There is no "I" in worship

“Real, meaningful worship with God's people is not optional. It's not a suggestion. It's not a take-it-or-leave-it proposition. Worship on the Lord's Day should be the crowning joy of our week.”

 John MacArthur

  Be honest. Is worship with God’s people one of the biggest joys of your week? Do you anticipate worshipping with your church family? Is it a highlight of your week…or is it obligational? If you find that worship for you fits in the sphere of “duty” for you, why is that?

  It is true that worship should be a “holy habit” for the believer, yet if we are coming to worship God with our brothers and sisters in Christ, shouldn’t there be a sense of excitement? Shouldn’t missing worshipping with our church family bother us and not instead fill us with a sense of “freedom,” like we played hooky from school and got away with it.

  Currently, Jane and I are on vacation. We’ve been anticipating this time away for months. During the last few days before we left, I frequently found myself distracted with thoughts of warm, sandy beaches and times of rejuvenation. Can you imagine how frustrating our vacation would be if we hadn’t prepared? Hadn’t planned ahead? Think of all the other things we plan ahead for, from work to school, even going to see a game.

  Have you ever had a family reunion and everyone is given details of what to bring – but there’s seemingly that one relative who never comes through. They come for what’s in it for them. They may even complain about something that they don’t like, yet they came unprepared, expecting everyone else to provide for and give them a satisfying experience.

  Mark it down! The number one reason a Christian leaves a worship service dissatisfied has little to do with the service, music, preaching or the congregation. The problem is that they came unprepared.

  When we come to worship as consumers rather than humble worshippers, the result is that we end up judging, criticizing or merely going through the motions. We’ve not prepared our hearts. We’ve not come spiritually hungry. We haven’t prayed for God to do a work in us through the worship. If we don’t have a song in our heart as we walk in, we won’t have one in our mouths during the service or leave with a full heart.

  Much of the contemporary church teaches that worship is for spectators, not participators. One feels as if they’re attending a professional concert or show. To sing with a “normal” voice is nearly gauche. If you look around, you’ll often find that while everyone is standing, no one, other than those on the platform are actually singing. Yet, Scripture says that we’re to “make a joyful noise to the Lord.” God is more concerned with our hearts than our talent. Worship means you’re actually “worshipping. While we want to do things well and with excellence, God isn’t impressed with a Grammy quality performance. We’re singing to our Heavenly Father, we’re singing with and to each other. Disengaged worship isn’t worship. If we’re disengaged from the very focus of our gathering and the Person we’ve come to honor, we might as well not even be present. Showing up physically is not a substitute for being spiritually or mentally absent.

  It’s because of this that we’re concerned about the acoustics in our new building, and not just the sound quality coming from of the platform. We want to make sure that we can hear our brothers and sisters worshipping alongside us. It’s why we believe that the right lighting is important. We participate in singing when we can hear and see each other. If the lighting for the congregation is low, but is bright on the platform, we’re subtly communicating that a performance is taking place. We fail to communicate that the worship by singing should include everyone present.

  Our church must sing because our regenerated hearts can’t help but echo the Word that God has given us new life in Christ. Whether those songs were written hundreds of years ago or last week, they should echo Scripture. If there’s any place where Scripture should literally reverberate, it must be in our church’s songs. God’s Word alone gives life. We sing with together because it helps us see that our hearts’ praises, confessions, and commitment are shared – that we’re not alone. Sometimes we need to pause and just listen, thanking God for the voices around us!

  God gave us emotions. Sometimes tears stream down my cheeks as I sing with my spiritual siblings. Singing is how we engage together our emotions and affections with God’s Word. As we sing, it’s hard to remain emotionally disengaged. As the sense of smell can evoke strong associations and memories, the sound of music evokes and provokes the heart’s joys, griefs, longings, hopes, and sorrows. Singing is the way that we grab hold of God’s Word and align our emotions and affections to His.

  Singing in worship is an act of obedience. We gather and sing because we’re commanded to (Eph. 5:19). Like telling the truth, loving our spouse and children, or loving our neighbor as ourselves. These may seem like bold statements, singing though is a tangible expression of loving the Lord with our whole hearts and selves, and loving our neighbor as ourselves. 

  And singing is a privilege. It’s a foretaste of heaven. One day (I hope soon!) every tribe, language and people will sing as one family before the throne of the Lamb. Until then, we’re a microcosm of that day in the unimpressive form of congregational worship. As we anticipate the matchless glories of heaven with Jesus, there’s immeasurable value in our singing together now on this temporary earth. When we sing together, we witness that we’re loved, forgiven and accepted by God. For those who don’t know Jesus who visit our churches, or our own children who’ve yet to believe, as we sing together of God’s grace, it’s a powerful witness.

  So please open your mouth and sing. Make a joyful noise. Sing from your heart to our awesome God because the most beautiful instrument in a worship service is the sound of God’s forever family singing together! 

Can we help you spiritually? Can we help you know Jesus better? Please check out more resources on our church's web page, Gracechurchwi.org. Or, call us at 262.763.3021. If you'd like to know more about how Jesus can change your life, I'd love to mail you a copy of how Jesus changed my life in "My Story." E-mail me at Carson@gracechurchwi.org to request a free copy. Please include your mailing address. "