Have you ever considered the power of music? Do you ever hear a song on the radio or on television that immediately transports you to the time you first listened to the song?
I’ve experienced this myself. I’ve always been a musical person, and there is a lot of music that has marked various periods of my life. I may not be able to tell you what I had for lunch yesterday, but there are a lot of 90s gospel, R&B, and hip-hop lyrics that I could recite at the drop of a hat.
Music also plays a big part in our worship gathering on Sundays. Those of us who have grown up in church have memories of baptisms, funerals, testimonies, Easter services, and other events where we encountered the presence of God.
Any time that we gather together is vitally important for us.
Hebrews 10:24-25 says: Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
When we come to church, it is a place where we can love, encourage, serve each other and instruct and be kind to one another. As people who believe in Christ, we should want and desire to worship God and fellowship with other believers.
We can certainly worship God alone. It’s necessary and essential for us to have time alone with God through prayer and reading his word. Coming together for corporate worship is something beautiful, though.
I remember going to my first large conference. I don’t remember what conference it was, but it was in a vast convention center. Several thousand people there and when we started singing, it was amazing. I’m used to being in a small church, so being surrounded by so many other believers singing and worshiping our Lord was amazing.
Unfortunately, we often spend too much time in our own feelings. Sometimes we seek our own preferences more than we look for doctrinal alignment. We often want to go to church to be entertained and catered to. If the church doesn’t create an environment that stirs our emotions, folks will find another church, and when that church doesn’t satisfy, they find another and another.
Our worship is in response to what God has done for us. It’s our gratitude for his love for us. Our heart of thankfulness is expressed through worship and brings God glory.
Church is NOT primarily about your preferences.
If we’re asking the question, “Does this please me?” when it comes to worship, we’re asking the wrong question.
We should be asking, “Does this please God?”
Sunday morning is not the time for us to be self-serving. We must be God Serving! Worship in the Bible always includes sacrifice and making ourselves low just as God is on high. If our preferences govern our ABILITY to worship, then we worship ourselves instead of God.
Your worship and adoration should not be conditional based on your personal preferences for music style, preaching style, carpet, or wall colors.
The Spirit causes true worshipers to long to come together with other believers in order to honor Christ. If God’s Spirit doesn’t stir your desire to worship God both privately and corporately, you need to ask God to show you why and reveal what’s going on in your heart.