Vietnam Evangelical Covenant Church – On Sunday afternoons, people leave the church after worship and head for the parking lot. If you listen carefully, you’ll hear a familiar refrain near the exits of churches all over the land.
Every Sunday we go to church to worship God. But we often hold misunderstandings without realizing it, such as thinking worship is only music or only happens inside a church building. This article helps us correct what we get wrong about worship. Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB).
“I didn’t get anything out of the sermon today. Didn’t get anything out of the worship either.” “I suppose she sang that song well enough, but it didn’t do anything for me.”
Sound familiar? I can’t count how many times I’ve heard this, and I’ve probably said it myself a few times in nearly fifty years of ministry.
This problem is like root rot among God’s people, like termites eating away at a building. It is a plague harming the church, and we seem powerless to stop it.
Still, let’s try. Let’s see what happens if we make even a small difference where you and I live, in the churches where we serve and worship. We can’t help everyone, but helping one or two people is worth the effort.
“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness.” (Psalm 29:2)
7 Things We Get Wrong About Worship
1. You shouldn’t expect to “get” something out of worship
Worship isn’t about you or me, and it isn’t about meeting our needs. Nor is it a performance by the pastor, singers, choir and musicians. Worship is none of these things.
2. Worship is focused on God
At the top I quoted Psalm 29:2, “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name.” This verse also appears in 1 Chronicles 16:29 and Psalm 96:8. Let’s look at it carefully:
a. We come to church to give, not to get. If I went somewhere expecting to “receive,” only to find I was expected to “give,” I would feel let down. That typical problem plays out in churches. Many people leave frustrated because they didn’t “get” anything. The reason for the disappointment is not understanding that we are there not to receive but to give. Those who don’t understand this need to hear it.
b. We give glory to God, not to people. We know this: how often we say it! We often declare, “…for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.” We have long sung, “Praise God from whom all blessings flow…”
c. We do this because glory belongs to Him. He is worthy of our worship. This is the theme of the last book of the Bible:
- “Who is worthy…?” (Revelation 5:2)
- “And they sang a new song: ‘Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation’” (Revelation 5:9).
- “In a loud voice they were saying: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!’” (Revelation 5:12).
3. Self-centeredness ruins worship
If I walk into church focused only on myself, wanting my needs met through fellowship, learning, a sermon that blesses me and music that lifts my spirit, then Christ has no part in that worship. He becomes my servant, and the pastor and everyone else become performers putting on a show for me, because everything is about me.
We have drifted far from the biblical standard of worship, which gives God full rights in every way He wants. Somehow we keep going to church, and sadder still, worship leaders often have to plead with people to worship Him.
Pity the preachers! It is nearly impossible to fully satisfy a congregation that is always “hungry.” Even the best and holiest would find the task impossible. One week he does well and gets a taste of praise. Thinking he has solved the hunger problem, the next week he preaches again, and once more people complain that they got nothing from the “meal” he served.
The typical church member today really does think all this service is for them: to be saved, learn God’s Word, be inspired for the coming week, be forgiven, and benefit from God’s work around the world.
Is anything wrong with these? Not at all. No one forbids us to receive at church. But if receiving is all we do, we clearly aren’t there to worship God.
Warren Wiersbe made the point that if you worship in order to get something from God, you won’t receive it.
4. Worship should lead to action: evangelism and discipleship, giving and prayer, spiritual growth
While the disciples were worshiping on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit was poured out on them, sending them into the streets to testify that Christ had risen (Acts 2).
In the temple, the Lord appeared to Isaiah, forgave his sin and called him to be a prophet to the people (Isaiah 6).
As the disciples worshiped, they were astonished to see Jesus standing before them (Luke 24).
5. We come to honor and glorify Him as He commands in Scripture
“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29; Psalm 96:8).
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise” (Psalm 51:17).
Sing, praise, rejoice and pray, give, be humble, love. All of these are commands about worship found throughout Scripture.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, “God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). That means worship God with your whole inner self and soul, not just with your lips or body. By this truth God revealed what right worship is. He is not pleased with “just anything” we call worship today.
We must balance the spirit of worship (the subjective side: body, soul, emotions) with truth (the objective side: all that God has revealed in His Word).
6. We decide to worship when we enter His house
Don’t blame a dull preacher, because it was you, not he, who failed to worship. He can’t do it for you.
No one can eat my food, love my loved ones or worship for me.
No pastor can decide or command us to worship God, however eloquent and powerful his sermon. Whether I worship today has nothing to do with the pastor’s performance.
I am responsible for my choice. I decide to worship God.
When Mary sat at Jesus’ feet in true worship, He told an irritated Martha that her sister had “chosen the good portion, and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:42). Time spent worshiping God is precious.
Someone may argue that Martha was worshiping in the kitchen by serving Him. We won’t debate it; let’s just agree she wasn’t that day.
7. Remember: worship is an action verb
Worship is an active verb describing something we do, not something someone does for us.
In the worst circumstances I can still worship God. Imprisoned in Philippi, with their backs still bleeding from the beatings, Paul and Silas worshiped Him (Acts 16:25).
Even when a church has no pastor and a stammering layman has to preach, or some people only show up to fill seats, I can still bow before God, praise Him and give Him all of myself. I will humble myself before Him and offer Him my part.
I can’t walk out of church blaming the worship team’s poor performance, a boring sermon or noisy kids in the back row for my failure to worship. I am responsible for worshiping Him, no one else.
Do Christians need “worship skills” before they can honor God well? Millions of believers around the world worship without any such skills. Believers in Malawi gathering under a mango tree, led by retired missionary Mike Canady, are anointed in worship as much as anyone. (Surprise! They don’t have a church with stained-glass windows like ours!)
Insisting that music, arrangements and all the trappings are required for worship is a shameful sign of our self-centeredness!
Shameful, because I see it in myself and I hate it.
I love a great choir as much as anyone. I am captivated when a soloist’s voice lifts me into the majesty of the sanctuary. A testimony beautifully told about God’s grace and power gives me goosebumps of joy. And of course, as a preacher, I love hearing a sermon that feels as though it flows straight from God’s heart.
But I would be badly wrong to demand any or all of these as conditions for worshiping God.
Friends, we really are getting it wrong!
Dr. Joe McKeever is a preacher, cartoonist and former Director of Missions for the Baptist churches of Greater New Orleans. His website is joemckeever.com. “7 Things We Regularly Get Wrong About Worship” is used with his permission.
Correcting Our Misunderstandings About Worship
Worship is the response of our whole life to God, not just one part of a service. When we understand this, we come to church with hearts already prepared and leave church to keep worshiping through our lives.
Choose one of these seven things you realize you have gotten wrong about worship, and ask God to help you change this week.
You may also like: True Worship and Worship vs Concert: What Is the Difference?.
Prayer
Lord, forgive us for the times we have misunderstood worship. Teach us to worship You in spirit and in truth, at church and in every day of our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Article: Thùy Trang
Adapted from: Crosswalk.com
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