General Session:
Ethics of Worship with Scotty Smith
Heb. 13
We are called to interact in the past, present and future at the same time.
Painting: 4 trees telling the entire story of God and man
Life –> loss –> love –> life
The past is meant to be respected and not rejected.
We need to know and connect to the past.
The present must be contextualized, not idolized.
We are called to be faithful in our moment.
The future must be realized, not romanticized.
Heb. 1-12 is the story of the past.
Heb. 13 forms of acceptable worship:
- Integrity in relationships. Heb. 13:1-4.
- Restore relationships.
- Justice.
- Reconciliation.
- Is being before God propelling us into ministry to the broken?
- Liberty in our stewardship. Heb. 13:5-6.
- The love of money vies for our heart.
- There are traps to confuse security for money.
- Reality in our discipleship. Heb. 13:7-14.
- Be followers of Jesus, not just singers of worship songs.
Eze. 33:31-33
31 My people come to you, as they usually do, and sit before you to listen
to your words, but they do not put them into practice. With their mouths
they express devotion, but their hearts are greedy for unjust gain. 32 Indeed,
to them you are nothing more than one who sings love songs with a beautiful
voice and plays an instrument well, for they hear your words but do not put
them into practice.
33 “When all this comes true—and it surely will—then
they will know that a prophet has been among them.”
Are we taking the songs we sing seriously?
