Unity is a big theme in the Bible. For example, Paul talks about one Body with many members. This idea of oneness in Jesus is part of the churches power and something we have lost in America church because we have adopted American consumerist society. Today in America if we do not like a church we just bounce to the next one and in this we way miss out on being vested in the Body. JFK said, ask not what your country can do for you but rather ask what you can do for your country. If JFK can say that about a worldly thing that will pass away like America, how much more should we be asking this question of ourselves concerning the church? I believe a big part of how the consumerist mentality crept into the church was the corporatization of Sundays. We have a set time for worship, set time for preaching and then we all go to lunch and talk bad about the volume of the music or the preacher. If we change our thinking to understand the purposes of Sunday worship service is not for us but rather it is our responsibility to communally come together and worship God, it would change how we do it. Imagine a church were people came with the intent to worship. They would not have anything scheduled for later on Sunday because they would hope the worship service and exhortation would go long. They might even still be there fellowshipping by the time evening service came around.
I do not believe the church in America knows what worshiping is. I am talking in general. I am sure there are some that do. However, if I could change anything about how churches in America worship it would be that I would encourage people to get back to, as Matt Redman wrote beautifully in is song Heart of Worship, the idea that is it all about Him. Anyone who gets this idea will have grown spiritually from getting to this thinking and they will continue to grow by practicing the idea.
Think about that
Aaron.
