Worship

John 4:23-24 NIV A time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.

Ask most Christ followers about worship and their mind immediately goes to the 20 minutes of music prior to the message on any given Sunday. Too often, the worship is seen as the opening act with people still streaming in and getting settled before the speaker takes the stage. With worship mentioned over 400 times in scripture (most without a reference to music or singing), there must be a deeper and richer meaning.

Worship is not the slow song that the choir sings, or the amount you place in the offering basket, or volunteering in children's church. Yes, these can be acts or expressions of worship, but they do not define true worship. Worship is defined as: to honor with extravagant love and extreme submission (Webster's Dictionary,1828).

The first mentioned of worship in scripture is in Genesis 22:5. The Bible states that after Abraham, his men, and his son had reached the Land of Moriah, Abraham told his men to stay behind, and he, together with his son, will go and worship and then return to them. Abraham was not headed to a concert but to offer his only son to God. But God was not interested in taking Issac, what He wanted was Abraham’s complete surrender, nothing held back, everything given to the one who had promised Abraham everything.

When God commanded Moses, “Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.” (Exodus 34:14 NIV) he was not referring to songs. Music can be a powerful expression of worship; it can move our hearts and emotions like nothing else. But God is looking for more than an emotional expression. Worship is a heart fully submitted to God, filled with reverence and honor for the one who redeemed our life. The words in the original text literally mean to fall on our knees. It is total surrender to God and God alone.

One of the truly remarkable truths that Jesus teaches us in John 4:23-24 is that true worship is spirit to Spirit. God is Spirit, and we are given his Spirit when we surrender our life to Christ and are redeemed, born again from above. We worship spirit to Spirit — when we are filled with the Holy Spirit we are able to worship God who is Spirit. As we come to God authentically, seeking him in truth, the Spirit of God enables us to worship God in spirit and in truth. God is seeking those worshippers who come filled with His Spirit and the truth of His word.

We worship God because He is God. The twenty-four elders of Revelation 4:10-11 fell down and worshipped recognizing “You are worthy.” Extravagant love and complete surrender to the Holy One flows out of the reality that God loved us first. Because of God's unimaginable generosity toward us, God chooses to respond to us through our worship. This is His promise—that when we worship Him in Spirit and truth, God comes to live with us. He reveals himself to us and responds to our worship by transforming our heart and lives to be more like his. Let’s worship Him today!

Romans 12:1 NIV Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.

Hebrews 12:28-29 NIV Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.

Psalms 29:1-2 NLT Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings; honor the Lord for his glory and strength. Honor the Lord for the glory of his name. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.

Psalms 95:6-7 NIV Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

Psalms 27:4 NLT The one thing I ask of the Lord— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, delighting in the Lord’s perfections and meditating in his Temple.

1 Chronicles 16:29 NLT Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.

1 Chronicles 29:20 AMP Then David said to the whole assembly, Praise the Lord your God. So they all praised the Lord, the God of their fathers; they bowed down, prostrating themselves and worshipping before the Lord and the king.

2 Chronicles 7:3 NIV When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the Lord above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the Lord, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.”

Psalms 5:7 NLT Because of your unfailing love, I can enter your house; I will worship at your Temple with deepest awe.

Psalms 22:27-28 NIV All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord, and all the families of the nations will bow down and worship before him, for dominion belongs to the Lord and he rules over the nations.

Psalms 99:9 NIV Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.

Matthew 2:11 TPT When they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary, his mother, they fell to the ground at his feet and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests full of gifts and presented him with gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Philippians 2:9-11 NLT Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Romans 14:11 TPT Just as it is written: As surely as I am the Living God, I tell you: Every knee will bow before me and every tongue will confess the truth and glorify me!