The Mission of Our Worship[1]
I.
Impress
Them
You
may think I might be a heretic for stating that we are to impress people in our
worship services. I will agree on the surface it does not look good, especially
when you consider what Warren Wiersbe wrote about trying to impress: “We
minister publicly primarily to express, to share God’s truth in a sermon, song,
and testimony; but we perform to impress, using our abilities to give people ‘their
money’s worth’ of enjoyment and entertainment.”[2]
That
would definitely sting if, by impress, I mean the same thing Wiersbe did.
Fortunately, that is not at all what I mean, and performance for the pure sake
of entertainment is not at all how or why any church should seek to impress.
For
too long the church has equated trying to impress with trying to dazzle people
or seek glory and credit for ourselves. I certainly agree that we must be
careful not to fall into that trap. Our responsibility is to point people’s
attention away from us and toward the God who deserves all the attention and
applause.
Let’s
consider the meaning of impress. Here
are the first two definitions of the word in The American Heritage Dictionary:
1.
To affect deeply or strongly in mind or feelings; influence in opinion.
2.
To fix deeply or firmly in the mind or memory, as ideas, facts, etc.
Do
you see how this can be a positive outcome for our worship services? We should
endeavor to deeply or strongly affect the minds and feelings of those God bring
into our worship services.
While
we know that God looks at our hearts, it’s still true that people look at the
outside (see 1 Samuel 16:7). That means we are ministering to human beings with
eyes that can’t and don’t look past our exteriors. Therefore, our “outsides”
must be considered. If people are turned off by what they see, we are not
likely going to lead them very far.
Scores
of people walk into churches every week with huge barriers to worship. Some are
discouraged and defeated. Many are distracted by circumstances in their lives.
Some are disillusioned with religion and the church. Others are uninterested,
even defiant about the idea of entering into a worship service. And there are
always a few who are simply misdirected. These individuals tend to judge the
church and the leaders based on their own preconceived ideas.
With
all those pre-existing barriers, doesn’t it make sense not to give people yet another
obstacle or hindrance? That is exactly why one of our priorities in worship
services must be to impress people strongly enough-not through our charisma,
but by God’s power, that they will want to follow us into God’s presence.
Paul
said in 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 (NASB):
And
when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of
wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God.
2 For I determined to
know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness
and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my message and my preaching were not in
persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power,
5 so that your faith
would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.
What do you think made Paul’s words
powerfully affect those who heard him? He was obviously not interested in
performing or entertaining. Although Paul’s words were not eloquent or
persuasive, would you agree that his presentation was nonetheless impressive?
(Remember, impress means to “affect strongly” or “fix deeply or firmly on the
mind or memory.”)
Stephen provided another example of an
impressive presentation in Acts 6. As he stood trial before the Sanhedrin, his
judges “were not able to resist the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spoke”
(Acts 6:10, NKJV). His words strongly affected
them. His wisdom and anointing made an irresistible impression on them.
Both Paul and Stephen spoke with great
wisdom that came from the Holy Spirit. They had obviously studied the
Scriptures and invested much time alone with God to have such spiritual
understanding and divine favor. They were neither sloppy, unprepared, or apathetic;
their passion and supernatural empowering demanded
that people listen to them.
Like Paul and Stephen, the children of
Judah displayed some fairly impressive characteristics. Look at 2 Chronicles
20:18-22:
Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his
face to the ground, and all Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem fell down
before the Lord, worshiping the Lord. 19 The Levites,
from the sons of the Kohathites and of the sons of the Korahites, stood up to
praise the Lord God of Israel,
with a very loud voice.
Enemies
Destroy Themselves
20 They rose early in the morning and went out to the
wilderness of Tekoa; and when they went out, Jehoshaphat stood and said,
“Listen to me, O Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, put your trust in the Lord your God and you will be
established. Put your trust in His prophets and succeed.” 21 When
he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who sang to the Lord and those who praised Him in
holy attire, as they went out before the army and said, “Give thanks to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is
everlasting.” 22 When they began singing and praising, the Lord set ambushes against the sons of
Ammon, Moab and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; so they were routed.
Try and
imagine yourself as an onlooker. What did the people of Judah do that might
have impressed you?
1. Their humility and sincerity.
They bowed
and gave all the glory to God. Even the most cynical of bystanders are often
disarmed when we choose not to take any credit for ourselves.
2. Their passion and enthusiasm.
Notice how
they praised “with very loud voices” (v. 19b). Also, the way the choir apparently
did not hesitate “as they began to sing and praise” on the front lines gives us
a sense of their enthusiasm. No doubt many of the Israelites following behind the
choir were strongly affected and influenced by their passion (i.e. they were
impressed).
3. Their confidence.
Jehoshaphat
told them to have faith in the Lord their God and in his prophets (v. 20). They
were completely confidant that through Him they would succeed.
4. Their excellence and preparation.
Jehoshaphat
told them what to sing as they began their march toward the Desert of Tekoa. It
was a familiar song Jehoshaphat chose, so they most likely did not need to
practice it. They were already prepared and ready to sing. People don’t want to
hear us practice on them during a worship service.
5. Their authority.
These
singers were not the least bit timid about what they had to share. They knew
that what they were singing was the absolute and undeniable truth that had come
straight from God.
My Daily Praise
When was
the last time you tried dancing before the Lord? Talk about something that
crucifies your flesh. Our bodies despise looking silly, but David did not mind
looking undignified as he danced ahead of the procession that brought the ark
(see 1 Chronicles 15:25-29). This is great praise practice.
My Daily Surrender
Take time
now to ask God to strengthen your determination to impress people for His
glory. Pray now for yourself and for those in your church. Ask God to empower
your words so that you may strongly affect those you seek to lead. Pray that their
faith “might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Corinthians 2:5).
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