16 Satanic Lies About Worship

The amount of your offering and the sincerity of your worship matter. But not in the way we might think. The widow (Mark 12) put in two small coins, but our Lord said hers was the largest offering given that day.  The point is obvious: What gives the offering its weight is its value to us. 

9. Meditation on anything counts as worship.

10. The architecture must be conducive to worship if it’s to be done right.

Dr. Mike Canady tells of an American preacher who traveled to Malawi where he (Mike) served as a missionary, and addressed the believers on how to construct impressive buildings for worship and Sunday School space.  Mike laughed, “The people there knew to have church, just find the nearest mango tree.”

11. “What” you worship does not matter so long as you do.

12. “How” you worship does not matter.

13. Everyone else worships better than you.

You’re the only one who gets bored, has trouble concentrating, and whose mind wanders during prayer.

14. The small offerings you bring, the pitiful singing you give, your feeble attempts at praying, etc., are an insult to the Lord.

Better to stay away than offend the Lord with such.

15. We pay the preachers to do our worshiping for us.

Our job is to come to church and watch them perform and then critique them.  If I give them a passing grade, I have done my job.

16. Worship is a passive activity.

When our worship leaders do their jobs well, we worship. Worship is something that happens to us, not something we do. Whether I feel anything or not is unimportant; what counts is I can check off worship for one more week.

These are only a few of the thousands of lies about worship.

The antidote to lies about worship

The Psalms are all about worship. They are the original songbook of Israel. So, anyone wishing to worship the living God could do no better than to read selections such as Psalm 23, 103, and 139 and meditate upon their riches.

Scripture provides numerous excellent illustrations of people worshiping.

In Isaiah 6, the prophet is worshiping.  Because he “sees the Lord,” high and lifted up, he sees his own unworthiness and sinful heart.  After being purified from that sin, he hears the Lord’s call to “go.”  He answers, “Here am I Lord, send me.”

In Luke 10, Mary is worshiping at the feet of the Lord in her home in Bethany. Jesus tells her sister Martha that Mary has chosen “the one good thing which shall not be taken away from her.”

In worship, we “see” the Lord and answer His call. We are choosing the “one good thing”–worship–which is eternal.

Suggestions to counter lies about worship.

Do not sit in judgment of your own worship.  Just offer it to the Lord.

Do not demand that those leading in worship entertain or “bless” you.  Instead of focusing on them, direct your thoughts to the Lord.

Never “need” your worship to be exciting or to do something to you.  Instead, “need” to humble your heart before the Lord, and give Him yourself anew.

Much of worship should be spent in listening to the Lord.  Keep in mind His voice is often “still, small,” and thus heard only by those who are still and quiet.

Before giving your offering, spend a moment telling the Savior of your love for Him and your gratitude for what this means.  Worship with your offering.

As you mature in Christ, you will find yourself able to worship no matter how skilled the musicians, singers, and leaders or how eloquent the preacher.

Beloved, let us worship every day of our lives, wherever we are.  And do so in Spirit and in Truth. Amen.

 

This article on lies about worship originally appeared here, and is used by permission.