Get Up And Go Series

So our God, Abram’s God appears in physical form, and speaks to His creation. And what is Abram’s response? What all of ours should be:

IV. Abram Worships (vv 7b-9)

Everywhere he goes he has his tent which tells people he is a traveler, a sojourner in the land, and his altar provides witness to the people that he follows God. We will see this is the case except when he goes to Egypt. Abram and his family are strangers, aliens in a pagan society and they are very noticeable. Not pushy, but noticeable. So were Jesus and his disciples, and so should we be today.

He seeks the Lord through prayer and his neighbors also witness him worshipping with an altar but no idols. He was not ashamed to worship God openly while his heathen neighbors watched him.

You know before I became a Christian I went to a Christian church for five years in my twenties, and amoung other things, I noticed that the people I knew from this church would always pray before meals in their homes, but never in restaurants. Now maybe that’s not a big deal, but it taught me as an unbeliever that they must be ashamed of their faith, which makes it no faith at all.

So I got to wondering, what would be the equivalent of building these altars today, how could we be worshipping publicly and witnessing to our unbelieving neighbors without being offensive? Or should we even worry about being offensive if we are simply worshipping our Lord and doing it in love with those around us?

Are people offended by Muslims bowing to Mecca several times a day? In fact I think many people respect their dedication even if they don’t agree with their religion. I’ve never met a Jehovah’s Witness who wasn’t a very nice person, and though many hate their door to door tactics, many respect their dedication and faith. A humble non pushy worshipping of our Lord in public shouldn’t be offensive to anyone.

I don’t see many people in Vancouver protesting the Gay pride parades, which are probably the most disgusting things you can ever witness. Clearly they are not concerned about offending to stand up for worshipping their lifestyle.

Some will say that that would make us look like the Pharisees who wore their special robes, and fasted and prayed so everyone would notice them. But remember it wasn’t that they did these things that Jesus objected, it was their motive that he was against, and the hypocritical arrogance they showed the rest of the time.

If you want to pray in public, whether it be at work, in a restaurant, anywhere, and it is not just for show, but something you would do anyway if no people were around, don’t be afraid to do it. You might even find others wanting to join you. If you are a student and would like to pray at the beginning of an exam, do it.

If you have a difficult task at work, and want to call upon the Lord, do it. If you feel the need to pray for someone else when you are with them, do it. You don’t need permission to pray for someone, and most people appreciate it even if they’re not believers.

Maybe we’re skeptical of pro athletes and entertainers who give credit to God on TV after a game or they receive a reward. What if they mean it, isn’t that what we are supposed to do? I don’t know all the ways we can worship publicly out there, I have a handiman friend who works in the school board maintenance office back in Mission. One of the ways he worships at work is by playing and singing Christian music in his office with the door open. Not for show, but because he loves it.