Let us face reality. Modern worship is more emotion than it is spirit guided. The lights, the music, the words are all geared towards setting the mood. Notice the lyrics in some of our modern worship songs. "la la la la la." Please, I beg of anyone to show me the relevance in this or how it brings glory to God. Modern worship songs are more often than not comprised of watered down theology that offer neither praise to God nor sense to those singing them. There are songs out there that are amazing and do convey our true thoughts to God. "When the Music Fades" is an excellently written song, which is why it's a shame that it's sung by Christian zombies who mindlessly sing songs to God without thinking about what they're saying or how it impacts their life. We've traded in the true worship of God for a song. We've traded in the humility experienced in worshipping God for a feeling, for a moment, for a temporary emotion.

To further my point on this, notice how worship music has its own genre. In other words, what is implied, is that if a song doesn't have a certain sound to it or isn't sung by a self-declared "worship band", well, then it simply isn't worship. God forbid using our talents could be considered worship! I was forced to laugh the other day when I told how a Switchfoot song had helped me to worship God and understand Him more when one of my friends interjected with, "But Switchfoot isn't even a worship band! They're secular now!" Have we really become so close-minded in our thought process as to exclude all "non-worship bands" from worship? I would offer the paradigm that bands that use the talents given to them by God for God's glory are worshipping Him far more than bands who declare themselves worship bands and use emotions to enforce a "good concert." Why must there be a worship genre? Why? If there weren't then how could Christian businessmen make money? after all, they've lost WWJD and the Prayer of Jabez, so they might as well key in on the newest fad in Christianity, worship. We've prostituted the pure things of God. Worship is the final straw. Worship is adoration for God, it is the entire reason we have been created, to worship and bring glory to God. Instead worship has been turned into something that you must pay $15.50 to experience through cd and $20 to experience in person.

Yet the issue becomes even more disturbing when we are now told that the only true way to worship God is by singing about Him. Thus, if you want to worship God, you better have a voice. Too bad for our deaf brothers and sisters in Christ who cannot hear the music nor sing it, for they are now unable to worship God. Now please do not misunderstand what I am attempting to convey. I am not asserting that we cannot worship God through song. Often times I will raise my hands, cry, or be brought to my knees during a "worship" song. However, I am able to recognize that there are other forms of worship other than singing. So why do we limit, or put so much emphasis, upon worship through music? The answer is quite simple. It's the laziest form of worship. I do not say this to knock it, just that it really is the laziest form of worship. Other ways to worship God are to serve others, use your talents, study His word to discover more about Him, etc. All require work and sometimes cause conviction. Singing, however, requires nothing more than moving our mouths and usually brings good warm feelings into our hearts. Many Christians have fallen into a form of hedonistic worship, in that they worship (sing) in order to get something out of it. The mystery of why worship through song is pressed so hard is now explained; it's an easy way to get a spiritual high. Serving is much harder. I had to work at Mission Arlington in August lifting washers, dryers, and other extremely heavy objects. There were only about four other guys helping. At the time, it was hard, and there was some complaining. Yet, after it, and after seeing how it had helped so many people, all of us agreed that we had done a great thing that day. We brought glory to God in our actions, and the feeling we experience was better than the feeling I've had during any song I've ever sung. Yet many do not want to worship God in this way simply because it requires an effort, it requires them to work. This is possibly the saddest issues in modern Christianity.

So what is worship? Worship is anything we do that is meant to bring glory to God. Thus witnessing, serving others, just being a good witness and living the Christian life is worshiping. By this time, some are wondering if they are truly worshiping. Here is a good test. When you serve others, do you get the same feeling as when you sing worship songs? When you read God's Word, are you humbled and cry as when a song touches you at a worship concert? When you witness to someone and they come to the Lord, do you fall to your knees as you would during a praise song? If you cannot answer yes to any of these, then maybe you need to re-evaluate how you worship.