Jump directly to the Content

A Stronger Heart for Worship

I confess. I've lusted. I've lusted after the kind of church that someone else is pastoring. More than occasionally. Worse yet, I hid my lust by pretending my church was actually better. Or at least just as good.

The object of my lust was worship. I wanted the kind of worship at my church that I saw and heard about at others. I wanted to see people moved by the Spirit during a service. Tears. Joy. Intimacy with God.

I found many people and situations to blame for my unfulfilled desire. It was the board, the lack of musicians, the town, the backward people, the building ("If only I had a larger sanctuary"), the denomination ("Pentecostals don't have this problem").

It was everything, except me.

After all, I had the desire. I was the one who "spoke for God." I couldn't be the problem, could I?

Well, yes.

I didn't openly hinder worship; in fact, I was all for it. I taught that it was a good thing to celebrate God. "Taste and see that the Lord is good" was a text I was familiar with. (I wasn't too ...

May/June
Support Our Work

Subscribe to CT for less than $4.25/month

Homepage Subscription Panel

Read These Next

Related
Leader's Insight: So Much for Excellence
Leader's Insight: So Much for Excellence
With so many churches to choose from, here's a better—and lower—standard.
From the Magazine
I Cried Out to the Name Demons Fear Most
I Cried Out to the Name Demons Fear Most
How Jesus rescued a New Age psychic from spiritual darkness.
Editor's Pick
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
What Christians Miss When They Dismiss Imagination
Understanding God and our world needs more than bare reason and experience.
close