Spectators or Worshipers?

by Cleve Stafford

It would be in the interest of everyone who requires church to be entertaining to remember the following: God is not interested in spectators. He is not honored by emotional highs that disappear by Monday morning and remain hidden until some band or light show raises them again the following week. He is not glorified when His people gather to be impressed rather than humbled. When He is not the sole focus, worship is empty and misdirected. If your idea of church is that it must earn your attention, your loyalty, or your praise, then your worship is not of God but of self.

In Matthew 16:24, Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.” Those words are not a slogan but a summons to die. Not to die physically, of course, but to die to comfort, to die to preferences, to die to the idea that the church is supposed to impress you, and to die to the idea that God exists to fulfill your desires. Unfortunately, far too many are demanding exactly that. They want worship services that entertain them, preaching that never convicts them, and ministries that center around their schedules and needs. They want their kids to have fun, to have their emotions stirred, and for their week to feel lighter through motivational speeches.

But they do not want to change. They do not want to repent. They do not want to carry their cross. Yet God is not fooled by their egocentric worship. In John 4:23, Jesus said, “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.” We do not decide what true worship is—God does. The Creator is not seeking passive attenders or demanding consumers. He is seeking true worshippers who gather humbly and lift Him up in praise and worship. In other words, He seeks those who come before Him with reverence, repentance, and obedience.

If we think we can mold God into a version we like better, one that fits our comfort zones, we are deceived. The God of heaven does not conform to culture, and He does not bend to opinion polls. He demands that we conform to Him. So let me ask you again, with urgency: why do you go to church? To be inspired? To be seen? To feel better about yourself? That’s not worship; that’s theater. God is not watching the light show, the band, the choir, the performers, or speeches devoid of any scripture or doctrinal soundness. He is watching the hearts of His children.

If your purpose is to find a place that is supposed to satisfy your needs and desires of God, you are heading down a dangerous path. If you come to church with no desire to submit, no hunger for the life-giving truth, and no intention of being shaped by the Word, then you are not worshiping; you are pretending. God expects more than lip service. He demands a life laid down in obedient reverence. He is not pleased by noise, emotion, or effort that never leads to holiness. And one day, we will give an account—not for how moved we were, but for how obedient we became. So if the answer to today’s questions is anything other than “To glorify the God who gave His Son and demands your soul, your life, your all—then you need to repent before it is too late.”