"As they ministered to the Lord... the Holy Spirit said..."
Somewhat like Peter at Christ's arraignment, our speech frequently "gives us away" in terms of cultural or regional background (Matt. 26:72). Having moved to the South some years ago from "up North," we were once engaged in conversation by a congenial young man who remarked, "You folks are not from around here, are you?" Upon our acknowledgement of the fact he continued, "I thought so, because you talk funny." His observation struck us quite humorously inasmuch as we had been much aware of the "funny" dialect heard in our new setting.
Somewhat similarly, one can - to at least some degree and within a general sense of perception - sometimes ascertain another's religious background by the way concepts, objectives and concerns are expressed. Within the faith setting wherein we were reared, for example, church services often began with the highly spirited query: "How many came to receive a blessing?" It required little discernment to ascertain that one was not at First Presbyterian or All Saints Episcopal - commendable churches though they might have been. If nothing else, the service's opening emphasis on "receiving a blessing" offered a rather reliable indication as to our being of a "full Gospel" orientation.
Objectively, efforts to so "prime" the service tended oftentimes to evidence a philosophy focused more on "receiving" in terms of spiritual uplift and inspiration than to "giving" (ministering) to the heavenly Father in terms of the offering of oneself attended by praise, adoration and thanksgiving.
This is neither to ignore nor discount those "times of refreshing... from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:29) that serve to nurture and strengthen both believer and believing community (note, for example, the stated outworking of "the joy of the Lord" in Neh. 8:10). It is, however, to point out a common lack of distinction between - and recognition of order in relation to - "blessing" in terms of that which one receives from the Lord, and "worship" as that which we render to Him. As to the latter (i.e., worshippers and meaningful worship), Jesus advises that "The Father seeks such" (John 4:23).
An important example of the relationship of worship to blessing appears in Luke's account of the New Testament church at Antioch. While "ministering to the Lord" with fasting (Acts 13:1-2), the leadership of the church is moved upon by God's Spirit in confirming the calling of Paul and Barnabas to greater ministry. This "moving of the Spirit" was not in consequence of some frantic pursuit of the latest "church growth" program or endeavor to emulate the methodology of some other congregation - or even agonized seeking of God for blessing upon themselves and their endeavors, but rather within the context of "ministering to the Lord."
Have we not tended on occasion to miss something here - not in a sense of manipulative routine for the obtaining of "blessing" (e.g., the "Praise God for Everything" movement of some years ago), but rather of devotion to the Father simply for Who and What He is?
Burl Ratzsch
