Worship Vs Entertainment

It does not take long to realize that we live in a world built around entertainment. Turn on the television, and there is always something to watch. Pick up your phone, and there is always something to scroll through. Go to a ballgame, and there is music, lights, videos, and entertainment between the action. Everywhere we go, something is trying to keep our attention.

The problem comes when we begin to bring that same expectation into the church.

We have to ask ourselves an important question: Are we going to church to worship God, or are we going to church to be entertained?

There is a difference between the two. Jesus said in Matthew 4:10, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Jesus did not say we are to worship whatever makes us feel good. He did not say we are to worship a certain style of music, a certain preacher, or a certain type of service. He said we are to worship God. That seems simple, but sometimes we make worship more about what we like than about the One we are supposed to be worshipping.

We can get caught up in whether the music was good enough, whether the preacher preached too long, whether the service kept our attention, or whether we enjoyed ourselves. We can leave church talking more about what we liked or did not like than about what God said to our hearts. But worship was never meant to be about entertaining us. Psalm 95:6 says, “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” When we truly understand who God is, our focus changes. Worship becomes less about our preferences and more about His worthiness.

God created us. He gave us life. He has provided for us, kept us, and blessed us in more ways than we can count. Most importantly, He sent His Son to die on the cross for our sins. Romans 5:8 says, “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” That alone ought to give us something to worship Him about.

We do not need a show to make God worthy of worship. We do not need flashing lights, smoke, or a large production to remind us of what Christ has done for us. We simply need to remember who He is. There is nothing wrong with having a joyful worship service. Psalm 100:1 says, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.” We ought to sing. We ought to praise. We ought to rejoice in the goodness of God. Church should not be dead, cold, or lifeless. But there is a danger when entertainment becomes more important than worship.

When we become focused on being entertained, we become spectators. We sit back and watch instead of taking part. We begin asking what the church can do for us instead of asking what we can do for God. Romans 12:1 tells us to “present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” That is worship. Worship requires surrender. It requires obedience. It requires us to place our lives before God and say, “Lord, I belong to You.” Worship is also much bigger than singing a song on Sunday morning. Worship is how we live on Monday. It is how we treat our neighbors. It is how we treat our families. It is how we respond when somebody does us wrong. It is whether we are willing to forgive. It is whether we are willing to serve. It is whether we are willing to obey God even when obedience is difficult.

Jesus said in John 4:23 that “the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth.” God is not looking for a performance from us. He is looking for our hearts. That is something the church must never forget. We can have talented musicians, gifted singers, great preaching, beautiful buildings, and all the latest technology, but none of those things can take the place of genuine worship. Those things may be useful, but they must never become the focus. Jesus Christ must remain the center of everything we do.

The next time we walk into church, perhaps we should leave our expectations of being entertained at the door. Instead of asking, “What am I going to get out of this service?” maybe we should ask, “What can I give to God?” Instead of wondering whether the songs are our favorites, maybe we should think about the words we are singing to Him. Instead of wondering how long the preacher is going to preach, maybe we should ask God to speak to us through His Word. Psalm 29:2 says, “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” That is why we gather.

Church is not another place where we go simply to be entertained. It is a place where believers come together to worship the God who created us, saved us, keeps us, and has promised never to leave us. Entertainment will come and go. A song will end. A sermon will be over. The lights will go off, the doors will close, and the crowd will go home. But God will still be God. He will still be holy. He will still be faithful. He will still be worthy.

So maybe the question we need to ask when we leave church is not, “Did I enjoy the service?” Maybe the better question is, “Did I truly worship God?” For more information about Abundant Grace Church, visit agcsparta.org.