Somewhere between New Testament times and the present generation, folks seem to have developed the idea that preachers, choirs, and musicians are entertainers in worship and the congregation is the audience who determines how well they perform. To expect to be entertained is a false understanding of worship. It is seeing God as the prompter, the preacher, choir and musicians as the performers and the congregation as the audience.
Such thinking is in contrast to scriptural teaching about worship. Stop just a moment and think about it. WHO’S WHO IN WORSHIP? From a scriptural viewpoint those who lead are the prompters, God is the audience and the performers are the congregation.
The focus of worship is not to entertain people in the pew like actors entertaining an audience but rather to honor and praise God. The focus of worship is God. Worship is one way that we show God how much we love Him. In the process of focusing on God our lives are changed and we are drawn into a closer relationship with the Heavenly Father.
We should worship God in spirit and in truth. We should come to worship in the attitude of prayer, confession of sins, praying for the lost, interceding for others and praising God for all His blessings. We should approach worship with a sense of awe, excitement, and expectation of what God is going to teach us and reveal to us about himself.
The next time you worship remember that you are the performer and God is the audience.
In His Love,
Charles
