Glorifying God in the Church - John Paul DeWalt, Author

Introduction

Anyone who has read many of my blog posts would be surprised at the title of this one. I don’t write positively about the religion of Christianity or about churches living/ demonstrating/ manifesting life in the Kingdom of Heaven. Watching a performance of the Messiah oratorio last evening, I had to pull back from that attitude. It showed various ways Christians have worked at glorifying God in the Church.

Magnificence of Messiah

The music of the oratorio itself is a prime example of Baroque composition. George Frideric Handel wrote it in a mere twenty- four days. The lyrics, of course, came from the Bible.

A well- loved story, not confirmed by history, says that at the London premier, King George II during the Hallelujah Chorus stood in honor of the King of Kings. As was the court protocol, everyone in the audience had to stand, as well. This started the popular custom of the audience standing during any performance of the Hallelujah Chorus.

More Glorifying by the Church

During this recorded performance of the Messiah, the cameras panned across colorful stained- glass windows, various statues of biblical characters, and the high vault of the ceiling. I remembered hearing of the efforts of other Christians to build magnificent cathedrals across Christendom to glorify God. The site of this particular performance, Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, has become an historical place of worship since the days of the California gold rush.

I also contemplated the many people who have turned their hearts and minds to God during church worship services, revival campaigns, as well as Bible studies and personal conversations. All of this, of course, was because of the work of Holy Spirit in the world.

Honoring the Church’s Past

I have an obsession with the work of Holy Spirit drawing believers away from the Christian religion to Kingdom living, away from church services to gatherings of small groups in people’s homes and places of work. Despite this, I must acknowledge and value the work of Christians to glorify God in their churches.