The Importance Of True Worship

 My recent trip to Arizona took me to church in Tempe and in Prescott. It was interesting to note the difference between church services in Texas and church services in Arizona. In Texas we are about emotion and excitement. In Arizona it is about the Holy spirit and heart-felt worship. We hype the song and repeat the song over and over and when it is time for the church to vocally worship it is weak and quiet and short lived. In Arizona the church worship is louder and longer and deeper than ours is.

Emotionally stirred is not the same as Spirit filled. Rattle is not revival. The real test of worship is what happens when the music stops and the people open their mouths in praise to God. Real praise is vocal, not hand clapping.  Real praise is spiritual, not emotional. No one has to stir up or hype the Prescott church to get them to worship. They know how, and when, and they do it unaided.

Pastor Mitchell used to preach on worship often. He saw the threat coming from the religious world and he saw the need to clarify what worship is and to protect us from what it is not. It seemed strange to me when pastor Mitchell would preach on worship. But now that I am here I can see better why he felt that worship was important and why he felt the need to defend true worship from error.

Not everything is spelled out clearly in the Bible. I have my experience to guide me and I have seen what happens in real revival. Worship based on discredited church groups and their false doctrine songs is a recipe for deception. Singing a lie may make it pleasing to the ear, but it is still a lie. Basing our worship on religious radio and singing songs written and preformed by unsaved people is not the way to worship a risen savior.

PS: no one where I recently was stands during the worship service until the song leader has them stand towards the end. It is not spiritual to stand for the entire song service. I have been brought to my feet by good music and by great ministry. Give me a reason to stand and I will. Or else I will stand because y'all do.

Let God be true, and every man be a liar. Amen. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!