THE VALUE OF WORSHIP

Honestly, I'm not really sure how to begin this article.  I know what my heart wants to say.  And I believe that what my heart wants to say is true, at least based on my understanding of what I read in scripture. But I also know that I live in an age where the true, biblical meaning of words and phrases and teachings have been twisted to fit the human-driven agendas or cultural trends.  For that reason, knowing how some of this will be received, I find it difficult to put my heart's thoughts into words.  

So, I am not really sure how to begin this article.  

But, it must be said - so - here goes...

I will begin with the broken record - something you've heard me say before.  I believe that most of today's believers do not have a clear or accurate understanding of what God means when He speaks of "worship."  We have reached a point in Christian history where the very idea of "worship" has been greatly distorted. We have allowed the worship of God to slowly transition into the worship of man or, at the very least, man's selfish desires.  It is rare these days for gatherings of Jesus followers to enter a worship space and actually fall on our faces (metaphorically or in reality) in submission and surrender to THE God of all creation.

What we tend to do, instead, is gather to enjoy and/or participate in some sort of replacement for true worship.  We watch. We listen. We follow the commands to stand or sit. But, in most cases, in many churches, we are following a formulaic process of what we have allowed ourselves to think of as "worship." 

Currently, I am between church positions.  This has given me the opportunity to see what's out there.  

I was recently visiting a church that was well-attended.  Wonderful pre-service media, a countdown to the start of the service that including escalating music so you knew "something" was about to start.  The lights dimmed and then two "God songs" (as I call them) were led by a high-quality worship band who sounded pretty close to what you might hear on Christian radio - probably playing to a click track as many do these days.  The songs were not really designed to engage people in worship - just songs about how good God is.  Then the sermon - augmented by slick media.  Then the offering. Then a couple more closing songs. People in the theater-style seats did what the leaders said - stand up, sit down, etc. I imagine that most in the room were engaging at some level.  I noticed a few who seemed to honestly express their worship to God physically.  Others were checking their smart phones.  In general, my opinion is that the majority of the audience (and they were an audience) were EXPERIENCING the presentation.   

In contrast, I visited another church. The music was good - but not "as good" as the other church.  Some of the song lyric slides did not fall in sync with the music.  Nobody came off "polished" or "slick" in their stage persona.  The congregation (they were not an audience) were seated in chairs, facing a stage area that was simply a platform higher than the rest of the room.  There was a problem with the first song - the musicians were not together.  There were some problems showing a video - the sound didn't work.  Eventually they got it working.  But here's the thing - there was an unmistakable difference from that first church - these people arrived eager the ENCOUNTER the presence of God in a way that would transform them.  They were not coming to "watch worship." They were coming to "participate in worship." If anyone was distracted by the mishaps, it did not seem to derail the obvious presence of the Holy Spirit in the room.  People sang. People danced. People waved banners. People shouted.  There was a clear "connection" with God in the room.  

I believe that this second church has a very strong value of true worship.  They understand that true worship is not about putting on a slick performance that makes people feel good.  They realize that long-lasing, substantial spiritual and numerical growth comes from an honest and transformational relationship with Jesus in the power of the Holy Spirit.  They are not trying to be a popular or hip church that will attract the masses based on program.  As their sub-statement says, they are "simply Jesus."  Of course they miss the mark at times - we ALL do!  But their focus is on ENCOUNTER rather than EXPERIENCE.  

The value of true worship seems to be slipping away.  In many cases we have turned worship into a commodity - a "thing" we can program and measure.  We design "worship sets" of songs that usually start big and end reflective thinking we are helping the congregation prepare for the deep message from God's Word.  We do our best to develop music teams that can replicate what we hear on the radio to ensure that those in the gathering are pleased with our efforts.  

But the VALUE of worship has very little to do with those efforts.  Because the value of worship is Jesus.  The value of worship is me submitting myself to His Lordship.  The value of worship is not driven by the clock, or personal agenda.  The value of worship is something very difficult to explain but once you encounter it, nothing else satisfies.  

If your church desires to impact the world around you, then you must begin by discovering and then raising the value of true worship.