So Spiritual

 

Hey, Cobblestone,

     You may have noticed in our worship services last Sunday that no animals were cut up. I, for one, am glad. I’d say you are too. And yet we worshiped the Lord. Genuine and God-pleasing worship arose from us. And then – funny thing – when the last Amen was said and the building cleared out, worship continued… again, with no animals being harmed in the practice thereof. How did that happen? The following paragraph provides a thoroughly plausible explanation.

     In the second of our services last Sunday, two families brought their children up on the platform to be dedicated to the Lord, much like Joseph and Mary did with infant Jesus back in the day. But unlike parents in the early First Century AD, these Cobblestone parents brought no animal sacrifice – no pigeons, no turtledoves. Still, no worries, for I had met with the families beforehand and explained, with Scripture, what the appropriate New Testament sacrifice is:

    I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship (Romans 12:1).  

     Present your bodies… which is your spiritual worship. The body of a Christian houses the spirit; the spirit of a Christian resides in the body, along with the Holy Spirit of God. Spiritual worship of the LORD our God can and must involve the body. So how does that work?

     The Bible book of Romans is arranged in two distinct sections: the doctrinal and the practical. The first eleven chapters are doctrinal; the last five practical. Some of the most dedicated theologians throughout history have occupied themselves with the doctrinal juggernaut known as Romans One through Eleven. And if it hadn’t been for Romans Twelve through Sixteen, the practical part, they might have spent the last decade of their lives in a dim corner somewhere, blowing slobber-bubbles, overwhelmed (as the apostle Paul was) by the doctrinal section of Romans. Thankfully, the opening verse of Chapter 12 has an appeal and a therefore.

     Romans 12:1 beckons to the Christian coming out of the previous eleven chapters: “Because of all that, do this!” And the very first “this” involves presenting our bodies to the Lord as a living sacrifice. Hmm, how do we do that? Good question, and a short cruise a little further into Romans 12 provides enough answers to keep us occupied for a good long time. Get ready, Church, open your eyes and minds – I’m pretty sure this is something different than what you’re thinking at the moment:

    Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good (Romans 12:6-21).  

     Try accomplishing any one of those instructions without involving the body. Not happening. Let us use them – using our God-given gifts will, at some point and probably early on, include hands, feet, voice… some measure of exertion, however small or great. And why would God be pleased with that? How is that honoring him? Well, suppose I gave you a high-dollar set of tools – triple chrome-plated and coming in a fitted case – and told you to fix something with them. But instead, you set them out on the coffee table, dusted them once a week, and made them the subject of conversation when guests came over. Would I not feel dishonored? Sure, you’re making a big deal of the tools, maybe even making a big deal of the giver – but they’re not doing what I meant for them to do. God puts his surpassing power into jars of clay (see 2Corinthians 2:7) precisely for the purpose of bringing glory to himself. He just wants some cooperation from the jars.

     In this moment, as I’m pecking away at this keyboard, I’m getting a nudge from the Lord to unpack Romans 12 over the next few weeks. His primary purpose, best I can tell, is to give us a better understanding of spiritual worship and how our bodies are essential partners in it. As we launch into this series that I didn’t know was going to be a series until just-the-heck now, maybe the single best verse to keep in mind (literally) is the following:

    Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect (Romans 12:2).

     “Lord, help us to be transformed. Build us up as true worshipers. Amen.”

 

 Grace and Peace (on the altar of sacrifice),

 

John