What is worship?

Responding in genuine affection to God in his fullest sense for everything He has done, is, and will do. 

In prayer we are occupied with our wants: in praise we think of our blessings: but in worship the heart is occupied with Himself. 

 

When do we worship?

Of course, the most obvious place is when we come together on a Sunday morning to worship and sing hymns, but that is not the only time we can worship. God would desire our worship all the time. After all, He does deserve it! 

 

Look up:

Romans 12:1-2

 

Who do we worship?

It’s  important to recognise that worship is reserved only for God. Only He is worthy and not any of His servants (Revelation 19:10). We are not to worship saints, prophets, statues, angels, any false gods, or Mary, the mother of Jesus. We also should not be worshiping for the expectation of something in return, such as a miraculous healing. Worship is done for God—because He deserves it

 

Why is it important we look to scripture for our answer?

God is the one being worshipped, he is the one who should decide how it is done! We are not in a position to decide how best to go about worshipping God. We are not the worship leaders. That title belongs to Jesus. He is the one that should be leading our praise.

 

How should we worship?

True worship is God-centered worship.

Look up:

John 4:24

Worship must be done in spirit and truth. That means we come before

God in an honest way. Not coming because we have to, but because we 

want to respond to the great love He has shown us. In must be done in a spirtual

way. That means, that we should be relying on the Holy Spirit to take charge of

our worship.

Listen to his leading, go where He wants us to go, say what He wants us to say,and sing what He wants us to sing. 

 

We cannot worship in our own way, but we must rely on the Spirit (who knows the very heart of God and what he desires) to direct our worship.

 

Which leads us on nicely to...

Should we worship the Spirit?

Yes

God in all His Persons, is still God and as such deserves and requires of praise and worship. We have a lot to praise the Spirit about. The servant in Genesis, who typified the Spirit, asked for a sip of water. The Spirit doesn't require much (His role is magnify Christ and make our worship suitable to God) but He does desire and require worship as one of the Godhead. 

 

No

Because of the place of servitude the Spirit has taken up, he has voluntarily forgon worship at the present time in order to place all the emphasis on the worship of God. We worship through the Spirit, how can we worship through something to something?

 

 

What do you think? More Importantly, go back to scripture and prayerfully consider the questions

 

Should we use instruments in our worship?

The New Testament doesn't authorise, condemn, or even mention instrument use in church-all the singing mentioned was done without instruments.

Look Up:

Look Up:

Matthew 26:30

Acts 16:25

Ephesians 5:19

Hebrews 2:12; James 5:13

 1 Cor 14:7

 

Musical instruments can’t worship-it's the person that can. It is impossible to worship God with a musical instrument. God requires worship that is of spirit and truth. An instrument cannot worship in spirit! Its impossible! Of course a single instrument such a piano, may be used to aid worship, maybe to start the tune or make sure we are singing in the right key. But when you start adding in a whole band, these elements become pointless and irrelevant. Why add in a band, if the sound the band is making is not rising up to God in worship? Essentially then, because instruments cannot worship, having a band playing, puts the emphasis of worship back onto us. Of course it sounds nice to us with a band playing, it appeals to our emotions, but that is not what worship is about. True worship is giving everything to God and not thinking of ourselves. God doesn't require a nice sounding song, what God require from worship is those come in the right spirit, willing to give him everything and to magnify him. Often when worship happens, the focus is on the worship leader or the worship band, and it becomes a performance of man rather than worship of God. 

 

 The Old testament is full of musical instruments being played before God, but the old system of things was a very material one.

God was revealed in a very 'hands on way' things were actually there, the temple, the ark, the tabernacle all the sacrifices, the show loaves , etc. They were all visible things. David could not be born of the Spirit of God and have his heart clean and in harmony with God. He had to worship Him in a literal way and show his love all on the outside. But, we have a new and living way, a spiritual way. That means that when we worship, it should be between us and God, there should be nothing else entering in. Trying to apply Old Testament concepts to New Testament living will get you in the same hot water as it did the Hebrews. Fortunately for them, the had an Apostle to write them a letter to sort them out. Nowadays we don't! Lets not even start down that slippery slope!

 

 

Are there wrong and right ways to worship?

Worshiping" out of obligation is displeasing to God Amos 5:21

There was an occasion in the wilderness when two men thought that they would carry out that service differently. It says in Lev. 10: 1 that the priests Nadab and Abihu “presented strange fire before Jehovah, which he had not commanded them.”

Abel approached God in God’s way (Heb. 11: 4). Cain came his own way. Cain approached in the way that he thought best, for “there is a way that seemeth right unto a man” (Prov. 14: 12), but it was not a way pleasing to God.

 

We worship Him with our renewed and cleansed minds, not with our emotions. Emotions are wonderful things, but unless they are shaped by a mind saturated in Truth, they can be destructive, out-of-control forces. Where the mind goes, the will follows, and so do the emotions

 

 

Worship should be a happy occasion, we are coming before God to offer our praise and worship!

 

What an awesome occasion, however often we come into it with glum faces feeling the weight of the world on our shoulders. Worship is a time when we can touch eternity! Lets see a few smiles cracking on the faces of those who worship shall we!?