Worship – The Missing Jewel

Today during my quiet time I came across this commentary by Chuck Swindoll. Powerful reading. This encapsulates the reason we started Next Level Worship, LLC. Enjoy!
A.W. Tozer once said, “Worship is the missing jewel of the evangelical church.” Even though decades have passed since Tozer first said it, I’m afraid the jewel, in most places of our world, is still missing. And the tragedy is intensified by the fact that there don’t seem to be many in the church who are looking very hard for it. The jewel, most unfortunately, often remains hidden.
Stop and think. You may have walked through the doors and sat in the pews of lots of churches, as I have. There are formal churches, casual churches, Bible-teaching churches, evangelistic churches, beautiful churches, small, lovely, and even quaint churches. We have seen discipling churches, growing churches, dying churches, busy churches, renewal churches, denominational churches, liturgical churches, independent churches; yes, even a few that call themselves “New Testament churches.” But chances are we can count on both hands (with fingers left over) the churches we attended that were worshiping churches…places where we genuinely sensed the awesome presence of Almighty God…where we left wholly absorbed in the greatness and glory of God.
When I think of a worshiping church, I envision a place where there is balance. A solid message from the scriptures, as well as an accompanying blend of music and prayer with sufficient quietness that exalts the living God whom you came to worship. And along with all that, appropriate, distinct themes of careful thought conveyed through well-chosen words – freedom from clichés, without all the inane side comments and program hype that seem, without fail, to interrupt true worship. I am envisioning, in short, those settings where we encounter the presence of the living God and find ourselves, as Charles Wesley expressed it, “lost in wonder, love and praise.” These are the settings where we can catch a glimpse of the Lord as Isaiah saw Him” “high and exalted” (Isaiah 6:1) When we find such places of worship, we truly have rediscovered a missing jewel.
Excerpt from Let It Shine! Let It Shine! p. 495, The Living Insights Bible