A brother in Christ went to worship one Lord’s Day, and as he was engaging in the song service, he heard the song leader miss a note during the singing, and he cringed. Then he saw a teenager talking when everyone was supposed to be silent in prayer. As the offering plate was being passed around, he felt like the man passing the plate was watching to see how much money he put in, and that made his blood boil! He also caught six grammatical errors in the sermon by actual count. As he slipped out the door during the closing song, he muttered to himself, “Never again! What a bunch of clods and hypocrites.”
On the other side of the coin, a sister in Christ also went to worship on the Lord‘s Day. As she heard the congregation singing a stirring arrangement of “How Great Thou Art”, she thrilled at the beauty and greatness of the song’s lyrics. The singing inspired her to be closer to God. She was glad to see there was a special collection being taken to help flood victims of several Northeastern states. She especially appreciated the sermon because it not only challenged and inspired her to grow spiritually, but it also answered a Bible question that she had pondered for a long time. As she walked out the doors of the church building, she thought, “How can anyone be here and not feel God’s presence?”
Both of the above church members attended worship services on the Lord’s Day, but one went away with a negative attitude, while the other went away on a positive note — motivated and inspired to better serve the Lord.
A prominent evangelist once stated, “Sitting in a church house does not make you a Christian any more than sitting in a hen house makes you a hen.” It is an incontestable fact that everyone who comes to the church building to engage in worship does not come for the same purpose nor do they have the same attitude. A well-known theologian once called going to church, “the greatest spectator sport in America.” The pulpit is even sometimes referred to as “the stage.”
Beloved, if our attitude towards worship is like that of the brother described in the second paragraph of this article, then it’s time to ask, “Why did we go to worship?” So, let’s ask ourselves, “Have I come to truly worship [with the right attitude of heart], or to watch [with a critical eye]?” There’s only one kind of worship that carries the benefit of blessing from the Lord (John 4:23-24).
—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets
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