is a little too loud, or a little too quiet.  Well, believe it or not, it’s possible to still worship enthusiastically despite some of your church’s shortcomings.  Worship is more than the music or the message alone.  There is more to it than the building and a perfect PowerPoint presentation.  It’s the sum of all the parts, not just one or two of them. 

Worship is really an expression of the heart.  It’s amazing how much better our worship experience is when our hearts are right with God.  We often think that it’s the job of worship to get our hearts right.  We need to work a little harder, however, to make sure our hearts are right before we go into worship.  We would be surprised at how much things would improve if we did.

Perhaps it would help improve our heart and our worship if we spent just a little bit more time praying for the worship service of our church.  We could take some time during the week and just ask God to do something special in and through the people that lead our services each week.  Maybe your Sunday School class or your small group could take just a minute or two to lift up the following Sunday’s service in prayer.  Pray for your pastor and music leaders.  Pray for the people who stand at the door and say, “good morning.”  On an individual note, we need to ask God to help us have right hearts and attitudes.  Ask Him to deal with whatever is in your life that might keep you from worshipping Him effectively.

We can help our worship service in other ways too.  Perhaps you are a musician or a singer, you could offer to be a part of your church’s music program.  Maybe you have a good ear or like gadgets and gizmos, you could be a part of the audio/visual team.  Perhaps you could help put together the PowerPoint slides or help prepare the building.  Be willing to let God use your interests and giftedness.  Think outside the box.  Volunteer and be part of a solution.  There are countless ways we can improve our worship.  Remember, however, that the first step begins on the inside.