No Fluff Worship
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When the Church gathers to worship God, there is no place for fluff. We are coming before the Holy God who made heaven and earth, the majestic Lord before whom even the holy angels cover their faces. We are commanded to come before Him with reverence and godly fear (Heb 12:28-29), for He is a consuming fire who breaks out against that which is not holy. We dare not come on our own terms, but only on His.
Yet, if you were to visit a number of Christian churches today, it would appear that worship is purely up to the worshipper. At the big cathedral down town, there is a man decked out in priestly garb waving incense in front of an altar. |
Meanwhile, just down the street, there is a professionally trained choir masterfully singing an anthem to the accompaniment of a huge pipe organ.And over in the new suburb, there is a congregation applauding the worship team that just performed the number one song on the Christian pop-chart. Across town, a lady is singing “I Come to the Garden Alone, While the Dew is Still on the Roses.” Did anyone bother to ask what God thinks about all this?
No-fluff worship is worship that takes seriously the reality that it is not the worshipper who ought to set the agenda, but the Lord who is being worshipped who is to decide what we do. The very heart of the Christian religion is that we do not approach God on our own terms, but exclusively on His terms. Every true Christian believes this about salvation, but many do not realise that it is also true of worship. The Scriptures warn us that worship is not to be determined by the traditions, preferences, opinions, or the fads of the worshippers. It is rather to be determined by the commandment of the Lord who says, regarding worship: “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deut 12:32). This means that during the time Christians are assembled for the purpose of worship, we are not free to do what we want, but only what God has appointed.
What does that worship look like? In these New Testament times, it is worship in spirit and truth that the Lord seeks (John 4:21-24). That means that the ceremonies of the Old Testament that presented Christ to us through types and shadows at the temple are replaced by the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments. That means that there is no place for priests, altars, ceremonial lighting of candles, incense, musical instruments, etc.The Lord has also appointed the congregational singing of praise and the offering of orderly prayers along with a few other simple ordinances such as the benediction, the confession of faith, vows, and the call to worship. He has not appointed the singing of uninspired hymns (He has provided a book of divinely approved songs—The Book of Psalms), musical performances, skits, interviews, pageants, puppet shows, dance, or stand up comedy.
No-fluff worship is worship that combines reverence with joy. It always remembers that we are able to stand before God only on His terms, and that He has opened the way for us to come before Him through the offering of His only Son for our sins (Heb 10:19-25). We are reverent because we remember that He is holy and majestic, and we are joyful because He has accepted us through His Son who takes away all our sins.
No-fluff worship is worship that takes seriously the reality that it is not the worshipper who ought to set the agenda, but the Lord who is being worshipped who is to decide what we do. The very heart of the Christian religion is that we do not approach God on our own terms, but exclusively on His terms. Every true Christian believes this about salvation, but many do not realise that it is also true of worship. The Scriptures warn us that worship is not to be determined by the traditions, preferences, opinions, or the fads of the worshippers. It is rather to be determined by the commandment of the Lord who says, regarding worship: “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it” (Deut 12:32). This means that during the time Christians are assembled for the purpose of worship, we are not free to do what we want, but only what God has appointed.
What does that worship look like? In these New Testament times, it is worship in spirit and truth that the Lord seeks (John 4:21-24). That means that the ceremonies of the Old Testament that presented Christ to us through types and shadows at the temple are replaced by the preaching of the Word and the administration of the sacraments. That means that there is no place for priests, altars, ceremonial lighting of candles, incense, musical instruments, etc.The Lord has also appointed the congregational singing of praise and the offering of orderly prayers along with a few other simple ordinances such as the benediction, the confession of faith, vows, and the call to worship. He has not appointed the singing of uninspired hymns (He has provided a book of divinely approved songs—The Book of Psalms), musical performances, skits, interviews, pageants, puppet shows, dance, or stand up comedy.
No-fluff worship is worship that combines reverence with joy. It always remembers that we are able to stand before God only on His terms, and that He has opened the way for us to come before Him through the offering of His only Son for our sins (Heb 10:19-25). We are reverent because we remember that He is holy and majestic, and we are joyful because He has accepted us through His Son who takes away all our sins.