Worship Wars

Daddy: Why were you created?

Josie Mae (age 6): To glorify God.

This is called Catechism. A year ago I would've heard that word and said cata who? But I've been, and am still in, a learning process on how to pass on a real faith to my children and raise them to have authentic love for Jesus. Catechism isn't just a religious word. It basically means a method of teaching principles through questions and answers. But probably the most popular Catechisms are those of theology. I've heard 2 different speakers that I respect and follow suggest this process for teaching children so a few months ago, off I went into Catechism land. With every question and answer we've worked on, the anticipation in me has grown stronger. I'm anticipating Josie Mae asking or responding with something that will allow me to impress her heart. A week or so ago, I asked, "Why were you created?" To which she replied, "To glorify God." But there was something different this time. I could see the wheels turning and there it came: "Daddy, um, why would God want His own glory?" Inside I thought, "YES!!!!!" At last! Realizing she's waiting on an answer, I begin to stutter. "umm, umm, well, you see, Baby..etc. I knew the answer, but the challenge of packaging it for a 6 year old led me to quickly plead for the Spirit to help me.

I had the privilege of explaining to my daughter that if God didn't exalt Himself above all other things, and if He hadn't created her to bring Him glory, then He wouldn't be loving. For since He IS the creator and the sustainer of His creation, how could the creation glorify anything else? Why would the creation want to glorify anything else? Anything else, other than God, is void of the supernatural power and truth that God is. So if God allowed us to have a worship free for all, He wouldn't have loved us very much, cause He is ultimate satisfaction of our souls.

God knew this. Of course He did. He's God and He's the Creator. Adam & Eve were totally fulfilled until the serpent tempted Eve by stealing her faith and her contentment. Perhaps God was holding out on Eve and she would not die like God said they would-doubt. Satan was helping Eve doubt God for the first time then she began to question His integrity and His motives. Then Satan leads Eve to believe that if she ate this fruit her eyes would be open and she'd be like God-discontentment. Now Eve thinks God is holding out on her.

This war of worship was not the beginning of the battle, no, it was actually the 2nd phase. Worship War #1 was between God and Satan. Satan-the epitome of God's creation. But wickedness was found in his heart (Ezekiel 28) and Satan became jealous of God's eminence in the universe and desired to be high and exalted like God.

hmmm-noticing a pattern here?

So Worship War #1, the beginning of War, was over Satan exalting himself above the glory of God. Worship War #2-Satan vs. Man, Satan plants seeds of doubt and discontentment into Eve and paints God as a manipulating God. Eve fell for Satan's propaganda -and bowed to the idol of "self." The very idol Lucifer exalted above God and had faced the wrath of God for. The Wars continue...

Worship War #3-Cain vs. Abel. Simply put-God discerned Cain's heart and knew that his motive wasn't right in his sacrifice. Cain's motive was self exaltation. Even when offered a second chance, Cain refused. He would've rather nursed his wounds of esteem than be in right standing with God. You know the result. Murder.
Worship War #4, #5, #6, #7, and so on, still rage. The worship battles we face today are most always  driven by the same self-interest that was found in Lucifer, Eve & Cain. One way or another, "I wanna do it my way" spirit is the energizer for the worship wars then and now.

An unfathomable 72 million people died in WW II. What an unbelievable cost of one man's self-exaltation.  Yet the battle scars from these "worship wars" are truly innumerable. Everything changed after the fall, including man's worship. Where once it was natural and free it was now inhibited because of mankind's altered physical proximity with God.

The first 3 worship wars I've outlined above are heartbreaking but in them we see:
1. Misguided worship begins in the heart. The very first seeds of it sprouted in the heart of Satan. He couldn't bring down the Creator so he goes after the dearest thing to God's heart, His creation. He wants to plant these seeds in your heart too. Most people aren't going to be led into worshipping the devil directly, but countless souls around the world worship him indirectly when the bow to the idol of "self" just like Satan did, by trying to worship "their way." What's worse is when they enforce their way. Like Cain, innocent people are harmed in the cross-fires of worship wars.

But God is a God of 2nd chances. He gave Adam & Eve another son-Seth. They had lost both of their sons. One murdered and the other, the murder in exile. But Seth comes and is the head of the Messianic line. Through him came "the Desire of all Nations (Hag. 2:7)-Jesus Christ. We are to worship Him and Him alone, His way. May it be so. Amen.