Blueprint for Worship

Worship may be defined as the bowing of the soul in love, reverence, and thanksgiving to God; its purpose being to glorify God as Creator, Lord, Savior, Shepherd, Counselor, and Refuge. The biblical basis for worship is founded upon numerous exhortations and examples located throughout Scripture. God is deemed worthy of worship because of His being, qualities, ways, and works (Psalm 96; Isaiah 55:8-11; Rev. 15:4). He is to be worshiped by all peoples of all ages (Psalm 22:27; 45:17; 145:4; Rom. 15:11; Rev. 13:8). We are to "...worship the Lord [our] God, and serve Him only" (cf. Matt. 4:10). Where that worship is to be done is inconsequential, as evident in Jesus' dialog with the woman at the well (John 4:19-21). This is still relevant today, whether we choose to worship in a home, building, rented facility, or outdoors. The Lord is particular not in where we worship, but how we worship: "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." --John 4:23-24 Jesus encapsulated the distinction between true worship--"in spirit"--and that which was expressed through ritual alone. Real worship happens when a believer's spirit is in connection with God via His Spirit (Rom. 8:26-27). Since God's Spirit is everywhere, worship can happen anywhere. Worshiping in "truth" implies that the human worshiper is in right standing before God and walking in accordance with His ways. With the coming of the Messiah, that also means being "in Christ," who is "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). With Jesus as our High Priest and Mediator, how could it be any other way? (Heb. 4:14-16; 1 Tim. 2:5; Rom. 8:34). The question of "when" to worship God is also superflous. While Christians for centuries have commonly gathered to worship on Sunday mornings, Gentiles during the early centuries of the church began their work week then. Since there was no Scriptural injunction on when to worship, work vs worship on Sunday became a matter of conscience vs submission vs necessity. What Scripture does say is that each person is to be "fully convinced in his own mind" (Romans 14:4-13). The goal, then, is to worship the Lord our God in spirit and in truth. The means for doing this is through heartfelt prayer, praise, and thanksgiving, all the while remaining in right standing with God through the blood of Christ. Details of worship style have largely to do with stewardship and will be discussed in a future posting.