Romanian Christian Fellowship

One of the great dangers for churchgoers today is conditional worship.  This is the type of worship that appeals to cultural tastes and personal preferences; in other words it’s about me feeling good in the midst of the act of worship.  The question at this point is, who is being worshiped because it often doesn’t appear to be Christ anymore.  The object of our worship has changed to our need or want, and the Lord is simply a means to an end, the path of resolution, not the solution itself.
The mother of James and John, sons of Zebedee, gives us a glimpse into what conditional worship is like.  In Matthew 20:20 she approaches Jesus meekly and after “bowing” before Him, she tells the Lord what she really wants:  a special place in God’s throne room for her sons.  Perhaps she is merely remembering the words of Matthew 19:28, or maybe this is the opportunity to push her personal agenda.

When you and I come to worship, what are we asking for?  What do we really want from the worship experience?  Are we satisfied with Christ receiving all honour and glory or do we desire some for ourselves?  Are there strings attached to the way we pray, to the way we sing, to the way we “do church”, or have we abandoned our personal wants in favor of what He wants?

Understand that true worship is in fact conditional, but the conditions have to do with our attitude in worship, an attitude that must be comprised of spirit and truth (John 4:23).