Biblical Thoughts on Worship

My pastor at Colonial Hills Baptist Church (Taylors, SC) preached another sermon this evening in a series on biblical worship.  It was another great installment in the series.  Because his points were so valuable, I want to share all six of them here.

1.  Worship was not designed to be entertaining.  Perhaps the most obvious problem with what is called "contemporary worship" is that it is, in fact, designed to entertain those in attendance.  We are to "give unto the Lord the glory due unto His name" (Psalm 29:2, 96:8) whether or not it is admired by those around us.

As a corollary point, special music is a ministry, not a performance.  I do not believe it is appropriate to applaud special music in a church service, for that gives honor to the person(s) who provides the music, not the God about whom he or she is singing.  Let the focus of the music be on Him.

2.  Worship is not primarily for the benefit of the individual.  Worship is to give God His due, to ascribe to Him the worth which is His.  It is not primarily to make us feel better (although, of course, it is certainly acceptable to feel better because you have worshipped biblically).

3.  Worship, in its precepts, practices, and principles, is not determined by man.  It's not about you.  It's not about me.  It's about God, and He has a lot to say about how He is to be worshipped in His Word.  To think that I have ideas about how to do it "better" is foolish.

4.  Worship is not primarily a time of asking but of surrendering.  When we come to worship, we must surrender our will to do our own thing.

5.  Worship is not primarily to compliment the accomplishments of man.  While there is a place and a time for congratulating and thanking those who are worthy of such, it is still not the focus of worship.  That focus belongs to God.  Corollary points about musicians can be made here, too.

(Side note:  It is altogether appropriate to thank the musicians who serve in church, especially if their music enhances biblical worship.  We had a men's group this evening do a fine job singing a song with a clear message; for that I am especially thankful.)

6.  Worship is not primarily to obtain the accolades of man.  If the pastor's sermon draws praise because of his eloquence, logical skills, or creative thought, and not for putting the attention of the congregation on God, there's a problem somewhere.  Certainly, there are some pastors who are "menpleasers" instead of "servants of Christ" (Eph. 6:5-7); this is not conducive to true worship.

Christians today need to stand strong against the "redefining" of worship to mean whatever man thinks it should mean.  God speaks about the worship He demands; it is wise for us to read what He has given us.

Preaching We Need To Hear

I was thinking about this last week, and a conversation with a friend on Saturday night reinforced it: What topics are preachers today not preaching about, but really should?

Here is a list of several topics I think preachers in America really need to preach about more often, regardless of how they think their flocks will receive these topics. [Note: This is not intended in any way to be a criticism of my own pastor.]

1. Sin and Salvation; Heaven and Hell. Hell, in particular, is an unpopular topic these days. Yet how many millions came to Christ in part because they did not want to spend an eternity there? Why are we minimizing the fact that damnation in hell for eternity is a very real event that will occur to every man or woman who does not accept Christ's gift of salvation?

Salvation, of course, should be a frequent topic. Just consider how many unsaved people walk into churches every week.

2. Love Not The World (1 John 2:15-17). One of the biggest problems in American Christianity is that we think that God does not care that we want to do what the world and the devil want us to do. This is a lie from Satan himself: That we can be worldly and still please God. No man can serve two masters. No man should try.

3. Certain activities, and in particular certain entertainments, are sins. Not matters of "Christian liberty" or "personal choice;" not matters of taste; they are sins. Swearing is a sin. Intentionally looking at pornography is sin. Watching wicked TV shows and movies is sin. Listening to various kinds of ungodly music is sin. In short, anything that detracts from your testimony and drags others toward worldliness is sin.

Pastors need to name names and get specific. They need to get up and say that watching some of the popular shows and listening to some of the popular artists is wrong—i.e., it is sin—because of what it does for—i.e., against—the cause of Christ. Which brings me to...

4. Modesty is a requirement, not an option. Sad to say, it appears most men either don't tell their wives, don't care, or (worse yet) encourage their wives to be immodest. It seems that most Christian women in America today are willing to show off their cleavage, bellies, backsides, upper legs, and other parts of their bodies that should be reserved for the view of their husbands...or they dress in a way that hints far too strongly about what is there. They appear oblivious to the fact that they are provoking wicked thoughts in the minds of men—and that is sin.

Men are not exempt, either. And a lot of men need to be rebuked for allowing their wives and daughters to dress immodestly.