Worship

[tenor]

Worship is probably the most important thing we do as a church. It is far more than merely the style of music we use or don't use, the type of prayer we use (spontaneous or written, individual or corporate) and other issues.

So, what is worship? Is how we worship the issue? Are the materials we use the issue? Formal or informal?

In my understanding worship is to be focussed on God. God is both the subject and the object of our worship. Worship is not for us to "feel good" or to "receive a blessing." Worship exists for us to bless God. That should be our standard.

Now to the question of style and "cultural relativity." These are open to debate. I am more comfortable in a more traditional leaning toward "liturgical" style of worship. I've worshipped God in many environments from a Catholic Mass to a very free Pentecostal service and met an worshipped God there.

The main question is not how, when, where, etc. but WHO!

What are your thoughts?

 

[Debby in Philly]

Worship is a sincere offering to God from the heart.

So if the style or order (or lack of it) gets in the way of that, then it isn't worship. But doing real worship will give us a blessing in return.

 

[JackRUS]

I believe that the most important thing that we do as a church is to equip others to take out the Gospel to the lost, and to grow in His Word.

Jesus prayed this in John 17:14-17:

"I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth."

God does seek those that that will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24), but if that was the most important thing, then God would rapture us when we became saved. Where can one worship Him better than in Heaven?

I think that one of the main things that are ruining churches today is the fact that services have become worship services primarily instead of focusing on the Word.

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,
which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Rom. 12:1-2

 

[AresMan]

Originally posted by Debby in Philly:
Worship is a sincere offering to God from the heart.

So if the style or order (or lack of it) gets in the way of that, then it isn't worship. But doing real worship will give us a blessing in return.

I agree. Although I am generally "conservative" in regards to "styles" of worship, I admit that there is usually no Scriptural way of determining whether some things are "appropriate" or not. It all boils to down to this: only you know whether you are are whether you are worshiping God in spirit and in truth or whether you are just satisfying fleshly desires and using Christian words to justify it.

I know this is about eating meats, but the principle would apply to other things as well:

Rom 14:22 "14 I know, and am persuaded by the Lord Jesus, that there is nothing unclean of itself: but to him that esteemeth any thing to be unclean, to him it is unclean."
Rom 14:22 "Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth."

 

[Artimaeus]

It is not in spirit OR truth. It is spirit AND truth. Why is it that those who tend to worshiping in spirit end up in emotional frensy and don't really care about truth and those who tend toward truth end up in dullness and don't really care about spirit? It seems to me Christ is teaching both without extremes in either.

 

[Brother Ian]

Worship in its purest form, is response to Truth.

Remember, Abraham went to worship when he was told to sacrifice Isaac.

 

[richard n koustas]

Originally posted by tenor:


The main question is not how, when, where, etc. but WHO!

What are your thoughts?

WHO? God. Specifically? God the Son, IMHO when I consider everything He has done, I cannot help but worship Him.

 

[tenor]

God is both the subject and the object of our worship...

One of my favorite authors on the subject of worship is Robert Webber. A book of his that helped me develop my theology of worship was "Worship is a Verb." A verb, an action word!

Growing up in a traditional Baptist church in the South, I always thought of "worship" as a thing, a time, etc. and not an action.

When I first discovered this concept it changed the way i thought about worship.

 

[John of Japan]

The term "worship" appears in the KJV NT 40 times. Note some important items here.

(1) The primary meaning is simply to physically bown down before someone to honor them. When we bow down before God in prayer or humility, we are worshipping.

(2) The term NEVER appears to describe our Sunday church meetings. Those are for edification, fellowship, and to equip us to serve God. They are worship services only insofar as we are bowing down before God together.

(3) Music is not usually worship in the Bible. It is praise! Therefore, our church music ought to be fitted to this purpose, not to entertain.

(4) We are to worship all day every day, not just at church. See Rom. 12:1-2, where the word translated "service" (different from the usual word about bowing down) can be translated "worship."

 

[4His_glory]

Amen John, I agree. I believe that worship is a way of life. We ought to be living a life that finds all its joy and satisfaction in God alone.

I notice that there is a tendancy to worship God for what He has done for us (and we should be thankful) but how much better would it be to worship God simply because He is God.

 

[cojosh]

I agree with John & 4His_glory. Many times we get stuck on the Sunday Worship time and forget that we should revere Him throughout the week. In fact, if we do so outside of the churchhouse, just think of how special the time within will become.

If worship is a reverence issue, then we do reverence Him when we take the gospel to the lost, and recieve the message from His Word outside and during the service.

If we refuse to obey His commandments throughout the week, then what we do in the service doesn't mean beans.

 

[tenor]

I agree worship is a lifestyle. it is also what we do when we gather together.

I'm bothered by those that say "This is praise" and "This is worship" are they not related?

We worship through music (alone or together, I often sing or play piano in my personal worship times, even in the car), prayer (alone and together), silence ("Be still and know..."), movement, etc.

There is a fallicy in the church today, IMHO, of separating worship and praise.

Our corporate times are for edification as well, but mainly for the worship of God.

This is not either/or bt both/and.

 

[John of Japan]

Originally posted by tenor:
I agree worship is a lifestyle. it is also what we do when we gather together.

I'm bothered by those that say "This is praise" and "This is worship" are they not related?

Definitely related, but not the same. A quick search on my Bible software reveals 100s of verses with either one. I don't have time for a complete study right now, but it would be a good one to do, amen, tenor?

There is only one verse in the Bible with both words, and it is in your favor. Psalm 138:2: "I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." Considering the parallelism of Hebrew poetry, the psalmist is here closely relating the two.

God bless!

 

[MikeinGhana]

Is anyone bothered by the casual way in which people supposedly "worship" today? Idi not men fall down as dead men when they were truly confronted with the presence of God?

John, I just preached on that verse in Psa 138. Isn't it amazing that God magnifies His Word above His name, and at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow. Wow! What a thought. How much more should we elevate the Scripture to its rightful place of importance in our worship. If people want to call me a Bibliolator, that is fine with me. At least I will know what they mean.