The Purest Form of Worship
Since its formation three years ago, the MacArthur Center for Expository Preaching at The Master's Seminary has recorded dozens of hours of interviews with John MacArthur. Much of the content for the MacArthur Center podcast was drawn from these interviews. However, there are still hours of content that the center has not been able to air, including this unpublished excerpt on the purest form of worship. In this excerpt, John MacArthur explains that the purest, most tangible form of worship isn't found in the songs you sing or the sermons you listen to—it’s in the contentment you practice.
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EXCERPT OF AN UNPUBLISHED INTERVIEW WITH JOHN MACARTHUR FROM THE MACARTHUR CENTER FOR EXPOSITORY PREACHING
The Apostle Paul said I have learned in whatever state I am to be content. You have to learn contentment because it's not natural. It’s not normal. The default attitude in every fallen human heart is discontent. Many in the charismatic movement and health-and-wealth leaders prey on that discontent. They are always offering people something more, something better, something higher. That’s basically taking advantage of the default position of human nature. These false teachers know that people are discontent with their lot in life, their job, spouse, family, income, house, car, and wardrobe. Because that is the default position of every human heart, promising people something better is the best way to con them. So if your ministry preys on this discontentment, if you’re telling people God wants them to have whatever they want and they have a right not to be satisfied with their place in life, marriage, or physical condition, you’re doing the devil’s work.
The purest form of worship is contentment. When you talk about worship, people think of music primarily. They think it happens in a church service, but the purest form of worship is contentment. You accept what God has provided. That’s mature faith. You learn to be content, and you learn it by the experience of providence. You learn it by understanding the nature of God. Providence gives you what he desires for you, for your good and his glory. So you have true spirituality which could be defined as contentment, the purest form of worship. Paul says, I know how to be abased and I know how to abound in everything. I'm content. That's the purest form of worship, accepting what God has provided.
