WORSHIP GOD
Definition and purpose of worship.
Worship in the broad sense is everything you do to glorify God. Worship in the narrow sense is when you consciously come into God’s presence and adore, praise, and thank God in your heart, with words, songs, music, preaching, public prayer, public confession, remember God, and anything else that glorifies God and encourages others to worship God (Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 12:18-29). Worship is also a direct expression of our ultimate purpose for living, to glorify God, and fully enjoy God forever (Revelation 4:11). God is worthy of our worship and we are not (Revelation 22:8-9) because God is jealous for his own honor and rightfully seeks his own honor (Exodus 20:5; Isaiah 48:11). Since only God is worthy of worship and seeks to be worshiped, everything in your worship should be focused on God and should help other people worship and focus on God when you worship with others. When you worship, you should not call attention to yourself or bring glory to yourself. You should pray that Holy Spirit within you will enable you to worship rightly “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24), which means worship involves not only your physical body, but also your immaterial spirit aspect of your existence. In addition, worship involves only worshiping God and God’s truth claims and teachings. Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994, Appendix 6 and glossary copyright 2000), 1003-1005, 1010.
The results of genuine worship.
When you genuinely worship God as stated above, several things happen as a result. First, you delight in God with joy (Psalm 16:11). Second, God delights in you (Isaiah 62:3-5; Zephaniah 3:17). Third, you draw near to God with reverence and awe and enter God’s presence with a true heart for God in full assurance of your faith in God (Hebrews 10:19-22, 12:18-29). Fourth, God draws near to you (James 4:8). Fifth, God ministers to you as God edifies or builds you up, strengthens your faith, intensifies your awareness of God’s presence, spiritually refreshes you (1 Peter 2:5), offers you mercy and grace in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16), and intensifies the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that continually transforms you into the likeness of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18). Sixth, God battles against demonic forces that oppose the gospel and causes them to flee (Luke 4:33-36; James 4:7). Seventh, unbelievers know they are in God’s presence (1 Corinthians 14:23-25). Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, 1005-1009.
Worship with other Christians at church.
Although some Christians say they can worship at home or anywhere and don’t need to attend church to worship, you should join a healthy and well-balanced church so you can join together with other Christians in fulfilling the “Great Commission” to make, baptize, and teach disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:29-20). However, you should not limit your methods and times of worship to the weekend worship services at church. You can worship God through listening to Christian worship music, listening to gifted Christian teachers, reading and studying the Bible individually and in a small Christian community group, appreciating God’s general revelation in nature, and serving others at church or other outside ministry organizations.
Church attendance.
After Peter confessed his belief in Jesus as the Son of the living God, Jesus established and defined the church and said that Peter was the rock upon which he would build his church, “And I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” (Matthew 16:8 NLT). Jesus’ church was not some building or place, he was speaking of the body of believers who had placed their faith in Jesus as the Son of the living God. A Christian denomination defines a particular group or belief system that focuses on a certain theological interpretation. The mission of the church is to fulfill the “Great Commission” to make, baptize, and teach disciples of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:29-20).
God wants you and other Christians to meet on a regular basis to worship God, learn about God, encourage each other, and serve each other. By doing so, you draw nearer to God, grow as a disciple, and safeguard yourself from abandoning your faith when society pressures you to do so (Hebrews 10:23-25).
Worship in church.
Worship in church should be done in a fitting and orderly way to build up Christians because God is not a God of confusion, but is a God of peace (1 Corinthians 14:26-40). The attitude and mood of worship are important because you should offer God acceptable worship with reverence and awe (Hebrews 12:28). Helpful tips to worship in church include the following: First, the more intimate your relationship with God, the deeper your worship will be. You can’t worship a God you do not know. So the more you know and appreciate how your sin separates you from God and the amount of grace God has extended to you to have a relationship with you, the deeper your personal worship of God will be (Luke 7:36-50). Second, don’t be afraid to release yourself and be “free” during worship. You don’t have to confine yourself to only one style of worship. There are at least 7 different Hebrew words for “praise” in the Old Testament. King David worshiped God by shouting, singing, dancing, kneeling,
raising his hands, sitting and meditating on what God did in his life, and playing music (2 Samuel 6:5, 14, 16, 21, 12:20, 22:21; 1 Chronicles 13:18, 25:1; 2 Chronicles 29:25-27, 30, 35:15, Nehemiah 12:24, 36, 45; Psalm 7:1, 8:1, 9:1, 11:1, 12:1, 13:1, 14:1, 18:1, 19:1, 20:1, 22:1, 30:1, 31:1, 36:1, 39:1: 40:1, 41:1, 51:1, 53:1, 54:1, 55:1, 56:1, 57:1, 58:1, 59:1, 60:1, 61:1, 62:1, 64:1, 65:1, 68:1, 69:1, 70:1, 101:1, 108:1, 109:1, 122:1, 124:1, 132:1, 133:1, 139:1, 140:1; Amos 6:5). So be open to worship God in different ways and don’t look down on other people who worship in a different way than you. Third, block out all distractions so you can worship God deeply. Focus your mind on worshiping God and not on other things going on in your life. Also, don’t be concerned about other people’s reactions to how you are worshiping. You may wish to close your eyes when you worship to eliminate visual distractions at church. Fourth, prepare your heart before you worship, by praying, confessing your sins, meditating on God, and thanking God. Arrive to the worship service early so you have time to prepare your heart for worship as stated above. Fifth, focus more on the substance (the lyrics) of the music than on the style of the music. What do the lyrics teach you about God and how God is working in your life? The worship should be about giving God the glory and not on your own preferences of worship music or style. Sixth, practice worshiping God by regularly listening to God-centered worship music outside of the worship service at church. Of course if you are listening to worship music while driving, don’t close your eyes. See THE BEAT by Allen Parr, How to Worship God in Sprit and Truth: 6 Tips YouTube Video.
Other methods of worship.
In addition to worshiping God in community with other Christians, you can worship God in the broad sense by doing other things that glorify God and deepen your relationship with God. God wants you to spiritually worship God by offering yourself as a living sacrifice that is holy and pleasing to God (Romans 12:1). You can worship God by serving others in the name of God. You can worship God by studying the Bible to renew your mind to deepen your understanding of God and his good, pleasing, and perfect will (Romans 12:2). You can worship God by playing and or listening to music with biblical lyrics. You can worship God by experiencing nature and admiring God for creating nature. God the Father has created you with your specific passions, the Holy Spirit has gifted you with specific talents and abilities to serve God, and Jesus Christ has demonstrated as the ultimate spiritual servant leader and through his teachings how to worship God. Therefore, you should not limit your worship of God to the weekend services at church. God wants you to worship God, not only on Sunday, but to worship God every day.