Read: John 4:23-24, Acts 19: 11-16, 2 Chronicles 16:9
“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)
In our present day culture we are seeing a lot of entertainment rather than worship in Christian circles. Now, some things may come to mind when you read this. For instance, lights, big screens and big productions. These are not all bad if done with the right heart. If we remember, in the Book of Exodus the magicians did some of the same acts that Aaron did with his staff (Ref. Exodus 7:10-11, Exodus 7:20-22, Exodus 8:6-7). Both things can look the same but one may have the right heart behind it and the other may not. As Christians we are supposed to exercise our discernment. Doing this comes with maturity in the Christian walk (Ref. Hebrews 5:14) and will help you to know right from wrong. In order to do this we need to be praying for discernment in the first place. This should be of high priority in a Christian’s prayer life.
Entertainment is seemingly taking over the genre of Christian/Gospel music in our culture. Sometimes it’s subtle and sometimes it’s right in your face. Generally speaking, a lot of the new age worship that glorifies self rather than the Lord comes from a slow fade over the years. Satan is not omniscient with his demons therefore he cannot be everywhere. If he can get you off track and let you go the rest will take care of itself. He will then move on to bigger targets.
I am reminded of the story in Acts 19 where the seven sons of Sceva attempted an exorcism and failed miserably. “Now God worked unusual miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out of them. Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ Also there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” (Acts 19:11-16)
Does Satan know who you are? The seven sons of Sceva were zero threat to Satan and his demons. They thought they could replicate what Paul was doing but they were sadly mistaken. Relating this Bible story to the topic of this post we see that all of these entertainers on platforms are also zero threat to Satan. Trying to conjure up something through entertainment or any other means will never yield good spiritual fruit. Satan is not worried about you when you are entertaining during worship rather than ministering to the Lord. American Christianity sometimes portrays a stardom mentality anymore and it’s not leading people in the right way. A lot of worship leaders, singers, and instrumentalists seem more concerned about their style, presentation, immodest clothing and many more things rather than getting into the presence of God and worshipping in spirit and truth. Additionally, it appears as though people are putting too much emphasis on worship rather than the Word of God. Yes, worshipping God is what we are commanded to do but that needs to be an outflow of our hunger for God’s Word which leads and sustains us in this life. The Word of God comes first. We must filter it all through the lens of the Bible and we need balance as Christians. Does Satan know who you are (because of your genuine relationship with Jesus) or are you like the sons of Sceva that were zero threat to Satan and his demons? Much of the new age movement in the Church we are seeing today is in fact zero threat to Satan. This is why power from on High is not in full effect in these churches.
American Christianity has glorified worship leaders when they should be looking to Jesus only. Don’t get me wrong, there are wonderful men and women of God out there that lead worship and serve on worship teams at some wonderful spirit led Bible based churches. I think it is important to ask ourselves this question- are we entertaining or are we worshipping in spirit and truth? Remember, Satan isn’t worried about entertainers. You have zero power in the spirit and Satan isn’t trying to stop you because you are already on the wrong path. However, if you worship in spirit and truth expect opposition and blessing. God will work in the genuine worship and do wonderful things for His glory and honor. It may not always happen right away (although it can-God is not in a box) but in due time you will see a true and lasting fruit that will not fade. Will it be easy? Maybe not, but it will far exceed anything you could have done on your own in the name of entertainment.
Are you a worship leader or on a worship team as a singer or instrumentalist? Are you worshipping in spirit and truth or are you more focused on entertaining people and having them look at you rather than the Lord? This is a good question to consistently ask ourselves before we partake in ministry anywhere. After all, we are all in the flesh and need to be on guard. God is faithful to help us when we call on His Name. We all need the Lord.
God is looking for those who are fully committed to Him! Continue to seek Him daily and He will direct your paths.
May His Name be praised!