worship

Worship is the divinely created response to the glory of God. It is motivated by divine love and arises from divine self-revelation towards his creation. In adoration the believer enters into communication with God the Father through Jesus Christ mediated by the Holy Spirit. Worship also means that we humbly and joyfully give God priority in all things. It is expressed in attitudes and actions such as: prayer, praise, celebration, generosity, active mercy, repentance. (Johannes 4,23; 1. John 4,19; Philippians 2,5-11; 1. Petrus 2,9-10; Ephesians 5,18-20; Colossians 3,16-17; Romans 5,8-twenty; 112,1; Hebrews 12,28; 13,15-16)

Answer God with worship

We respond to God with worship because worship is simply to give God what is right for him. He is worthy of our praise.

God is love and everything he does, he does in love. That is glorious. We even praise love on a human level, right? We praise people who give their lives to help others. They did not have enough power to save their own lives, but the power they used used them to help others - that's commendable. In contrast, we criticize people who had the power to help but refused to help. Goodness is more praiseworthy than power, and God is both good and powerful.

Praise deepens the bond of love between us and God. God's love for us is never diminished, but our love for him often diminishes. In praise we remember his love for us and kindle the fire of love for him that the Holy Spirit has kindled in us. It is good to remember and practice how wonderful God is because it strengthens us in Christ and increases our motivation to be like Him in His goodness that enhances our joy.

We were made for the purpose of praising God (1. Petrus 2,9) to bring him glory and honor, and the more we are in harmony with God, the greater our joy will be. Life is simply more fulfilling when we do what we were created to do: honor God. We do this not only in worship but also in our way of life.

A way of life

Worship is a way of life. We offer our bodies and minds to God as sacrifices2,1-2). We worship God when we share the gospel with others5,16). We worship God when we make financial sacrifices (Philippians 4,18). We worship God when we help other people3,16). We express that he is worthy, worthy of our time, attention and loyalty. We extol his glory and humility by becoming one of us for our sake. We praise his righteousness and grace. We praise him for the way he really is.

He created us for that - to announce his fame. It is just right that we praise the One who made us, who died for us and rose to save us and to give us eternal life, the one who even now works to help us, to him to become more similar. We owe him our loyalty and devotion, we owe him our love.

We were made to praise God, and we will do so forever. John was given a vision of the future: "And every creature that is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea and everything that is in them I heard saying, 'To him that sits on the throne, and to him Lamb be praise and honor and glory and authority for ever and ever!” (Revelation 5,13). This is the correct answer: reverence for the worthy of reverence, honor for the honorable, loyalty for the trustworthy.

Five principles of worship

In Psalm 33,1-3 we read: “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous ones; let the pious praise him rightly. Give thanks to the Lord with harps; sing praises to him in the psaltery of ten strings! sing him a new song; play the strings beautifully with a joyous sound!” Scripture directs us to sing a new song to the Lord, shout for joy, use harps, flutes, tambourines, trombones, and cymbals—even worship with dance (Psalms 149-150 ). The image is one of exuberance, of uninhibited joy, of happiness expressed without inhibitions.

The Bible gives us examples of spontaneous worship. It also gives us examples of very formal forms of worship, with stereotypical routines that remain the same for centuries. Both forms of worship can be legitimate, and neither can claim to be the only authentic way of praising God. I would like to reiterate some general principles related to worship.

1. We are called to worship

First of all, God wants us to worship Him. This is a constant that we see from the beginning to the end of Scripture (1. Mose 4,4; John 4,23; Revelation 22,9). Worship is one of the reasons we were called: To proclaim His glorious deeds (1. Petrus 2,9). Not only do God's people love and obey Him, but they also practice specific acts of worship. They make sacrifices, they sing praises, they pray.

We see a great variety of forms of worship in Scripture. Many details were prescribed in the law of Moses. Certain people were given certain tasks at certain times in certain places. The who, what, when, where and how were given in detail. In contrast, we see in the 1. Book of Moses very few rules on how the patriarchs worshiped. They did not have an appointed priesthood, were not limited to a specific location, and were given little guidance on what to sacrifice and when to sacrifice.

In the New Testament, we again see little about the how and when of worship. Worship activities were not limited to a specific group or location. Christ has abolished the Mosaic requirements and limitations. All believers are priests and constantly give themselves as living sacrifices.

2. Only God should be worshiped

Despite the great diversity of the styles of worship, there is a constant throughout the Scriptures: only God should be worshiped. Worship must be exclusive if it is to be acceptable. God demands all our love, all our faithfulness. We can not serve two gods. Although we may worship Him in different ways, our unity is based on the fact that He is the one we worship.

In ancient Israel, the rival god was often Baal. In Jesus' time it was religious traditions, self-righteousness and hypocrisy. In fact, everything that comes between us and God - everything that makes us disobey Him - is a false god, an idol. For some people today it is money. For others it is sex. Some have a bigger problem with pride or they worry what other people may think about them. John mentions some common false gods when he writes:

"Do not love the world or what is in the world. If anyone loves the world, there is not the Father's love in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the father, but of the world. And the world perishes with its lust; but whoever does the will of God abides forever" (1. John 2,15-17).

No matter what our weakness is, we must crucify, kill, we must set aside all false gods. If something prevents us from obeying God, we have to get rid of it. God wants to have people who worship Him alone.

3. sincerity

The third constant about worship that we see in scripture is that worship must be sincere. There is no use doing something for the sake of form, singing the right songs, gathering together on the right days, saying the right words if we don't really love God in our hearts. Jesus criticized those who honored God with their lips but who worshiped him in vain because their heart was not close to God. Their traditions (originally designed to express their love and worship) had become obstacles to real love and worship.

Jesus also emphasized the need for righteousness when he says we must worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4,24). When we say we love God but are really angry at His instructions, we are hypocrites. If we value our freedom above his authority, we cannot truly worship him. We cannot take his covenant in our mouth and throw his words behind us (Psalm 50,16: 17). We cannot call him Lord and ignore what he says.

4. obedience

Throughout the Scriptures, we see that true worship must include obedience. This obedience must include God's words in the way we treat each other.

We cannot honor God unless we honor his children. "If anyone says, 'I love God', and hates his brother, he is a liar. For whoever does not love his brother, whom he sees, how can he love God, whom he does not see?" (1. John 4,20-21). It reminds me of Isaiah's ruthless criticism of those who perform worship rituals while practicing social injustice:

"What's the point of the multitude of your victims? says the Lord. I am satisfied with the burnt offerings of rams and the fat of calves for fattening, and have no pleasure in the blood of bulls, lambs, and goats. When you come to appear before me, who is asking you to trample my court? Bring no more grain offerings in vain! Incense is an abomination to me! I do not like new moons and sabbaths when you come together, iniquity and feast assemblies! My soul is hostile to your new moons and festivals; they are a burden to me, I am tired of carrying them. And though you spread out your hands, yet I hide my eyes from you; and though you pray much, I do not hear you; for your hands are full of blood” (Isaiah 1,11-15).

As far as we know, there was nothing wrong with the days these people kept, or the type of incense, or the animals they sacrificed. The problem was the way they lived the rest of the time. "Your hands are covered in blood," he said—yet I'm sure the problem wasn't just with those who actually committed murder.

He called for a comprehensive solution: "Forsake evil, learn to do good, seek justice, help the oppressed, restore justice to the orphans, judge the cause of widows" (vv. 16-17). They had to put their interpersonal relationships in order. They had to eliminate racial prejudice, class stereotypes and unfair economic practices.

5. The whole life

Worship, if it is to be real, must make a difference in the way we treat each other seven days a week. This is another principle that we see in Scripture.

How should we worship? Micha asks this question and gives us the answer:
“With what shall I approach the Lord, bow before the high God? Shall I approach him with burnt offerings and calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with countless rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for my sin? You have been told, man, what is good and what the Lord requires of you, namely, to keep God's word and to love and be humble before your God" (Mic 6,6-8).

Hosea also emphasized that human relationships are more important than the mechanics of worship. "For I delight in love, and not in sacrifice, in the knowledge of God, and not in burnt offerings." We are called not only to praise but also to good works (Ephesians 2,10).

Our concept of worship must go far beyond music and days. These details are not nearly as important as our lifestyle. It is hypocritical to keep the Sabbath while at the same time sowing disunity among brothers. It is hypocritical to sing only the psalms and to refuse to worship in the way they describe. It is hypocritical to be proud of the celebration of the Incarnation, which sets an example of humility. It is hypocritical to call Jesus Lord if we do not seek His righteousness and mercy.

Worship is much more than just external actions - it involves a total change in our behavior that results from a total change of the heart, a change brought about by the Holy Spirit in us. To bring about this change, our willingness to spend time with God in prayer, study, and other spiritual disciplines is needed. This transformation does not happen through magic words or magic water - it happens by spending time in communion with God.

Paul's extended view of worship

Worship encompasses our whole life. We see this particularly in Paul's words. Paul used the terminology of sacrifice and worship (worship) thus: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, and acceptable unto God. This is your reasonable worship" (Romans 1 Cor2,1). The whole life should be worship, not just a few hours every week. Of course, if our lives are devoted to worship, it is sure to include a few hours with other Christians every week!

Paul uses other words for sacrifice and worship in Romans 15,16, when he speaks of the grace given to him by God “that I might be a minister of Christ Jesus among the Gentiles, to priestly establish the gospel of God, that the Gentiles might become a sacrifice acceptable to God, sanctified by the Holy Spirit .” Here we see that the preaching of the gospel is a form of worship.

Since we are all priests, we all have the priestly responsibility of proclaiming the benefits of those who have called us (1. Petrus 2,9) - a service that any member can attend, or at least participate in, by helping others preach the gospel.

When Paul thanked the Philippians for sending him financial support, he used the terms for worship: "I received from Epaphroditus what came from you, a sweet savor, a pleasant offering, acceptable to God" (Philippians 4,18).

Financial help we give to other Christians can be a form of worship. Hebrews 13 describes worship in word and deed: “Let us therefore through him always offer up the sacrifice of praise to God, which is the fruit of the lips that confess his name. Don't forget to do good and share with others; for such sacrifices please God” (verses 15-16).

If we understand worship as a way of life that encompasses daily obedience, prayer, and study, then we have, I think, a better perspective when we look at the question of music and the days. Although music has been an important part of worship since at least David's time, music is not the most important part of the service.

Similarly, even the Old Testament recognizes that the day of worship is not as important as we treat our neighbor. The new covenant does not require a specific day for worship, but it requires practical works of love for one another. He demands that we gather, but he does not dictate when we should gather.

Friends, we are called to worship, celebrate and glorify God. It is our joy to proclaim his benefits, to share the good news with others that he has done for us in and through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Joseph Tkach

worship