God deserves to be worshipped. Sadly, there are many in the world today who have no desire at all to worship God. Just as sad, however, is that there are many who desire to worship God, but they do so in an unacceptable fashion. The first example of this is the sad story of Cain. He brought an offering to the Lord, but God rejected it (Genesis 4:1-5).

The story of Cain turned tragic when, instead of doing what was right, he, filled with anger, murdered Abel, his own brother (Genesis 4:8). Cain failed to realize that not all worship is pleasing to God. Jesus taught that acceptable worship must be done in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).

To stay true in worship, we must follow the instructions of our Lord and make sure that both spirit and truth are present in any worship we attempt. To worship God in spirit is to worship Him with the right heart. Our minds must be involved every time we worship God. If we are just going through the motions, not giving any thought to what we are doing, our worship is unacceptable to Him.

Paul spoke of spiritual worship in Romans 12:1. The word spiritual is from the Greek word logikos and means rational or reasonable. Vine’s Expository Dictionary says that the sacrifice to which Paul refers is to be “intellectual, in contrast to those offered by ritual and compulsion.” Staying true in worship is making sure that every song you sing, every prayer you offer, every dime you give, etc., is for the right reason—an attempt to praise God and give Him honor.

Our worship must also be according to the truth, that is, according to the Word of God (John 17:17). It is essential that we stay true to God’s Word when we engage in worship. This is where Cain failed. While we do not know exactly what God commanded Cain and Abel to do, we know that Abel followed the Word of God, and Cain did not. Remember, Abel offered his sacrifice by faith (Hebrews 11:4). Since faith comes from the Word of God (Romans 10:17), we know that God instructed both Cain and Abel. The fact that God accepted Abel’s offering, and not Cain’s, was simply due to Abel doing what God said and Cain not doing so.

True worship is still based on the same criterion today. If you are to stay true in worship, your spiritual service must be done in accordance with the Word of God. There is nothing complicated about it. The problem comes when one allows other factors to come into play when it comes to worship. Some base their worship on what is popular. Today, popular worship is based on emotionalism. Many think that just because there is a lot of shouting and jumping around, motivated by a charismatic preacher and emotionally-charged music, that acceptable worship has taken place. Such is not the case. Acceptable worship only takes place when it involves doing what God says and nothing more.

When it comes to the collective worship of a local church, we read of five avenues of worship (singing, praying, preaching, giving, and observing the Lord’s Supper). All these things must be done according to the Word of God. The Lord’s Supper was observed on the first day of the week (Acts 20:7). Giving was done at the same time, each person putting something aside as they prospered (1 Corinthians 16:1-2). The singing was a cappella, Christians making melody to the Lord with their hearts, not with musical instruments (Ephesians 5:19). To stay true in worship, you must worship the way it is authorized by the Word of God. To do otherwise is to follow in the foot-steps of Cain by taking your own way instead of God’s way.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.