Articles
Have You Tried This Kind of Worship?
“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
Worship is a vital part of being pleasing to God. Scripture is clear that worship must possess certain attributes.
Worship must be directed only to Jehovah God. Jesus answered Satan’s temptation with, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve” (Matt 4:10). Paul wrote that God’s judgment comes upon those who worshipped and served creation rather than the Creator (Romans 1:19-25).
Worship requires a foundation of spirit. While worship is expressed in physical actions (singing, praying, eating the Lord’s Supper, etc), it springs from within. We are to “glorify God in your body and in your spirit” (1Cor 6:20). The actions are empty if they are not genuine expressions of the worship taking place in the heart.
Worship requires a foundation of truth. Proper worship requires submission to God and His will. Paul, writing about his Jewish brothers, said they had a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge, not submitting to God’s righteousness (Rom 10:1-2). Jesus warned that the Pharisees and scribes of his day “honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Matt 15:7-9).
Worship requires giving our best to God. Cain brought some of his produce to sacrifice to God, but “Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions” (Gen 4:3-4). Malachi excoriate the post-Exile Jews for bringing their lame, blind and sick lambs to sacrifice to God (Mal 1:8). He wrote that God was wearied by it all.
Worship in the assembly seeks to serve others. Edifying others in collective worship is not just a side-effect – it’s a primary goal alongside honoring God. Nearly every passage about our worship together includes consideration of others with whom I am worshipping. Paul instructed two churches to consider others when singing: “teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms” (Col 3:16; see Eph 5:19). He asked those in the Corinthian church who displayed a lack of consideration for others during the Lord’s Supper, “Do you despise the church of God?” The situation had become so appalling he said their “meetings do more harm than good” (1Cor 11:17-22).
Our worship in the assembly should not be about our own desires and opinions. Rather, we should “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.” Not my favorite song? Perhaps God is using its words to open the heart of that visitor in the back. Not a great sermon? Perhaps just one sentence in that message is exactly what a sister in the pew behind me needs to hear today. Not an eloquent prayer? Perhaps the simple words are resonating with the young boy on the front row. Even when my druthers aren’t being met, God will use my earnest worship to His glory and to edify others.
Worship Service = Worship God + Serve Others. If you, have come to find worship boring or barren, try this for just one month: In each assembly, worship God in spirit and in truth. Give your first and best to God in worship. Submit to the needs of others in your worship. Then come tell me if you still find worship wearisome. Just one month! You’ll be blessed.
