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Posts Tagged ‘what is true worship’

Bringing the Lame and Blind

Posted in Church in Crisis, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , , , , , , on June 10, 2025| Leave a Comment »

By David Ravenhill

If you were to ask an average believer how many of them stole something this past week. I’m sure the vast majority of them would look at you dumbfounded at the very suggestion. We are all well aware that stealing is forbidden by God and made it to His top ten list of commandments. ‘Thou shalt not steal’ ranks just below ‘Thou shalt not commit adultery’.

Now if stealing is wrong, and it clearly is, then stealing from God Himself would be the ultimate theft. Right!? According to the Prophet Malachi, God accused His people of robbing Him. The robbery was in their tithes and offering which they either withheld completely or replaced with inferior offerings.

Just in case you’re not familiar with the passage I’m referring to, here it is:

‘But 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. “But now will you not entreat God’s favor, that He may be gracious to us? With such an offering on your part, will He receive you kindly?” Malachi 1:8,9

God was clearly upset with His people and the way they were treating Him. God goes on to say.

“…you bring what was taken by robbery, and what is lame or sick; so you bring the offering! Should I receive that from your hand?” says the Lord. But cursed be the swindler who has a male in his flock and vows it, but sacrifices a blemished animal to the Lord, for I AM A GREAT KING…Malachi 1:13,14

The point I’m trying to make here, is that in the New Testament, our sacrifices are no longer in the form of four-footed animals but through our praise and worship. Here is how the writer of Hebrews refers to it.

“Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips that give thanks to His name. Hebrews 13:15

Nothing perturbs me more than going to church and having to listen to God’s people barely uttering a word of praise. The vast majority of people are not even singing and those that are can barely be heard. Almost every Sunday I go home with a pit in my stomach telling myself. ‘We robbed God again’, We robbed God again’. If that’s how I feel, then I wonder how God feels?

God had to remind His people that He is a GREAT KING. He’s trying to tell them to honor Him as such and not treat Him as though He’s not that important. If you turn from Malachi to Matthew just a few pages on but 400 years later, we have the account of the three Magi announcing to King Herod that they were on their way to worship the King of the Jews. Where they bringing the blind and the lame? No, they brought Him gold, frankincense and myrrh; a sacrifice and offering worthy of the KING.

Keep in mind that under the Old Testament economy the priest was responsible for examining every sacrifice prior to it being offered. If the sacrifice was blemished in any way it was to be rejected; only the very best sacrifice was acceptable. No wonder we read the Psalmist saying,

‘Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight O Lord, my rock and my Redeemer.’ Psalm 19:14

Today, we no longer bring our sacrifices to an earthly priest but directly to the Lord Himself who is our great High Priest. He is the one who decides to accept or reject our sacrifice of praise. Unless we are doing our very best to offer Him as perfect a sacrifice as possible, then we are no different from God’s people in Malachi’s time, who substituted the lame and blind instead of offering the best of their flock.

We read in Proverbs

“Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it. Proverbs 3:27

If we apply this verse to God Himself, then surely, He deserves the praise and honor that is due Him. God is worthy of so much more than just singing a few self-centered songs we refer to as worship. Worship should focus solely on God’s greatness, majesty, holiness, righteousness, and power. I love the lyrics of that song that says ‘Let’s forget about ourselves and concentrate on Him and worship Him’. I’m convinced if we truly did just, that we would experience so much more of His presence in our services.

Throughout God’s word we are exhorted to ‘Make a joyful NOISE to the Lord.’ Or ‘SHOUT joyfully to God, all the earth.’ Or ‘O clap your hands, all peoples; SHOUT to God with the voice of joy.’ Nothing should excite us more than being in His presence and then in turn to let Him know how much we love Him.

One last thought. Imagine being asked to take charge of preparing a large family Thanksgiving meal. Family members will be driving in from various places, some even flying in from overseas for the occasion. Chances are we wouldn’t find you shopping for a turkey the same day of the meal, or trying to decide at the last minute whether or not to serve cake and ice-cream or apple pie for dessert. No doubt you would have been planning for weeks or at least days before.

Worship should be considered as the greatest of all Thanksgivings. The ‘first fruits’ of any service, is the time we set apart, to give thanks to God for all His benefits. It is the responsibility of the worship leader to take the necessary time to pray and prepare for this very special occasion. Every detail should be thought out in advance and not simply thrown together at the last minute. Each song should be skillfully knit together to produce a seamless tapestry of worship fit for the King of kings. The task of the worship leader is to cast up a highway of song that leads the congregation into the very presence of God. Songs should be considered as steps with each song lifting us higher and higher until we find ourselves in awe of His glorious majesty.

The role of the worship leader, is in many ways, as important or even more important than the one delivering the message. The worship time is God’s time, and should be treated as such, while the remaining time is for our benefit and spiritual growth.

A word of wisdom here to those leading worship – let the songs do the work. In other words refrain from talking except for your initial welcome. Now a word to those in leadership. Don’t hijack the worship by veering off into some type of ministry time, that can come later in the service. Prophetic words or words of knowledge won’t perish if not used immediately. There is a time and place for everything so let’s not short change God by interrupting the service and thereby robbing God of all the honor He deserves.

If I’ve ruffled a few feathers please forgive me. I’m simply trying to right a wrong that has invaded the church for far too long. Let’s WORSHIP HIM!

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Something Beyond Song

Posted in Church in Crisis, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , , on March 31, 2024| Leave a Comment »

by A W Tozer

There is a notion widely held among Christians that song is the highest possible expression of the joy of the Lord in the soul of a man.

That idea is so near to being true that it may seem spiritually rude to challenge it. I have no wish to pick theological lint nor pluck the wings off religious flies for the thrill such a sadistic act might afford. There are probably hundreds of wrong notions in all of our heads, notions that, while they are wrong, are still too insignificant to deserve attention. They are like the minor physical blemishes which we all have, harmless if not beautiful, and altogether too trivial to rate mention by serious-minded persons.

The idea, however, that song is the supreme expression of all and any possible spiritual experience is not small; it is large and meaningful and needs to be brought to the test of the Scriptures and Christian testimony.

Both the Bible and the testimony of a thousand saints show that there is experience beyond song. There are delights which the heart may enjoy in the awesome presence of God which cannot find expression in language; they belong to the unutterable element in Christian experience. Not many enjoy them because not many know that they can. The whole concept of ineffable worship has been lost to this generation of Christians. Our level of life is so low that no one expects to know the deep things of the soul until the Lord returns. So we are content to wait, and while we wait we are wont to cheer our hearts sometimes by breaking into song.

Far be it from us to discourage the art of singing. Creation itself took its rise in a burst of song; Christ rose from the dead and sang among His brethren, and we are promised that they who dwell in dust will rise and sing at the resurrection. The Bible is a musical book and, next to the Scriptures themselves, the best book to own is a good hymnbook. But still there is something beyond song.

The Bible and Christian biography make a great deal of silence, but we of today make of it exactly nothing. The average service in gospel circles these days is kept alive by noise. By making a lot of religious din we assure our faltering hearts that everything is well and, conversely, we suspect silence and regard it as a proof that the meeting is “dead.” Even the most devout seem to think they must storm heaven with loud outcries and mighty bellowings or their prayers are of no avail. Not all silence is spiritual. Some Christians are silent because they have nothing to say; others because what they have to say cannot be uttered by mortal tongue. Of the first we do not speak at the moment, but confine our remarks to the latter.

Where the Holy Spirit is permitted to exercise His full sway in a redeemed heart the progression is likely to be as follows: First, voluble praise, in prose speech or prayer or witness; then, when the crescendo rises beyond the ability of studied speech to express, comes song, then comes silence where the soul, held in deep fascination, feels itself blessed with an unutterable beatitude.

At the risk of being written off as an extremist or a borderline fanatic we offer it as our mature opinion that more spiritual progress can be made in one short moment of speechless silence in the awesome presence of God than in years of mere study. While our mental powers are in command there is always the veil of nature between us and the face of God. It is only when our vaunted wisdom has been met and defeated in a breathless encounter with Omniscience that we are permitted really to know, when prostrate and wordless the soul receives divine knowledge like a flash of light on a sensitized plate. The exposure may be brief, but the results are permanent.—The Root of the Righteous – A W Tozer

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Worship Replacement Theology

Posted in Church in Crisis, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , , on January 9, 2024| 2 Comments »

When someone says the word worship or you read the word, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? This has been my concern for many years, that true Biblical worship has been replaced by music and songs. There are very few teachers pointing it out! It is not that leaders are intentionally teaching this false doctrine. Rather it is an unintended consequence of having so much focus on what we now call “worship”, i.e. the music, the song service, and the “worship” team.

I call it worship replacement. To our own hurt, we are not being taught what real Biblical worship is. The Word of God is being diminished. There are about 100 places in the New Testament where the word worship appears. And none of those places have any mention of songs or music. They have deeper and more serious meanings for us to comprehend. There are only 4 or 5 times in the New Testament where songs or singing are mentioned, and worship is not really associated with those times. Those times were related to praising God. There really is no mention in the NT about having such a huge focus on the way we worship today. Historically, it is really a modern concept.

In the Old Testament, the first place worship is mentioned is when Abraham was going to offer up Isaac. Think about the seriousness of that! How serious the obedience, how serious the commitment, how serious the humility! We can not replace this knowledge of worship with the song service!

There is a distinction between praise and worship that has been lost in many circles. Many will not go to a church unless they have a good “worship team”. The modern music scene has created new celebrities pumping out new “worship” songs. It is now its own genre. Many of the record companies putting out this new music are secular. Think of it, “worship” music has been monetized.

We should still have a “praise team” and sing songs to praise God and to encourage one another. Eph 5:19 “Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your hearts to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

We are to give praise, and we should make that distinction. Let us not lose the true meaning of worship. It is easy to sing a song, too easy. It is much harder to be a person who worships God, and understands the difference.

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What is Worship? 3

Posted in Church in Crisis, Worship in Cirisis, Worship, Praise and Music, tagged , , , on November 23, 2021| Leave a Comment »

As I was driving down the road the other day, I went past a church that had the following “advertisement” on their billboard.

“Three styles of worship, one just right for you”.

I tried to call them to see what they were, but there was no answer. My guess would be that the three styles were traditional, contemporary and blended. If you do a search online, you will find more than three, here are some of the others I have found, Taize style, coffeehouse style, liturgical, etc. The list goes on. Here is a brief list of how I interpret the styles-

Contemporary means more upbeat, similar to what I call soft rock, with a full band,

Traditional means hymns and chorus’, usually with a piano,

I would guess that coffeehouse style would be an acoustic sound, with acoustic guitars, and less amplification,

Progressive style leans more toward rock and roll, full band, with lots of bass, drums and heavy amplification.

Taize style- look it up online yourself.

Again, I will emphasize that we have lost the original meaning of the great Biblical word “worship”.

A person can worship God without any of the mentioned styles, or without any instruments or music at all. I used to think about people that are deaf and dumb and think that they were missing out because they couldn’t worship God, I know that sounds absurd, but sometimes it takes the absurd to bring a point across. From what little research I have done, it appears that musical instruments really weren’t used in the church until about 200 years ago. It wasn’t allowed.

For most of us, we understand what that billboard means, and we ourselves are governed by some of those styles. Most of us, when we are looking for a church, take their style of worship as one of the most important factors in whether or not we will attend there. We equate certain styles of music as more spiritual than others. And unfortunately, it is governed by our likes and specific tastes in music.

To me it would be wise to call our music and singing something other than “worship”, we can certainly call it praise or celebration, which would be more appropriate. Why diminish our understanding of what true “worship” is?

When Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4 23“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” was he making any reference whatsoever to music and singing? Absolutely not, yet that is how we think of it.

In the Old Testament, God Himself laid out all the laws and requirements governing their “worship”, down to the smallest details. If we make “worship” into something that is governed by our likes and tastes, or our dislikes, we are in great peril. Worship is God’s requirements placed on us, not our preference in what feels good to our liking. What other Biblical word will replace the true meaning of “worship” if we lose it? What are we teaching the next generation?

Some of the most difficult times of worship in my life were not accompanied by any music or anything that felt good. Much like when Abraham went to offer Isaac, it was a time of very severe inner turmoil, as was the case in the life of Joseph. If you read that story, there were several instances where Joseph wept bitterly before he told his brothers who he was. What was he going thru? Was he tempted to get revenge? Could he get past that, as he thought of what they did to him? Giving forgiveness to those who don’t deserve it, even though they in fact are guilty, is an act of obedience and worship to God. What manner of dealing with God brought Joseph to the point where he recognized in Genesis 45:7 “God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance? 8“Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God;”  In the same manner Jesus prayed to the Father, “Forgive them, they know not what they do”. These are examples of true worship, obedience to God; even though it might be at great peril to ones self.

So what is the end result? Well, we are certainly still able to enjoy the music and singing as much as we ever did. It can still be an expression of praise and adoration to Him. But, we have to understand that our music and singing is not really a necessity in worshiping God. It is a blessing that we have and maybe we put too much emphasis on it. Remember the saints in China, when they gather, cannot sing or have music, because they are in hiding. And, the deaf and dumb are not able to enjoy what we enjoy. But they can still be true worshipers of God, and even be more committed to God than we who sing. Sela!

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