The Definition Of True Worship
“I didn’t get anything out of worship today.” I’ve said it. Maybe you have too. It’s a familiar phrase in Christian circles. But the more I reflect on it, the more I realize that statements like that say more about me than they do about the worship itself.
In a time when church experiences are widely available and easily critiqued, it's tempting to treat worship like a product for our consumption. Loud music? Too much. Too quiet? Boring. Not enough hymns? Too many hymns? These reactions, while understandable, miss a crucial truth about what worship is actually meant to be.
Worship is not about us. It’s not about me.
The Misunderstood Nature of Worship
Over time, many of us have subconsciously started equating worship with a few specific things: the music set, the mood in the room, the aesthetics, or even the order of service. We complain when it’s too loud or too flashy. We long for the simplicity of past traditions or crave a more “modern” experience.
These opinions are common and they’re human. But they also reveal something deeper: a view of worship that centers around personal preference rather than divine purpose.
When worship becomes about what we prefer or how we feel, we start forming a theology that is preference-driven rather than scripture-driven. The result? A kind of worship that revolves around the self, not the Savior.
Worship Isn’t a Moment—It’s a Life Posture
One common misconception is that worship starts and ends with a service. That it’s the 20-minute music set before the sermon. But according to the Bible, worship is far more expansive.
In Romans 12:1, Paul urges us to “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, this is your true and proper worship.”
Worship is how we live, how we love, how we respond to God in every aspect of life. It’s not a segment; it’s a lifestyle.
When Preferences Become Idols
There’s a warning tucked inside the way we cling to our styles and structures. The sermon asked us to consider: what happens when our definition of worship no longer aligns with God’s definition in Scripture?
We risk turning our preferences into idols.
Exodus 20:3 says, “You shall have no other gods before me.” That includes gods of tradition, taste, or even nostalgia. Isaiah 42:8 echoes, “I am the Lord, that is my name; I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.”
If we’re more concerned with how worship makes us feel than whether it honors God, we’ve missed the point.
Only One is Worthy
The heart of biblical worship is this: only God is worthy.
Joshua 24:15 challenges us to choose—who will we serve? Our comfort? Our culture? Or the one true God?
Romans 1:25 warns us about the tragic exchange—worshiping created things rather than the Creator. When we prioritize our preferences over God’s glory, that’s the exchange we make.
Worship, in its truest form, is a response to who God is. It's not rooted in emotion or ambiance, but in truth and surrender.
Developing a New Theology of Worship
So what does a healthy theology of worship look like?
It starts with God. Worship begins with recognizing who God is: holy, loving, just, and sovereign.
It’s formed by Scripture. Not by culture, tradition, or the industry of worship music.
It requires surrender. If there's anything we’re holding tighter than we hold to God’s truth. Style, emotion, or format, we need to let it go.
Moving Forward in Freedom
Worship is not a formula to get a spiritual high. It’s not about emotional manipulation or aesthetic environments. It's about laying down our lives, our preferences, our egos, and even our expectations, and declaring that God alone is worthy.
When we reframe worship this way, we find a freedom that can’t be manufactured by lights or lyrics. We step into a kind of worship that transforms not just our Sunday mornings, but our entire lives.
