The Worship

What the Bible Teaches about “Worship” ?

1) Worship is first and foremost an encounter with the living and Holy God
Exodus 3:5 “Do not come any closer' the Lord warned. 'Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground”
God is our friend, but He is also our sovereign Lord. To approach Him frivolously shows a lack of respect and sincerity. When you come to God in worship, do you approach him casually, or do you come as though you were an invited guest before a King?

2) Worship is only as real as the involvement of those participating
Leviticus 7:38 “The LORD gave these instructions to Moses on Mount Sinai when He commanded the Israelites to present their offerings to the LORD in the wilderness of Sinai”
All the rituals in Leviticus were meant to teach the people valuable lessons. But over time, the people became indifferent. When your church appears to be conducting dry, meaningless rituals, try rediscovering the meaning and purpose behind them. Your worship will be revitalized.

3) A true worship experience is often a direct result of preparation for worship
Numbers 28:12 “The LORD said to Moses, 'Give these instructions to the people of Israel: the offerings you present as special gifts are a pleasing aroma to me: they are my food. See to it that they are brought at the appointed times and offered according to my instructions”
Following these rituals took time, and this gave the people the opportunity to prepare their hearts to worship. Unless your heart is ready, worship is meaningless. God is delighted when you are prepared to come before Him in a spirit of thankfulness.

4) Believers should take advantage of every opportunity and praise God
Psalm 81:1-3 “Sing praises to God, our strength. Sing to the God of Jacob. Sing! Beat the tambourine. Play the sweet lyre and the harp. Blow the ram's horn at new moon, and again at full moon to call a festival.”
Israel's holidays reminded the nation of God's great miracles. Remember the spiritual origin of the holidays you celebrate, and use them as opportunities to worship God for His goodness to you, your family, and your nation.

5) Worship and music go hand in hand
1 Chronicles 25:1 “David and the army commanders then appointed men from the families of Asaph, Herman, and Jeduthun to proclaim God's messages to the accompaniment of lyres, harps, and cymbals.”
David instituted music for the temple worship services. Worship should involve the whole person, and music helps lift a person's thoughts and emotions to God. Through music you can celebrate God's greatness.

6) Worship is bringing the best believers have to Christ
Matthew 2:11 “They entered the house and saw the child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped Him and gave His gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh”
The wise men brought gifts and worshiped Jesus for who He was. This is the essence of true worship: honoring Christ for who He is to you. Worship God because He is worthy of the best you have to give.


7) Genuine worship results in submission and obedience to Jesus
1 Corinthians 14:12 “Since you are eager to have the special abilities the spirit gives, seek those that will strengthen the whole church.”
Jesus is more than just a great leader. He is the Son of God. When you understand this profound truth, the only adequate response is worship. When you have a correct understanding of Christ, you will obey Him.

8) Everything done in corporate worship must be beneficial to the worshipers.
Matthew 17:5 “But even as he spoke, a bright cloud came over them, and a voice from the cloud said, 'This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy. Listen to him.”
This principle touches every aspect of worship. Those contributing to a worship service must speak useful words or participate in a way that will strengthen the faith of other believers.

9) In worship, everything must be done in harmony and with order
1 Corinthians 14:40 “Be sure that everything is done properly and in order”
Even when the gifts of the Holy Spirit are being exercised, there is no excuse for disorder. When there is chaos, the church is not allowing God to work among believers as He would like. Make sure that what you bring to worship is appropriate, but also make sure that you participate.

10) Confession must precede worship
Nehemiah 9:2-3 “Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the wickedness of their fathers. They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God.”
The Hebrews practiced open confession, admitting their sins to one another. Reading and studying God's word should precede confession (Neh 1:18) because God can show us where we are sinning. Honest confession should precede worship, because we cannot have a right relationship with God if we hold on to certain sins.

11) You cannot worship while living a sinful lifestyle
Jeremiah (7:2-3) “Stand at the gate of the Lord's house and there proclaim this message: “Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah who come through these gates to worship the LORD. This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place.”
The people followed a worship ritual but maintained a sinful lifestyle. It was religion without personal commitment to God. We can easily do the same. Attending church, taking communion, teaching church school, singing in the choir – all are empty exercises unless we are truly doing them for God. It is good to do these activities, not because we ought to do them for the church, but because we want to do them for God.

12) Place is not important as the pattern of worship:-
( Lamentation 2:7) : say “ The LORD has rejected His altar and abandoned His sanctuary .He has handed over to the enemy the walls of her palaces , they have raised a shout in the house of the LORD as on the day of an appointed feast”. _Our place of worship is not as important to God as priorities in worship . A church building maybe beautiful , but if its people don't sincerely follow God , the church will decay from within . The people of Judah ,despite their stunning temple ,had rejected in their daily lives what they proclaimed in their worship rituals . Thus their worship had turned into a mocking lie . When you pray for help you don't really mean ? . Do express love for God you don't really have?. Earnestly seek God and catch a fresh vision of His love and care . Then worship Him wholeheartedly. 13) Don't criticize the way other believers worship: ( Colossians2:16-17 )say “ There for do not let any one judge you ,by what you eat or drink ,or with regard to a religious festival ,a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day . There are a shadow of the things that were to come , the reality , however is found in Christ.”
_ Paul told the Colossi an Christians not to let others criticize their diet or their religious ceremonies . In stead of out word observance, believers should focus on faith in Christ alone . Our worship traditions and ceremonies can help bring us close to God, but we should never criticize fellow Christians whose traditions and ceremonies differ from ours . More important than how we worship is that we worship Christ , don't let anyone judge you .You are responsible to Christ. 14) Our society worships the wrong things like power ,fame , wealth , and influence :- ( 1 Corinthians 1:22-24 ) says “ Jews demand miraculous sings and Greeks look for wisdom , but we preach Christ crucified : a stumbling block to Jews and Greeks , Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. “ _ Many Jews considered the Good News of Jesus Christ to be foolish , because they thought the Messiah would be a conquering king accompanied by sings and miracles Jesus had not restored David's throne as they expected . Besides ,He was executed as a criminal , and how could a criminal be a savior? Greeks, too , considered the Gospel foolish they did not believe in a bodily resurrection: they did not see in Jesus the powerful characteristics of their mythological gods, and they thought no reputable person would be crucified. To them, death was defeat, not victory.
The Good News of Jesus Christ still sounds foolish to many. Our society worships power, influence and wealth. Jesus came as a humble, poor servant and He offers His Kingdom to those who have faith, not to those who do all kinds of good deeds to try to earn His gifts. This looks foolish to the world, but Christ is our Power, the only way we can be saved. Knowing Christ personally is the greatest wisdom anyone could have.
15) Replacing true worship with a homemade version:-
In Judges 17-6) The text says, “In those days Israel had no King;everyone did as he saw fit.”
_Today, as in Micah's day, everyone seems to put his or her own interests first. Time has not changed human nature. Most people still reject God's right way of living. The people in Micah's time replaced the true worship of God with a homemade version of worship. As a result, justice was soon replaced by revenge and chaos. Ignoring God's direction led to confusion and destruction. Anyone who has not submitted to God will end up doing whatever seems right at the time. This tendency is present in all of us. TO know what is really right and to have the strength to do it, we need to draw closer to God and His Word.
16 Worshiping God for wrong reasons: -
In 2 Kings 17: 27-29)the text says “Then the king of Assyria gave this order, “Have one of the priests you took captive from Samaria go back to live there and teach the people what the god of the land requires”. So one of the priests who had been exiled from Samaria come to live in Bethel and taught them how to worship the Lord. Nevertheless, each national group made its own gods in the several towns where they settled, and set them up in the shrines the people of Samaria had made at the high places.”
_The new settlers in Israel worshiped God without giving up their pagan Customs. They worshiped God to appease Him rather than to please Him, treating Him as a good luck charm or just another idol added to their collection;a similar attitude is common today. Many people claim to believe in God while refusing to give up attitudes and actions that God denounces. God cannot be added to the values we already have. He must come first, and His word must shape all our actions and attitudes.