Testing the Spirituality of Worship
by Sammy Tippit

There are many styles and outward forms of worship within the Christian church. Many times we attempt to test the spirituality of worship by the quality of its outward form.

Some think spiritual worship is spontaneous in nature. Others think it should be highly organized and very disciplined. Some feel spiritual worship should be characterized by loud shouts of "Amen." Others think true worship is quiet and meditative. Some like to lift up their hands. Others find that distracting. However, I've met people in each of these categories who are deeply spiritual in their worship of Jesus Christ. And I have met others in each category who are merely performing a religious duty of worship.

True worship can't be defined as traditional or nontraditional. It's even possible to be traditional about our non-traditionalism. Tradition has to do with the repetition of a pattern, not with the essential character of the pattern. The key to true worship isn't in the externals. It's in the purity of our hearts. The worship of Jesus Christ must never become so familiar that we simply go through the motions. Jesus is the One worthy of a pure heart and devotion in our worship.

During the revival of the Hebrides Islands in the 1950s, many believers committed themselves to Psalm 24, an expression of God's directive for worship. The Psalmist begins with a question, "Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place?" (Ps. 24:3). He answers that question by saying that for a man or a woman to be a true worshiper he or she must meet three requirements. First, that person must have clean hands.

Our hands are the most likely parts of our bodies to pick up disease as we go into the world. A Romanian medical doctor often interprets for me when I preach in his country. At the conclusion of the services, we greet the people and shake hundreds of hands. He then always tells me, "Sammy, before we do anything else, we need to have clean hands."

The same is true in our spiritual walk in the world. The world is full of a spiritual disease called sin. Before we come to the place of worship, we must have clean hands. We must right all wrongs and confess all sins. We must see the necessity and urgency of being clean before God. We must not wait until we hear an inspiring sermon. Worship doesn't take place only between 11 a.m. and noon on Sunday morning. Worship transpires daily. Therefore we must not allow any spiritual disease in this world to attach itself to our lives. If we're to stand before the Lord in worship, we must come with clean hands.

Second, the psalmist says we must have a pure heart. The test of worship becomes difficult at this point. Not only must we keep our lives clean in our outward relationship to the world around us, but we must keep our inner lives pure within us. Purity of heart gives us clarity of vision to see God in His greatness and splendor.

I recall the first time I was told I needed to wear glasses. I had lived for more than thirty years without ever knowing I needed glasses. My defect was only a minor one, but when I put my glasses on for the first time, I couldn't believe it. I didn't know the world could be so clear. I would drive down the street in my car constantly taking my glasses off and putting them on. I would chuckle and say, "This is great. The world is so much more beautiful than have ever imagined."

The same is true with the attitude of our hearts. Many Christians have harbored attitudes in their hearts for years that have kept them from seeing God clearly. Bitterness and guilt cloud our view of God. Other ungodly attitudes also cloud our vision of Him. If we're to worship Him in spirit, we must rid ourselves of all of the inward impurities in our lives.

Finally, the psalmist says we must use our tongues to glorify God. The book of James says that the tongue may be small, but it is powerful. It can be the instrument to express worship to God, or it can be an instrument to curse people. If we expect God to accept the sacrifice of praise from our lips, we must be careful to allow our lips to be used only as an instrument of blessing.

How then can we stand in the place of true spiritual worship? Our whole lives must be yielded to the Holy Spirit by the grace of God. David said that the one who can truly stand in the place of worship is "he who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and has not sworn deceitfully" (Psalm 24:4). That is the person who can stand in the place of worship.