The Discipline of Worship

John 4:20-24; Ezekiel 44:15-16; Micah 6:8

“But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall 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).

“I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Romans 12:1).

The concept of worship as daily experience is foreign to most people, even believers that have grown up in the church.  For the most part, worship is seen as something that is done once per week in the corporate celebration service and is usually considered the domain of the clergy or church professionals. Even though the liturgy, or literally the work of the people, is designed to lead people in their God given privilege/responsibility of “ministering” to God.

In addition, there is confusion over exactly what worship really is in the eyes of God.  Many have reduced it to the attending of a church service, the singing of hymns and choruses, enjoyment of special music, the recitation of creedal statements and the listening to an inspirational message, each of which works together to make them feel good.  Yet God defines genuine worship much differently.

• God is seeking true worshippers of Himself and takes great pleasure in the praises, prayers and offerings of His people.  Just as an earthly parent takes joy in the sincere expressions of thanksgiving of their children, so our heavenly Father is moved by our shouts of praise and thanksgiving.

• Our worship must be in accordance with God’s truth as revealed in the Word of God.  Scripture must be the foundation of every part of lives and should inform our beliefs, attitudes and behaviors.

• Worship of God must issue from our spirit if it is going to be true worship.  God takes no pleasure in the mindless singing of songs and the mouthing of empty words.  In fact, Jesus condemned such behavior as hypocrisy in Matthew 15:8-9, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, But in vain do they worship Me.”

• When we truly enter into worship with a holy and righteous God, we will be reminded of our own sinfulness.  Before offering our praise to God we need to take time to confess our sin and be cleansed of our unrighteousness.

• It is our privilege and responsibility to minister to the Lord through genuine worship.  In the Old Testament period it was the responsibility of the priest to minister to the Lord and make sacrifices for the sins of the people.  Now that we are living under the New Covenant and the priesthood of all believers, this privilege/responsibility rests with us.

Foster on Worship

Worship is something we do.  Studying the theology of worship and debating the forms of worship are all good, but by themselves they are inadequate.  In the final analysis we learn to worship by worshiping.  Let me give a few simple steps that I hope will help in the experience of worship. (Celebration of Discipline, Foster, 170)

• Learn to practice the presence of God daily.  Punctuate every moment with inward whisperings of adoration, praise and thanksgiving.

• Have many different experiences of worship.  Try worshiping alone, in small groups and in the large group corporate celebration service.

• Find ways to prepare for the gathered experience of worship.  Go to bed early the night before, read Scripture, pray and arrive early to quiet yourself.

• Become willing to be gathered in the power of the Lord.  Set aside your own agendas and desires.  Let God be God.

• Cultivate a holy dependency.  Look forward to God acting, teaching and moving.

• Absorb distractions with gratitude.  Relax and pray through any distractions.

• Learn to offer a sacrifice of worship. We don’t always “feel” like worshiping God but we press on give the Lord the best that we have at that time.

Application

• What are the distractions that keep you from entering into genuine worship?

• What changes could you make that would allow you to experience genuine worship on a daily basis?

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