Featured What constitutes "worship"?

What constitutes worship? Singing while clapping your hands or raising them above your shoulders, or course. Haven’t you ever heard some describe their church service something like this: “First we have worship, then the offering, and then preaching.” Didn’t you know that ministers of music have gone by the wayside and have been replaced by “worship ministers”? :smilewinkgrin:

 

Worship is giving God glory and praise. Anytime we keep God first it is worship. "You have a lot of talent" "God has blessed me". That's worship. Any time He has the preeminence.



That's why many churches refer to the singing time as the worship service. It's to give God glory. The sermon is for edification and rebuke.

 

True worship is God-centered worship.

John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truth (NKJV)

Worship can include praying, reading God’s word with an open heart, singing, playing an instrument, participating in communion or serving others. It’s not limited to one act, but is done properly when the heart and attitude of the person are in the right place.

True worship is not confined to what we do in church. True worship is the acknowledgment of God and all His power and glory in everything we do. Worship is to glorify and exalt God to show our loyalty and admiration to our Father.

Worship is not seeking a feeling, it’s not an emotional high, because they don’t last, its not self-pleasing, it’s not a performance, it’s not a sing-a-long. Worship is not about how well I play my instrument with the band. It’s not a routine that occupies Sunday morning from 9:45 to 11am. It’s not about me, it’s not about you…

IMO Deuteronomy 6:5 sums up worship
4 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one!
5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your strength. 6"And these words which I command you today
shall be in your heart. (NKJV)

 

Worship-to ascribe honor, glory or majesty to something.

As believers, we worship God. Jesus said that we must worship God in Spirit and truth John 4:24

Much of the church is truly lost in what Biblical worship truly is and is not at this point

 

Worship

"Selfless acts done toward others for the purpose of glorifying God."

Heb 12:28 Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with Reverence and godly fear:

Here we see that worship must be :

1. Acceptable to God
2. Done with reverence and godly fear (which is redundant)
3. Done by the grace of God.

The word serve in this verse is the Greek word "Latreuo" which is a form of the word worship. In the NT this word is used as "serve"16 times, "worship" 3, " do the worship " 1, and "worshiper" 1.

Another form of the word "worship is the Greek word "Therapeuo". This is most often seen as the word "heal" and is used in reference to the healing of others. In the NT it is seen in every case of Jesus' healings. Interestingly enough it is the where we get our word therapy from.

"Proskeneuo" is another Greek form of the word worship. It is always used in the context of simply paying homage. This is seen clearly in 1 Cor 14:25.

"Sebazomai" is used only once in Romans 1;25 and is used int he sense of honoring religiously.

"Sebomai" is used in the sense of reverence and can be seen in Acts 16:14. We see this same word used in the sense of vain worship of God (Matt 15:9) Not all worship even directed at God is acceptable worship or correct.

Any act done in correct doctrine, (spirit and truth John 4:24) and for the Glory of God (reverence 12:28)

The teaching of the word of God was included in the worship of those in Acts 2:42-47. There can be found no where in scripture a division between the preaching of the word and "worship".

 

Worship is anything given to the Lord.

 

Worship begins with an attitude of heart manifested by actions that glorify God because they are in keeping with God's Word, which glorifies God.

Worship is NOT just anything you offer to God. There are many kinds of worship that God hates.

1. Idolatrous worship
2. Will worship
3. Disorderly and confused worship
4. Vain Worship - Mt. 15
5. Ignorant Worship

The English term "worship" means to give worth to someone, and God defines "worth" by His standard of holiness and righeousness. That is why worship must be in "spirit AND truth."

 

I once heard someone way that worship is telling God the truth about Himself, by various means.

 

All worship must be considered from two perspectives.

From the perspective of the giver of worship, worship is simply giving, doing, saying, attributing to an object or person that which treats that object or person as if they were a god.

From the perspective of the God of the Bible, the only kind of worship He will receive is worship that originates "in spirit" (regenerated spirit, empowered spirit under leadership of the Holy Spirit) and is manifested in keeping with the Word of Truth as all other forms, kinds and manner of worship does not glorify Him.

 

Bingo...give that man a cigar!