Scripture is filled with cautions about bringing empty worship to God. If the church today is only about positive thinking, self-help and making people feel better, then contemporary gurus such as Tony Robbins or Oprah Winfrey could accomplish this for us. But church is not about what we can do; it is about what Christ can do.
The music and sermons in church are not for entertainment. Church is God’s house and when we gather in his name, he marks it with his presence. God’s presence should be so central to our worship, so palpable, that if a nonbeliever walks in, he will fall to his knees in wonder crying, “Surely God is in this place!”
For a long time debate waged over which honored God more, the old hymns or contemporary music; of course, the answer is neither. We have only one standard for worship: “But the hour is coming, and now is here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirt and truth” (John 4:23-24).
In our times of worship, the focus should always be on Jesus and what he has done. Look at the awe-filled theology Charles Wesley packs into a hymn:
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
There are also beautifully deep songs written by contemporary composers that send us to our knees.
This is the worship due our amazing God: “Lord, you are bigger, grander, and more glorious than anything known to man. We bow in reverence before you!” With that in mind, lift your voice in songs of praise and worship to our King, today!