With the recent popularity of all the “worship concerts” and the expensive ticket prices ($25-$100 per person- cost for my family of six would be around, $200); “Does anyone in the church think it strange that you can go to your local church and listen (and participate) in the worship unto God for FREE, but need to PAY to listen to other church’s worship teams (Hillsong, Bethel, Jesus Culture, etc.)?”
Personally, I understand the excitement and joy of wanting to worship with other Christians in stadiums, but why not have the same faith to pay the bills as Billy Graham did when he held crusades for free or as the local church does weekly by trusting God in the donations from the people?
If the attendees can’t receive an offering to cover the costs- then simply pack out churches again which are already paid for by the generosity of the Body of Christ. Also, remember that many of these artists make millions of dollars by selling their music online (iTunes, etc.) therefore, they are literally charging people in two ways to worship God to their music: first, to own their music and second to come hear their music. Yet, they claim their music is supposed to be about WORSHIPPING GOD!
My biggest issue is not with the people going to “paid worship events” because if we stopped going, they would stop charging and go back to the ole’ ways of making “worship for free.” My issue is with the promoters, the radio stations, and the musicians who are knowingly leading people astray because of “faulty motives and foundations.”
Seriously, I just can’t help but feel pity for the Body of Christ that feels they need to “pay” to experience something that was “freely given to the church” by Jesus and should only be about God (i.e, “worship”)! Could you imagine Paul charging the churches to come hear his traveling band worship?
John 4:21-24, “21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
