Heart of Worship: Preparing for Nothing

[Preached by Pastor Kenneth Chin at Acts Church Malaysia on 9 April 2017]

Imagine having only a guitar without the rest of the band, no song lyric projections, and no choir.

Read| Acts 16:16-34

In relation to the above passage and our perception of ‘worship’ as a whole, we can ask ourselves four very important questions:

How do we feel in worship?

Worshiping with only a guitar or with no music at all is comfortable for us during prayer meetings and our own devotional times, but worshiping during Sunday service without a music band and projected lyrics might be awkward for some of us.

We need to ask ourselves what our worship is founded on, in the absence of all the music, projection and visual aids.

Paul and Silas worshiped God in jail! Beaten and persecuted, they still prayed and sang hymns to God (Acts 16:25), and the power of God came down in an earthquake (Acts 16:26).

“We need to be able to worship with or without frills, because true worship happens in spirit and in truth.”

Can we worship whenever?

Some of us might find it hard to worship, as we are too dependent on music and projection of lyrics to set the mood. The most important instrument to God is our voices – even without external trappings, we should be able to worship, because worship is all about focusing on God.

There is no specific setting or way to worship! Paul and Silas were able to worship even during hard times in a prison – a mark of good discipleship. True worship is unto the Lord, it makes no difference where we are.

Can we worship without external trappings and modern equipment? The answer is yes. In fact, we can and should do it wherever we are!

Do we know any of the songs by heart?

If we think that worship is just a 30-minute thing on a Sunday morning, then it is no better than ‘gospel karaoke’. Worship should be a lifestyle –enough that we memorise the lyrics of some of our favourite worship songs to be able to use them every day, not just sing them on Sundays.

What is true worship?

True worship transforms us and this leads to witnessing – we should be a blessing to those around us!

Read| John 4:39

In John 4:39, many Samaritans came to believe in Jesus because of one Samaritan woman’s testimony.

Worship must be first in our walk with God, because it focuses us on God.

“When we get our worship right, everything falls into place.”

It is not enough to have merely a form of worship, we need its power to transform our lives.

Written by: Writer’s Ink
Edited by: Ivy Wambaa & Hailey Chung