QUOTES for THOUGHT
(From “Return to Worship” by Ron Owens)

Worship is the response of an adoring heart to the magnificence of God. In the truest sense of the word, it is the occupation of the “created” (us) with the Creator Himself.”

The measure in which we know God is the measure in which we will be able to worship Him. The way we get to know God is through the Scriptures.

“We’ve humanized God, deified man, and minimized sin.”—Bishop John R. Moore

“When the true story gets told, whether in the partial light of historic perspective or in the light of eternity, it may very well be revealed that the worst sin of the church in our day has been the trivialization of God.”—Donald W. McCullough

“Great theology, married to great hymnology, rises to God in great doxology.” Stephen F. Olford

“The most important and highest activity a company of God’s people could ever engage in, is to offer Almighty God acceptable worship,”—Martyn Lloyd Jones

We must be careful not to substitute “devotion to service” for “devotion to the Savior.” We are prone to substitute work for worship, whereas true worship will always issue forth in service.

The culmination of worship is surrender for service. Without service, there is no spiritual worship. Without worship there is no spiritual service. The person who bows in worship will serve out of allegiance, not out of guilt or duty.

We live in an age of a low view of God. With a low view of God goes a disorientation to life in general, and especially how we approach Him in worship. The main issue is not the “how” of worship, but the “WHO.” Our view of the “WHO” will determine “how” we approach Him.

We must be careful that we not be more concerned with what the world thinks than with what God thinks.

Partial sacrifices are acceptable to the world but are unacceptable to God. Complete sacrifices are acceptable to God, but are unacceptable to the world.

Worship begins with God. He invites us into His presence, we don’t invite Him into ours.

Just because something is done by many does not make it right. The “crowds” followed the Lord Jesus, for the excitement, but Jesus didn’t commit Himself to the crowds, He committed Himself to the few who were following Him for who He was. We must guard ourselves against being unduly influenced by “trends.” Trends are what the crowds follow after, and they may not always be right.