Some have thought that the gospel is simply one of many possible themes to be used in worship or "touched on" as we gather for worship. In fact, however, it is central and foundational to our worship. All of our worship begins and is brought into full focus at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ. One can not glorify Christ without the cross. The cross is foundational to all that was accomplished by God through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ. It reveals His preexistent state in glory, His incarnation, His life of perfect obedience, His suffering, His resurrection, His ascension, His present intercession, His reign in glory, and His triumphant return. All of it is tied to the cross. P. T. Forsyth stated basically, "All that Christ was in heaven or on earth was put into what He did at the cross and you can not understand Christ or know Him till you understand His cross."
It is the very work of the cross that guarantees our complete and immediate access to God in worship. When we come before the Lord through Christ, "we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in Him" (Ephesians 3:12). As our High Priest and the perfect sacrifice, Jesus is literally our "password" into the presence and glory of our Lord. Approaching God in worship is impossible apart from Jesus Christ and the cross.
A worship leader can create an environment for things to possibly happen, but Biblically speaking no worship leader, no choir, no worship team, band, or particular song can ever bring us close unto God. We can not sing, dance, shout, or preach our way into God's presence. Only the Christ of the cross Himself can bring us into the very presence of God and He has done it Once upon a Cross in a single sacrifice for all time that will never be repeated - only gloriously recounted and trusted in. Our worship is never accepted on the basis of what we have done, but on the basis of what Christ has done. It's all about Him! . . . which we must never forget. David Pryor has written, "We never, therefore, move on from the cross of Christ, only into a more profound understanding of the cross." mjm
