Worship

WHAT IS WORSHIP?

God created humanity with a capacity to know, love, and worship Him. Worship is that place where the heart of God and the heart of His child meet. Oswald Chambers said, “Worship is giving God the best He has given you.” Worship carries the idea of showing reverence to God. It’s an active, adoring response whereby we declare His worth, or “worth-ship”. To worship means to bow down and pay homage to God: “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Psalm 95:6).

WHO DO WE WORSHIP?

Jesus said, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve” (Matthew 4:10). People are not worthy of worship, and neither are the idols which people make. God alone is deserving of our worship.

WHY DO WE WORSHIP?

We worship not to get something for ourselves, but because God is the Lord and is worthy of our worship (Psalm 45:11). The Bible declares, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power” (Revelation 4:11). We worship God because of the splendor of His being. God always has sought after worshipers, and continues to do so. He doesn’t need our worship, but He desires it—not for His benefit, but for ours.

HOW DO WE WORSHIP?

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Worshiping in spirit means giving God the homage of an enlightened mind and an affectionate heart. Worshiping in truth is to worship God according to the truth He has revealed in His Word, the Bible.

FORMS OF WORSHIP

Worship is not a “spectator sport” where we sit and watch others. Worship requires participation. We worship the Lord through our words of praise and exaltation of God; by giving thanks to God in all things; by blessing His name through living a godly life; and by sharing His love and with others. In Short, we worship God with our entire life. Worship is a sacrifice. The Apostle Paul instructed believers, “offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1 NIV). We can make every day a worship experience when we yield ourselves to the Lord. God has created each of us with a mind, heart, and spirit—and wants us to use them for His glory. True worship is not lip service, but life service. Worship can be demonstrated in every area of our lives, every day of our lives.

EXPRESSIONS OF WORSHIP

We express our worship as we read the Bible (Psalm 119), pray, give tithes and offerings, and offer praise through music. But the greatest demonstration of worship is through the lives we live.

RESULTS OF WORSHIP

True worship always magnifies God and our outlook toward Him. As God is magnified, everything else becomes insignificant. We begin to see beyond our circumstances and limitations, our fears diminish, and our spirits become refreshed.

SO WHY SHOULD WE WORSHIP GOD?

1. He deserves it Revelations 4:10 – “You are worthy O lord to receive glory honor and power for you created all things and by Your will they exist and were created”

2. He desires it John 4:23-24 – the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him”

3. He designed us for it 1Peter 2:9 – “You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a Holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”

4. He demands it Isaiah 43:21 – “This people I have formed for myself. They shall declare my praise”