Pre-Game Worship: Don’t Wait Until You Get Here
Most people understand the idea of a pregame.
Before a football or basketball game, there is a pregame.
Before a concert, people begin playing the artist’s music in the car.
Before a party, people gather, choose their clothes, prepare a playlist, confirm the location, and decide who is driving.
Pregaming is preparation before participation.
People do not simply arrive at the event. They prepare their attitude, energy, expectations, and atmosphere before they get there.
Yet we can put more preparation into attending a game, party, concert, cruise, or celebration than we put into entering the presence of God.
We lay out our clothes but do not prepare our hearts.
We charge our phones but do not recharge our spirits.
We check the weather but do not check our attitudes.
We make sure the children look prepared, but we do not pray over our household.
Then Sunday morning becomes chaotic.
Someone cannot find a shoe.
Someone is moving too slowly.
Someone has an attitude.
The family argues all the way to church, pulls into the parking lot frustrated, and suddenly says:
“Praise the Lord!”
We enter the sanctuary distracted, irritated, tired, and spiritually cold—and expect the worship team to warm us up within fifteen minutes.
But the worship team is not your spiritual jumper cable.
The musicians should not have to convince you that God has been good.
The worship leader should not have to beg you to open your mouth.
The preacher should not have to remind you of every testimony before you decide that God is worthy.
You should have remembered something before you arrived.
You should have thanked God for something before you arrived.
You should have prayed before you arrived.
Your worship should not begin when the music starts.
Enter With Something
Psalm 100:4 says:
“Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise.”
The verse does not say that we enter empty and wait for thanksgiving to be given to us.
It says we enter with thanksgiving.
That means we are supposed to carry something through the door.
Bring gratitude.
Bring praise.
Bring expectation.
Bring remembrance.
Bring a testimony.
Bring a heart that has already considered the goodness of God.
There is a difference between attending a worship service and arriving as a worshiper.
Some people enter asking:
“What are they going to sing?”
“Will they sing my favorite song?”
“Will the preacher say something I like?”
“Will the service make me feel better?”
But a worshiper enters asking:
“What can I give God?”
“How can I honor Him?”
“Who can I encourage?”
“Where can I serve?”
“How can I help strengthen this house?”
The central declaration of this message is:
I do not come to church looking for worship. I bring my worship with me.
Worship Begins Before Sunday
Sunday should not be the beginning of our worship.
Worship begins when we wake up and recognize that God has given us another day.
Worship happens when we thank Him for providing food.
Worship happens when we demonstrate patience with our family.
Worship happens when we honor God with our decisions.
Worship happens when we forgive.
Worship happens when we serve.
Worship happens when we remain faithful at work.
Worship happens when we turn away from temptation.
Worship happens when we obey God even when no one is watching.
Romans 12:1 teaches us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices. That means worship is not limited to music.
Worship is a life offered to God.
Songs are an expression of worship, but worship is larger than a song.
Lifting our hands can be worship, but worship is larger than a physical posture.
Attending church is important, but worship cannot be confined to the church building.
The question is not only whether you worship on Sunday.
The question is whether your life has been worshiping all week.
Preparation Affects Participation
Preparation changes how we experience important moments.
People prepare for job interviews because the opportunity matters.
They prepare for vacations because the trip matters.
They prepare their homes before guests arrive because hospitality matters.
They prepare for graduations, weddings, sporting events, and celebrations because those moments carry significance.
Corporate worship also matters.
We are gathering with the family of God.
We are entering a room where someone may meet Jesus.
We are coming to hear God’s Word.
We are coming to encourage people who may have struggled all week.
We are coming to pray, serve, give, praise, and grow.
That moment is too important to treat casually.
Preparation says:
“God, my heart is open.”
“God, my mind is ready.”
“God, speak to me.”
“God, use me.”
“God, let my presence bring life into the room.”
There are some situations we call spiritual warfare that may actually be the result of poor preparation.
The devil did not hide your keys. You forgot where you placed them.
The enemy did not make you late. You pressed the snooze button repeatedly.
The whole house was not under attack. Nothing was prepared the night before.
Sometimes the breakthrough is called preparation.
Lay out the clothes.
Put the shoes by the door.
Get proper rest.
Prepare the children.
Read the Scripture.
Pray over the household.
Protect the atmosphere.
Leave on time.
Your preparation affects your participation.
Do Not Allow Sunday Morning to Become a Battlefield
When we arrive already angry, we may spend half the service trying to calm down.
When we arrive distracted, we may miss what God is saying while trying to regain focus.
When we arrive carrying unresolved tension, our bodies may be in worship while our minds remain trapped in the argument from the car.
Preparing for worship does not mean everything will happen perfectly.
Someone may still move slowly.
Something may still be misplaced.
The children may still become frustrated.
Unexpected problems may still appear.
But you can decide beforehand:
“This will not steal our worship.”
Preparation gives you a plan for handling distractions without allowing them to control the atmosphere.
Instead of arguing, pause and pray.
Instead of allowing frustration to dominate the ride, play worship music.
Instead of magnifying everything that went wrong, begin naming the things God has done right.
Your atmosphere can shift before you ever reach the church building.
Your Pregame Sets Your Atmosphere
Before events, people intentionally create an atmosphere.
They choose music.
They gather with certain people.
They discuss what they expect to experience.
They build anticipation.
Atmosphere affects attitude.
Atmosphere affects focus.
Atmosphere affects expectation.
What atmosphere are you creating before worship?
What are you listening to?
What are you discussing?
What are you thinking about?
What are you saying to your family?
Are you speaking life?
Are you praying?
Are you remembering God’s goodness?
Or are you magnifying everything that has gone wrong?
Psalm 34:3 says:
“O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together.”
We cannot make God larger than He already is. God is infinite, sovereign, and almighty.
To magnify God means we adjust our focus until we see Him properly.
Whatever we magnify becomes larger within our field of vision.
Many of us magnify the problem all week and then attempt to magnify God for twenty minutes on Sunday.
On Monday, we discussed what went wrong.
On Tuesday, we replayed what someone said.
On Wednesday, we worried about what could happen.
On Thursday, we complained about what had not happened.
On Friday, we imagined the worst possible outcome.
On Saturday, we remained overwhelmed.
Then we enter church on Sunday and say:
“I cannot get into worship today.”
It may be difficult because we spent six days making the problem bigger in our minds.
Pregame worship begins shifting our focus before we arrive.
Worship Changes What You See
Worship does not always immediately change the situation.
Sometimes worship changes how we see the situation.
The problem may still exist, but worship reminds us that the problem is not greater than God.
The answer may not have arrived, but worship reminds us that God is faithful while we wait.
The door may still be closed, but worship reminds us that God is still our Provider.
The grief may still be real, but worship reminds us that God is still our Comforter.
The battle may still be happening, but worship reminds us that we are not fighting alone.
Worship is not denial.
It does not require us to pretend everything is fine.
Worship declares:
“This is difficult, but God is still good.”
“I do not understand, but God is still faithful.”
“I am hurting, but God is still worthy.”
“I am waiting, but God is still present.”
Come With Expectation
Preparation also affects expectation.
When people expect something meaningful to happen, they prepare differently.
They arrive early.
They pay attention.
They protect the moment.
They remove distractions.
They come ready.
What would happen if we approached worship believing that someone’s life could change?
What would happen if we believed someone might meet Jesus?
What would happen if we expected God to speak through His Word?
What would happen if we believed our worship could encourage the person standing beside us?
Expectation changes posture.
You stop entering as a spectator.
You begin entering as a participant.
You stop arriving only to receive.
You begin asking what you can contribute.
You stop waiting for someone else to create the atmosphere.
You recognize that you carry the presence, gratitude, joy, and testimony of God into the room.
Declare:
“I came ready.”
I came ready to praise.
I came ready to worship.
I came ready to receive.
I came ready to serve.
I came ready to encourage someone.
I came ready to hear from God.
Sunday Should Be Overflow, Not Ignition
Sunday should be the overflow of a week spent walking with God.
It should not take the first song to remind you that God is good.
You remembered His goodness on Monday.
You remembered His faithfulness on Tuesday.
You thanked Him for keeping you on Wednesday.
You recognized His provision on Thursday.
You saw His mercy on Friday.
You acknowledged His protection on Saturday.
By the time Sunday arrives, you are not asking the worship team to ignite something that has been cold all week.
You are arriving with a fire that has already been burning.
The worship service gives the family of God an opportunity to bring together the worship we have been carrying.
Your testimony joins my testimony.
Your gratitude joins my gratitude.
Your praise joins my praise.
Your faith strengthens mine.
Together, we magnify the Lord.
Corporate worship becomes powerful when everyone enters carrying something.
Worship Before the Battle
Worship is not reserved for after the victory.
Matthew 26 tells us that before Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane, He and His disciples sang a hymn.
Before the betrayal, Jesus sang.
Before His arrest, Jesus worshiped.
Before the trial, Jesus worshiped.
Before the nails, Jesus worshiped.
Before the cross, there was a song.
Jesus knew what was ahead, but the Father was still worthy.
That teaches us to worship before the battle.
Before the difficult conversation, worship.
Before the appointment, worship.
Before you make the decision, worship.
Before you face another week, worship.
Before you enter the sanctuary, worship.
Worship does not guarantee that the road will be easy.
It prepares our hearts to walk with God through whatever lies ahead.
We may not know what the week will hold, but we know who holds us.
We may not know how everything will turn out, but we know God will remain faithful.
Jesus Is the Reason We Have Access
Preparation is important, but preparation does not save us.
We do not prepare our hearts to earn God’s love.
We prepare because Jesus has already made access available.
Under the old covenant, a veil separated people from the holiest place. But when Jesus died on the cross, the veil was torn.
Jesus opened the way.
We do not worship to purchase forgiveness.
We worship because Jesus paid the price.
We do not praise to convince God to love us.
We praise because the cross proves He already loves us.
We do not lift our hands to save ourselves.
We lift our hands because Jesus saved us.
Our preparation cannot save us.
Our singing cannot save us.
Our shouting cannot save us.
Our church clothes cannot save us.
Our Sunday attendance cannot save us.
Only Jesus saves.
Because Jesus died, we have access.
Because He rose, we have hope.
Because He conquered death, we have victory.
Because He forgave us, we have gratitude.
Because He did not leave us where He found us, we have a reason to praise.
Jesus is the reason for our worship.
Build a Sunday Pregame
Here is a practical plan for preparing yourself and your household for worship.
Saturday night
Prepare your clothes and the children’s clothes.
Place everything you need near the door.
Get proper rest.
Spend time in prayer.
Pray:
“God, prepare my heart for worship. Remove anything within me that could become a distraction. Use me to encourage someone tomorrow. Let someone meet Jesus.”
Sunday morning
Thank God before checking social media.
Before looking at everyone else’s life, thank God for your own.
Read Psalm 100.
Play worship music while the household gets ready.
Speak life over your family.
Decide that minor frustrations will not control the atmosphere.
On the drive
Turn the car into a sanctuary.
Ask everyone to name one thing for which they are thankful.
Pray for the worship team, children’s ministry, volunteers, preacher, and guests.
Pray for the person who may arrive feeling ready to quit.
Say:
“God, let our family bring life into the room.”
In the parking lot
Before opening the car door, pause for a few seconds.
Pray:
“God, I am here. My heart is open. My mind is focused. I came to give You glory.”
When you enter
Do not enter only as a spectator.
Enter as a worshiper.
Do not ask only:
“What am I going to receive?”
Also ask:
“What can I bring?”
Who can you encourage?
Who can you welcome?
Who can you pray for?
Where can you serve?
How can you reflect Jesus?
Pregame worship changes the way you enter.
Customers Ask What They Will Receive
When people enter church only as customers, they ask:
“What will they do for me?”
“Will I like the music?”
“Will the service meet my preferences?”
“Will someone speak to me?”
But family asks:
“How can I help make this house stronger?”
At Worship Life Church, our vision is to be a community of people doing life together as family.
Here You’re Family.
Family does not only arrive to consume.
Family contributes.
Family encourages.
Family welcomes.
Family serves.
Family prays.
Family worships together.
Worship is not simply part of our church’s name.
Worship is our life.
Make This Declaration
Declare this over your life:
My worship will not begin when the music starts.
My worship begins when my eyes open.
I will prepare my heart.
I will protect my atmosphere.
I will enter with thanksgiving.
I will come with expectation.
I will not enter only as a spectator.
I will bring encouragement, service, gratitude, and praise.
Jesus has given me access.
I will worship before the battle.
I will bring my worship with me.
Closing Prayer
Father, thank You for giving us another reason to worship. Forgive us for the times we have entered Your house unprepared, distracted, and expecting others to create worship for us.
Teach us to worship You throughout the week.
Help us prepare our hearts, protect our atmosphere, and enter Your presence with thanksgiving. Let our homes become places of prayer, gratitude, and praise.
Do not allow frustration, distraction, or conflict to steal our worship. Help us arrive ready to encourage, serve, pray, receive Your Word, and strengthen Your house.
Thank You for Jesus, who opened the way into Your presence. We know that our preparation cannot save us—only Jesus saves. Because He died and rose again, we have access, forgiveness, hope, and a reason to worship.
Let Sunday become the overflow of a life that honors You every day.
We will not wait until the music starts.
We will bring our worship with us.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Watch the Full Message
Do you wait until the praise team starts singing before you begin worshiping?
Watch Pastor Joseph “Pastor J” Taplin’s complete message, “Pre-Game Worship: Don’t Wait Until You Get Here,” and discover how preparation affects participation, how to protect your family’s Sunday atmosphere, and why worship should begin before you enter the building.