3.3. BE SPIRIT-FILLED - OFFER SAVORED WORSHIP

A sweet savor of Christ permeates Holy Spirit worship, in contrast to the repulsive smell of the drunkard. Our worship is acceptable and pleasing because we are in Christ, and offer our worship through Christ. The giving of Himself up for us is described as a fragrant offering, or, as the A.V. puts it: "a sweet smelling savor". Let us read the whole statement from the NKJV:

Ephesians 5:2 "And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."

Now let us combine the description "fragrant offering" and a "sacrifice to God", with the instruction:

Hebrews 13:15-16 "Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased."

Three things are mentioned as involved in fragrant worship, that is life, love and lips. We are not asked to offer mere, ritualistic animal sacrifices. We are to offer a life of love in the Spirit. Paul points to the example of Christ who offered "a fragrant offering and a sacrifice to God". "Offering" and "sacrifice" are nearly synonymous, but the first possibly refers to the whole of the holy life of the incarnate Christ, whereas His substitutionary death on the cross was specifically the sacrifice. "Christ loved us." That was the marvelous motivation behind the offering and sacrifice. In likeness to Christ, our worship must include living a life of love towards God and man, and the offering of continual praise to God with our lips. The worship that is really fragrant is worship in the Spirit.

	It is worship backed by a life in the spirit;
	It is worship motivated by love in the Spirit;
	It is worship utterance by lips in the Spirit.

Unless the sacrifice of praise is backed up by the offering of a life of love, the lips are giving out empty sound. Our lives are made fragrant to God by our doing good works.

Scripture records only one case in Peter's ministry where a person was raised from the dead. It is interesting to notice that it was a woman, and that she is described as "a disciple" (Acts 9:36 ). Her name was Dorcas. She is further described as one "who was always doing good and helping the poor". She was actively engaged in practical discipleship. This Kingdom woman could not be spared by the local church. So the Holy Spirit ministered the gift of faith to Peter. Dead Dorcas was restored to life, to continue her offering of sacrifice to God, that blessed the body of Christ and the community in which she lived. Savored worship, like that of Dorcas, which is so pleasing to God, must be offered by you and me, and this kind of offering, as with the sacrifice of praise, can only be done through the Holy Spirit.

Just as fragrance is attractive to the sense of smell, so others are attracted to Christ by Spirit-filled worship. Time and again we are told by people who eventually join our church, that they were first gripped by the worship in the Spirit. I am convinced it not only makes our church attractive, it makes our homes, and ourselves personally winsome to others. But most important of all, it pleases our God.