Worship - reverent honor and homage; adoring reverence or regard
Word - “In the beginning was the WORD, and the WORD was with God, and the WORD was God” John 1:1. Jesus is the WORD
Wonder - to be filled with admiration, amazement, or awe
We recently hosted a couple nights of revival (side note; revival is not limited to events that we plan; revival is a lifestyle and we should never settle for less) in Bismarck, ND. We titled the event “Worship. Word. Wonder.” This for me is more than just a name of a gathering. This has become a heavenly equation that brings life, hope, and a passion to advance the Kingdom on earth. Journey with me for a moment as we calculate this thing out.
Worship. If we are truly going to fulfill the mandate from Jesus, “On earth as it is in heaven,” then we have to make worship foundational to what we do. What comes to mind when you hear the word worship? Singing songs? Rummaging through the hymn book to find #687 (not sure what hymn that would be)? Standing for 30 minutes wondering: “When will this end?” Whatever idea or paradigm of worship you hold to, may I offer an alternative? Worship is more than a song, more than an allotted time slot on Sundays. Like revival, worship is also a lifestyle.
John 4:23,24: “From here on, worshipping the Father will not be a matter of right place, but with the right heart. For God is a Spirit, and He longs to have sincere worshippers who worship and adore Him in the realm of the Spirit and in truth.”
If we reduce worship to just singing, we miss out on the transactional nature of real worship. It is in worship where we send praise and receive revelation. It is in worship where we offer thanksgiving and receive restoration. It is in worship where we offer our lives as sacrifice and receive the fire of heaven. I repeat, worship is a lifestyle, and sometimes musicians are involved.
Word. I had mentioned in the opening definitions that Jesus is the WORD (John 1:1), not the bible. John 1:2 says: “He was in the beginning with God”; gender is applied to the Word, and it is a Him. Last I checked, none of my bibles that I own have any genitals to let me know the sex. There are some that would claim John 1:1 is referring to the bible. Replace “Word” with “Bible” when you read John 1:1. How does that sound to you? If the bible and Jesus are interchangeable, then there are over 5 billion Jesuses sold to date on earth. And you can buy Jesus anywhere from $2.99 to $100.00+! You can get Jesus dressed up in flowers or pink roses, maybe with some cool black crown design in black leather (Jesus has a black leather coat, Fonzie style). There are some who can’t afford Jesus and they will have to rely on the Gideons to come through with a pocket bible, and hopefully they are handing out magnifying glasses as well (I own one and have great eyesight - still a struggle). I’m not mocking this topic only trying to reveal the “bibliolatry” that exists within our Christian sphere. It seems that some believe that the trinity reads like this: “The Father, The son, and The Holy Bible”.
John 5:39-40: “You examine the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is those very scriptures that testify about ME; and yet you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”
Scripture (the bible) is a testimony! A testimony about Jesus and what He did for us, what He can do for us, and what He desires to do for us. It is scripture, that if we give ourselves to it, partnered with the Holy Spirit, should lead us into a vibrant relationship with the one whom the story is about (Jesus). It is scripture, that if we give ourselves to it, partnered with the Holy Spirit, should invite us to look and live like the WORD (Jesus).
Wonder. Ah, wonder. What a wonderful state to be in. Wonder, like worship, could be (should be) another layer to your lifestyle. Wonder is exponential. Once we encounter a wonder of our Good Father it draws us deeper into this love affair with heaven. Admiration and awe begin to gush forth from the well that lies within. The well that was dug before the foundation of the earth was laid.
Psalm 33:8: “Now, with breathtaking wonder, let everyone worship Yahweh, this awe-inspiring Creator.”
Wonder, a true gift from the Father, again opens up the transactional nature of heaven to manifest in our lives. Experiencing a lack of joy in life? Try wonder! Have you become cynical? Try wonder! No hope for tomorrow? Try wonder!
Did you calculate that well? Need me to draw the equation out? Worship + Word + Wonder or Wonder + Word + Worship. This thing functions from both ends. If I worship, I will know the Word (Jesus) better which will lead me to greater heights of wonder. If I wonder, this gives the Word (Jesus) room to display his wonders in my life, which will cause me to worship. I like this kind of math (screw that Pythagoras guy). This is an interactive faith that we have been given. Please don’t reduce your life, or moments we gather, to religiously go through motions. The earth is crying out for sons and daughters to dare to be who they (we) are.