White Elephant Worship

Have you ever bought a gift for someone and been disappointed by their reaction to it? You thought your gift would make a big impression, and instead, the person didn’t want such a gift at all! In fact, it might come back to you at next year’s white elephant party.

I’d encourage you to think of worship in similar terms. Each week, the body of Christ gathers in small, local assemblies to offer the sacrifice of praise to God. Together, we sing, pray, preach, and read Scripture. Have you ever stopped to ask if God is pleased by your worship?

It may surprise you that God hates some things done in worship. Leviticus 10:1-3 powerfully illustrates this principle. Nadab and Abihu were the sons of Aaron, the high priest of Israel, and had a birthright to serve as priests in God’s tabernacle. They took up firepans to offer incense which the Scriptures describe as “unauthorized” (Leviticus 10:1). When they did so, “fire came out from before the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD” (Leviticus 10:2). Nadab and Abihu, and all Israel, learned that day to worship God only in ways that he authorizes. To do otherwise stirs his wrath, not his pleasure.

Jesus gave two simple principles for discerning God-authorized worship: “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). First, Christian worship is in spirit. God, by nature, is an invisible spirit. Therefore Christian worship is spiritual. We might also call it “simple” or “plain.” It appeals to a man’s soul, not his senses, and therefore, does not have an elaborate ceremony. It doesn’t use pictures, images, candles, and incense because they violate God’s will for worship.

Second, Christian worship is in truth and must be according to God’s standard, not mine or yours. Too often, we reduce arguments over worship to the preference of style. Should we have a guitar and drums or just a piano? Instead, we should begin by thinking about the substance of worship. Are the words we preach, pray, and sing to God biblical? Are they theologically accurate?

If a church has a bad style, it probably also has lousy substance. The words to our music are vain and self-centered rather than centered on God. If we begin by ensuring the substance of our worship is right, the style of worship will likely follow suit.

Everything we do in worship should have the authorization of Scripture. We preach, pray, sing, read the Scriptures, offer the call to worship and benediction because the Bible says to do those things. Including anything that doesn’t have the authorization of Scripture should not happen in worship, and to do so shows a disregard for the person to whom you are offering worship.