Worship – Pt 1
INTRODUCTION
As human beings, we were created by God to worship Him and to have fellowship with Him. Worship prepares us for an outpouring of the Spirit in us as individuals, in our churches and in our nations.
Paul recognized a basic need in man – the need to worship. God gave mankind a capacity for worship but man rebelled and tried to fill that vacuum with anything other than God Himself. Rather than worship the Living God, man chose not to acknowledge or give thanks to Him – with catastrophic consequences (Romans 1:21-24).
Man was made for a relationship with God and God wants to receive His worship.
Worship becomes more meaningful as we meditate on scriptures and apply what we discover to our lives.
We will never get our work right until we get our worship right. This means that effective service is rooted in a heart that is overflowing with love for the Lord.
Our aim in worship is to please God – nothing more, nothing less. (To put a smile on God’s face). To give Him pleasure and joy as He sees His children giving Him His rightful place in their lives.
Worship should cost us something (Hebrews 13:15). Sacrifice implies giving something that is costly – self-denial, tithes and offering, obedience, and total commitment in our lifestyles.
As we bless the Lord in our worship, so by His Spirit He lifts our hearts and reminds us that we are His children.
The word worship in the English Language is a derivative of an Anglo-Saxon word Wercscipe, which simply means, “to appreciate the worth of”. It is used to express value that is on an object or a person. Therefore, when we worship something or someone, we lavish our love, attention and praise in that particular direction, whether it is our wife, our husband, our children, a close friend, or even a car! So when we talk of worshipping God, we imply that we are appreciating His worth in all that we do in order to communicate our love for Him.
THE BIBLE AND WORSHIP
The Book of Revelation gives a climatic insight into worship in the heavenlies: a magnificent, awesome gathering of angles and saints giving Jesus His rightful place at the centre of praise and worship.
HISTORY
Creation (God’s magnificent plan and purpose) and it was good. His creative genius reached its pinnacle in the creation of human life – to enjoy the good things God had provided and to give Him pleasure.
God’s nature and character (He is the God of nations) – all powerful and truly mighty – a Holy God who commands His people to worship Him (Deuteronomy 6:13).
OUT OF HISTORY INTO POETRY
The psalms describe the riches of God and reveal the Psalmist’s desire to worship the Lord with praise and all that is within him.
FROM POETRY TO PROPHECY
An insight into God’s judgment on disobedience and the “fickleness” of the human spirit.
INTO THE NEW TESTAMENT
In the New Testament a new pattern of worship emerges. The most popular Greek word used in the New Testament to describe worship is ‘proskuneo’. It means to come towards, to kiss the hand and denotes both the external act of prostrating oneself in worship and the corresponding inward attitude of reverence and humility.
REFERRENCES
Lockyer, Herbert, Sr., Bruce, F.F. and Harrison, R.K. (1986). Illustrated Dictionary of the Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers Inc., Nashville, Tennessee.
Oxford Student’s Dictionary (2002). Oxford University Press.
Pope, Dave (1991). Giving the Best in Worship: A Heart Response to the Love of God. CWR, Waverley Abbey House, England.
The Amplified Bible (1987). Zondervan Publishing House, U.S.A.
The First Scofield Study Bible, King James Version (1986). Barbour and Company, Inc.
Tozer, A.W. (1979). Worship: The Missing Jewel of the Evangelical Church. Christian Publications Inc., Pennsylvania.
