Gimme That Feel Good Worship

Hey I like a kicking worship band as much as the next guy.

I don’t like boring music.  I like to feel good in worship.  And I want visitors to our church to feel good about their experience when they come as well.  But we have to be careful.  Our Sunday meetings – our singing together, our preaching, all that happens – must be based on God’s word, not on feelings.  RC Sproul says:

…the assumption goes, we need to tailor worship to meet those felt needs, because if we don’t do that, our churches will be empty because people will be bored and will see church as irrelevant. But Jesus said that the Father wants people to worship Him according to what He wants.

The one worship service in the history of the world that was completely designed to minister to the felt needs of the people was the worship of the golden calf at the base of Mount Sinai (see Ex. 32). It was not an exercise in true worship but in idolatry. We have to keep a close watch on what we do in worship, asking ourselves: “Is this according to the truth of God? Is this God’s teaching in His Word?” Our worship must be based on God’s self-revelation in Scripture. He is truth and His Word is truth.  – RC Sproul, John (St. Andrew’s Expositional Commentary)

I bet the Israelites dancing around the bull god felt good.  It was a real party.  Problem was, they weren’t worshipping according to God’s truth.  They may have had a partial truth – a bull represents strength and power – but what can a bull tell us about God’s holiness, mercy and love?

As we plan our worship service for Sunday, make sure it’s “based on God’s self-revelation in Scripture.”  If it feels good on top of that, great.  But make sure God’s word is the foundation.