The term “worship” has been defined in so many ways; so, I
am not surprised that my own definition (or explanation) is a bit different too. But I’ll say
what I believe I got from God. I always like to use two major passages in the
bible to explain what I believe worship is. They are:
- Revelation 4:11 – “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created”
- John 4:24 – “God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth”
I just looked up Google for the definition of worship, and
to even my own amazement, I agree with it and will make reference to it as I
write.
Google defines it as, “The feeling or expression of
reverence and adoration for a deity.” I agree, and I believe that the utmost reverence that you
can give to God is fulfilling the purpose for which He created you.
If an engineer sets
out to make a piece of equipment, his greatest delight comes when that piece of
equipment begins to function and keeps functioning as he designed it to. When
that happens, the engineer is happy and can conclude that his mission was
successful. On the other hand, if that piece of equipment did not function
properly, the engineer gets frustrated, especially when he knows that he did
everything right, to the best of his knowledge and ability. He won’t derive pleasure in what he has made.
The same is true with God. Revelation 4:11 as quoted above says
that we were created for God’s pleasure. That is why He created us. That is our
purpose – to give Him pleasure. When that happens, God is delighted in us. By giving
Him pleasure, He is revered by us. Hence, we worship Him.
New creation individuals give God pleasure by:
- Knowing who He is; acknowledging His worth; taking Him in high esteem (in their hearts); and yielding their lives over to Him as Lord and Master over all.
- Knowing who they are in Christ – Ephesians 2:6.
- Presenting their bodies as living sacrifices – Romans 12:1.
- Studying, living, being devoted to, and teaching the word – Psalm 1:2-3; 1 Tim 4:3.
- Evangelizing and winning souls to expand His Kingdom – John 15:16.
- Doing service for the King.
- Honoring Him through total, absolute, and complete obedience to His instructions.
- Remembering His sacrifice through communion – 1st Corinthians 11:24.
- Praying in the spirit – Ephesians 6:18.
- Singing in psalms and hymn – Ephesians 5:19.
- Etc.
John 4:24 says that worship is done IN THE spirit. The
Christian cannot be a Christian without the Holy Spirit who resides in our
spirits. Therefore, the ability to worship God starts right from when you were
saved. On the day you were saved, you received, with your salvation, a conducive
atmosphere for worship right inside of you – your spirit. Only believers can
truly worship God. Non-believers do not have the ability, or “place”, for
worship in their spirits.
It is in the place of worship that you please God, do His
will, obey Him, love others, etc. It is in the place of worship that you
receive spiritual songs that you can sing to express your love for Him and
acknowledgement of His worth. So you see, worship does not result from singing
slow songs to revere God; rather singing spiritual songs comes from worship.
Worship is not a seasonal activity, it is a lifestyle – a new creation
lifestyle – that you express every time, everywhere, and in everything you do. That’s
why, as Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4, you do not need a mountain or
temple or a church sanctuary before you can worship God. Now, we carry the
location of our worship about with us so that worship becomes our way of life.
One cannot be a successful Christian without worshipping God; for it is in the place of worship (location, i.e. your spirit)
that you can daily give God pleasure, thereby fulfilling the purpose for which
you have being created.
