II KINGS 16:10-11: “Now King Ahaz went to Damascus to meet Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and he saw the altar which was at Damascus; and King Ahaz sent to Urijah the priest the pattern of the altar and its model, according to all its workmanship. So Urijah the priest built an altar; according to everything that King Ahaz had sent from Damascus, in that way Urijah the priest made it, before the coming of King Ahaz from Damascus.” NASB

OBSERVATION: Is our worship woke? Webster defines woke as – “Aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues.” So what would woke worship be? It would be worship that reflects the current societal trends and opinions of the day.

Woke has also come to be identified with many views that stand in direct opposition to the teachings of Scripture. As a result, there is ongoing pressure upon the church to stay relevant to its culture. When the prevailing culture of the day begins to move away from core Biblical values what is the church supposed to do?

King Ahaz of Judah was faced with this choice. Ahaz had formed an alliance with the king of Assyria. This was formed as a means of protection and survival. In a trip to Damascus Ahaz became impressed with the success and surroundings that he saw. Ahaz was especially impressed with the center of worship and the altar he saw at Damascus.

There was nothing like this in Judah!

It did not seem to matter to Ahaz that this was an altar for pagan worship. All he could do was compare it to the simple bronze altar in front of the Temple. The Temple was very plain on the outside. The most ornate feature of the Temple was the two bronze pillars at the entrance. Everything else on the outside, the part visible to all, was very conservative and plain when compared to what he saw in Damascus. The Temple did not reflect the societal trends and issues of the day.

Ahaz concluded – the Temple was not woke!

So Ahaz decided to make the Temple woke. He copied the plans for the altar found in Damascus, and sent the plans to Urijah the priest. Urijah had the altar built and placed in front of the Temple. When Ahaz arrived and saw it he designated that all the sacrifices be made on the new woke altar. He moved the bronze altar to the side and even dismantled the bronze sea.

Ahaz adjusted the pattern of worship in order to be woke!

I fear that this is what is happening in so many churches today. To be true to the pattern of Biblical worship that we find in the Bible will mean that we will look plain, ordinary, out of touch, and even insensitive to the world around us. Surely, if we are going to reach this generation with the Gospel we need to make some changes. Do we need to set up an altar that looks like the one we see in society today?

The altar that Ahaz built could represent many things. To list them could open the pitfall of legalism where we begin to judge the outward appearance or adherence to a certain style as being more spiritual than others. The issue is not in style. The issue is in substance! Ahaz traded God’s pattern of worship and the promise of His presence for the appearance of worship and what was socially acceptable and popular in his day.

The church needs to be relevant in each culture in which it finds itself. We cannot be tied to translations of the Bible that no one will understand because of language that is no longer used. Our worship and our music need not be stuck in centuries past but should reflect the fullness of God’s giftings and the use of instruments that can be used to bring God glory (read Psalm 150).

However, in all of this, we cannot replace the altar of God in our worship. We cannot attempt to appease the culture of the day by changing the way we approach God in worship. We cannot replace the cross and the call of repentance. We cannot exchange the true presence of God for man-made effects and manipulation of emotions. We must never exchange style for substance, truth for social acceptance, or outward appearance for obedience.

The church must be relevant – but the church must be holy!

We cannot replace the altar of God with the woke altar of culture. We must contend for the truth once and for all delivered to the saints and we must worship God in spirit and in truth. Our goal is never to be woke, cool, hip, or socially acceptable. Our calling, our goal, is to be pleasing to God and to worship Him and Him alone.

Worship is the holy calling of the church. It brings us into the presence of God and ushers us into the world as His ambassadors. It transforms our hearts and gives God glory. It is centered upon the person and work of Jesus Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, and offered up in humility to the Father. Worship cannot be mixed with the culture of this world.

Worship is always relevant but it is never to be woke!

• “Create in me a clean heart, God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach wrongdoers Your ways, And sinners will be converted to You.” Psalms 51:10-13

In Jesus’ Name!