Question
How does God expect us to worship?
Answer
First, let me address the meriting of worship and then how God would have us express our worship, individually and collectively. Also, I will try to emphasize the attitude we should have toward worshipping God.
First of all, the idea of “worship” has to do with bowing oneself before another, paying reverence toward them, praising and adoring of another. It is to come from the heart and recognizes the worthiness of the one being worshipped.
As top the object of worship, only God is worthy of man’s worship. He is the One who we should praise and serve, not men, angels or anything else.
MAT 4:8 Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory;
MAT 4:9 and he said to Him, “All these things will I give You, if You fall down and worship me.”
MAT 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.'”
REV 22:8 ¶ And I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things.
REV 22:9 And he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book; worship God.”
HEB 1:5 For to which of the angels did He ever say, “Thou art My Son, Today I have begotten Thee”? And again, “I will be a Father to Him And He shall be a Son to Me”?
HEB 1:6 And when He again brings the first-born into the world, He says, “And let all the angels of God worship Him.”
As to our attitude about worshipping God, we should d so from the heart, humbling ourselves before Him and also we should express our worship only in ways that He has commanded us. Jesus called this worshipping in spirit and in truth. It is not up to us to tell God how we are going to worship Him, but it is up to us to listen to Him and follow His word.
JOH 4:23 “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.
JOH 4:24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
How does God want us to worship Him? In the New Testament, we have passages where we are told how Christians expressed their worship in various ways. We see them acting as individuals and also together as local churches. They prayed to God, studied His word together, participated in the Lord’s supper together, collect funds for the needs of others and the preaching of the gospel and sang praises to God (no mention of the use of any accompanying instruments).
ACT 2:42 And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
1CO 16:1 Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also.
1CO 16:2 On the first day of every week let each one of you put aside and save, as he may prosper, that no collections be made when I come.
1CO 16:3 And when I arrive, whomever you may approve, I shall send them with letters to carry your gift to Jerusalem;
1CO 16:4 and if it is fitting for me to go also, they will go with me.
EPH 5:18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit,
EPH 5:19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;
EPH 5:20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
EPH 5:21 and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.
ACT 20:7 ¶ And on the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul began talking to them, intending to depart the next day, and he prolonged his message until midnight.
1CO 11:23 For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread;
1CO 11:24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.”
1CO 11:25 In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
1CO 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
By Gary Hunt
