“Wow! Did we ever have a worship service today. People were shouting, praising the Lord, some even jumping up and down. The praise team out did themselves. I haven’t felt that good in a church in a long time.” “Sound likes your church really knows how to worship God. I’ll have to visit sometimes.” Yes, it does sound good and I’m sure people were excited but were they truly worshipping God? I have been in services like this and probably every other style of liturgy one can imagine. Some were emotionally charged and some were so formal that even an ‘amen’ was inappropriate. Is one right and the others wrong? No, the Bible nowhere gives a definitive description of a correct style of worship. However, it does provide examples and teach in detail what it means to worship.
Jesus told the woman at the well in Samaria, “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (Joh 4:24). Jesus rebuked the Pharisees concerning worship. These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men. (Mark 7:6, 7 NIV). This begs the question what constitutes true worship. First, look at what worship is NOT. Worship is not emotional music that makes us feel good. Music can be a vehicle that leads us to worship, however just leaving church with the warm fuzzies does not mean we have worshiped God. I know too many people who think that unless they get a buzz, it was a bad service. We call it a ‘worship service’, but worship is not an event carried out on Sunday. Rather, worship is a lifestyle. Paul said, our spiritual service of worship is presenting our bodies a living and holy sacrifice acceptable to God (Rom 12:1). Worship is not worshiper centered; it is God-centered. Worship is not a means of entertaining ourselves, but a time when we totally focus on God and who He is.
All true worship begins in the heart and must be grounded in truth. Our highest calling is to be worshipers of God. Yet, a major problem in churches today is that believers are ignorant of the biblical meaning of worship. God does not accept all worship. The Lord rejected Cain’s effort to worship through his offering of the fruit of the ground. In the above verse, Jesus quoting from Isaiah 29:13 told the Pharisee their worship was vain, which meant fruitless or of no purpose. The original words for worship both in Old and in New Testament means to adore, do reverence, to bow in awe and wonder, or to ascribe worth to something. The word also referred to a dog licking his master’s hand or a citizen kissing the hand of a King showing respect and honor. A truth worshiper has an attitude of deep respect and reverence for God. From such an attitude, we express acts of worship through singing, lifting of hands, bowing, and acts of service, etc.
We must understand the difference between worship and praise. Praise is a response to God for what He has done. On the other hand, worship is a response to God for who He is. The song “I Stand in Awe of You”, is a good example of worship through singing. You are beautiful beyond description, Too marvelous for words. Too wonderful for comprehension, Like nothing ever seen or heard. Who can grasp your infinite wisdom? Who can fathom the Depth of your love? You are beautiful beyond description, Majesty enthroned above. I stand; I stand in awe of You. (Mark Altrogge). I was driving somewhere last week and thinking about worship and began praying and praising the Lord. Suddenly, I felt overwhelmed for several minutes with the presence of the Lord. I wanted to say something but couldn’t think of any appropriate words. I continued driving, but inside, I stood in awe of Him. The greatness of God was flashing through my mind. I knew this was a time of true worship as I reverenced and honored His presence.
In the Levitical Law, an individual could offer five different sacrifices for various reasons. The Burnt Offering was a voluntary sacrifice and the priest burned the entire animal. In the other four offerings, the priest and the offerer received back a portion of the animal. With the Burnt Offering, the worshiper gave the whole animal to God. It was an act of worship expressing reverence, adoration, and honor to God benefiting only Him. Jesus said the Lord seeks such worshipers . . . the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers (Joh 4:23). John Piper wrote: “True worship is a valuing or a treasuring of God above all things.” We should ask ourselves, what do I value and treasure most? God seeks those who value and treasure Him.
You may leave church without feeling the warm fuzzies or a buzz, but if you have truly worshiped God, He is pleased. You won’t have to search for Him this week because He is seeking you.
Sustaining Word for the Week: Your highest calling is to worship God. Honor, adore, and reverence Him this week.