Book Review: Honest Worship by Manuel Luz

It started with a question between a father and a son,the son asking why the church needed smoke machines in worship. This question led to one of the most honest explorations of worship I have read. Manuel Luz is a true artist, musician, worship leader, etc. and he delves deep into what it means to worship from the depth of one’s soul. He’s not advocating for a style of worship, nor does he denigrate any type of worship. Rather, Luz looks at the heart of the worshipper connecting with the heart of God in ways that are both God-honoring and authentic. This is a fantastic book that I would recommend to anyone involved in worship, from the worshippers in the pews to those responsible for leading people into worship. I have read quite a few books on worship and this one is the best by far. Go out and pick this one up. You will not be disappointed.

The Discipline of Worship

The Discipline of Worship

One of the most awesome privileges we have is the privilege of worshipping our great God and Savior. So on this Lord’s day please remember how truly great our God is and give Him what He deserves. You probably already know this but the word worship is derived from the old English “worthship” even the Word itself acknowledge that God is worthy of our praise. So praise Him for all He’s worth.

Sometimes corporate worship can be hard. There can be lots of relational stuff with our brothers and sisters that gets in the way. Everything from denominational politics to internal bickering can really take us off track. Maybe you feel like your gift has been rejected by the church, or maybe you’re in a bad season and worship is hard. Can I tell you it’s not about that? Leave that aside, forgive who you need to forgive and focus on the One who is worthy of your praise. Make it between you and Him today and ask Him to help you give all the others stuff to Him at the foot of the cross and ask Him to help you leave it there when you leave trusting Him to take care of it.

Some folks have been driven to leave corporate worship by these and other issues. For you I have some tough love. The church is the body of Christ, don’t be a severed limb, take your body to a body of believers and worship God today in community as He desires. Remember the admonition from the book of Hebrews (10:25) Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. I’m a pastor, I understand all too well the hurt and pain that can come from within the body of Christ. A wise person once told me that ministry is easy except for the people. Nonetheless, Jesus spent a whole lot of time teachings us how to deal with people. He told us to forgive and we will be forgiven as we forgive. He told us to love our neighbor, that people will know we are His by the way we love each other and even to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute you. If you’ve left the church, it’s time to go back and take another run at being part of the body in a ;local church. The world is tough, life is tough, we need to have a community of faith that preaches the Word of God to help us. Go and worship God.

But what about the rest of the week. Some of you won’t read this on Sunday and for some of you, your day of worship is Saturday. While I repeat the admonition that we all need to be a part of a local body of believers, we don’t just go to church, we are the church 24-7-365. Live for Him all week. The apostle Pauul said it this way in Romans 12:1 and 21 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship. 2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. God’s been merciful to us in Christ. The only right response to this is to give God your whole self as an act of worship, living a life of worship. Let Him change your path and renew your mind. It’s when we worship Him in this way that we find our way to the center of His will for our lives.

Is He worthy? Then Worship Him.

Bible Reading Guide
An important part of following God is knowing what He wants and a great way to know what He wants is to read His Word. Follow this plan and you will finish reading the Bible in a year.
John 5; Hebrews 1; Psalm 43
You can also download your own chart here.