The Aim of the Worship Service
There is one important aspect of worship that I have, thus far, merely danced around. We know that God alone is to be worshipped. We know that worship engages the mind. We know that the whole service is a worship service. We haven’t yet answered the aim of this service.
We live in an entertainment-driven society. Our highest paid individuals are not those who produce, but those who entertain – actors and sports stars. The principles of entertainment have eased their way into our worship. Instead of a chancel we have stages. Instead of a choir we have praise bands. The quality of worship is often measured in terms of the quality of their performance. Brothers, these things ought not be.
The aim of the worship service is to give to God the glory He so richly deserves. This is accomplished by means of “performance”, but not in the sense that it is done today. The “audience” in church is not the congregation, but God Himself. The “performers” in a worship venue are the worshipers. The function of the leadership is not to perform, but to direct the performance. We do not currently understand this in most churches today, as evidenced by the applause that follows the singing. When we “applaud”, we “apply laud”. That is, we offer praise. Thus to applaud a musical performance is to offer praise to the musicians. Yet we have already seen that the function of worship is to offer praise to God alone.
Therefore, the aim of the worship service is to direct the worshipers to God. This is accomplished in word and song. It engages the mind before it engages the emotions. This type of service teaches and admonishes, wit one of the results being the emotional response to God. It aims to focus the attention of the congregation on God, not on those directing the worship. And it removes those things that are not specifically commanded by God. This would include primarily the concept of “entertainment” that has so pervaded modern worship services.
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