You Need to Know the Right Way to Worship God

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You and I were created to worship.

God created us to worship Him but even those who say they don’t believe in God … worship something.

We are hardwired to worship.

So in this “hard questions” series – I’m asking…

What is the right way to worship God?

How does He really want me to worship Him?

How does He want the church to worship Him?

Since God created us to worship and He mentions it 496 times in the Bible,  I believe it’s important to Him.  So, I looked for answers to the what, who, and how of worshiping God the way He wants personally and in community.

I started by defining the what of worship in general.

What is worship?

Pastor John Piper defines worship this way…

The inner essence of worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing God, treasuring God, prizing God, enjoying God, being satisfied with God above all earthly things. And then that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ.

The Life Application Notes define worships as – n. – reverent devotion and allegiance pledged to God; and v. – to regard with great extravagant respect, honor, or devotion.

I would say it like this…

Worship is much like loving God – heart, mind, soul, and strength. It is getting to know Him with our heads, cherishing Him in our hearts, and surrendering our lives to Him … through obedience, service, gratitude, and praise.

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. Romans 12:1

And who are we to worship?

The Triune God—Father, Son (Jesus), and Spirit.

You must not have any other God but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. Exodus 20:3–5

It’s easiest to think of these “other gods” as those worshipped by other religions . . . Allah, Buddha, etc. But you and I can make anything or anyone an idol — Celebrities. Spouse. Children. Possessions. Career. Position or Popularity. Comfort or Looks? Anything that takes God’s place in our lives is an “other god.”

So…

What is the right way to worship God personally?

Jesus summed up the how of worship when He said…

“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. God is Spirit, so those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” John 4:23–24

Worshiping God in spirit and truth is worshiping Him with our hearts and our minds. (spirit and truth)

It begins by KNOWing God for who He is . . . not who we think He is but who He says He is.

That’s worshipping Him in truth.

Praise God, the Holy Spirit – living within us teaches us the truth and helps us worship God as He wants.

For me, it means getting to know Him by spending time with Him through prayer and Bible Study … because the more I know Him … the more I love Him and the more I love Him … the more I will worship Him.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30

Love and worship go together – it’s hard to have one without the other.

What is the right way to worship God in community?

What is the right way to worship God at church?

I think God’s people disagree more about worship styles than almost anything else in the church.

There are as many worship styles as there are churches and everyone has an opinion about the style their church should practice. There’s traditional, contemporary, rock, folk, liturgical, non-liturgical, with instruments, without instruments, dancing, clapping, raised hands, bowed heads, and I’m sure I’ve missed a few.

I believe Rev and I have experienced almost every worship style at one time or another and although I have my preferences that’s all they are . . . preferences.

The Bible doesn’t give us many specifics of how God wants us to worship Him in community. A few verses that give us specifics are:

Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe. Hebrews 12:28

Or as the LAB notes say — “great extravagant respect, honor, or devotion”

Just think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our consciences from sinful deeds so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our sins.

First of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. 1 Timothy 2:1

Paul began his counsel on worship telling people to pray and…

What am I saying, Christian brothers? When you meet together for worship, some of you have a song to sing. Some of you want to teach and some have special words from God. Some of you speak in special sounds and some of you tell what they mean. Everything should be done to help those who are meeting together to grow strong as Christians. 1 Corinthians 14:26 (NLV)

Whatever your church leadership decides is the best way to help its members worship – the goal should be everyone growing stronger as followers of Christ!

So, it’s not about the right kind of music or formula. Not how the service sounds or what it looks like. But about surrendering our hearts and minds to the power of the Holy Spirit as we seek to KNOW God better, love Him more deeply, and follow Him more closely.

What is the right way to worship God? 

It is setting your heart and mind on adoring God for who He is and all He’s done. It is growing more and more in love with Him – until you love Him with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Worship is focused on God – not on the pastor, the music, or your personal preferences.

So if you ever sit there during a service and think:

• I hate this song.
• Wow, that musician is terrible.
• I can’t believe the reader wore that to church.
• The pastor really didn’t hold my attention today.
• Why can’t we just go back to the way things used to be?
• What is wrong with this music, you can’t even sing along?

Yeah, that’s not worship!

And yes, I’m guilty!

That’s why I’m challenging myself to make true worship my goal going forward.

That means  – I’m making God my focus as I celebrate Him with GRATITUDE and JOY personally and in community!

Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before Him, singing with joy.
Enter His gates with thanksgiving;
go into His courts with praise.
Give thanks to Him and praise His name.
For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever.
Psalm 100:2,4–5a

And I’m making it my goal to surrender every day to God as an act of worship and praise.

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. Romans 12:1

I love this quote from Timothy Keller…

“God directs his people not simply to worship but to sing his praises ‘before the nations.’ We are called not simply to communicate the gospel to nonbelievers; we must also intentionally celebrate the gospel before them.”

And this one from Robert Webber…

“Worship is an it-is-well-with-my-soul experience.” 

That is worship!

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