Simply, not Easy

Last time we were together, we looked at one features of lifestyle worship that we noticed in the lives of men and women in the Bible who were true worshipers. The feature we considered was this: Lifestyle worship is simple, not easy.

One of the verses of Scripture that alert us to this feature of worship is Romans 12:2, which says, "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." In this verse, God calls on us to do one simple thing: Live in alignment with your renewed mind. That's simple. But is it easy? Not necessarily. There's a lot of pressure around you, influencing you to live according to the world's "standard operating procedure."

Let's illustrate this with a word picture from Dr. James Dobson. In his book, Life on the Edge, Dr. Dobson writes:

What are the characteristics of sheep that remind the Lord of you and me? What is he really saying when he refers to us in that way? Well, shepherds and ranchers tell us that these animals are virtually defenseless against predators, not very resourceful, inclined to follow one another into danger, and they are absolutely dependent on their human masters for safety. Thus, when David wrote, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray," he was referring to our tendency to move as an unthinking herd and away from the watchful care of the Shepherd.

I observed this herd instinct a few years ago in a documentary on television. It was filmed in a packinghouse where sheep were being slaughtered for the meat market. Huddled in pens outside were hundreds of nervous animals. They seemed to sense danger in their unfamiliar surroundings. Then a gate was opened that led up a ramp and though a door to the right. In order to get the sheep to walk up that ramp, the handlers used what is known as a "Judas goat." This is a goat that has been trained to lead the sheep into the slaughterhouse. The goat did his job very efficiently. He confidently walked to the bottom of the ramp and looked back. Then he took a few more steps and stopped again. The sheep looked at each other skittishly and then began moving toward the ramp. Eventually, they followed the confident goat to the top, where he went through a little gate to the left, but they were forced to turn to the right and went to their deaths. It was a dramatic illustration of unthinking, herd behavior and the deadly consequences it often brings. James Dobson, Life on the Edge (Word Publishing, 1995), pp.24-25

Joseph Stowell, president of Moody Bible Institute, tells of a conversation he had with a pastor in the former Soviet Union.

"Stalin's reign was the worst time," said the pastor. "I had two KGB agents come to me and say, 'We'll take care of you. You stay the pastor of that church, but once a week give us a report on every one of these Christians. Work for us.'

"I can't do that to God, and I can't do that to this flock," he replied.

So they sent him to a prison camp in Siberia. He endured the forced labor and the cold for ten years. But he did find other Christians in the camp, and God used these believers to fulfill his purposes.

"I was a carpenter building towns for Stalin," said the pastor. "We'd go out in sixty-mile radiuses, and there we would fellowship together. Today there are hundreds of churches in Siberia as a result of these small prisoner fellowship groups."

When men refuse to compromise, they may lose much, but through them God will fulfill his higher eternal purpose. Men of Integrity, Vol. 1, no. 1.

Again, lifestyle worship is simple. And simple is not the same as easy. Sometimes it's downright difficult to live in a way that does not conform to our world's values. Nowhere in the Bible does God say worship is easy - or cheap. On the contrary, the Bible shows example after example in which worship was daring and costly.

And why not, when you think about it? We've got the world, our flesh and the devil against us. Any one of the three would be quite enough to give us an intimidating challenge. However, there may be times when we are tested by all three at once.

The good news is this: Against that tireless and tricky trinity of the world, our flesh and the devil we have the Trinity before Whom all else pales. We have God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit! Therefore, as we walk onward in our pilgrimage we can acknowledge our spiritual enemies without cowering. We can move forward with Christ in our heart, His name on our lips and His blood as our power. We may lose skirmishes, but the victory has already been won by Christ and-think of it! He has allowed us the inestimable privilege of being on His team. Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow!

© 2007 John Garmo. If you would be interested in using this article, please contact us at Info@MissionToChildren.org.