Worship on the Wane

Worship is on the wane. It is in decline and its power is diminishing. There was a time when worship in a service was geared towards congregants seeking Christ's face, and harmonizing their voices in an offering of thanksgiving, repentance, soulful prayer, and more. Now worship is more akin to contemporary Christian music bands getting up on the stage and preforming a concert. The result is not a intimate experience with God in an assembly, and instead worship of the worship team. Suddenly all the Worship Teams want to be the next Steven Curtis Chapman, Michael W. Smith, Chris Tomlin, Hillsong, Third Day, Casting Crowns, Franseca Battistili, Mandisa, Rebecca St. James, and more. Those who earnestly want to worship their Creator and Savior are left unsatisfied, and blocked by those who claim to be the ones who usher people into God's Inner courts.

Worship music is changing, it is on the wane and moving away from Scriptural lyrics, from easy ro remember courses, and beats. There was a time when hymns and songs impacted the worshipper, some examples, "A Mighty Fortress is our God!," "How Great is our God! Come with me and sing..", "Our God is an Awesome God, He reigns with power and love..", "Amazing Grace, How sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.." "Jesus, Jesus, there is just something about that name, master, savior, Jesus, let all heaven and earth proclaim, kings and kingdoms will pass away, but there is just something about that name," "Shout to the Lord! Let all earth and heaven sing, glory and power be praise to the King," "Praise to the Father and praise the Son, Praise to the Holy Spirit, three in One, O praise him! Alleiujah!" These are just some examples of powerful hymns and worship songs that invoke what the Bible says, that are catchy and easy to learn, and that believers can harmonize to.

Now the Worship Music lacks the punch of those hymns and praise songs, and instead sound like they could be song to any god! "We are in the river, bursting, bursting, we see it now..," "The mountains quake, we shake, amazing, awesome, love." "Let rain fall, and my mercy not crumble, I see it, woahhhh! Ooooooo!" There are exceptions, like The Newsboys who did a number, "Holy-holy-holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come! Let all Earth Sing, Praise to the King of Kings," (quotes Revelation and the Gospels); but most of the worship music now has a New Age, mystical, Mother Nature, and generic sound that rarely mentions the name of the God we serve! I even become concerned when too many songs sing, "God loves me," "God is amazing.." Uh, God is a generic word for deity, our God has a name: Jesus Christ, Everlasting Father, Holy Spirit, Trinity, Elohim, Yahweh (in English it read Lord), Adonai (Master), Ishe (Husband), Hashem, Yehovah/Jehovah Nissi, Tsidkinu, Rapha (Lord that Heals), and more. If a Muslim or Hindu was to walk into most worship services they could worship their gods  because the One True God,  Father, Jesus and Holy Spirit is seldom called by His name!

Part of the reason for this watering down of worship is the same reason certain translators are watering down the word of God; they want to be seeker friendly, but at the cost of sound doctrine, "For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear," (2 Timothy 4:3). Worship has been desecrated and sacrilege is happening because those who are suppose to lead worship have compromised, wanted to become famous icons like in Contemproary Christina Music circles, and are so self absorbed they can't get into the presence of God, have Holy Spirit fall or do as one song said, "Take me into the holy of holies, take me in by the Blood of the Lamb!" A real worship leader doesn'ts put on a concert or show, they worship The Father, Jesus Christ, and Holy Spirit, and as they like King David sing unto the Lord, the presence of God descends. To lead worship, a worship leader must be lead by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God must be upon them and that comes when they humbly, wholeheartedly follow Christ's words, "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."(John 4:24).  and a prophecy Christ gives, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." (John 4:23).


We need to take back worship for the Word of God who is Jesus Christ (John 1:1, John 1:14). Enough of this intership to try and become the next Hillsong! We are suppose to believe, "better is One day in your courts, better is one day in your house, than thounsand (days) elsewhere.." Worship is meant to be intimate, powerful, and connecting force to our Creator and Savior. It is a dance, a soul and spiritual phone call to the Lord Jesus, and in worship demons flee, and incredible experiances like Paul speaks of amazing experience, "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know--God knows." (2 Corinthians 12:2). Worship is not being worm before God and wailing (although wailing is acceptable in worship), it is not being haughty and trying to impress with giatar solos and a voice like the lead singer of Casting Crowns. Worship is intimacy with the Creator and Savior. It is to open yourself to the hug, the warm embrace, the connection of your heart with Holy One in Heaven and in your Heart! That is worship, willful connection to the Lord, but some worship leaders hinder this with their egos and songs that are too speedy for anyone save a musican to keep up with and sing. Another problem is that the saints cannot sing before the Savior and harmonize. The aucustics, electric giatar, drums, and voices of the Worship team is so loud that one cannot hear themselves sing without screaming, not to mention being unable to hear the rest of the congregation.  These worship leaders who put stumbling blocks before the saints are like the Pharisees, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the door of the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." (Matthew 23:13). They hinder people from entering the Inner Courts of Christ's presence because they want it to be about them, the worship leaders want to be worshipped instead of Almighty God

We need to fufill the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." (John 4:23). Now is the time! Let us worship in Spirit (God the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit) and Truth (Jesus is Truth, see John 14:6)! Amen.