Worship is not just for church.  Romans 12.1 
 
‘Which church is the right church?’  ‘Where should I take my kids to  
Sunday School?’  ‘Oh, yeah, we’ve been meaning to find a new church,  
but with sports and stuff, it just hasn’t happened.’  ‘Kinda stopped  
going because I just couldn’t relate, I know I should go back … where  
should I go?' 
 
Hold the phone. 
 
I am sure you have noticed the big push to get back to basics—at  
least, in mid to upper class areas.  A lot of folks are feeling so  
harried by their daily pace, they long for the simple life.  ‘No  
surprise then that one of the best-selling women’s magazines is called  
“Real Simple.”  Organic is in; in fact, if an item has the word  
‘organic’ on it, the retailer can charge more for it—including tee  
shirts made from organic cotton, whatever difference that makes.  What  
does the ‘push for the simple’ and ‘finding just the right church’  
have in common?  Indirectly, Paul addresses both in Romans 12, verse  
one. 
 
“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 act of worship.” 
 
Worship is not so much about the church you attend, though I pray you  
attend a church in which your heart grows wings as you worship the  
King . . . nor is worship confined to the portion of music that many  
parishioner’s think of as ‘worship time’ . . . Those are limited  
definitions, and not what the Holy Spirit had in mind when he moved  
Paul to address the topic in this letter to the church at Rome.  Go  
back and look, because his words are just as alive and applicable to  
you and me today.  ‘I urge you to offer your bodies as living  
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of  
worship.’  Paul makes it clear, he makes it simple:  we are to 
 
      worship God by living a life that is holy and pleasing to  
him.          																	What about the sacrifice part?  Well,  
endeavoring to live that way is our sacrifice offered to him.  By its  
very definition, sacrifice costs something, doesn’t it? 
 
‘Hmmm … holy—what do you mean by that?  And I mean, come on—like  
that’s really possible.  And let’s just say I wanted to become more  
holy, what does that mean?  Do I gotta go to the temple, get some holy  
underwear, get rebaptized, or what?  People will think I’m weird,  
that’s for sure.’  All of these are thoughts that run through our  
minds, if we are honest. 
 
Yes, let’s be real—that’s pretty popular these days too—the concept of  
holiness has dropped from our popular culture.  I never saw it on any  
of my four children’s vocabulary tests, never saw it when ‘character  
counts’ was discussed.  And besides, does God really expect sinful  
creatures to be holy?? 
 
The answer is yes.  Simply, God said, ‘Be holy, even as I am holy.’ 
 
Here’s where the confusion sets in, I think.  Holiness is not really  
something we do, it is something God does in us, if we desire it.   
Let’s think of the two coaches I mentioned recently—new to the whole  
matter of an individual faith in Christ—should I write them a letter  
and tell them how to get holy?  Yes, and here’s the letter: 
 
"Dear Brian, when you told God that you wanted more of him in your  
life . . . that you wanted him to lead your life, and that you realize  
that you need what Jesus did on the cross for you … well, the Holy  
Spirit took up residence inside you.  Yup, Christianity is the only  
faith where the Supreme Being comes to reside in his followers  …  
that’s wild, isn’t it?  The way you get to know about God is reading  
what he has said to you from the Bible—that’s how you learn how he  
works in the lives of believers, what he thinks of you, how he loves  
you, and how he will direct your life.  In the Scripture, you learn  
about his plan for mankind, and how the story ends, too.  And then,  
there is this divine, supernatural thing that goes on . . . kinda’  
like a joint venture between the Holy Spirit, the Scripture and you.   
Let’s leave it at that for now…that’s a good start on how holiness  
happens.” 
 
Worship is not just for church . . . oh no, it is about our offering  
up a life that is holy and pleasing to God! 
 
Christine