The Heart of Worship

Michael W. Smith has a song called "The Heart of Worship." The chorus of the song says:

I'm coming back to the heart of worship
And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus
I'm sorry, Lord, for the thing I've made it
And it's all about You, it's all about You, Jesus

John 4:23-24
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

What is the purpose of having worship services at church? According to Webster, worship means, "To adore; to pay divine honors to; to reverence with supreme respect and veneration." When we meet at church, that's what we're there to do. Who are we supposed to worship?

Exodus 34:14

For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

We are to worship God and God alone. There is no room for the worship of any other in the church, or anywhere else for that matter. God alone should receive our adoration, honor, and reverence. Each believer assembled is responsible for his or her own attitude about worship. It doesn't matter what anyone else is doing, or wearing, or how we perceive their attitude to be. That is between them and the Lord. Our only concern in a worship service should be that we give God all our worship.

You may say, "What about that guy who just sits over there looking like he's mad at the world?" Maybe he has some hardship in his life you don't know about. Pray for him.

"What about that woman over there? She's a horrible gossip." If you're saying or thinking that, so are you. Pray for yourself. Once you get the beam out of your own eye, pray about the speck in hers.

"What about that guy? I've heard he drinks and cheats on his wife." Has there never been a rumor about you that wasn't true? Give your brother the benefit of the doubt. Pray for him. While you're at it, pray for the busybodies who spread the rumors, that their hearts will change or that their tongues will be stopped.

"That church is just dead. I don't get anything out of the services there." You aren't supposed to get anything out of the worship services. You are there to give your worship to God. If you do your part, He will reward you. If you go to a worship service expecting to get something, you've fallen for the oldest trick of Satan. You've put yourself in the place of God. That didn't work out well for Satan, and it will not work out well for you.

Isaiah 14:12-14

12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:

14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.

Genesis 3:1-5

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

In Isaiah Satan said, "I will be like the most High," and in Genesis he told Eve, "ye shall be as gods." He has been feeding people the same lie since the beginning. He sticks with what works for him. He will do anything he can to destroy the work God is doing. He will use anything he can to chip away at the unity of a true church until he wears it down to nothing. He absolutely hates God, and because we are created in God's image, he hates us too. He knows that he can't drag God into Hell to share in his torment for eternity, so he is settling for taking as many people with him as he can. That's why he attacks so viciously any church where the gospel is preached. He doesn't care if a church has good sound doctrine on anything else as long as they miss the mark on salvation. If they teach salvation by works, or prayer, or baptism, or anything else either in place of or added to faith, then they are creating false converts. He will leave those churches alone for the most part because anyone converted under their teaching will end up with him anyway.

Worship is supposed to be focused on, and centered around God. Don't fall for the lies of Satan and make it about yourself. Come back to the heart of worship.