COERCIVE WORSHIP

VERSUS

SPIRIT-LED WORSHIP

 

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

John 4:23-24

“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

 

We all like it when people think like we do. We feel mutually encouraged when we are on the same page with someone else. When we are in agreement with others there is an atmosphere of acceptance and bonding. Unfortunately sometimes we can desire unity in perspective and practice so much that we can be coercive in our relationships and actions.

 

One area this can take place in the Christian’s life is in the area of corporate worship of our Lord and Savior. While worship involves our entire life, music and song often come to mind when speaking of worship within a fellowship of believers. This area of worship is what I would like to address. Worship in song and music can be a very subjective activity. We sing, clap, raise hands, dance, bow our head, stand or sit based on how we feel at the time according to a combination of things that make up our personal Christian experience and our relationship with our Father in Heaven. This combination includes how we came to know Christ, where we are in our spiritual growth process, experiences we have had with others, things God has taken us through, how we physically feel, how we are feeling emotionally at the time as well as how we understand and comprehend the objective truth of God in scripture.

 

Personal worship at home is one thing; corporate worship with others is another. In our personal worship we can have complete freedom in how we express our praise and honor to our God. The Holy Spirit and God’s Word give us instruction in how to worship both personally in private as well as in public corporate worship. In corporate worship we can still express ourselves creatively, but we have a responsibility in a church fellowship meeting that we do not offend or distract others in their worship. We must understand the differences and similarities of personal private worship at home and the shared experience of corporate worship in a local body of believers if we are to worship in spirit and in truth.

 

Worship is a very personal activity whether public or private and therefore has tremendous potential for bonding Christians or fracturing their relationships. Christian relationships can be fractured and traumatized when the desire we have for others to worship like us leads to coercive activities. There are many reasons we resort to coercive tactics. It may be a desire for acceptance or approval. It may be our desire to manipulate and control others. It may be we feel our interpretation of how worship is to be done is the only correct one. Whatever the motivations behind our coercive actions it does not build up the Body of Christ when we dictate in a coercive manner how others should worship.

 

Pastors and elders have a difficult but necessary function within the local church fellowship. They are the shepherds of God’s flock and must make decisions that oversee how worship takes place corporately. In 1 Corinthians 14:40 it says regarding gatherings of Christians for fellowship and worship, “But everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” This means that leaders of a church fellowship who have the authority over how corporate worship is conducted must determine what is fitting and appropriate when it comes to worship. Their authority is based on scriptural instruction as well as the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Sometimes those of us who are not pastors or elders may become coercive in our behavior towards others when we place ourselves in a self-appointed position of authority. While there is nothing wrong with discussing forms and styles of worship in a loving manner, we cross the line when we begin dictating how worship is to take place corporately if we do so in a disrespectful manner and without discussing it with those who are shepherding the flock.

 

What are some ways we coerce others in worship? First, when we communicate to others that they are not worshipping properly because they are not worshipping like we do. Unfortunately this judgment is often made by external examination. They’re not standing or raising hands. They’re not singing or closing their eyes. They’re not physically responding in a manner that meets with our approval. The outward signs of worship behavior can sometimes, but not always, indicate what is happening inwardly in the act of worship in a Christian’s life. The worship we express comes from our heart, mind and soul in response to our relationship with God. This internal source of worship emanates from within us and it may or may not manifest itself outwardly. Those of us who are more extroverted can often be seen expressing ourselves very dramatically in numerous physical ways. Others of us who are more introverted may be turning somersaults and handsprings in our inner most being, but outwardly may appear to be the most stoic of individuals. Possibly extroverted expressive people may need to balance their worship style by seeking at times to be more contemplative. Maybe introverted internalized worshippers might seek to stretch themselves by trying to be more physically expressive in their worship. But each Christian must make these choices as the Holy Spirit convicts them, God’s Word challenges them and personal friends who know them intimately encourage them in a loving and appropriate manner.

 

Secondly we may be coercive in worship by the songs we demand to be sung or in how we wish them to be performed. When we do this we are attempting to manipulate others into a form of worship of our own creation. In such instances we are seeking, not to worship our Savior, but to worship the emotions, physical activities and internal experiences that worship can bring. We may desire to be entertained but not to truly worship. When the performance of music or the experience of worship becomes an end in itself we have ceased to worship our Heavenly Father. We are coercing others to worship through action and activity but not in spirit. We are worshipping “worship” and not the Lord our God.

 

In John 4:24 it says, “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” These verses in the gospel of John lay down Godly guidelines for appropriate expression of worship of our Lord. While they should be applied to all aspects of worship in all areas of our lives, they are especially necessary when talking about the expression of worship in music and song. The words seem simple enough by appearance, but in the explosion of the musical worship experiences we are exposed to today we need to discern what true worship is.

 

What is worship in song to one person is noise to another. What is energizing to one person is distracting to another. What is contemplative worship to one Christian is dull and boring to another. Again we must ask the question, what is worshipping in spirit and in truth?

 

God in his magnificent imagination has created us all in His image, but with infinite diversity. Mankind comes in all sorts of colors, temperaments, sizes and shapes, yet all of us can unite and worship Him in spirit and in truth. While the way we express our worship may be in a variety of styles, using a wide selection of possible instruments and may also involve numerous methods of demonstrative physical expressions; the key to worshipping God in spirit and in truth is twofold. First it involves communing with God inwardly and responding to His love by giving adoration to His name and character through expression of our spirit to His Spirit. Secondly it means doing so in a truthful honest manner based on Biblical guidelines and scriptural instruction. We worship God in song not to impress others, not to achieve an emotional high, not to coerce and manipulate others or our circumstance. We worship God in spirit and in truth because He and He alone is worthy of our worship.

 

Hebrews 10:22 tells us something of the motivation that pulls us to worship God in spirit when it says, “Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” Because we are forgiven and cleansed of our sin we are compelled to draw near to God. We can draw near to God because of His forgiveness and worshipping in spirit and in truth is approaching Him in worship with a sincere heart. When we come with a sincere heart we do not come before Him in worship worrying about what others will think. We worship Him in spirit and in truth because we cannot and should not do it in the flesh. Philippians 3:3 speaks to this when it says, “We who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.”

 

Galatians 5:25-26 gives us further instruction on how to worship in spirit and in truth and how to avoid being coercive in how we deal with others in our worship experience. It says, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.”  Christians are to live by the Spirit by keeping in step with the Spirit, moment by moment. This personal relationship we have with the Holy Spirit will stimulate a worship attitude that will manifest itself in all aspects of our lives. It will also be demonstrated in how we worship God in word and song. It will be especially evidenced by how we treat others as we corporately worship together in our fellowship. Verse 26 of Galatians 5 tells us what happens when we are not keeping in step with the Holy Spirit. We will become conceited in our thinking, having the mindset that we are the ultimate authority on how others should worship. We will provoke others by our words being critical and accusatory of their actions and motives. We will possibly even envy others who are more talented or demonstrative in their worship behavior.

 

Worshipping in spirit and in truth is worshipping the Lord within the boundaries given in scripture as the Holy Spirit leads us down the path to a more meaningful relationship with our Savior. Worshipping in spirit and in truth is being focused on the Lord and all He has done for us. It is not imitating others, it is not seeking attention, it is not trying to get others to worship like we do. It is giving praise and honor to our Lord and King. It is the communion of our spirit with God’s Spirit as we glorify Him.