Worship!

What is it?
Who do we worship?
Where do we worship?
How do we worship?
Can we worship anywhere?
What is worship evangelism?
What is the Holy Spirit's role in worship?
Is praise worship?
Is worship praise?
Is music needed in worship?
Can we worship outside?

There are enough questions here to get things rolling. I pray that we can investigate them all together. The Bible would be a good place to start our research. Our understanding of what worship is will help us to become the worshipers that God is searching for, bringing power back into the ministries of Christ's church.

I've heard it said that worship is; the soul of God touching the soul of man. I don't disagree with the statement. Worship has been an incredible comfort for this hillbilly. I've left many a worship service refreshed and renewed for the week ahead but I don't really think that it was the service that did it.

Up until about five years ago the weekly church service was what I thought about when the word worship was brought up, but worship is much more than that. What I've come to understand is that worship should be a part of the everyday experience for the disciple of Jesus. What I mean to say is that if worship is what the above statement says, then how could one possibly confine it to a few hours on Sunday? When, where and why do we worship?

"The soul of God Touching the soul of man". It's important to understand that God initiates worship. Worship is a response to the Holy Spirits leadings and work within us. To respond in worship would be obedient and that's key. Obedience to God is essencially worship.

It's evident that we can worship at anytime and anywhere. In the car, at work or at a ballgame. If worship is the connection of souls then no music is required and there is no need for a pastor. Prayer, singing, meditation, working, playing, washing the car, practicing holiness, helping the needy and sharing the gospel can be, with the right perspective, worship.

What I'm trying to say is that our lives can, and should be, an offering of worship to God. Gratitude is important. Being grateful for the grace extended to us is a good way to live. None of us are worthy of what God has done for us through Christ. Thank you Lord Jesus!

Why worship? Because it's good for us. We should never fall into the trap of thinking that God desires our worship for His benefit. It would be the height of arrogance to think that the creator of the universe needs our praise and adoration. God desires worship because what it does for us. That's right, our loving and gracious Father in heaven wants only the best for His children. He made us and knows what's best for us.

Over the past few months I've been struggling with some issues in my faith walk. Been praying and seeking guidance on ministry issues. I haven't been worshiping enough. There have been sections of life that were off limits to God. This is beginning to change. I want to offer my life, my whole life to Him. I want my entire life to become worship.

Peace!

These next two articles I wrote a while back and posted on my MySpace profile blog. I think that these would be a good place to begin some discussion on worship. This thread was begun last May and it's about time that something else was posted here. Peace! Greg <><


Was listening to the radio the other day and the topic of worship came up. If you know me, you know that whatever was about to be said was going to be of interest to me. I really don't know why the subject holds my attention as much as it does. The only thing that I can think of is that there is power in the presence of almighty God. Lives can be transformed in His presence. There is cleansing and healing as well. I have experienced this first hand in very personal and intimate ways and being the curious person that I am, I want to know why

The preacher on the radio was talking about "the worship experience" , then he made a wonderful statement. He said; "worship isn't an experience, it's an expression." Wow! There it was. Truth had just come through the audio speakers of my Chevrolet.

For years I've been hearing people talk about their worship experiences, how they prefer a contemporary service to a traditional one. I've also heard people discuss their displeasure about not being fed at their church or fellowship. People have left their congregations because they just didn't feel anything in worship on Sunday mornings.

The preacher on the radio clarified the whole thing in one short statement. Worship, true worship has nothing to do with feelings and emotions. Don't get me wrong, I've been involved in worship that was powerful and uplifting. I've been overcome with joy and yes, tears have flowed, but it wasn't because of an experience. The reason that the worship was so uplifting was because I was free enough to express worship to my creator, redeemer and friend.

You see, worship has a lot to do with the offering. I'm not talking about the brass plates that are passed around to collect your cash, I'm talking about the real offering. Us.

Let me ask this question. When you come to worship on Sundays, or at anytime, how do you come? Do you come to receive something, or do you come with an offering? That offering being you. Do you bring leftovers and complaints to God, or do you lavish praise and adoration on to Him? Do you come before Him as a pretender, or are you honest and humble about your sins and failures? Are you uptight and overly formal, or do you feel comfortable enough in His presence to lift your hands in praise?

I agree with the preacher. We shouldn't be seeking that "worship experience". We should be seeking God with our expressions of worship. I've found that when we express true worship to God that the experience is worth it. After all, He is worthy.

It's been quite exciting to be in the Delaware Valley over the past few months. The Phillies have run the table and are the World Series champions. The emotion, passion and excitement of all of this have been incredible. People, me included, have rearranged their schedules to either make the games or watch them on television. A lot of money, we're talking millions, has been spent on team merchandise. Spectators stood in a cold pouring rain to watch the first six and a half innings of game five and when it was suspended they returned two nights later to witness the end of that very game.
Then there was the parade. Almost two million people lined Broad Street on Halloween afternoon to watch the procession of the champions. Some schools in the region were closed. Some businesses closed and a whole lot of people skipped work or class to be downtown to witness the parade. The trains heading into the city were packed with fans who wanted to be a part of this moment. From what I could see on the television it was a sea of red shirts and hats. It was an exciting day for Philadelphia sports fans that had been starved of a championship for over twenty five years. The signs read; Phinally!

Hmmmm. You know I really like passion and excitement. I really enjoy the fact that these folks had something to celebrate and experience. I'm impressed and amazed at the amount of energy, dedication and joy that has been expressed.
Here are a few questions; what would happen if people brought this same level of energy and passion to worship? How would lives be transformed if everyone came with the same amount of excitement and dedication? What would be the effect on our community if God's people began to serve the community with the same energy, passion, joy, dedication and excitement?

Around 2800 years ago there was a parade. The nation of Israel was welcoming their champion to their capital city, Jerusalem. The presence of God was being brought to His home at the center of the nation. That's right, the champion was, and is God.

Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets. (2 Samuel 12-15)

Here's your king, dancing. Why would the king of Israel dance before the ark? David was a man after God's own heart. He continually sought the heart of God and knew that all of his victories were given to him by God. The Champion was entering the city, but the champion was not the human king. That king was passionately worshiping his true king. David knew where his attention was to be. David had a sense of what worship is; adoration and celebration.

Why is it so easy for us to stand, scream, and wave our hands and dance at sporting events and concerts? Why is it so easy for people to rearrange their schedules, skip work, skip classes and spend lot's of money on sports paraphernalia yet when asked why you don't see them at church on Sunday they have a thousand excuses? Why do God's people look so sad and dreary when they do make it to worship?
Look, I'm not throwing stones. I was caught up in the excitement as much as anyone, but I want to understand what all of this means to the disciple of Jesus Christ. You see, I want to be passionate. I want to be dedicated. I want to serve with energy and excitement. I want God's presence to transform my life. I also want to find others who desire these same things.

Congratulations Phillies! You are the World Champions and you earned it! Congratulations Philly fans! The wait is over! Congratulations Church! We are more than conquerors. Let's live our lives as such.

I had a conversation with Lenny Smith after worship yesterday. Lenny is a worshiper who has been leading worship for decades and has written over 100 praise and worship songs, two of which our team uses frequently in our Sunday morning offerings. One song; Our God Reigns, has been translated into many languages and I knew the song years before I met Lenny. Lenny's one of those rare individuals who are in complete awe of the works of God and who can talk for hours about worship. In other words; he's just the kind of person I like to associate with.

The conversation began with him affirming what we are doing as a worship community and confirming the direction that the Praise Team seems to be going. Then we got down to the essence of worship and he really made something clear that I've never been able to articulate.

We were talking about leading worship and he mentioned audience. He said that the trap is falling under the impression that God is our audience and that we feel that we do what we do in order to gain His approval. What he said next really clarified it for me. He said that we are the audience. We are ushered into the throne room not as court jesters for the amusement and approval of God, but we are ushered into His presence in order to respond to His love with our adoration and praise.

Wow! It’s so simple yet so true. We seem to want to jump through hoops and perform for God with our acts of worship, but God is has already done everything. This calls for a response and I believe that’s exactly what worship is; a response to His grace, love, mercy, creation and mighty acts. We respond with our praise, adoration, humility, offerings and awe. This is worship.

How can we possibly think that we could ever perform for Him? All we can ever do is respond to Him with an offering because He is worthy. Worship is merely that; expressions of adoration through our worship of Him and I don’t believe that it’s confined to Sunday mornings only.

For those of us who are in Christ Jesus; He is already especially fond of us and no amount of performing rituals, songs or acts of worship will make Him any fonder of us. Isn’t it a relief to know that we are accepted by Him through our association with Him? I guess that’s why Jesus calls us friends and what a friend He is.

I hope I get to talk to Lenny again soon. He’s just the type of individual I like to be around. You see friends respect you enough to challenge you and I appreciate that. It’s essential for our growth and I’m glad to know that Lenny cares.

Peace!
Greg <><

"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.”
John 4:23 (NASB)

Appearance is everything when something is ornamental. Have you ever noticed the green plants beside the pulpit and lectern in our church’s sanctuary? From a distance they look like healthy and well maintained houseplants. When you inspect them closer you realize that they are actually artificial plants. That’s right; they are not real; they are fakes and phonies. I understand why this is, plants serve an aesthetic purpose and artificial plants, being without life, are easy to maintain. The occasional dusting is sufficient for keeping them looking authentic and vibrant.
Genuine houseplants require effort to remain healthy. They need good soil; water, the proper amount of sunlight is essential and occasional fertilizing helps to keep them green. Sometimes they need to be pruned or placed into larger containers.

For some time now, we’re talking years; I’ve been devouring books, CDs and DVDs on worship. I want to understand what worship is and our part in it. The subject has fascinated me and I could talk for hours about it. Traditional, contemporary, liturgical renewal, blended or seeker friendly are topics that I know about in detail. I’ve studied worship practices in the Tabernacle as well as the Temple in Jerusalem, how the implements, furniture, Levites and priests were consecrated for worship as well as the simple worship of the early church. As I said this has been a fascination. One simple question from a sister helped to bring clarity on a subject that I had been studying for years.
If Jesus was to join our time of worship, and I really do hope he decides to visit us again, do you think he would be impressed with how the praise team sounded? Do you believe that He would be amazed by our ability to recite prayers and creeds? Would the choir get a holy “thumbs up” for the new robes? Would we all get high fives from the Lord on our theologically correct hymns or praise chorus selections? Don’t get me wrong, none of these things are necessarily bad things but a little perspective is needed, so let’s look at some scripture.

In the fourth chapter of John’s gospel Jesus is returning to Galilee but stops at a well in Samaria. He starts a conversation with a Samaritan woman about “living water”. The conversation finally get’s to the point when the woman tells Jesus that the Samaritans worship on their mountain but the Jews say that they must worship in Jerusalem. Jesus replies to her saying;

“Woman, believe me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 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.”

“Spirit and truth”, I believe that this is the key to the real worship of Our Creator, Sustainer and Friend, yet what does it mean? I wish I knew completely but what I’ve come to understand from this passage is that worship isn’t a once a week event at a special geographical location set aside for the purpose of worship. The passage speaks of authenticity from the inside to the outside; spirit being soul and truth being real and in the present wherever that present may be.
The passage speaks of something ongoing, always happening; a way of life! Jesus is speaking of worship that includes every action that one takes, of giving praise and thanksgiving at all times and being in communion with him moment by moment.
Personally, I’m not there yet, but I truly want to be. It’s almost 15 years since I said yes to Jesus. I know about His grace and mercy, I know about Him living in me and I understand that this life in Him will change me. I will be transformed into His image, but I’m not there yet.

There will be some changes in our church’s sanctuary over this summer, but I hope they keep those artificial flowers. They serve as a reminder of what we are not to become.

Peace!
Greg <><