Results of a Choice for Religious Worship
by Sammy Tippit

I'm afraid many Christians experience the same ritualistic worship I did before I repented. Many have gone for years without a freshness in their love and worship of Jesus Christ. When this spiritual dryness occurs, and a person attempts to worship in spite of unconfessed sin in his life, normally one of three things happens.

Some persons continue to have their quiet times and go to church. But they have ceased to worship from rivers of living waters. They stand and worship at the banks of dried-up river beds. They go through the outward motions religiously and with great discipline. But there is no genuine, living, joyful worship of Jesus.

The second group attempts to manipulate their worship experience. They try to stimulate the intellect or the emotions by outward displays of worship. If they belong to a church that is highly organized, they thrust themselves into great labors "for the Lord." These persons are often the ones who experience "burn out" in the church.

Or if they're in a church that is more spontaneous in its style of worship, they might be the ones most moved emotionally. They have mountain-top religious experiences continually but never learn to walk in the valley. They have not yet learned the truth of the words of Jesus, "Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God" (Matt. 5:8).

The third group drops out altogether. There is no real joy or peace in their worship. As a consequence, they begin to criticize others. The blame everyone else for the lack of quality of worship. The preaching is too long, the music is too loud, they are too busy for a quiet time - it is always someone else's fault. Eventually they get tired of being miserable in church and quit attending.

Or they become wearied by a boring quiet time and stop having time alone with God.

These three groups make up an enormous number of Christians in worship services today who aren't experiencing Christian worship. They're worshipping according to the principles of religion rather than the principles of genuine spiritual worship.

The apostle Paul wrote to Christians in Galatia dealing with this same problem. He asked them, "Are you so foolish?" Having begun by the Spirit, are you being perfected by the flesh?" (Gal. 3:3).

It's a foolish thing to think we can continue to grow in our worship of Jesus only by outward forms, ritual, and methods.