I, myself, have been a part of these very discussions and I’m sure many of you reading this have also. One day, in the midst of thinking about these elements the Holy Spirit posed this interesting question in my mind, “What room are you entering?”

I was led to a memory where I had walked into the wrong cinema room by mistake. I wasn’t really paying attention and was somewhat distracted on my phone and walked into Cinema 3 and not Cinema 8. It wasn’t until the trailers had finished and we were into the first few minutes of the opening scene that I thought, “this doesn’t seem right.” I wasn’t in the right room. The movie I had actually wanted to see was unfolding in another room and I hadn’t recognised it.

The Bible gives us several pictures that reflect the throne room of heaven where we see the Lord of heaven and earth being worshipped, day and night, night and day. We get a snapshot of this reality in the beginning of Revelation chapter four.

And around the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures, full of eyes in front and behind: ⁷ the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. ⁸ And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

And whenever the living creatures give glory and honour and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

¹¹ “Worthy are you, our Lord and God,  to receive glory and honour and power, for you created all things,  and by your will they existed and were created.” (Revelation 4:6-11 ESV)

Quite an amazing and powerful picture to behold! One of worth and honour and glory to the One who is indeed Holy and Lord of all.

You might have heard a leader within a church service say something along the lines of, “We’re now entering into God’s presence as we worship.” I’m sure many of us reading this are fully aware in our response, that God does not only reside inside the four walls of a Chapel or Auditorium. Praise God.

What they are likely referring to within that statement is the reality that we are about to join in the approach of entering the very throne ‘room’ where our God is being worshipped and will be for all eternity. We too are seeking to gather around His throne, where He is worshipped and join with all the angels and heavenly hosts to cast down our crowns, express our adoration and declare, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord!”

But is that how we as believers still view this activity we are joining in?

It’s incredibly easy to forget when we walk into a big Auditorium, perhaps on a Sunday as a church and our senses are taking in what’s before us. The room is set, the stage is ready, the lights are on.  It’s more common for us to be thinking more along the lines of a performance or show where we immediately posture our hearts to say, “what will I get out of this?” or, “I hope the service is good.”

I’ve heard the very words, “I hope worship is good this week” come out of my own mouth or furthermore after a corporate gathering express to others that “Worship was bad this week, last week was much better.”

Without realizing, these words and thoughts reflect that we are headed for a different room. Perhaps we are entering Cinema 3 by mistake and not Cinema 8.

The truth is there will always be plenty of other ‘rooms’ we could gather in with plenty of other approaches, entertaining ones or ones that place us at the very centre of the experience. Some of these rooms will even draw larger crowds and put tingles in our backs.

In the picture painted above in Revelation 4, we now come to bring the offering. We come to bow down. We come to praise and celebrate. We come to sacrifice our crowns and let everyone else know who is worthy. The Holy Spirit revealed to me that the only way worship can be bad is if we don’t do it! If we don’t join in and take part in our role.

So, the question is what room are you entering when you come to worship Jesus, the High King of Heaven?

Are you coming to a presentation, are you seeking to be convinced week-by-week or are you already convinced and so you instead come to join in the worship and praise of the God you behold?

Why not spend a moment with the Holy Spirit and be open to His leading? Have a listen to this message that unpacks worship and continues to bring challenge in a healthy way of the view we can fall into with worship.