What you\u2019re about to read is a true story.<\/p>\n
In one worship service, actual fire came down from heaven. The whole area was pulsating with God\u2019s glory and effusing with smoke, making it impossible for anyone to enter the building. Instead, everyone was standing outside \u2014 hundreds of thousands of people! Every single person fell down when the heavenly bolt exploded into view, and they all shouted in worship: \u201cFor he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever.\u201d The service lasted for a solid seven days.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a true story. (You can read it in 2 Chronicles 7, and 1 Kings 8.) I think it\u2019s safe to say that those people were engaged in worship. Really engaged. So, how do we do it in our churches today? With the absence of fire from heaven and a theocracy that requires one\u2019s presence at the service, how can we create an engaging worship service?\u00a0The reality is, we can\u2019t create a perfect worship setting. It doesn\u2019t matter how comfortable the chairs or how expensive the sound system. You don\u2019t get to pull the levers and push the buttons to produce an ideal worship service.\u00a0Only God can do that. Nonetheless, there are things that we should do in worship that better facilitates true worship.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Attract People\u2019s Attention toward What Really Matters<\/strong> To battle this attrition of attention, we as church leaders must work hard at gaining the attention of the congregation? How do we do this? Conventional tricks include slapstick humor, loud music, viral videos, or some slick adaptation of a pop theme in a church setting \u2014 like a sermon series called \u201cBreaking Bad\u201d that\u2019s about breaking the power of sin, get it get it?\u00a0That can be trite, not to mention, irreverent.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Instead, there are ways to attract attention that are both respectful and workable. Here are three suggestions:<\/p>\n Remember, attracting attention, isn\u2019t about building more pizzaz for the service itself. It\u2019s about focusing that attention on God, the sole object of our worship.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Eliminate Distractions<\/strong> <\/p>\n Encourage Openness<\/strong> The problem comes when we experience a sense of entrapment in a certain style of behavior for worship. Too often, this behavior does not come from a Godward heart, but from the prescribed conventionalism of our setting. I had a friend whose personal expression of worship was to raise his hands while singing and praying. At his church, his conservative brothers and sisters were so distracted by his movement, so he simply moved to the back of the church where his raised hands weren\u2019t as noticeable.<\/p>\n I appreciate the respect he had for their scruples, but I also wish he could have been free to raise his hands right up in that worship service \u2014 and that his brothers and sisters could let him do it without too many stares, whispers, or shocked expressions.<\/p>\n As much as possible, be open to various expressions of worship. It\u2019s not up to us to say \u201cYou\u2019re doing it wrong!\u201d God has set some clear parameters for worship, but he leaves a lot of freedom, too. Some people engage in worship best if they close their eyes and raise their hands. Some people engage in worship best if they stay seated. Some people engage in worship best by using their iPhone to take notes during the teaching. So be it.<\/p>\n Your goal is not to have all the people behaving the same way. Your goal is to invite people to worship the King \u2014 whatever that looks like individually.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Provide Reflection<\/strong> Worship doesn\u2019t need to be an endless flow of sound, stimuli, and experience. It can include quite moments of corporate solitude and reverent restraint. Don\u2019t be afraid of the silence.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Teach Well<\/strong> Engaging in worship isn\u2019t about getting the lighting right, the volume perfect, or somehow happening on that special moment where you get all tingly and goosebumpy. Those are fine moments, and I hope you have them. But to really engage in worship both spirit and truth must be present.<\/p>\n The burden falls upon pastors to convey that truth as it is explained in God\u2019s Word. How does one teach well? To start with, explain what the Bible says, with honesty and simplicity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Pray often.<\/strong> Keep prayer front and center as you worship. Pray between songs. Sing prayers. Be prayerful in your worship, and worshipful in your prayer, because worship and prayer are inseparable.<\/p>\n We can\u2019t coerce people to worship God. And we shouldn’t try. We can, however, exalt God as best we know how.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What you\u2019re about to read is a true story. In one worship service, actual fire came down from heaven. The whole area was pulsating with God\u2019s glory and effusing with smoke, making it impossible for anyone to enter the building. Instead, everyone was standing outside \u2014 hundreds of thousands of people! Every single person fell […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11032,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spay_email":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[4144,4153],"tags":[1921,1846],"class_list":{"0":"post-11031","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-worship-ministry","8":"category-worship-resources","9":"tag-engage-worship","10":"tag-worship-tip"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/blogrouting.sharefaith.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/12\/12.12.13-Engage-in-worship-480.jpg","jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nIf there were such a thing as a meter for measuring mind-wandering, worship services would probably register off the charts. In a worship service, we sing familiar songs, and hear familiar words. It just seems so boring sometimes. Even an \u201cexciting\u201d worship service can slowly drift into the pattern of same ol\u2019, same ol\u2019. Besides, when we sit down in a room in a moment of relative quietude, our minds instinctively wander, not worship.<\/p>\n\n
\nAh, distractions. How they devour perfect moments! Many people tend to have a low tolerance for distractions. A baby\u2019s cry, a dropped hymnbook, an unmuffled sneeze \u2014 these constitute \u201cdistractions\u201d in some people\u2019s experience. Whether or not these are really distractions isn\u2019t up to us to decide. What is up to us is to provide, as much as we can, a distraction-free worship setting. Simple things like appropriate climate control, comfortable seating, and a well-rehearsed worship team can go a long way toward preventing \u201cdistractions\u201d from occurring.<\/p>\n
\nThe thing about worship is, as grand as it is, there\u2019s no single \u201cright\u201d way to do it. Obviously, things must be done in a reverent and appropriate way, but there is no worship manual that mandates the raising of one\u2019s hands, stipulates a dress code, or describes the right words to say. We are free to worship in spirit and in truth.<\/p>\n
\nIn the hectic pace of our busy life, we don\u2019t often take time to be still. One of the best ways to help people really engage in the worship is to allow them to just sit there and contemplate God\u2019s majesty, to identify the needs of their heart, or simply to allow God to impress upon them His character and greatness.<\/p>\n
\nLet\u2019s not forget that \u201cworship\u201d includes teaching, too. Engaging your congregation in worship is a matter of teaching them about worship. Often, we assume that we all know what worship is, how it\u2019s done, and what to think about it. But then we start nibbling at some passages (like John 4 and Revelation 4), and we think, \u201cOh. Wow. Huh. Okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nI\u2019ve included this last in the list, not because it\u2019s kind of a compulsory Christian thing to do, but because it\u2019s probably the most important element of discussion. Underlying an act of worship is a heart of prayer. It\u2019s fascinating to see in Scripture how \u201cworship\u201d and \u201cprayer\u201d are mingled in a solution, where it is impossible to distinguish one from the other. It is appropriate to call some worship \u201cprayer,\u201d and to call prayer \u201cworship.\u201d<\/p>\n