Lesson 30: Now - How Am I To Worship God? (5)

Finally, corporate worship is the sacrifices given to God of praise, thanksgiving, and promises, as well as the cleansing from sin. Personal worship is the personal time we spend with God, which should be a daily occurrence in our lives.

Let us briefly talk about the issue of entertainment in churches today, whether this is music or theater or any number of such things. Anything that is done for purely entertainment purposes is never worship; it is entertainment.

God can most certainly use music or theater in powerful ways when it is written to reach lost people for Christ. It can bring glory to God. It can be pleasing to God. I say only that the world’s form of music or theater cannot be used to worship God. Whenever we bring the best that we have to God in worship, we must remember that if it is not also what God has demanded it will not be acceptable. We cannot substitute our likes or dislikes for God's requirements. Remember, that though the fire is fire and incense is incense, God demanded it His way and failure to comply met with severe consequences. Worship is also not a “spectator sport”; we are each to be intimately involved in service – His way.


One last comment about music: I was in the church recently that had removed all musical instruments from its premises because they believed that musical instruments had taken the place of human hearts and voices in worshiping God. These people, few in number, had learned how to use their voices to sing a cappella and in four-part harmony without any outside assistance. Every single person was intimately involved in the music because their voices have become the instruments. Not everyone was the same in ability, not everyone could sing lead, not everyone could sing bass; but together they made beautiful music to the Lord. Together they made a symphony. This is the music of the church because it acknowledges the individuality of the believer and yet stresses the unity belonging in the church. To simply take the world’s music and put “Christian” words to it does not make it acceptable to God any more than the “strange fire” was acceptable to God for worship in the Tabernacle. God’s word says we sing a “new song” (Revelation 5:9; 14:3) and that it is specifically a song of the redeemed.

Worship is never to make us “feel good.” It is ever and only to adore and respect and serve God. It is never so that we can get a blessing; it is always and only for us to bless God. We may very well get a blessing in return, but that is never to be the motive for our action.

Look again at the following Scriptures and write beside each what God says in His Word about worship:
*Deuteronomy 6:5, 13
*Romans 12:1-2
*Hebrews 10:25
*1 John 1:9