The Wicket Gate

Good Morning! I am in Providence, Rhode Island this week for the National Poultry Improvement Program’s 46th Bi-annual Conference. The heat finally broke and I am not in Texas to experience it! Lol. This post will examine chapter six of Don’t Waste Your Breath by Brian Borgman.

Chapter six, titled “Watch Your Step”, exposits Ecclesiastes 5:1-7. This section is a brief respite from storms on either side of the text. At the beginning of the chapter Borgman states a wonderful summation of the book thus far,

“The lesson so far has been if we are going to enjoy this short life, we must see all it’s various elements and aspects as the gifts of God. Joy in living comes from a God-centered, God-ordered life” (83).

I pray this has been your takeaway from the first four weeks of writing this blog, glorifying God by enjoying Him forever. My post this week will evaluate the importance of attitude when approaching and participating in worship.

Guard your steps as you go to the house of God and draw near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools; for they do not know they are doing evil. Do not be hasty in word or impulsive in thought to bring up a matter in the presence of God. For God is in heaven and you are on the earth; therefore let your words be few. For the dream comes through much effort and the voice of a fool through many words. Ecclesiastes 5:1-7

I will start by saying this post is to myself as much as it is to the reader, this is a great struggle for me. What is our mindset as we come before the great I AM? Worship happens both publicly and privately in our discussion today I will be speaking about public worship for the sake of length. I plan on writing about family and personal worship in the future.

Public worship is a time of unified corporate action before the face of God. We come together to see one another and fellowship, and we build bonds of loving care. Special time is taken to ensure visitors and family are greeted and welcome. Our minds then turns to the service, perhaps a deep breath, a short prayer quietly. In this way we are taking the words of the Teacher seriously “Guard your steps as you go to the house of God.” (v. 1).

This is an ideal Sunday morning, it rarely works out this way. We often have many things on our minds as we get in the car to drive to worship. I work on Sunday mornings to cover immediate problems and organize labor for the day, sometimes I have electrical or plumbing problems that have developed overnight that must be handled for the well being of the poultry. This has caused many Sunday mornings to begin with a scattered mind.

I am sure you may have something similar whether issues with health, cars, house, or kids it can be very difficult to mentally guard our steps. To take that deep breath, say a prayer, or have a verse or two on the tip of your tongue takes spiritual maturity that only comes through life lived (and the indwelling Spirit). Practicing spiritual disciplines in our private worship equips us for these moments (often unavoidable) as we approach the house of God.

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near. Hebrews 10:19-25

The third verse addresses concern for distractions while participating in worship. Borgman clarifies the meaning of the verse by comparing NASB to NET, which translates verse three “Just as dreams come when there are many cares, so the rash vow of a fool occurs when there are too many words.” Borgman states,

“The mind wanders because it is preoccupied with its own business. Then it produces hurried words, hasty words, impulsive words, to get through the ritual and get on with business” (86).

In this chapter the author is very direct and practical, distractions rob us of the joy experienced glorifying God corporately. Removing and minimizing distractions should be the aim as we approach and participate in worship, as though we are Moses removing our sandals approaching the burning bush (Exodus 3:5). “An acute awareness of His Holiness will cause us to come before Him with reverence and awe. Our God is worthy of our undivided hearts, undivided worship, and listening with all our heart, with a determination to obey” (87).

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28-29

Distractions can come from within and without. Distraction from within is the challenge of clearing the mind of all earthly troubles and filling the mind with thought of worshiping God. Again, spiritual discipline takes the Spirit, time, and practice. We should strive toward the ability to discipline our minds to pray and let go of all the worldly cares we walked in with. Some of these worldly cares will be right there waiting when worship is over, but this time is for the Lord.

This does not mean we forget all the announcements and the prayer list, lol, what am I talking about? Worldly cares about work, chores that need to be done, what’s for lunch, or deciding on potential disciplinary action for children can wait. The things of earth should grow strangely dim as we put precise focus on God. The sovereign God of the universe that gives us our every breath, who holds all together, who gives us new birth to see Christ as savior, demands the total focus of our heart and mind.

“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

Distractions from without are quite obvious, our phones! Even though our phone can be helpful in finding verses on the mind, or information about a passage, my encouragement is to turn them off for corporate worship. Children are another distraction from without. Our newborns take our full focus and rightly so, toddlers and pre-teens teach us patient endurance. My encouragement is to set an example that you can hold your children to, especially as they turn into teenagers.

More discipline and attention early leads to more personal freedom to focus on worship as they grow older, because they will be using their freedom to focus on worship as you have modeled. My best recommendation is one I heard many years ago, always have your children sit with you or directly in line of sight ahead of you in worship, so they always know you can see them, and it’s not a distraction to keep an eye on them throughout service.

Borgman summarizes his thoughts about the problem found in Ecclesiastes 5:1-3, “Being distracted or preoccupied with our own business and trying to get in and get out [of worship] so we can say we satisfied our duty with God is an insult to the King of Heaven” (86). In other words, allowing the cares of the world to overwhelm and become the object of our focus, robbing us of the joy brought by worshiping God with heart, mind, and soul.

The attitude of checking the worship box is succumbing to the fleeting wind of worldly cares. Lay aside every encumbrance! The great joy of corporate worship of the Living God is so much sweeter, in fact it is a shadow of eternity, where we will worship the Lord in Trinitarian Fullness forever.

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.” And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, “Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, “These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you know.” And he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. For this reason, they are before the throne of God; and they serve Him day and night in His temple; and He who sits on the throne will spread His tabernacle over them. They will hunger no longer, nor thirst anymore; nor will the sun beat down on them, nor any heat; for the Lamb in the center of the throne will be their shepherd and will guide them to springs of the water of life; and God will wipe every tear from their eyes.” Revelation 7:9-17

Again, “It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into all the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all” (1 Tim. 1:15). I struggle mightily with these things as well, don’t imagine for second I am casting the first stone.

At Crossroads Bible Church we recently reformed our worship by adding corporate reading of a New Testament and Old Testament passage, prayers of confession and assurance of pardon, and corporate reading from the Baptist Catechism. These changes have enabled us to conduct corporate worship that involves every member in glorifying God. Excellent song service, prayer, expositional preaching, weekly communion, and these added elements focus our minds and hearts solely on joyfully glorifying God in Trinitarian Fulness. “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!” (Psalm 122:1).

Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2