God Glorifying Worship

What is worship? Worship is an act of reverence towards God. Worship is praise and devotion directed towards God. Some complain that they don't get anything out of worship. These use this as an excuse to not attend worship services. Worship is a blessing when one understands its purpose and when one places the proper effort into it. Many do not get anything out of worship because they fail to put anything into it. When a person attends worship services and fails to participate in singing, fails to meditate during communion, and fails to listen and study during the sermon, what should he expect?! The stock market can rise all year long, yet only those who have money invested will profit from it. In this article we will examine three principles of God glorifying worship. We will look at Jesus' words as recorded in John 4:24. "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

The Necessity of Worship

In John 4 Jesus is engaged in a conversation with the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. He has exposed sin and lack of spirituality in her life by mentioning her multiple marriages (vs.17,18). She is quick to change the subject and give an excuse for her conduct. "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship," (vs. 20). In other words she is saying that she doesn't worship God because of the uncertainty of teachings about it. Jesus doesn't accept her excuse and informs her that the place is not the item of importance. Where you worship is not as important as how you worship. Notice that worship is necessary for one to be pleasing to God. Jesus said that "those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." The must is an imperative. Some say, "Do I have to?" Yes, if you want to be pleasing to God.

The Motivation of Worship

"In spirit" means with the proper attitude and motivation. Jesus mentioned some religious men in his day who did all their works to be seen by men (Matt. 23:5). One of their works was to be present at worship assemblies, and there are still a few of these around today. There are those who attend services just to make a good impression on the people. Some attend to see what others are wearing or to hear what others are saying. These are improper motives. The true motivation of worship should be the desire to glorify God, to praise Him, and to learn more of His will for your life. We should approach the Lord not out of a sense of duty or obligation, but rather out of a sense of appreciation and gratitude for all that He has done for us. Joshua put it this way: "...fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth..." (Josh. 24:14).

The Manner of Worship

Some will say that as long as the attitude is right, the action makes no difference. But Jesus said that worship was to be "in spirit and in truth." In truth means according to the truth as it is revealed in God's word (Jn. 17:17). Consider God's reaction to those who failed to worship Him in the appropriate manner. In Genesis 4 we read of Cain and Able and how God did not respect the offering of Cain. This is probably due to a lack of both sincerity and truth on his part. In Leviticus 10:1-3 we read of Nadab and Abihu the sons of Aaron. They offered profane fire which the Lord had not commanded and they were consumed by the very element which they were offering. God had told them in detail what to offer and exactly how to worship, yet they wanted to do something different, and it cost them dearly. Many today have introduced items into the worship of the Lord that are not authorized by the Scriptures. God hasn't answered by fire, but He rejects their offerings just the same.

Let us consider what the New Testament teaches about worship. Consider the text of Acts 2:42-47 as we see how the early church worshiped in the days of the apostles. There are five acts of worship given in this text as well as in other portions of the New Testament.

1. Preaching and teaching. "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine..." (vs. 42). Other Scriptures which bear this out include 2 Tim. 4:2 and Acts 20:7.
2. The Lord's supper. "...in the breaking of bread..." (vs. 42). See also Matt. 26:26-30; Acts 20:7; and 1 Cor. 11:23-34.
3. Prayer. "...and in prayers." (vs.42) See 1 Tim. 2:1-2, 8 and 3:15.
4. Contribution. "and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need." (vs. 45). See 1 Cor. 16:2
5. Singing. "praising God..." See Heb. 13:15; Eph. 5:19; and Col. 3:16. Notice the absence of any reference to instrumental music in the worship of the church.

In Acts 2 we can also see that they assembled together regularly. This is shown by the word "fellowship" in verse 42. The worship of God is certainly a very important consideration for all who desire to please Him. If we worship as the Christians in the first century did, we can know that we are worshiping in truth. If we examine ourselves and strive to grow in God's grace and knowledge we can be sure that our worship is done with the proper spirit. May God bless you as you strive to do His will.