The Art of Worship. Fred Bittner

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      You could have heard a pin drop when I spoke up and said, “I agree with the ‘whatever’ mentality. In fact, I live by it.” You can be sure they challenged me to explain myself. After all, I was swimming upstream in rough waters. So I gave them my scriptural proof of living in a “whatever” world. “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things” (Philippians 4:8).

      As believers, our “whatever world” is different from that of those who do not know Christ. They focus on things that satisfy their earthly passions. We try to focus on healthy things that build peace in our lives. Our “whatevers” are things that bring glory to God. How does the Philippians text demonstrate this point? Well, let’s look at what we are called to focus on.

      We are called to dwell on “whatever is true.” What is the ultimate truth in this world? It is the truth of God creating and working in this world. It is the truth of Jesus dying for our sins. It is the truth of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence helping us to live for our God.

      What things do we consider to be “honorable,” or “right,” or “pure,” or “lovely,” or “of good repute,” or “excellent”? These words do not describe passions, which satisfy for the moment and then are gone. They don’t describe possessions or toys or promotions. All of these words center in the heart of Christ—his will, his teaching, and his truth.

      Paul’s final ingredient in his “whatever” list was this: if anything is worthy of praise, then let your mind dwell on these things. Being worthy of praise is the capstone of all the other statements. When we live in God’s “whatever” world, we are living a life worthy of praise.

      Hebrews 13:15–16 agrees with this assessment of a “whatever” world: “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. And do not neglect doing good and sharing; for with such sacrifices God is pleased” (emphasis mine).

      A lot of non-Christian people do good things. For example, some give away millions of dollars to philanthropic causes. On the other hand, many who call themselves Christians don’t even support their church, let alone do good for others and share what they have. So what’s the point? The point is that all fruitful giving and all doing of good must spring from a life of praise. So what is praise?

      The phrase “Praise and Worship” was printed in our church bulletins for years. It was almost like the two words were synonyms, meaning essentially the same thing. While we may praise as we worship, and we may even worship as we praise, the two concepts are uniquely different.

      We use a form of praise all of the time. We praise our children when they do something good. We praise their character, good grades on an assignment, or a game well played. We may praise our employees, or hope to receive praise from the boss. We even praise our animals when they perform a trick or do something that makes us happy. We use praise all the time.

      We also desire to receive praise. We value praise. It affects our attitude, and work. Parents who withhold praise affect a child’s sense of self-worth clear into adulthood.

      If praise is important in shaping who we are, then it is a fair assumption that praise is also important in shaping our spiritual lives. In fact, we are called to live a life of praise to our Lord.

      But, what is praise? Perhaps a definition from the dictionary will help us understand praise.

      Praise:

      the act of expressing approval or admiration; commendation; laudation.

      the offering of grateful homage in words or song, as an act of worship: a hymn of praise to God.

      the state of being approved or admired. 10

      We praise in two basic ways: directly and indirectly. When we express admiration to God and extol his qualities, we are praising him directly. If we tell others about God and magnify his name in our conversation, we are praising God indirectly. What is important in praise is that the two must agree. If I praise my wife directly, and complain about her indirectly to others, then my praise has no value. If I say nice things to my boss, but undermine him to others, my praise is worthless. In the book of Galatians, Paul confronted Cephas (Peter) for living among the Gentiles and agreeing with them, but then turning his back on them when the Jewish Christians came around. He was praising the Gentile believers directly, but rejecting them indirectly. Paul was not willing to let that go unnoticed.

      How many times do our actions look like those of Peter? We say nice things to friends and then criticize them when their backs are turned. We praise our families and then act as if they are a burden to us. We worship and praise God, but in public we make no mention of God until we are angry (and what we say then is anything but praise). Do our lives cancel out what we do in church?

      Notice that praise is by nature external. It is expressed through celebration and exhilaration. When we are praising something we sing, shout, talk about the object of our praise, share it with others, clap, and dance. It is an external response to an internal feeling or change. Praise, like faith, requires action.

      Praise must be heard aloud. Psalm 66:8 confirms this: “Bless our God, O peoples, and sound His praise abroad.” We find another good example of this in Isaiah 40:9: “Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news. Lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news. Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, Here is your God!”

      Praise is not based on our feelings, but on the greatness of God, which never changes. We may feel terrible today, but God is still God. Therefore, we will praise him. To that extent, praise is a test of the will. Is our praise based solely on how we feel or what he has done for us lately? Is our praise based on being swept away by the enthusiasm of others? Psalm 42:5–6 seems to be a call to praise when we feel bad. “Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him.” Notice that the author is saying that by expressing his hope aloud he shall restore praise. In the next verse, he speaks the words of his praise: “O my God, my soul is in despair within me; Therefore I remember Thee from the land of the Jordan, and the peaks of Hermon, from Mount Mizar.” His praise was honest; he wasn’t feeling very good about things. So rather than focusing on the present, he would remember the past. Since God does not change, he can focus on the past and know that what God has done before he will certainly do again. That knowledge alone marks the return of praise.

      Praise should be expressed in a corporate setting. The final song in the book of Psalms says,

      Praise the Lord!

      Praise God in His sanctuary;

      Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

      Praise Him for His mighty deeds;

      Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

      Praise Him with trumpet sound;

      Praise Him with harp and lyre.

      Praise Him with tambourine and dancing;

      Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.

      Praise Him with loud cymbals;

      Praise Him with resounding cymbals.

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