There have been a couple of moments of worship that have moved me so much that I have raised my hands, my throat was choked with emotions, and tears filled my eyes. I was drawn into a place where I felt so emotionally close to God that my memory was seared.

One moment was at a multiplication conference. The room was filled with hundreds of pastors and ministry leaders from all over the world, and we sang with all our hearts of the glory of God. I was overwhelmed by the emotional call of the speakers to go all-in on Jesus, and the response of so many to abandon their current mode of ministry maintenance to a type that seeks the lost. It had lights and a stage and loud music, and even though I am skeptical of those means of worship, I was drawn in nonetheless.

Another moment was in my car. I wasn’t listening to music or a sermon, and no one else was around. In silence, I worshipped. My heart was racing and my cheeks were soaked in reflection of the glory of God I had just witnessed. This emotional response to God’s movement came after spending time with a faithful widow as she spoke to me of a life spent with God and the eternity she longed for.

Both of these can be genuine, biblical worship. But I must say that I have been moved to tears more often in silence than I have in the arena with thousands of voices and technology aimed at moving your emotions. In the silence, it was the Spirit drawing the praises out of me. In the midst of the band, I sure hope it’s the Spirit.

When I am drawn into the heart of worship, it is more often after a time of service to my neighbors than in a Sunday worship experience. When I sit with the widow, when I feed my neighbors, when I give to those who are in need, when I listen to and spend time with those who are lonely. After those moments, I am moved because in them I have seen and felt the heart of God.

I will forever remember a conversation with an individual who wanted to be a church attendee but could not overlook the cost of showmanship in many of the large churches that surrounded her. I could not fault her. Much of the church budget, time, and attention is spent on a Sunday experience that pleases an attendee. What this onlooker, this outsider, observed is that a cursory look at Jesus and the way his ministry performed was strikingly different than the churches that use his name.

We have to ask ourselves: if Jesus were leading our churches, would he set up this type of Sunday “experience”? Would the worship be a stage and lights? Would we allow him to preach, or would his message be too divisive, too challenging? Would we begrudge the Sunday message with Jesus leading as not being uplifting enough?

Whether intentional or just adopting modern best practices, we have drifted from the heart of worship. It is time for a referendum on worship, redirecting the focus from ourselves and back to God. Worship, properly defined, is a whole-life commitment towards God, offering ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1). Not just in song, but in every area of your life. Therefore, worship is constant. It is not found only in clapping while singing, running the aisles, or raising your hands. It is in turning every part of yourself over to God. It can look like David dancing through the streets praising God. But it also can look like allowing God to guide you through a workday. We are not performing for others, but devoting ourselves to God.

So often in Sunday worship we perform the devotion God desires from us. My desire is that our churches move us to not only raise our hands, but to take up our crosses and have our hears changed to reflect Christ’s own heart.

The church Olga and I are planting seeks to help people find the presence of God in every moment of their lives that they may also turn themselves continually over to God in every area of their lives.

Romans 12:1 (living sacrifice, whole life); Psalm 95, 150 (exuberant praise); 1 Corinthians 14:26-40 (orderly, participatory worship where all contribute); Colossians 3:16-17 (singing, doing all in Jesus' name). Urges shift from self to God.

Thank you so much for your continued support in reading this newsletter. I feel the love!

I love writing and I want to write more. If this newsletter has been helpful for you and you’d like to see it continue, I ask if you’d consider becoming a monthly contributor to supporting the cost of running this blog.

Any help you give will only increase my ability to produce better content and hopefully build a better community on this platform. Click the link below to check out the sponsor page.

If you liked this post, or you feel like it would start a good conversation, please share this with your friends and ask them to subscribe.

It would help me a lot. Thanks for reading! 

New videos coming out weekly: https://youtube.com/@thejacobhayward?si=JHgwOjGP_-FwY3l0

Follow me on X for newest updates: https://x.com/thejacobhayward?s=21