John 4:23-24 NLT
[23] “But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. [24] For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Worship, like prayer, is a mystery. The relatively modern movement born from ‘Pentecostal’ and ‘charismatic’ practices which have filtered into mainline denominations of the church, have redefined worship in terms of what we do in formal church services. Many extremes have crept in to corrupt what the Bible calls ‘true worship’.
Worship in the Old Covenant was concentrated in a designated place with rituals and practices which God ordained for the people to express their loyalty to Him. This system had its specific tribe, the Levites, and their ordained leaders, the priests, whom God designated to represent the people to Him, Him to the people, and who did everything on their behalf.
The entire government of Israel was a theocracy, under God’s direct command, until the people insisted on having their own king to rule over them as did the surrounding nations.
Jesus came to change everything. No longer was worship to happen in a certain place, and in certain ways, and at certain times.
John 4:21 NLT
[21] “Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.”
His conversation with a despised Samaritan woman who still had the notion that worship was after the style of the Jews, revealed a radical new way.
First, God’s intention for true worship in the Jewish worship system, was to be of the heart and in the lifestyle of every child of God, but they didn’t understand. They made it mechanical and ritualistic.
Jesus stated the pattern for worship in the New Testament, and the authors and interpreters of Jesus` intention, fleshed worship out in their writings.
Since God’s dwelling is established in the heart of every believer, our bodies are being transformed into His temples individually,
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT
[19] “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, [20] for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.”
and together as His temple and priesthood.
1 Peter 2:5 NLT
[5]” And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God.”
Revelation 1:6 NLT
[6] “He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.”
Therefore, worship is no longer confined to a specific time and place and to singing songs of ‘praise and worship’. We cannot categorise our activities and tick boxes when we gather as the church on a special day. How wrong we are, then, to think and believe that we go to church to worship God, or that Sunday services are ‘worship’ services.
The stance of the New Testament is completely different.
First, since our bodies are God’s temple and He lives in us by His Spirit, everything we do is worship, whether we are consciously worshipping the Father or not.
Paul clarifies this new perspective.
1 Corinthians 10:31 NLT
[31] “So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
Eating and drinking are basic human activities for our survival. However, the way we eat and drink should reflect our attitude towards both the Father and His ownership of our bodies. We cannot stuff our bodies with excessive and harmful food if we are aware that we are revealing our fear of the Lord by what and the way we eat and drink. We cannot use our bodies for sinful behaviour as this dishonours God and defiles His temple.
1 Corinthians 6:15 NLT
[15] “Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never!”
1 Corinthians 6:18 NLT
[18] “Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.”
This brings me to another thought. The fact that our bodies are aging and deteriorating is no excuse for us to neglect them since they are going to die anyway. As long as we are alive in these bodies, we must care for them because God lives in us.
Second, since we are to worship the Lord from the inside, with our hearts, and minds – our attitudes, and intentions – we are to be guided by the truth, which is God’s Word. Paul had this to say about, greedy, gluttonous people…
Philippians 3:18-19 NLT
[18] “For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. [19] They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth.“
Attending church on a Sunday and singing ‘worship’ songs does not qualify as worship, nor does it cancel out what we do with the other parts of our lives. Conduct reveals all. What we do in our bodies mirrors the attitude of our hearts and reveals our understanding or misunderstanding of the truth.
Our first and daily act of worship then, because of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ, is…
Romans 12:1 NLT
[1] “… To give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
Everything we say and do in this life is done in and through our bodies. If our bodies are polluted by abuse and ungodly living, how can we offer to the Lord true worship?
Third, the Bible gives us specific ways in which we worship the Lord by our actions which are directed by the attitude of our hearts.
- Our bodies
Romans 12:1 NLT
[1] “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your BODIES to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.”
- Our hearts
Psalms 51:16-17 NLT
[16] “You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one. You do not want a burnt offering. [17] The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a BROKEN and REPENTANT HEART, O God.”
This sacrifice is the way we deal with sin, the barrier that destroys our fellowship with God.
- Our praise
Hebrews 13:15-16 NLT
[15]”Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of PRAISE to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.
- Our loving service
[16] And don’t forget to DO GOOD and to SHARE with those in need. These are the sacrifices that please God.”
Praise is our motive for blessing others. God’s goodness moves us to be good to our fellow believers.
Our tongues, which praise God, must never be used to curse people. Our tongues are dangerous weapons, when they are out of control.
James 3:7-12 NLT
[7]”People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, [8] but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. [9] Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. [10] And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! [11] Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? [12] Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can’t draw fresh water from a salty spring.”
- Our material and financial resources
Philippians 4:18 NLT
[18]”At the moment I have all I need—and more! I am generously supplied with the GIFTS you sent me with Epaphroditus. They are a sweet-smelling sacrifice that is acceptable and pleasing to God.”
Generosity is a fragrant offering to God because the way we handle our money and resources reveals the object of our love, God or mammon.
Matthew 6:24 NLT
[24] “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and be enslaved to money.”
So, Paul says, our entire lives, bodies, hearts, actions, words and deeds belong to God, and we are freely to share them with others. In this way, we reflect God’s image in us and shine the light on His nature. This is true worship.
Colossians 3:17 NLT
[17] “And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.”
Oswald Chambers sums up for us….
“There are not three stages in spiritual life – worship, waiting and work. Some of us go in jumps like spiritual frogs, we jump from worship to waiting, and from waiting to work. God’s idea is that the three should go together. They were always together in the life of Our Lord. He was unhasting and unresting. It is a discipline, we cannot get into it all at once.”
(My Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers)