Before you read this you need to know that this isn’t a rant about music styles, volume, instruments or no instruments, hymns or modern music, haze or clean air. We serve a God who is infinitely creative, and I believe that He greatly enjoys watching the creativity and diversity of His people when they worship. Worship is to be an expression from our hearts to God, so whatever creative way God has inspired you to worship Him, go for it.

With that out of the way, there is a problem that impedes worship in countless churches and gatherings, and it has been nagging at me for quite some time. To identify the problem we must ask one simple question…

Who is benefiting from your worship?

I grew up in a Pentecostal church (stay with me my Baptist, CoC, and non-Pentecostal friends… Stay with me), and worship was almost always the big deal in service. I love to worship God. I’ve worshipped God from the pews. I’ve worshiped God from the stage. I’ve worshipped God in my car, and countless other environments. Worshipping God is one of life’s most precious abilities. Paul and Silas even did it in prison while chained up.

Worshipping God can be exciting, make you feel amazing, and be one of the most happy, emotional, and inspirational experiences of your life. In fact, worshipping God can feel so good that one can easily begin worshipping God because it feels good in stead of worshipping God because He is God, and this can kill your worship.

God’s Word says in John 4:24 that we are to, “worship in Spirit and in truth.” Imagine if you had a friend who brought you a gift. They gave you the gift with true joy and excitement just for giving you the gift. When you ask them why they gave you the gift, they tell you they just want to thank you for being you. They gave you the gift just because they think you’re awesome.

Now imagine another friend who gives you a similar gift, but this friend is giving you their gift because you have something better than their gift and they want you to give them what you have. Suddenly this gift giving looks and feels a lot more like a bribe.

Webster defines a bribery as to “persuade (someone) to act in one’s favor, typically illegally or dishonestly, by a gift of money or other inducement.” Is that what we are doing when we worship God? Are we singing His praises hoping to get something from Him in return?

I challenge myself and you to this… Worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Whether in your church services, your car, your home, you job, or wherever you are, worship God for the simple reason that HE IS GOD! If He never gives us another blessing, answers another prayer, or even seems to look in our direction, He is still worthy and deserving of ALL of our praise because HE ALONE IS GOD.

Praise on, Praisers!