Successful pastors and church leaders regularly stress that we must make worship interesting and exciting for the unconverted so that they will come to church and be converted. Indeed, so much is this stressed that some pastors say, "Do whatever it takes." At first glance this argument appears very appealing. After all, a person’s eternity depends on whether he or she is converted (saved) or not. We all want to see as many people as possible brought to faith in Christ. Who wants to be anti-evangelistic?

But does entertainment equal evangelism? Does evange-lism equal worship? Historically, evangelicals have answered both questions with a solid "no." According to Scripture, people are evangelized not by a Christian juggler or magician, but by the simple presentation of the gospel message. While evangelism often takes place in a worship service as the gospel is faithfully proclaimed, the purpose and focus of worship is that those who believe in Christ should gather to fellowship with each other and collectively meet with God.

In 1 Corinthians 14:24-25 Paul comments on the presence of unbelievers in a worship service. Interestingly, he does not call for the church to entertain unbelievers or try to make them as comfortable as possible. Rather, in the clear and understandable articulation of the truth, Paul says the un-believer should be convinced that he is a sinner "so that he will fall down and worship God, exclaiming, ‘God is really among you!’" In other words, when Christians gather together to worship the primary purpose is the meeting of God with His people through His Word. This gathering may have the secondary result of unbelievers being converted. But our worship of God is not to be constructed for the unbeliever, rather it is for God and His church. This means that the service of worship is not shaped for either entertainment or evangelism.

So, what does motivation have to do with worship? We can see the role of motivation when we ask the following questions:

Do I want to please God rather than myself in worship?
How much of the service is given over to the reading of Scripture?
How much of the service is given over to biblical prayer?
Are there elements of the service that are more entertaining than biblical?

Another word for "motivation" is "inspiration." Have you ever thought about the implications of "inspirational meetings" in which Christian groups and churches make an effort to inspire and motivate people to do what they should already be motivated to do as believers, whether it is meeting the needs of the poor around them or supporting missions? Why is it that, more often than not, most of us must receive some external stimulus or motivation to do what we know we should be doing in the first place? Why did God have to threaten the Hebrew children with curses if they failed to obey Him and offer them blessings if they did (Deuteronomy 28)? Is it because so relatively few of us are truly self-motivated?

It is noteworthy that God Himself seems to admit that the state of affairs in the Old Testament - the sacrificial system and the law - are not the ideal and only temporary. Speaking of the New Testament covenant to come, God says in Jeremiah 31:33, "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time," declares the LORD. "I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people." Although there is more to what is being said in this passage than simply what motivates a person to keep God’s law, this writing of the law in their minds and hearts has much to do with the distinction between extrinsic and intrinsic motivation.