Humans are social animals. Deep inside each of us, there is a longing and desire to be around other people. It is the way God created us. Of course, there are times when we all need some time alone, but in general, humans need interaction with other humans. It is the reason we get married. It’s the reason we have best friends. It’s even the reason we read each other’s blogs. There’s no mystery in the fact that social networking sites seem like they are taking over the Internet.
However, there are some side effects to this human interaction with each other. A wise principle that my parents so often repeated to me as I was growing up was “choose your friends wisely”. Why is that so important? The answer is in the experience. Who I choose to hang around with is eventually who I will become like. There’s no question that the more we, as humans, spend time together, the more we rub off on each other. It’s a proven fact that the longer two people are married, the more they think alike, act alike and sometimes even look alike. This isn’t a design flaw. In Philippians 2, Paul actually encourages us to be “like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose”. It is the very thing that unites us and allows us to love each other.
As we apply this concept to worship, it’s important to know, first of all, that God inhabits our praises. (Psalm 22) When we spend time in worship, we are actually spending time with God. With that in mind, shouldn’t our lives be forever changed by the very act of worship? When considering human nature, shouldn’t God “rub off” a little on us as we hang out with Him? I like the story of Moses when he came down from Mount Sinai in Exodus 34. The Bible says that his face was radiant or shining after he spoke with God. There was an actual physical transformation on Moses that was obvious to other people when he encountered the Lord’s presence. When we experience the Holiness of God’s presence, there should be a change that others can see. It may not be a physical change like Moses, but there should be something different about us.
It is the very Holiness of God that dwells in our spirits and transforms our hearts and minds that cause us to be more like Christ. Becoming more like Christ is just a by-product of hanging out with Him. Every time I lead worship, I pray for those who are going to be attending that service. I pray that they will meet with God and be changed and that they will not walk out as the same person that walked in.
Bobby Hardwick
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