The Exaggeration of Grace. We live in a world and a time where people can escape evil. What was once shocking now has entertainment value; what was once bad and harmful must in some cases be tolerated, and tolerance is now a necessity. We see in the media how an innocent word or comment can offend certain groups of people when taken out of context; we see how everyone seems to be making an effort to be nice in the name of political correctness. People learn that it's not right to offend anyone and it's not okay to feel offended. It also has an effect on the way people worship God. People will find it easy and right to love and worship a God who is merciful and merciful to them: a God who does not offend moral standards and a God who is kind to sinners. And when there is an unbalanced focus on God's grace, many struggle to understand how a benevolent God can send people to hell. A merciful and good God is easy to worship, easy to love and easy to welcome. He is friendly and harmless. It is also a kind of idolatry because it causes people to create a false image of God in their minds: a God they want for themselves. When songs speak of God's comfort, forgiveness, and unconditional love, people tend to be more engaged in the song than when songs speak of His sovereignty, justice, and holiness. It is also easy to worship Him when things are going well, but He is always worthy of worship when He is holding something back or allowing suffering to develop. He is worthy of worship even when we feel the pains of His discipline because of our sin. The problem with exaggerating grace is that it contradicts the very nature of grace. Michael McClymond puts it best when he says, “the effort to extend grace to all people ends up undermining grace to all people.” The culture of life here and now. Thrill seekers are very familiar with the acronym “YOLO” (You only live once) and many people make it a slogan to follow. Life should be lived with passion, and as time flies, it is important to enjoy and not miss the precious moments of life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay However, it is dangerous to focus only on the present and not have an eternal perspective. God has placed eternity in the hearts of men; there is a natural desire for the idea of ​​eternity, that there must be more to life and even after. Unfortunately, people can get so caught up in the excitement of the good things happening in their lives that they no longer look forward to an unimaginably better life in heaven. At the other extreme, people may feel stuck in a moment of hopelessness or depression and have no hope for the future. Both extremes will affect worship because they can cause a person to adopt a naturalistic view of the world. For a naturalist, life is focused only on the present, only on the natural. Although many people call themselves believers, the sad truth is that these same people may be living as naturalists. Modern times have taught people to enjoy the conveniences of the world brought by advancements in science and technology. If left unchecked, it can lead to a lack of need for God. In the same way, the difficulties and evil of our times can also bringno one to question the existence of God. Who needs God when everything is within your reach? How can we hope for paradise when this world becomes more and more attractive and comfortable? How can you say God is real when there is so much evil and suffering in the world? It is frightening how times have shown how Christians turn to atheists simply because they do not have an eternal perspective. In Albert Mohler's discussion of the natural mind, he uses three conditions of Charles's belief: from a time when disbelief in God was impossible, to a time when there is a possibility of disbelief, to an age where it is impossible to believe. We seem to be living in the third condition, and for worship ministry it will always be a challenge how to get people to worship when there is a threat of unbelief. The culture of consumerism. As the cult of self has increased in the recent past, so has the culture of consumerism. In an effort to be relevant and improve attendance, churches may tend to undergo changes and these changes manifest themselves in the way worship is celebrated at the church. To maximize the worship experience, many churches think about what people want, treating the congregation as consumers with a vested interest in the goods they offer. Some churches have adapted the way they worship during Sunday service. Now lights, stage design, choreography and many other gimmicks are part of planning and executing a worship experience, all intended to appeal to the interests of the congregation and those they serve. to reach. This has also led people to view church as a store, and the decision about which church to attend and commit to may be based on where they can get the best "deals." Which church is more attractive, livelier, has more programs, and has nicer staff? And with these things on people's minds, it is possible that churches will behave like competing stores in the same mall. Because of their numbers and influence, megachurches are at the forefront in setting standards for stage design and presentation. The Sunday services seen in the videos increasingly resemble concerts and dance clubs rather than church. Churches used to be a place for families and people of all ages and backgrounds. But who can see that with all the dim lights and fantastic light shows? These days, people seem to judge the success of a worship experience based on audience appeal and the use of modern technology to enhance the experience. I believe that churches can and should do their best to offer the best worship to the Most High God, whether using musical instruments, lights, dancing, etc. But one must be careful in using these things to ensure that they do not distract from the main point of worship: giving glory to God. Ultimately, what leaves the most impact on the congregation? Is it an encounter with the character of God or the truth of his word? Or is the congregation impressed by the whole technical presentation? In addition to faulty cultural worldviews, issues related to dualism also challenge worship ministry. There is a deep divide between the secular and the sacred among some people in the Church. Christian or secular songs? Some churches strongly encourage their members to listen only to Christian music, because musicThe profane can contaminate minds with his impious and suggestive words. However, it is undeniable that some secular songs have clear, well-written lyrics and catchy melodies. And the problem arises when Christian artists take a secular song, “wash out” its secular lyrics, and replace the lyrics to contain a Christian message. Some examples are Fix You by Coldplay and Perfect by Ed Sheeran. Both are massive hits from very popular secular artists. Christian artists seem to take advantage of the popularity of these hits, so they change the lyrics and use them to spread a gospel message. These and a few others are easily accessible via Youtube. Young Christians in the Church see it as a safe choice of songs and feel less guilty, even if these songs are clearly of secular origin. I believe the Church must teach its members to be wise in choosing good music, not based on the labels "Christian or secular", but based on the qualities they can use to evaluate the music or the artist. Christian artists also need to put more effort into creating original material. After all, as image bearers of God, they are meant to reflect originality, creativity, and excellence in music creation or lyric writing. Christian or secular musicians? Like the problem mentioned above, some people interested in developing their musical skills and techniques to serve in worship ministry also have an uncomfortable feeling learning from secular musicians. The Church must try to correct this by teaching that skills are exactly what they are and that God can use anyone to teach us. As long as people do not imitate a person's bad lifestyle or share their bad beliefs, there should be no problem in having lay musicians as indirect mentors to aspiring ministers of worship. Spiritual or emotional/physical well-being? God did not create robots; man was designed to react to life situations using emotions. Ministers or worshipers are not immune from tragedy, hardship, pruning, discipline, and pain. And sometimes when they are grieving because of a certain situation they are going through in life, people can be so quick to judge that they cannot minister by singing or playing their instrument because they could “contaminate” the atmosphere. While it is true that ministers must be careful and responsible in how they behave and manage their emotions, it is also important for the Church to be aware that emotions come from God and can ultimately be used in worship. We can worship God in our sorrow, our disappointment, our pain, our failure, as much as we can in our joy, our triumph, our hope and our expectation. There is no need to deny the reality of a person's emotions. God is to be worshiped and is worthy of worship, whatever status our heart may be in. There should be transparency before God during worship and people should not act as if God only wants to know the condition of our spirit. We must worship Him with all our being (Matthew 22:37). Spirit or skill? Some churches may go so far as to rely too much on the work of the Holy Spirit to have anointed worship. However, skills development is equally important and part of good management as a minister. In fact, over-spiritualizing things and viewing skills as unspiritual can make musicians lazy and.