A Divided Church #2

Worship Wars

This is the second major thing that divides many churches today. It is sadly ironic that those two words ('worship' and 'war') are in the same sentence describing one thing.

It is most often divided into two sides: (1) traditional and (2) contemporary.

Although to really spice it up you can divide into a number of other categories...
(3) liturgical
(4) emergent (they have their own style?)

I could go on, but I am trying to make a point. An individual's personal preference is just that... a preference. In other words there is no God ordained style. Or is there?

We accept a Pentecostal style along with a United Methodist style (they are pretty diverse) along with a Presbyterian style worship. Where do we draw the line with appropriate worship, if we draw it at all?

John 4 tells the story of Jesus' interaction with the Samaritan woman at the well. When Christ begins to deal with her about her sinful lifestyle she wants to change the subject to: worship wars!

John 4:19-20 "The woman said to him, 'Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.'" (ESV)

Her issue did not have so much to do with style as it did physical location, but it was still a "worship war" issue.

Choose sides! Do you like hymns or choruses? Do you like responsive readings or testimonies? Do you like bright, well lit sanctuaries or dark, mellow coffee houses?

We so quickly get off on the wrong issue. Jesus brought the Samaritan woman back to the real issue in John 4:21-24 "Jesus said to her, 'Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.'" (ESV)

The true worshipers of God will worship the Father in Spirit and Truth (not style or preference)!