Some Could Really Worship

“Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit; his worshipers must worship in the spirit and truth.” John 4:21-24 (NIV)

In my early walk as a Christian, I attended several big churches. Those churches put on great performances with music and professional singers on Sunday services. Their worship teams played all kinds of musical instruments and heavy drums, jumped and danced on stage, and seemed full of spirit. Sometimes, I thought it had to be difficult to top this one, but somehow, they managed to do even more with signs and special effects with smoke and lighting for the next one. Those worship teams certainly put in lots of effort every week. I thought that some could really worship.

I remember that I was putting pastors on a pedestal during that time. Imagine one sinner puts another one on a pedestal, it usually doesn’t work well. Later I came to know some pastors who needed help in the Men’s Purity ministry. I would ask them if their churches knew about their porn addiction. You guessed it right; no one knew. One senior pastor of a large church confessed that his wife and his associate pastor knew about his issues and forced him to seek help. He promised to stay in recovery for one year and then he left.

In my opinion, a person cannot preach God’s words and our Lord’s commands and receive applause on a pulpit. Imagine a house servant receiving applause and adoration by explaining the Master’s house rules to other servants and guests. It won’t do well because the Master of the house does not like it. This servant may think he or she is above other servants. That is exactly what happened in the Christian world. If one thinks that the enemy would spare pastors because they are anointed (by other pastors), it is actually the opposite. They may receive even more temptations and spiritual attacks from the enemy because the enemy can sense pride, entitlement and deceitful hearts miles away like sharks sense blood.

Our Lord said:

“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers. And do not call anyone on earth ‘father,’ for you have one Father, and he is in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one Instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Matthew 23:8-11 (NIV)

I’m not a theologist nor a pastor, and I don’t pretend I know more about the Bible than anyone. I think theology alone is not the must-have for our walk with our Lord Jesus Christ. Knowledge is not equal to wisdom and faith. Book knowledge can be learned, but wisdom and faith come from Above for those who humble themselves. When pride and ego are set in the heart of a man, no man is immune anymore. All hidden things will come to light soon or later. I will share more about my view with a recent event of a well-known pastor in another megachurch in Texas. Not the pastor with 100 books written; this pastor has written around 20 books, I believe.

Regarding worship performance in churches, I must say that I don’t think those worships imitate the characters of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lord asks us to learn from him, for His heart is gentle and humble and He is the prince of peace. A worship with jumping, shouting and a heavy drumbeat on stage does not show gentleness, humility and peace. It is more like the opposite of what the enemy wants: disturbing idol worship based on the feeling of the flesh. I don’t like to name people, but I think it is for our benefit not to follow the worship songs from these churches: Bethel, Hillsong, Elevation, and Passion. When we see a large crowd of believers gathering in a big stadium, and everyone sings along with the drumbeat and looks up to the singers on stage following their every move, something is not right if you truly know our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not surprising that they also get together every year for an award ceremony to decide who are the best worshipers so they can sell more. It’s exactly the same as the secular world but with a different name.

Our Lord said that the true worshipers will worship the Father in the spirit and truth because God is spirit. Maybe it is about time to change the format of Sunday services. How? I don’t know. It is up to you and your church to decide and figure it out. Paul did share some ideas. There is also a good example to imitate how the Angels in heaven worship the Father and the Son in the Book of Revelation. There is no jumping around or shouting before the Throne. We, as humans, are lower than Angels. Can you imagine Angels doing what these churches do every week before the Throne?

I would pray for mercy.

Becomelects Ministry