Entertainment or Edification
Lou Tiscione, Pastor, Weatherford Presbyterian Church (PCA)
In our community and beyond, families who desire to go to church have basically two options. The two options given by contemporary evangelicalism are entertainment or edification. Yet the Bible teaches that the basic attitude for worship is humility. The Bible also teaches that an important byproduct of genuine worship is God’s edification of the worshiper (Psalm 73:16-17; Hebrews 10:23-25). In corporate worship, in the context of the local church, God builds up believers in Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16).
The Psalmist called God’s people to “Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth” (Psalm 96:9). A comprehensive, Bible-based book about biblical worship is, Recalling the Hope of Glory: Biblical Worship from the Garden to the New Creation. The author, Dr. Allen P. Ross, defined worship precisely.
True worship is the celebration of being in covenant fellowship with the sovereign and holy triune God, by means of the reverent adoration and spontaneous praise of God’s nature and works, the expressed commitment of trust and obedience to the covenant responsibilities, and the memorial reenactment of entering into covenant through ritual acts, all with the confident anticipation of the fulfillment of the covenant promises in glory.
Reading Dr. Ross’ long definition causes me to feel the weight of worship. I also note that Dr. Ross’s definition does not even hint at entertainment.
Knowing and feeling the weight of worship is indeed what every believer should experience in biblical worship. We gather before the God who is “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3). We worship the God who has revealed Himself as the God of all glory. We come before Him not in familiarity but in reverent fear of an intimacy that is an acknowledgment of our unworthiness to be in His presence. It is the proper response of a creature to his Creator.
Yet we have heard for years that effective worship services are designed by and for so-called seekers. Corporate worship is subsequently designed to attract people; formatted so as not to offend the unbeliever. We forget that how we worship demonstrates our view of the object of our worship. To worship God in the splendor of holiness requires the act of worship to be connected with the worshiper’s pursuit of holiness. Holy worship is offered by those whom God has set apart. He has commanded Christians to be holy because He is holy (Leviticus 11:44; 1 Peter 1:16).
Even when professing Christians are asked why they go to church, the usual response is, “I go to church to be fed.” Much of the church has, by her actions, taught Christians that worship is all about them. We are told that the church is here to meet people’s needs. Often what is offered as worship resembles entertainment rather than believers engaging with the sovereign God.
Unfortunately, those who design worship with the understanding that God has ordained the way in which His people are to worship Him are referred to as legalists. Yet, worship that is genuine is focused on God. It is an opportunity to hear Him as His word is read publicly. It is an opportunity for God’s people to confess their sins and receive God’s promised forgiveness. In corporate worship God’s people sing together proclaiming God’s attributes and His saving work. The word of God is proclaimed and principles of application given by the preacher so that the Spirit of God would work in concert with the Word to change His people to be more like Christ. Worship is an opportunity for God’s people to express their experience of His providence by giving tithes and offerings to support the work of the Kingdom.
Genuine worship’s byproduct is the edification of the worshiper. Corporate worship that employs biblical elements is a means of grace given by God for believers to be built up in Christ.
True worship is directed to God. It is for Him by His people and in accordance with His word. Jesus said that the Father is the one who seeks worshipers. Men seek something for themselves. God must reveal Himself so that we fall on our faces in humble reliance upon Him. Worship is not entertainment nor should it be designed as such. Christian worship that is biblical is the gathered people of God engaging with the holy One as an expression of their love for Him. This is what God made us for, and He expects His people to be intentionally biblical about our worship of Him.
