Both the Old Testament and New Testament words most commonly translated worship mean to bow down, kneel down, or prostrate oneself. A true worshiper is a submitted worshiper. Self-willed, rebellious, living- in-disobedience worshipers are not welcome before God without first repenting. This especially applies to the mature believers who should know better.

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:19-26)

One of the enduring legacies of “market-church” Christianity is “entertainment worship.” Gen Z and many millennials are turning away from popular churches because they feel the worship is fake. Often it is. Overly rehearsed performances—to the point of rehearsing what is intended to look like spontaneity—produce a worship similar to the multitudes of fake foods that occupy our grocery stores. In many cases these young people are abandoning the contemporary evangelical service for the mystical liturgy of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches.

Leaving one false form for another is not the solution, and all churches need to take a long hard look at what they do and why. This should include fundamentalist churches that pride themselves in traditional worship. “Fake” can be another expression for empty worship—going through the motions without real mental or spiritual engagement in what is happening.

One worship tradition over another is not the test of genuine worship. Both can be fake. Enthusiasm is not a measure either. People can sing the right kind of music enthusiastically and still be nowhere near true worship. Consider some biblical essentials for true worship.

God Is the Object, the Focal Point, of Worship

God is seeking worshipers who worship the Father.

The people on stage must not be the focal point, like an attractional entertainment model. The congregation is also not the focal point of true worship. As I stand or sit in the pew, the worship is not about me. It is not about making me happy, making me emotional, or even making me feel good in some way.

God is not the audience of our worship. We commonly say that, but for that to be true, He would be focusing on us as we perform before Him. God is the object of our worship. He, in all His glory, majesty, power, and in the sum total of all His divine identity is the focus. The mind of the true worshiper is engaged with God and nothing else.

This means that worship is also not the object of our worship. It is hard to try to make our worship better and not make worship itself the focus of our worship. As long as we are trying to produce some specific type of experience we are focusing on the wrong thing.

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