I read an article about the worship activities of a church that was growing at a very fast rate. The accompanying photo was of the stage area in the church.  It was very dark, with a lot of purple accent lights, and spotlights on the worship leaders.  In explaining the reasoning behind the décor and ambience, a leader said that it helped set the mood for worship. Really? We have to set the mood for worship? Call me old-fashioned, but I believe worship sets the mood.

In Acts 16 Paul and Silas are in jail; they are praying and singing and the other prisoners are listening to them. I suspect that those two guys changed the mood in that place through their worship, not the other way around. I picture the early church, chastised and persecuted, meeting in hidden places and still singing praises to the Lord. Did the ambience of caves and catacombs prohibit the believers from worshiping? 

True worship is not found in the atmosphere of the place but in the attitude of the heart.  I’ve always said that if you can’t worship in a barn you can’t truly worship in a cathedral. I hope that in every church service your heart is filled with worship before the first note is played.  That, folks, makes the music and praise beautiful and a sweet savor unto the Lord.

I understand the importance of music in the modern-place worship setting. It does help us to truly have a “worship” service, but if the music is the determining factor in the quality of our worship, we are barking up the wrong tree.  We must prepare our hearts before we open our mouths.

I’m looking forward to worshiping and praising Sunday.

Bro. Tony