Real Worship: Playground, Battleground, or Holy Ground?

by Warren W. Wiersbe

Respected Bible teacher Warren Wiersbe defines the essence of worship and discusses the key issues surrounding this often controversial topic within the church.

Genres: Christian, Christian Living, Theology, Christianity, Nonfiction

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 1986

About the author

Warren W. Wiersbe, former pastor of the Moody Church and general director of Back to the Bible, has traveled widely as a Bible teacher and conference speaker. Because of his encouragement to those in ministry, Dr. Wiersbe is often referred to as 'the pastor's pastor.' He has ministered in churches and conferences throughout the United States as well as in Canada, Central and South America, and Europe. Dr. Wiersbe has written over 150 books, including the popular BE series of commentaries on every book of the Bible, which has sold more than four million copies. At the 2002 Christian Booksellers Convention, he was awarded the Gold Medallion Lifetime Achievement Award by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association. Dr. Wiersbe and his wife, Betty, live in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Reviews

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

Too many people get hung up on worship styles in their church - should we sing hymns or contemporary songs? Should we have three songs before the preaching with one after? Should we sing all verses of the hymns, or pick and choose only a couple?

The result of all this "heavy thinking" and opinionated stress is a fracturing of the church family into multiple factions. Wiersbe's "Real Worship" cuts through all these distractions and takes the reader to the root of worship - to the reason for worship - to God Himself. By looking at the Wonder, Witness, Warfare and Wisdom of worship, the reader is able to reflect on his or her personal relationship to the Lord, and to develop that relationship within the context of first, personal worship, and second, corporate worship.

This is an excellent book, and will help everyone who reads it to get their worship practice and priorities back where they should be!

[Terry Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book. I would especially recommend this for anyone considering, or involved with music ministry. Actually it would be good for any pastor to help them realize, and understand the power and importance of music ministry.

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a great read, there were very few things in the book that I didn't agree with.
I think anyone involved in ministry, should take the time to read it.

[Emmee Myers · Rating 3 out of 5]

good I suppose. I have nothing to say about it though actually. though I did write a book review on it. perhaps the words will come later. 😀

[Nathan Good · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps the best book on worship that I have ever read. I was originally turned off by the title, but found that as I read that the book is both Biblical and orthodox. Perhaps my favorite aspect of this book is that he is solidly based in biblical principles and Christian orthodoxy but yet is willing to question even the most set in stone ideas and practices. He comes across as being a true Christian mystic (one who desires personal encounters with God) while also being a good Christian theologian. The book instructs and inspires towards true worship of our creator. Well worth the read.

[Shaune Marks · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book! Full of wisdom, biblical truths and direction for worship leaders and churches! It definitely took a while to read it to get all of the information well enough because it was packed full of things to take away. Loved it

[Marty Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some nice insights. A quick and easy, yet deep and ponderous, approach to the subject of worship.

[Dennis Thurman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent exposition. Wiersbe is solid as always and very readable.

[Randy Corn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I purchased this book back in 1987 and I am sure that I read through it back then. Still, it has been so long that I did not recall the flow of the book and it was well worth rereading. Essentially, Wiersbe says that worship involves wonder, witness, and warfare. These form the three sections of the book and each consists of a number of brief chapters. The brevity of those chapters keep the reading from bogging down, making it seem that the book is going by quickly.

I suppose the two qualities about Wiersbe that I like most is the number of very apt quotes that he uses and the strong emphasis on biblical undergirding for his arguments. I think the first of these indicates that he is very well read man, but I also wonder if he must not have some sort of filing system for these quotes. I also wondered with his emphasis on the Bible how many of these passages he had preached on before writing this book.

I think there is great value to a book like this and it remains one of my favorites on this subject. I would have to say though that I probably learned more from Bryan Chappel’s book, Christ Centered Worship. Still, I am sure that I will refer back to this book from time to time and I know that I will recommend it to others.

[Randy Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written balanced overview on worship, certainly a subject that usually produces extreme and bitter differences. Wiersbe moves through the concept of worship very systematically, beginning with a definition before going on to specific applications and insights. I particularly liked his section on how worship involves wonder, wonder of God and wonder of God's church. He shows clearly our need for wonder and mystery and how we in the late twenty century especially want to explain everything, quoting Chesterton who said, "The world will never starve for a want of wonders, but only for a want of wonder." We need a new emphasis on the mystery of things of God. Wiersbe takes his point home with the example of the apostle Paul who, after writing the three great chapters on the sovereignty of God (Romans 9, 10 and 11), he then wrote, "How unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways are past finding out!" From this Wiersbe becomes more specific, into worship involves witness (to God, to one another), how preaching is an act of worship, the arts. And he closes the book with how worship is a battle. He clearly shows, one that worship is not a part of everything we do as much as everything we are and how crucial it is to our walk with the God of the universe.

[Erin Seeders · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book focused on many aspects of worship, but what it kept going back to, and what was so convicting, is Who we are worshipping. Believers can be guilty of approaching the worship of our Creator, God, and King so casually, and it must not be so. There were many practical methods of worship addressed throughout the book, but the overarching theme is we should go back to an awareness of just who we are worshipping and how Scripture says we are to approach the Lord God in worshipping and praising Him.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book that helps clarify the true meaning of Christian worship. I've been thinking about this subject for years and have never been satisfied that "worship" is just something led by a team on Sunday mornings. And it is not. The title says that worship "will transform your life," and that is true, because it truly IS the life of a Christian. I will be keeping this book for reference in the future - especially the first half that lays the groundwork.

[Jeremiah Hopkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was blown away by this, and I'm honestly at a loss for words to describe it. This book should be read by anyone and everyone who follows Christ.

"Over the past half century, a subtle change has taken place in local churches: the sanctuary has become a theater, ministry has become performance, worship has turned into entertainment, and applause, not the glory of God. has become the measure of success."

Wow. 10/10

[Erika · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent work on the power of worship, and a reminder that EVERYTHING is worship--there is no "secular" or "spiritual." I would have loved to see a little more practical application on how to put this into real life. But this was a great work on putting the wonder and wisdom back into worship, as well as the warfare, which I also thought was interesting and not often commented on.

[Matthew Gage · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of the fundamental concepts of worship. My one complaint is that Wiersbe failed to discern the charismatic redefinition of worship that was taking hold when this was republished in 2000. Many conservative authors of this time do the same.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book needs to be read thoughtfully.
The reader should then apply what they have read according to their own way of worship.
The contents will open your eyes.

[Elliot Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book by a good author

[Daniel Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was formative for me in understanding what it means to live a life of worship. You need to read this book!

[James Ephraim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently insightful study book on Biblical Christian worship.

[Barbara Arnold · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on Worship. This is my third or fourth time reading it.

[Mike Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rather dated. The standard evangelical, conservative tropes were all present. But I managed to find a couple of thoughts to highlight. Not the top read for worship artists/musicians, but a worthy undertaking for any who wish to create balance in their thinking.

[Bryan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was assigned this book in one of my classes during my master's coursework. Honestly, I couldn't get through the whole thing. The picture that kept coming to mind as I read this was Dana Carvey's "Grumpy Old Man" character from SNL, as almost every page is the author complaining about this or that aspect of the church and its attempts at worship. There are some nuggets of wisdom here, assuredly. Wiersbe is widely respected. I would just say there are better books on the subject that address his concerns here and go deeper spiritually and practically in how we help the church worship, in particular Harold Best's Unceasing Worship, and Tozer's The Purpose of Man.

[Rebecca Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a twenty-first century Christian and a Baptist, when someone says the word worship, I find myself often thinking of the song service that is the prelude to the sermons that I hear on Sunday morning. Yet, worship is an honor of God, a bowing down of ourselves to someone who is worthy. I admit that I don't often feel that on Sunday mornings, as each time I find myself sinking into an attitude of worship, I am distracted by welcomes from the pastor, handshakes, etc. So, obviously, worship cannot be summed up in a Sunday morning service.

So, what is worship anyway?

Warren Wiersbe takes over 200 pages and eighteen chapters to define worship and to consider what constitutes worship and what does not. He divides his book into five sections. The first section is a three chapter examination of what actually worship is defined as. The remaining four parts emphasize that worship involves wonder, witness, warfare and wisdom.

In the section on wonder, we are reminded that when we worship, we are not being entertained. Instead, we are encountering God and leaving forever transformed. We see the different aspects of our God to leave us in wonder, consider idolatry and look at worshippers who leave their encounters with God forever changed.

When we discuss worship as a witness, we learn more about what it means to witness to God and to each other through our worship. We are also exposed to the idea that our teaching and preaching are acts of worship. We realize the relationship between worship and the arts and how artistic expression and worship are intertwined.

The section on worship as warfare reminds us that we are part of a spiritual army. We are reminded that we are locked into spiritual warfare and we realize that we must make a choice to worship God. Sometimes we fail to make the correct choice, and I felt more than a little conviction about that as I read.

The final section on wisdom in worship reminds us that it is wise to take worship seriously. There are practical tips for pastors and music ministers to help create an atmosphere of worship in church. We also discuss the importance of tradition in worship.

This is a book that I've been reading slowly, bit-by-bit. Real Worship is an easy read, but the book is densely packed with both examples and scripture references, making this a goldmine of information and wisdom for the reader interested in worship.

I found myself feeling nostalgic as I read it, concerned that my children will never understand what true Biblical worship through song is. The trend right now is for more repeatable and simple choruses and away from the theologically packed hymns of yesteryear, and I think we and our children both suffer for the shallowness of what is called worship now. I also find that worship is much more deep and much more of a natural outflowing of the depth of my personal knowledge of God than I have been previously willing to acknowledge. Either way, I left this book feeling both enriched by how meaningful worship is and discouraged by how often I fall short of real worship.