Worship

Good Morning,

I would like to address the subject of worship because its unscriptural misuse and abuse is so prevalent in our current society.  Allow me to encourage the easily-offended readers and those who place feeling above Scripture to lay aside this lesson and stop reading - it will help your day be less stressful. If you wish to be a Bible believer, someone with Bible-based faith, read on.  

Have you ever thought about how often you hear the phrase, “style of worship,” yet how rarely you hear the phrase “preaching or teaching the Bible” used? The “style of worship” movement is one of feeling and ambiance rather than life-changing preaching and the power of the Word of God.  Modern “worship” is far from the worship Paul taught to the churches.  (I will limit my comments to worship and address preaching and teaching another time.  Look with me at the Bible and see what It teaches about worship.)

Matthew 14:33 “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped…”  The storm was calmed, Jesus had walked to them on the water, and Peter had walked for a short time on the water as well.  The others in the ship, probably the twelve, came to Jesus and worshipped.  Do you think they brought out the band, light show, skinny jeans, and keyboard and swayed to the music with a crowd with uplifted hands?  No, just a few guys fell on their faces and humbly acknowledged that Jesus was mighty.

In Matthew 4, Satan tried to persuade Jesus to worship him. Jesus responded that the Bible says to worship only God.  Did Satan wish Jesus to gather a praise team or to muster the praise and worship crowd and with dimmed lights to feel warm and fuzzy toward the prince of darkness? Of course not, Satan wanted Jesus to fall down and acknowledge him as all powerful.

In Matthew 8:2, a single leper fell down and worshiped Jesus. (This sounds much like the other stories I mentioned.)  I could continue listing similar stories through the Gospels, but there is nothing that even remotely resembles a band, lights, and a crowd singing a rote chorus repeatedly. 

Allow me give a similar example in the book of Acts. As churches were started and the Gospel was preached to new people everywhere, Cornelius had sent for Peter to come to him; he wanted Peter to tell him how to get saved.  When Peter arrived, Cornelius worshipped. 

Acts 10:25 "And as Peter was coming in, Cornelius met him, and fell down at his feet, and worshipped him.”

No band or uplifted hands, or breathy voices were carried from microphones to the ears of the audience; he was just a man on his face saying that Peter was the special man whom he longed to seek. 

Let us refer to the Epistles of Paul where most of our church doctrine originates. From the books of Romans to Hebrews, the word worship is only used six times; it is hardly the main subject of teaching about the church.  These are the books that teach how the church ought to be run and who may run it.  When Paul told Timothy that these things were about how to behave in the house of God, the church of the living God (1 Timothy 3:15), do you think that Paul forgot to mention worship; the word worship is not in either of the books to Timothy.  In thirteen of the books written by Paul, only six times does Paul even mention worship; let us see what Paul said. 

For the sake of time, allow me to summarize the passages; you can look them up on your own if needed: 

1 Corinthians 14:25 One guy heard a sermon and walked the aisle, fell on his face, and worshiped.

Philippians 3:3 says we worship God in spirit.

Romans 1:25 and Colossians 2:18, 23 each mention wrong worship.

(The last time is clearly not about a corporate group singing and worshipping, but for your sake, I listed the passages so you can see it word for word.)

2 Thessalonians 2:4 “Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God.” 

There you have it; all six times, Paul wrote about worship between the books of Romans and Hebrews; these are the books from which our church doctrine is primarily derived. He teaches nothing about the modern style of worship, and almost never even mentions the word worship. The praise and worship crowd probably does not know about Paul’s instructions because they are too busy feeling good about themselves.  

This nonsense called worship today is about as far from Bible worship as pork chops in the synagogue or ice cream at a weight watchers meeting.  The gathering of people they call a worship service is not in the Bible, and has nothing to do with scriptural worship.  

Allow me to add some observations from over four decades of working in the ministry. Those who choose their church on a style of worship, more often than not, find themselves out of church in a few years.  Feelings do not create stability in the spiritual life.  Feelings are vastly different from spirituality and faith. When children are brought up in a feeling-based religion, they will soon seek out other things that feel good  and abandon the church. 

Pastor