In January of this year, it was reported that the "technical adviser for media ministry" of a church in Washington, D.C., said, "Worship is a form of entertainment. If people are not entertained, they don't feel like they're participating." (Broadway, Bill, "Churches Turn Up Volume With Big Sound Systems," Washington Post, 1/5/03, p C1). Now, I was astounded to read this; it's hard to believe that someone would say that worship is a form of entertainment. Yet, his observation that people feel a need to be entertained is accurate.
It seems that in an effort to bring in more people, and stem the tide of those who may be leaving, denominations have been experimenting with alternate ways of worshiping God-looking for different days of the week, different styles, and different places to meet. So we might see a sign at churches building, offering "traditional worship" at one period of time, and "contemporary worship" at another.
One group in Australia said they had, "planted a congregation which met initially in a home and later in a café, catering to those who want to worship in a post-modern, generation X manner. [Another] congregation caters to our youth, aiming to present worship in a manner which is accessible and relevant to teens." (www.nccc.org)
True worship, on the other hand, is not entertainment. One of the charges made against Jesus in order that He would be executed was that he was setting Himself up as king in opposition to Caesar. In the trial prior to the crucifixion, Pilate asked Jesus about this charge. In John 18:36,37, "Jesus answered, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, then My servants would be fighting so that I would not be handed over to the Jews; but as it is, My kingdom is not of this realm.' Therefore Pilate said to Him, 'So You are a king?' Jesus answered, 'You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.'"
Jesus came to testify about the truth-that we might know it, and through it, be made free from sin, just as we read in Jn 8:31,32. His work on Earth was not for our entertainment, and neither is the kingdom He established-they are spiritual in nature. Now, there's nothing inherently wrong with concerts, plays, or such like; but true worship is of a spiritual nature as well-it is not entertainment. We cannot substitute things that just stimulate our senses for true worship. We can't allow a lust for emotion to replace a desire for the word of God.
That having been said, though, we should ask, "is it wrong, then to enjoy a well delivered sermon? Is it sin to enjoy singing to and about God? Shouldn't we enjoy worshiping the God of Heaven?" Yes, of course we should find pleasure in worshiping God; for instance, the Psalmist wrote in Ps 119:15,16, "I will meditate on Your precepts And regard Your ways. I shall delight in Your statutes; I shall not forget Your word." He took delight in the words of God, and we, too, can take delight in hearing and meditating on scripture. We also read, "Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth. Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before Him with joyful singing" (Ps 100:1,2). True worship is a joyful experience; it is not grim and lifeless. King David expressed it well when he wrote, "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD'" (Ps 122:1).
The word worship in our New Testament is from a Greek word that literally means "to kiss the hand to (towards) one, in token of reverence" (Thayer). Worship is showing honor and respect; it is adoration; it is God-centered. Entertainment, on the other hand, is man-centered. If we go to worship God just because we want to "get something" out of it, we are seeking to satisfy ourselves, instead of offering the honor due God. But rather than approaching worship from the angle of trying to please ourselves or others, we must approach it considering that we are to please God; then, we will find that we ourselves enjoy worship-then we will "get something" out of it. Then it will be uplifting to ourselves, and acceptable to God.
We see examples of worship throughout the Bible; some true, and some selfish. One picture of true worship is found in Rev 5:13,14: "And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, 'To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.' And the four living creatures kept saying, 'Amen.' And the elders fell down and worshiped." All these weren't worshiping God for entertainment value-they worshiped because God is worthy of worship. (Rev 5:13-14)
In recent years, phrases like "contemporary worship" and "alternative worship" have become very popular, and mean different things to different people. What is always meant, though, is that the worship offered is in some way different than that which is considered traditional. Of course, change is not always a bad thing; some change will naturally occur over time. For instance, The songs we sing may change over the years. It really doesn't matter whether we sing Gregorian chants, or four-part harmony; we are still keeping the command to be "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord" (Eph 5:19).
But while the songs and tunes may change, yet the worship itself, and the message contained, cannot. We may not make melody with things other than our hearts-which eliminates pianos and organs in worship. We cannot simply listen to others sing when we ourselves our able-which eliminates choirs in worship. Nor dare we try to survive on a diet of syrupy words designed only to cause an emotional high, but that have no real meat to them-which describes a number of popular modern songs. We have no right to try to "improve" on God's commands-including those dealing with worship.
We do have an obligation to reach out to others who may not know God, or that may be inaccurately trying to serve Him; but whether we are concerned with reaching them, or fear losing members to other congregations, or if we're troubled about what we perceive as the general direction of the congregation, we can't alter the way God has ordained for Him to be worshiped so that we might please ourselves or anyone else.
Praying for His apostles, Jesus said in Jn 17:14-16, "I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." Just as with individual Christians, it seems there has always been a struggle for congregations be "in, but not of" this world. Many of the innovations we see in denominations today came from an effort to appeal to a broader number of people. But we can't allow ourselves to compromise in such a way!
If we do not worship God in the ways he has directed in scripture either for ourselves, or because we want to have broader appeal to the masses, who are we really seeking to please? Paul rhetorically asked the question, "For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ." Such changes may please men, but certainly not God.
Simply because we can't alter the way we worship the Lord doesn't excuse a half-hearted, complacent offering, though. God always has, and still requires the best we have to offer. The prophet Malachi wrote of this principle in Mal 1:8: "'…when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?' says the LORD of hosts." We recognize that were some important official to come to us, we would treat him well, giving him the best we have-and the same should be true for God, since He is far greater than any earthly ruler. We find the principle in 2 Cor 8:12, "For if the readiness is present, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have." While it's true that not all singing is of recording quality, and not all preaching is particularly well done, what we offer should be the very best we can give-and this takes effort.
If we need bands, choirs, video equipment and "artistic performances" to get people to worship God, then we are not preaching the gospel. The fact is, if someone truly wants to worship God, entertainment will not be the big attraction. Paul wrote in 2 Thess 2:14, "It was for this [God] called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ." It was through the gospel, or "good news," that the Thessalonians had come to God-not through entertainment. While it is true that some would find the word of the cross to be foolishness (as we read in 1 Cor 1:18), and so will be turned away by it, Paul declared, "I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rom 1:16).
Brethren, may we not lose our confidence in the power of the gospel, and instead decide that we can find better ways to bring those lost in sin back to God. They will be no better off than those in Jn 6:26 that were looking for Jesus simply because they were looking for the bread He had given before. If they are won by entertainment instead of the gospel, when the entertainment is gone, they will be as well.
