Does Worship Belong In Church?

            Some people many look at this question and think, “Ray, aren’t you a Christian musician?  Why would you question whether or not worship belongs in church?”  Most church services consist of a time of worship, announcements, taking up a collections (tithes and offerings) and the pastor (or guest speaker) delivering a sermon.  Some churches also receive communion every week while others do this once a month.  Then there are the other elements of church which happen less frequently like baptisms, baby dedications and other things. 

            Each element of a church service serves a purpose in the overall design of church.  The worship portion of the service provides an opportunity for us to unite in body, soul and spirit with a common purpose of glorifying God.  Yes, we worship God musically because He is worthy of our worship, but He doesn’t need our worship.  He will still be God (holy, worthy, etc.) whether or not we choose to worship Him.  Corporate worship is more for our benefit than His.  Matthew 18:20 says, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them (ESV).”  The act of praising God through song (singing and/or playing an instrument), posture (raising of hands, kneeling, bowing, etc.) and movement (clapping, dancing, etc.) is a powerful and effective device for unifying people in His name?  We all are grateful for God’s grace, and we all agree that He is holy and worthy of our praise.  Times of corporate worship remind us of these common beliefs and bring us into agreement.  This helps to create an atmosphere where God’s presence is more easily manifested and His voice is more easily heard.

            I could go through each of the other components of a church service and explain their significance, but that is not the point of this post.  The main point I am getting at is that things can start out with a good intent and then turn into meaningless acts of repetition and tradition.  The point behind corporate worship is to create an atmosphere of Christian unity where we can draw near to God, experience His presence and hear His voice and encourage each other. 

However, there may be days where a group of believers is just not in unity.  The larger the church, the greater the probability for disunity among the members.  There may be some who are participating in ministry for selfish motives and others who are harboring bitterness in their hearts.  I am not saying this out of a spirit of judgment.  We are all human and we all struggle with a sinful flesh.  Sunday morning comes around and we reach the part of the service when it is time to worship. We are not in a place where we will be able to reach true unity in our worship or truly enter into God’s presence.  Psalm 24:3-5 says, “Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?  And who shall stand in his holy place?  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false and does not swear deceitfully.  He will receive blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of salvation (ESV).”  We may not be in that place spiritually, but the time for corporate worship has arrived, so we force ourselves to participate in a fake gesture of ritual. 

This type of worship is ineffective in obtaining the main purpose of corporate worship (unity, drawing near to God, experiencing His presence, hearing his voice and encouraging each other).  The more we force ourselves to participate in fake worship, the easier it gets to ignore our spiritual condition and practice fake Christianity.  One of the main purposes of Christian fellowship and corporate worship is to encourage us with our Christian walk.  When one person struggles, his brothers and sisters can encourage him to repent and draw near to God instead of drifting away.  Unfortunately, all humans tend to take good things (like corporate worship) and turn them into meaningless rituals.  We like comfort and repetition.  We don’t like being open and honest with each other.  We don’t like breaking our routines.  We often forget that intent is more important than ritual. 

The Israelites had gone through a long period of ritual and fake religion which led to the Babylonian captivity.  Isaiah 1:2-20 says:

2 Listen, O heavens! Pay attention, earth!

This is what the Lord says:

“The children I raised and cared for have rebelled against me.

3 Even an ox knows its owner,

and a donkey recognizes its master’s care—

but Israel doesn’t know its master.

My people don’t recognize my care for them.”

4 Oh, what a sinful nation they are—loaded down with a burden of guilt.

They are evil people, corrupt children who have rejected the Lord.

They have despised the Holy One of Israel

and turned their backs on him.

5 Why do you continue to invite punishment?

Must you rebel forever?

Your head is injured, and your heart is sick.

6 You are battered from head to foot—

covered with bruises, welts, and infected wounds—

without any soothing ointments or bandages.

7 Your country lies in ruins, and your towns are burned.

Foreigners plunder your fields before your eyes

and destroy everything they see.

8 Beautiful Jerusalem stands abandoned

like a watchman’s shelter in a vineyard,

like a lean-to in a cucumber field after the harvest,

like a helpless city under siege.

9 If the Lord of Heaven’s Armies had not spared a few of us,

we would have been wiped out like Sodom, destroyed like Gomorrah.

10 Listen to the Lord, you leaders of “Sodom.”

Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.”

11 “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?” says the Lord.

“I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams

and the fat of fattened cattle.

I get no pleasure from the blood

of bulls and lambs and goats.

12 When you come to worship me,

who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony?

13 Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts;

the incense of your offerings disgusts me!

As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath

and your special days for fasting—

they are all sinful and false.

I want no more of your pious meetings.

14 I hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals.

They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them!

15 When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look.

Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen,

for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.

16 Wash yourselves and be clean! Get your sins out of my sight.

Give up your evil ways.

17 Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed.

Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.

18 “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord.

“Though your sins are like scarlet,

I will make them as white as snow.

Though they are red like crimson,

I will make them as white as wool.

19 If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat.

20 But if you turn away and refuse to listen,

you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies.

I, the Lord, have spoken (ESV)!”

  What a powerful passage of scripture!  God mentioned many important Hebrew rituals in this passage.  He was the one who originally asked them to keep these rituals when He gave them the Law.  However, what He really wanted was a people whose hearts were devoted to Him.  The Hebrews had become a people who were following meaningless rituals and traditions without maintaining the true intent behind the action.  We may be able to fake it and fool others, but we can’t fool God.  He sees past our fake worship and meaningless rituals.  He desires true worship from our hearts.  He desires a real relationship where we admit our weaknesses, hold each other up and continually refocus our hearts and minds on Him. 

            This is why I ask, “Does worship belong in the church?”  I am a Christian musician, and I love worship, but I don’t love fake worship.  I don’t go to church to listen to or participate in a musical performance.  I go there to draw near to God and encourage (or be encouraged by) my brothers and sisters. 

So the answer to our question about worship is both yes and no.  Yes, the act of worshiping God together in unity is a great element to have in a church service.  No, the ritualistic act of corporate worship is not acceptable to God or beneficial for us.  We need to come back to a place as a Church where we have a balance between order and honesty.  We need to be flexible enough to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit if a time of repentance is needed before worship.  We need to be holding each other accountable in a positive, encouraging and understanding way.  We need to put aside ritual, and come back to true worship in the church.