(Previous posts:
- We began with a quote from G. K. Chesterton regarding how the active reverence for what is holy promotes holiness.
- We went to Deuteronomy 12 to show how God placed significant boundaries around the worship He would accept.
In the previous post we illustrated from both the Old and New Testament “great” worship does not originate within ourselves nor does it succeed by pleasing ourselves. That kind of “great” worship is sourced from idolatry.
The common gripe aired against planned, liturgical or formulaic worship is that such worship stifles the Spirit: it is not spiritual. Further, such worship fosters elitism and becomes too cerebral. To counter this, the modern church comes up with something like this:
“Come as you are – to worship. We welcome you to the community. Full stop. You do not need to be anything. You don’t need to be married with kids, or tee-total, or employed or in good health and you certainly don’t need to be holy. You can come from any background – religious, social, cultural, or racial. Jesus accepts everyone just as they are, and we aim to do the same.”
(An actual web invitation from a church in England.)
Then, having been assured of an open-handed welcome, the worship of God is designed to minimize whatever boundaries may exist between believers and unbelievers. Victorious spiritual experience, indistinguishable in form and volume from secular music, is performed in concert style to an audience. Whatever is taught – if teaching does happen – is high on humor and practical experience, communicated with the winking skill of a stand-up routine or the confident savvy of a Ted-talk.
"Now this is “great” worship! An awesome worship buzz. I walk away feeling empowered. Snappy bullet-points lodged in short-term memory. Who knows? If this is worship then I might keep coming back for a few weeks.”
All that may be an accurate assessment of what was experienced. It probably is. But is it Biblical? Is it Christian? Is it godly? Is it holy? No. It is not.
First, the Bible nowhere sanctions or promotes the worship of God with a view towards accommodating the unbeliever. On the contrary, the Bible is replete with examples of worship which unbelievers found confusing at best and condemning at worst.
Second, worship is not Christian if, or when, it does not promote Christ. Christ is not promoted when grace is cheap, discipleship is optional; when Jesus is allowed to serve as Savior but barred from leading as Lord.
Third, worship is not godly if God is not the object of worship. A prayer at a football game does not transform it into a worship service. No amount of “God-language / God-verbiage” can displace the reality of what is happening when the object of worship is the satisfaction of the worshipper. Such worship may be different in many ways from a football game begun with a prayer. But the difference is only a matter of degree. It is it not a difference of kind.
Fourth, worship is not holy if the worshipper remains essentially unchanged. Encounters with God provoke change, and this change is a God-ward change. Repentance. Courage. Hope. Resolve. Forgiveness received. Forgiveness extended. Sacrifice. Service.
Yes, “come to God as you are.” But such an invitation is a mouthful of nothing. None of us can come to God as anything else. Is there any other option? The only way available to us is to come to God as we are. Yet, we are not to stay as we are. God changes us.
The final post in this series turns the question of “judging worship” on its head.