John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Hebrews 13:15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. 16 But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
One sure sign of a dead or dying church is worship that is dry and lifeless. The members sing the same old songs in the same old way, without enthusiasm, give rote testimonies ("I'd like to thank the Lord I'm saved"), and repeat meaningless prayers ("Lord, bless our church, and the preacher, and bless my family"). Worship literally means to proclaim the worth of someone or some thing; in this case, we are expressing to God, as a body, our love and adoration for him. Praise cannot be manufactured; if the spirit of praise is not inside us, we won't really worship God. Everything you do in your church, I'll repeat again, is based on prayer and Bible study. Without those foundations, you won't be able to build anything else.
Does that mean you have to stop worshipping until you're right with the Lord in your personal devotional life? Not at all! It does mean, though, that you approach your season of worship with prayer, and with the undergirding of the Word. Specifically, whether at home or in church, begin with praise from the Scriptures, especially the Psalms, then offer up a specific prayer, thanking God for at least one thing He did in your life in the past day, or past week. If you can't think of anything, and no one in the church can think of anything, sing a song about offering thanks, like Count Your Blessings, and try again. Until someone can offer a word of praise of thanks or praise, don't move on. If that means sitting silently for the rest of the service, just remain in an attitude of prayer until the service ends, or until someone, including the pastor, can rise and offer praise to God.
Then you can sing a fellowship hymn, receive the offering, and let the pastor bring his message. After a time or two of sitting about silently, the people of the congregation may be more open to the moving of the Spirit. I just mentioned the offering; many churches like to rush through it, but it should also be a time of worship, in recognition of God's provision. More on that another time.
Every time you come together, invite the Lord's presence with you. Remember what he said: Matthew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Stand on that promise, and remember, when you sing or pray, the Lord Jesus is right there with you to receive what you offer up to him. When you pray, privately or publicly, do it as if you're talking to a dear friend sitting next to you, because that is exactly what Jesus is.
There is no "magic formula" for improving your worship experience, but here are some suggestions:
Learn some new songs. They don't have to be "new" in the sense of having just been written, but just new to you. If someone in the church plays the piano or another instrument, ask them to pick out the sing and teach it to the rest. If nothing else, buy a CD of hymns, and learn one you don't know, or don't know well, and teach it to the others.
This fits more into a later chapter, but invite a singer or group to come and teach you some of the basics of music, if no one in the congregation has that kind of knowledge. If you have someone who can do that, by all means make use of him or her; nothing improves the way you sound as a congregation, when you're singing, more than being able to break up into parts, and have an idea what you're seeing on the page in front of you.
Don't be afraid to give the Lord an "Amen!" or a "Praise God!" when he blesses you "real good". Many fundamental churches are afraid of applause because it amounts to giving glory to men, but if the Lord moves in your midst when you sing a song, don't be afraid of offering applause to Him for what he just did. Another thing we're afraid of is raising our hands to praise God, but look what the Bible says: Psalms 134:2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. Why should the Charismatics have all the fun? Lifting our hands to praise God is as scriptural as bowing our knees to him! Don't just do it, though, to be doing it; if the Spirit directs you, don't be afraid.
Have a fellowship time before your morning prayer. Don't just shake hands, but offer a hug and a warm greeting to one another, especially if you have visitors. Use discretion; there is no place in the house of God for inappropriate hugging or touching. It's best if women hug other women, and men, other men, unless they are in the same family. You'll have to set your own guidelines.
If you don't already have someone who plays an instrument, even if it's a guitar, try your best to find one, even if you have to pay them a small gratuity. Again, if all else fails, find some CD or tape accompaniment tracks for hymns, or have someone in the community record some for you. Singing acapella can be fun for a change of pace, but unless you have several strong singers to carry the rest, it can make for a really dead praise and worship time.
Above all else, remember, in your worship time, And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Colossians 3:23.