tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post486043147519843763..comments2023-12-21T13:04:46.950-06:00Comments on Worship HeartCries: Worship and EntertainmentWorship HeartCrieshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comBlogger97125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-87970722268258283282018-04-04T07:49:33.834-05:002018-04-04T07:49:33.834-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.johnjamshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01619720346171530283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-31179525172042058352017-07-19T10:29:26.229-05:002017-07-19T10:29:26.229-05:00Melissa: Thank you for your comments. Because you ...Melissa: Thank you for your comments. Because you said that you "would like to explore more thought on the role of emotion," I have given more thought and would like to refer you to a new blog post on the subject. Please look for "What About Worship and Emotions" on this site for a more robust answer than I could give here. God Bless.Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-62204652860132402412017-07-11T10:12:52.102-05:002017-07-11T10:12:52.102-05:00I thoroughly enjoyed your post and it was very tho...I thoroughly enjoyed your post and it was very thought provoking. I would like to explore more thought on the role of emotion. While I agree that emotion for the sake of emotion is not worship, there are emotions that well up out of a deep connection with God. I am afraid that we tend to discount emotion as contrived or a surface connection, when it can be a part of the most basic expression of our relationship with God. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01563465154661495406noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-63476344943612103212017-07-05T20:34:50.625-05:002017-07-05T20:34:50.625-05:00Thanks, Ron, for your comments. Our identity and o...Thanks, Ron, for your comments. Our identity and our needs are found in Christ... "The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want..." May God continue to bless you in His ministry!Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-75008033506514226592017-07-03T07:51:03.858-05:002017-07-03T07:51:03.858-05:00What an insightful post! I concur wholeheartedly w...What an insightful post! I concur wholeheartedly with your assessment of how a consumer mentality is so harmful to authentic worship. Getting our needs meet, while legitimate, should not be our primary goal in attending church. As you pointed out, God is fully aware of our needs, and delights in meeting them. Your illustration of the Father bringing gifts is a spot on depiction of far too many Christians today. Thanks for helping us think critically about this issue. Ron Carternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-27843923171243852502017-06-28T19:13:16.719-05:002017-06-28T19:13:16.719-05:00Andrew: Thanks for the note. We live in a "se...Andrew: Thanks for the note. We live in a "selfie" culture, but in worship we must learn to turn the camera around and focus outward on Christ and not ourselves.Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-70168084632310989822017-06-28T18:25:55.735-05:002017-06-28T18:25:55.735-05:00I love the distinction between worship and enterta...I love the distinction between worship and entertainment here. I had never thought of this - the real difference between the two is that worship is focused on God and entertainment is focused on me. This is a hard line for me to find sometimes since I work at a church that is very modern and values a high level of "production" (I don't like that word very much). Sometimes my pastors expect things from me that can feel more like entertainment than worship. However, it is my responsibility as a worship pastor to turn whatever service element that is towards God. Always always always towards God. It's also my responsibility to make connections for the congregation, helping them to see that each element is about God and not themselves. This is a good perspective for me in my current situation. Andrew Binghamnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-33323397436810788912017-06-27T21:20:34.272-05:002017-06-27T21:20:34.272-05:00Thanks, Mark, your concern for worship is encourag...Thanks, Mark, your concern for worship is encouraging!Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-18471259593457471192017-06-27T13:31:18.778-05:002017-06-27T13:31:18.778-05:00Dr. Steele,
Thanks so much for your thoughtful and...Dr. Steele,<br />Thanks so much for your thoughtful and thought provoking post. I appreciated the way you presented the subject and your handling of it. I especially liked the part where you encouraged us to focus on our worship of God and not to try and discern what is going on in the heart of others in worship. You also brought out that worship is not determined by feelings but I would summarize in truth. Like you said in the post our focus should be on God not ourselves. Thanks you for your valuable thoughts on the worship of God.Marknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-36624562734407007152017-06-27T07:12:02.666-05:002017-06-27T07:12:02.666-05:00Thank you, Seth, for the kind words. Join me in pr...Thank you, Seth, for the kind words. Join me in prayer that we can raise up a generation that not only understands what worship is, but practices biblical worship.Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-21652928553827235232017-06-26T22:57:16.933-05:002017-06-26T22:57:16.933-05:00"If we worship God so that our needs are met,..."If we worship God so that our needs are met, we are focusing on ourselves." <br /><br />I love that you said this and then followed it by reminding us of our focus in worship - our Creator. AND that when our focus is correct we still receive what we need. It isn't as if we take our focus off the need it disappears, but when we take our focus and place it on God our concern is for him and not the need. Yet he still takes the need and answers it as we focus and worship him. Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10948917264100626198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-85505522908722662822017-06-26T20:28:40.621-05:002017-06-26T20:28:40.621-05:00Thanks, Joe, for your comments. My desire is that ...Thanks, Joe, for your comments. My desire is that as we gather as the body for worship that we come prepared and with the clear understanding that it is about Him, not us!Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-44035829841590103082017-06-26T16:58:42.251-05:002017-06-26T16:58:42.251-05:00Enjoyed your comments on this quote from Tozer. I ...Enjoyed your comments on this quote from Tozer. I believe you hit the nail on the head in reference to our approach to God, our focus on Him, He is the object of our worship. This is why we can worship as a lifestyle not in a corporate setting. Per the corporate setting, He is still the focused. In conversation with others, the point always comes up with what about me, what's in it for me, I need God for this or for that, seemingly He is just cosmic santa. When we take this attitude to corporate worship we are still self focused instead of vertical focused. Your example with the Daddy & Gift was fitting. Thanks Joenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-52745656778883583222017-04-02T21:48:26.859-05:002017-04-02T21:48:26.859-05:00Jonathan:
Thanks for your post. We do indeed live ...Jonathan:<br />Thanks for your post. We do indeed live in a time of difficulty regarding worship. One thing that I found helpful in dealing with these issues: it is important to recognize what worship isn't and it is important emphasize what worship is. Worship is more than just the music and the style is not really the issue as the focus. Sometimes it is easy getting stuck in the negative without modeling the positive. A strong emphasis from Scripture is "put off, then put on". We desperately need to model biblical worship and teach biblical worship. This is a challenge, but one that is worth the effort. May God continue to bless!Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-59658449550089696112017-04-02T21:47:17.608-05:002017-04-02T21:47:17.608-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-76945253674679025872017-04-02T21:31:06.843-05:002017-04-02T21:31:06.843-05:00Sean:
Thank you for your transparency in sharing....Sean: <br />Thank you for your transparency in sharing. A major victory in learning to worship is being aware of our own thoughts and feelings and honest enough to admit them. I have some blog post on worship preparation that you might be interested in; just type worship preparation in the search bar under the blog title. May God continue to bless!Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-92007059702096637132017-04-02T18:20:37.924-05:002017-04-02T18:20:37.924-05:00Eboni:
Thank you for your post. I am grateful for ...Eboni:<br />Thank you for your post. I am grateful for your sensitivity to biblical worship. Our awareness grows as our relationship to the Father grows. Although there was not room to add about other aspects of worship in the article, remember that worship is much more than just the music. May God continue to bless!<br />Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-20640584410863485872017-04-02T16:49:09.887-05:002017-04-02T16:49:09.887-05:00Dr. Steele, I appreciate this post. This is a very...Dr. Steele, I appreciate this post. This is a very timely topic, many churches today are erring on the side of entertainment in a valid attempt to be culturally relevant. Unfortunately, we have made "worship" a distraction away from God, and turned the attention of the congregation toward the show happening on stage. As a college pastor, I get questioned every year about why we do not attend the Passion conference, and every year I have to explain that we don't go because inevitably we have students who experience "worship" there and begin to associate "real worship" with the feelings and emotions they felt at the conference. The problem is, our churches cant reproduce those services without hundreds of thousands of dollars and world class musicians. The truth is, if a student cant worship God with hymns and spiritual songs--without an electric guitar and Chris Tomlin (I like him for the record)--they aren't worshiping the Lord, they are chasing after an emotional high. At that point, "worship" is no different than a concert.Jonathan Guerrynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-48281750762309755322017-04-02T15:45:30.563-05:002017-04-02T15:45:30.563-05:00Thank you for responding! I agree with everything ...Thank you for responding! I agree with everything you said. I deeply admire your dedication to personally respond to most every message from anyone who responds to this blog. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11482301817740815356noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-85763706118944362632017-04-02T09:58:38.168-05:002017-04-02T09:58:38.168-05:00Dr. Steele,
First of WHAT AN EXCELLENT BLOG POST!...Dr. Steele,<br /><br />First of WHAT AN EXCELLENT BLOG POST! I have struggled with this idea myself for about 10 years now. Even as a college student I boycotted the Passion conference because when my friends would return all they did was talk about how great such-and-such a band was. Of course in hindsight I regret those decisions, but I can see where there was at least some truth in my convictions. But the fact remained I was being judgmental toward those leading worship and those worshiping and not focused on giving God glory during the conference. I still find myself struggling a bit in the church I attend wondering how much of the lights and fog machines are necessary to create an atmosphere of true worship and how much is there for entertainment value. I know that worshiping in spirit and truth begins with my mindset when I walk into the church and no matter what the leader on stage is doing (under most circumstances) I should be able to walk away from the service having worshiped God. This also makes me wonder what worship leaders can do better to make sure the focus is on God and not on the "gift" (wonderful illustration by the way) of worship. Sean Paynehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07325003060665269187noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-74136605153665997672017-04-02T02:57:57.030-05:002017-04-02T02:57:57.030-05:00Hi Dr. Steele,
Thank you for clarifying the differ...Hi Dr. Steele,<br />Thank you for clarifying the difference between entertainment and worship. I agree that worship should not be measured by an emotional response. In my church, the worship leaders make sure the worshipers are focusing on God by saying "it's not about you but it's all about Him." There have been times in my car when a song would come on that was focused on who God is and I would start to worship. I didn't find the song entertaining because I began to reflect on God. There have also been times when a song has come on and it was simply that I enjoyed the melody but I was not engaged in worship. It is easy to respond to entertainment as worship when you enjoy the song.It is easy to enjoy many inspirational songs but I like the distinction you made that "worship finds its center in and on God, His nature and character and what He has done." This distinction will cause me to be more intentional in my worship to ensure I'm not focusing on my needs but God and Him alone.Eboni Johnsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-25944053388206711092017-04-01T20:44:01.936-05:002017-04-01T20:44:01.936-05:00Thanks for the post and your concern. When we trav...Thanks for the post and your concern. When we travel to Cuba, my wife and I teach in Spanish, because that is the language understood. If we are to communicate the Gospel, we must speak the language that is understood by those we are attempting to reach. If I understand your concern, I believe the answer lies in part with motivation. If we evaluate the depth or effectiveness of worship by how much it pleases us, then we have morphed into entertainment. If we evaluate it by our obedient response to what God has revealed in His nature and character, then we are being submitting to what God desires and it brings Him glory, the focus remains on Him, not us. I trust this helps. God bless as you continue in God's work.Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-83015424177835712382017-04-01T19:52:30.680-05:002017-04-01T19:52:30.680-05:00Dr. Steele,
Thanks for your insight. I am a bi-v...Dr. Steele,<br /><br />Thanks for your insight. I am a bi-vocational Pastor at a church that has as Aesthetic worship design. I came from a church that was blended to heavily contemporary in worship style. I sensed that to reach a younger audience, the blended or kinesthetic design of worship was needed. I pray that I have not been guilty of wanting my own needs fed in worship and remembering, "it's not about me, it's about God." Great thought provoking comments.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-53165761839411436082017-03-31T20:37:17.060-05:002017-03-31T20:37:17.060-05:00Atley: Thanks for your post. I believe there will ...Atley: Thanks for your post. I believe there will always be a struggle in this area because it helps keep us dependent on the Father. Though Tozer wrote so many years ago, his insights into worship seem to have been written for today!<br /><br />As for prayer, I share your concerns. Let me put it this way: if we only talked with our spouses when we wanted something from them, I don't think the relationship would even last. God is not our convenient time killer; He is Lord. God. Savior. Judge. Unfortunately, when we use [abuse] prayer as you mention it reflects more on what we think of God, than anything. If a slick transition becomes more of a priority than really communicating with the Father, do we really think our motivations for worship itself are valid? I seriously doubt [at least have hope] that such behavior is not a conscious minimizing of respect for God, but a pattern that grew out of necessity. We don't just turn around one day and treat God that way, but by dozens of little steps. As C. S. Lewis said through the lips of Screwtape: "the safest way to hell is the gentle slope." No, I don't think that doing this means someone is going to hell, but I think it does underscore how Satan works. We can make transitions in worship that don't call attention to themselves, but prayer is to pray, not to be used or abused. We may not be able to change what others do, but we can commit to doing what is right ourselves. Unless we are in a position to change the setup, we can only be responsible for our own actions. We need to be careful not to stand in judgement; we must make sure that our focus in worship. Two wrongs do not make a right. In the meantime, let your own prayerlife be such that God is glorified and hearts are awakened to the power of prayer. May God continue to bless you, your family, and ministry! Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-217550515556691035.post-44240662352451443202017-03-31T19:30:51.535-05:002017-03-31T19:30:51.535-05:00Lynda:
Thanks for the post, and thanks for the tra...Lynda:<br />Thanks for the post, and thanks for the transparency in sharing. The longer I'm in ministry, the longer I teach what I teach, I have to make conscious efforts and ask God to help me focus. If I am not careful I am counting how many times the bridge is repeated more than what God may be wanted me to hear in the text. But praise God, as we ask Him, He will help us. May God continue to bless you, your family, and ministry! Give our greetings to David and family.Worship HeartCrieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04911213966810407256noreply@blogger.com