Worship is a very sensitive area for Christians. It hits so close to home because it is a heart issue. One sure way to anger Christians is to suggest they are not worshiping God in the proper way. Some people question your salvation if you are not prostrated on the floor when you worship. Others feel like if someone is lying on the floor, the devil must’ve gotten into the meeting somehow. Some feel like real worship consists of being very vocal, with the church “boldly approaching the throne”. Others feel like this would border on being arrogant, and worship should be a very solemn experience.
I’m not so sure there is a right and wrong way to worship because, like I said, worship is a heart issue. People worship in different ways, for different reasons. I’ve been in many different types of worship services, and I believe you have real worshipers and fake worshipers in every one. You have those who are legitimately worshiping, and those who are just trying to impress someone. You can worship publicly and/or privately, with right or wrong motives. The choice is yours. You can burst into a solemn prayer meeting with vigor and exuberance in an effort to show someone that you “have a clue about prayer meetings,” and not bless anyone. Or, for those on the other side, you could go to a “charismatic” gathering and tell them how wrong they are for being so boisterous for Jesus. It may be wise to ask ourselves a few questions. “Would everyone be in a much better place, spiritually speaking, if they would worship exactly like I do? Does my church offer something better? Do we really have the inside scoop on worship? Is everyone at my church worshiping genuinely?”
I believe the key to true worship is for us to be ourselves. We will never experience real worship if we’re trying to look, act, or sound like someone else. “Baby Christians” seem to be especially susceptible to this. Wanting desperately to be loved and accepted by their peers, they will do whatever it takes to fit in and look “spiritual”. If we’ll just place ourselves on the altar (laying down our will and ego), God’s refining fire will burn up the things that keep us from being true worshipers. Certain aspects of worship can be taught, but only the Holy Spirit can make you a real worshiper. And since we are all original and different, we will respond to God’s touch in different ways.
This may be a poor analogy, but I see some similarities between a worship service and a bar room. In both cases, people are seeking affirmation, love, and acceptance. In a bar room scene, people are in pursuit of the feeling produced by natural wine. In a worship service, people are in pursuit of a feeling produced by spiritual wine (the Holy Spirit is referred to as “new wine” in scripture). If every person in either of these places would become drunk with the wine, each one would have a different reaction. People react uniquely to the same wine. You’d think they would all have the same reaction because it’s the same wine, but that’s not the way it works. You react based on your unique personality and programming. I love to watch the Holy Spirit at work during a church service. Some people cry because they are releasing pain, some are crying because they’ve never been so happy, some are getting saved, and some healed, while others are looking for the nearest exit! Same Spirit, different reactions, because people are wired differently. True and intimate worship is not just a fun part-time suggestion, it is a command. “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:23-24 - NIV.
Obviously it is right and good to encourage others to do this, but what that looks like will vary from person to person and culture to culture. The most important thing is that it be real and sincere for each individual.