Modern Worship: A Waste of Time?
I like listening to "worship" music, but I don't put my hands in the air. I don't close my eyes. I don't stand up. Why?
You don't have to listen to music or sing out loud or put your hands up or close your eyes or kneel to worship God or to get closer to Him.
People easily get caught up in the moment, in the music, and believe God is moving them.
Ever been to a rock concert? People do the same things. They put their fists up in the air. They dance around. They jump. They bang their heads. They don't just sing along, they SCREAM along. Are they filled with the Holy Spirit? Are they being moved by God? Or are they just reacting to the music, the people, and the atmosphere?
So why do we, as Christians, worship God the same way concert-goers worship rock icons?
It's easy.
Think about the places you've worshiped. In church, in chapel, with a few close friends, by yourself? We either worship alone or we worship in the company in other Christians. No real risk on our part. We won't get ridiculed or persecuted like Jesus says will happen to us. It's safe. We leave the same as we came in.
Romans 12:1 says: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of WORSHIP."
We don't sacrifice anything at worship services. In fact, I have often caught myself thinking "If it is a good service, I'll feel better afterwards". Worshiping should be giving, not receiving. How about instead of singing songs we go out and do something that actually matters. Christianity is not about making ourselves feel good. That's called worshiping yourself. Let's sacrifice ourselves for the good of someone else who can't repay. Jesus sacrificed His very life for us, knowing we would still reject Him, continuing to sin. If we follow Christ, shouldn't we be doing the same?
In that spirit, let's go out and help people. Let's tell people about Christ. Let's give a struggling family enough money to make it. Let's show love to an outcast. Let's give shelter to the homeless. Let's feed the hungry. These are all things Jesus commanded us to do. Why are we wasting our time singing songs?
You don't have to listen to music or sing out loud or put your hands up or close your eyes or kneel to worship God or to get closer to Him.
People easily get caught up in the moment, in the music, and believe God is moving them.
Ever been to a rock concert? People do the same things. They put their fists up in the air. They dance around. They jump. They bang their heads. They don't just sing along, they SCREAM along. Are they filled with the Holy Spirit? Are they being moved by God? Or are they just reacting to the music, the people, and the atmosphere?
So why do we, as Christians, worship God the same way concert-goers worship rock icons?
It's easy.
Think about the places you've worshiped. In church, in chapel, with a few close friends, by yourself? We either worship alone or we worship in the company in other Christians. No real risk on our part. We won't get ridiculed or persecuted like Jesus says will happen to us. It's safe. We leave the same as we came in.
Romans 12:1 says: "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your spiritual act of WORSHIP."
We don't sacrifice anything at worship services. In fact, I have often caught myself thinking "If it is a good service, I'll feel better afterwards". Worshiping should be giving, not receiving. How about instead of singing songs we go out and do something that actually matters. Christianity is not about making ourselves feel good. That's called worshiping yourself. Let's sacrifice ourselves for the good of someone else who can't repay. Jesus sacrificed His very life for us, knowing we would still reject Him, continuing to sin. If we follow Christ, shouldn't we be doing the same?
In that spirit, let's go out and help people. Let's tell people about Christ. Let's give a struggling family enough money to make it. Let's show love to an outcast. Let's give shelter to the homeless. Let's feed the hungry. These are all things Jesus commanded us to do. Why are we wasting our time singing songs?
4 Comments:
Strong words toward the end, but I see what you're getting at. Sometimes it takes strong words to make a point.
I don't agree that there is nothing to gain from singing to God - praise and worship in that way is definitely an important part of worshiping God. But I do agree with you (whoever you are) that if that is the only form of worship being practiced then it is a waste of time. Salvation is a holistic process that - yes - may begin with ourselves but shouldn't end there. God's work through us isn't for us to simply sing songs of worship to Him, it is to bring about a change, both spiritually and tangibly.
A lot of my inspiration for these ideas came from a conference I went to last week at Mars Hill called Isn't She Beautiful? It was a great experience. Read some of my thoughts.
Oops, wrong link in that last line. This is the right one.
Thank you for your honest comment to my article. I read your blog about Bell's conference, and I am surprised how similar his ideas were to things I have been thinking and talking about lately with friends. Also, thanks to your link, I am excited about his new book which also aligns with some recent discussions I've been a part of.
I agree that if singing is all that we ever do, then the worship is not all that it should be. However, I don't think that it is a waste of time.
I also want to note that I believe that raising hands, or kneeling, or crossing oneself, or partaking of communion, or any physical demonstration does help one get close to God. Salvation is holistic, most would agree. Why then do we have a problem with thinking that our posture doesn't matter?
I agree that often times it can become worthless with people lackadaisically raise their hands at the same time like a flock of sheep, or mindlessly go through the liturgy. However, when a person truly thinks about the actions done in worship, he is worshiping in a holistic approach.
Don't just kneel because it is what you were taught, but by all means kneel because you are petitioning one who is greater than you. Don't lift your hands because that is what makes you feel good, ( although feelings are good and have their place in worship) but by all means lift your hands when you are going to give something up to God.
We are physical as well as spiritual beings, and these actions remind our minds what we are doing at that particular moment.
A great example of religious mannerisms being misused in a church setting: The chapel this week (Feb 6th) irritated me, because the speaker prayed using a trinitarian phrase: in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. He then proceeded to say, "I am not liturgical, but I am the pastor of a liturgical church, so I figured that I ought to say that". This garnered a few giggles.
What message did he send? He sent the message that invoking the name of the Trinity can be used in order to get a giggle. That is horrible. People (like me) pray this way to remind themselves that God is more than just "my pal Jesus", that He is mighty, complex, and mysterious. Not that He will lower himself for ridicule.
Oh well, enough ranting.
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