{"id":90895,"date":"2021-06-05T10:13:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-05T14:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/biblical-worship\/"},"modified":"2023-10-07T14:29:09","modified_gmt":"2023-10-07T18:29:09","slug":"biblical-worship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/keriritenour.com\/grace\/biblical-worship\/","title":{"rendered":"Biblical Worship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">In\nthe transition from the Old to New Testament, all of the core essentials\nremain:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"has-medium-font-size\">\n<li>The word Greek\nword for \u201cworship,\u201d proskune\u014d, means \u201cto encounter God and praise Him.\u201d For\ncenturies the Jewish people had encountered God in the temple for worship. But\nwhen Jesus arrived on the scene, He spoke metaphorically of Himself as the\ntemple (<strong>John\n2:19\u201322<\/strong>). Through His resurrection from the dead, Jesus became the\nspiritual dwelling place where God and His people would meet (see <strong>Matthew 12:6; Hebrews\n10:19\u201320; Matthew 18:20<\/strong>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The God of\nAbraham, Isaac and Jacob is the object of our worship. He alone is worthy of\nworship (<strong>1\nChronicles 16:25<\/strong>; <strong>Psalm 96:4\u20135<\/strong>). Worshiping God means crediting to\nHim the absolute worth that He alone deserves. He is our Creator (<strong>Acts 17:28<\/strong>;\n<strong>James 1:17<\/strong>;\n<strong>Revelation 4:11<\/strong>),\nRedeemer (<strong>Colossians\n1:12\u201313<\/strong>; <strong>1 Peter 1:3<\/strong>), and Lord (<strong>Psalm 22:27<\/strong>). The Father, Son and\nHoly Spirit receive worship (<strong>Matthew 14:33<\/strong>; <strong>28:17<\/strong>; <strong>Luke 7:16; Philippians 3:3<\/strong>); the\nholy angels worship God and refuse to be worshiped themselves (<strong>Revelation 19:10<\/strong>;\n<strong>22:9<\/strong>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>In <strong>John 4:23\u201324<\/strong>,\nJesus made it clear that the physical location of our worship is no longer\nrelevant: \u201c<strong>Yet a\ntime is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the\nFather in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the\nFather seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and\nin truth<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>John 4:23\u201324<\/strong>). True worship takes place on the\ninside, within our hearts or spirits, which is the dwelling place of God (<strong>Psalm 103:1\u20132<\/strong>;\n<strong>Ephesians 2:22<\/strong>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When the Old\nTestament prophet Jonah said, \u201c<strong>I am a Hebrew, and I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who\nmade the sea and the land<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>Jonah 1:9<\/strong>), he was speaking of a lifestyle wholly\ndedicated to glorifying God. The apostle Paul also defined worship as an\nall-encompassing way of life: \u201c<strong>Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God\u2019s\nmercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God\u2014this\nis your true and proper worship<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>Romans 12:1<\/strong>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Humans were\ncreated to worship God (<strong>Psalm 29:1\u20132<\/strong>; <strong>1 Corinthians 10:31<\/strong>; <strong>Ephesians 1:3\u20136<\/strong>; <strong>Philippians 2:9\u201311<\/strong>).&nbsp; Believers participate in specific acts of\nworship whenever they celebrate God\u2019s worthiness and greatness by giving honor\nand glory to His name. Worship can be expressed in words, shouts, singing,\nbowing down, raising hands, and many other ways. The psalmist urges the\nfaithful to enter into acts of worship: \u201c<strong>Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to\nthe Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol\nhim with music and song<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>Psalm 95:1\u20132<\/strong>)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Twelve aspects of\nbiblical worship:\n<ul>\n<li>Through receiving of God\u2019s Son:\u00a0<strong>John 1:11-12<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through reading of God\u2019s Word:\u00a0<strong>Col. 4:16<\/strong>; <strong>1 Thess. 5:27<\/strong>; <strong>1 Tim. 4:13<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through studying God\u2019s Word:\u00a0<strong>Acts 6:2<\/strong>; <strong>2 Tim. 2:15<\/strong>; <strong>3:15<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through teaching God\u2019s Word:\u00a0<strong>Acts 2:42<\/strong>; <strong>6:7<\/strong>; 1 Tim.4:6; 2 Tim. 1:13<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through preaching God\u2019s Word: <strong>2 Timothy 4:2<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through keeping the ordinances:\u00a0<strong>1 Corinthians 11:2<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through prayer, supplications:\u00a0<strong>Acts 2:42<\/strong>; Eph 6:18; Phil 4:6; Col. 4:2<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through singing:\u00a0<strong>Eph. 5:19<\/strong>; <strong>Col 3:16<\/strong>; <strong>James 5:13<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through sacrificing our bodies:\u00a0<strong>Romans 12:1<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through the sacrifice of praise:\u00a0<strong>Hebrews 13:15<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through sacrifice of good works: <strong>Hebrews 13:16<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Through sacrifice\nof our substance: <strong>Philippians 4:18<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Throughout\nthe Bible, people express godly worship in a variety of ways, from building\naltars and offering burnt sacrifices to praying and singing. The worship of God\nor gods was often equated with regular service. In fact, God used the phrase \u201c<strong>worship and serve<\/strong>\u201d\nwhen He referred to a people\u2019s allegiance to Him or to an idol (<strong>Deuteronomy 5:9<\/strong>;\n<strong>11:16<\/strong>;\n<strong>Jeremiah 25:6<\/strong>;\n<strong>Luke 4:8<\/strong>).&nbsp; Some practices, if not closely monitored, can\ntake the focus off of God and onto the worship itself, making those worship\nstyles unbiblical. Some of those practices include: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>1. Music<\/strong>. Some Christians equate worship with the musical portion of the church service. While music is a vital part of expressing our hearts to God (<strong>Psalm 96:1<\/strong>;<strong>149:1<\/strong>; <strong>Exodus 15:1<\/strong>; <strong>Ephesians 5:19<\/strong>), the music itself can become the object of our worship. When sensational music is the sum total of the worship experience, we must ask, \u201cWhat exactly is being worshiped?\u201d When musical style and performance become more important than seeking or glorifying God, music has become a negative. We are no longer worshiping God, but worshiping the experience. If the beat, lyrics, arrangement, or performer takes center stage during a time dedicated to worship, then Jesus is not the one being exalted\u2014our soulish satisfaction has become the star.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>2. Personal freedom<\/strong>. In some churches, freedom of expression can become an unbiblical worship style. When those in attendance are more focused upon their own outward manifestations of \u201cworship,\u201d such as running around the room, screaming, or wild flailing of limbs, the corporate gathering has shifted from the worship of God to a contest between uninhibited attendees. Scripture never endorses chaos as part of a corporate gathering. In fact, Paul chastises the Corinthians for allowing their services to get out of control (<strong>1 Corinthians 14:26\u201333<\/strong>). Instead, he reminds the church that everything, including personal freedom of worship, must be done \u201c<strong>decently and in order<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>1 Corinthians 14:40<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>3. Lack of joy<\/strong>. On the opposite end of the spectrum, many churches have adopted an unbiblical worship style by creating a dull, somber atmosphere, devoid of any emotion. Many in attendance believe they have done their duty to God by enduring an hour of dry orthodoxy once a week, but where were their hearts? They may call this worship, but it is far from it. Jesus rebuked this kind of joyless legalism when He quoted the prophet Isaiah: \u201c<strong>These people worship me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>Matthew 15:8<\/strong>; cf. <strong>Isaiah 29:13<\/strong>). Going through the motions of honoring God while secretly wishing the time away is not worship at all. He takes no pleasure in our joyless offerings (<strong>2 Corinthians 9:7<\/strong>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>4. Tradition<\/strong>. Man-made tradition has been the bane of true worship since before Jesus walked the earth. He rebuked it then, and He rebukes it now (<strong>Mark 7:7\u20138<\/strong>; <strong>Colossians 2:8<\/strong>). What we sometimes call \u201cworship\u201d is nothing more than a feel-good exercise filled with comfortable practices handed down to us from our parents and grandparents. Many people consider themselves part of a certain religious group simply because that is how they were raised. They never think to question the unbiblical traditions, rites, or exercises this church adheres to because the practices are so familiar. Many times these extra-biblical practices actually contradict scriptural truths but are excused because \u201cthat\u2019s the way we\u2019ve always done it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Any\nworship style can be unbiblical if it is not coming from the heart. The\nSamaritan woman asked Jesus a technicality about worship, and His answer is one\nwe must all follow. He said, \u201c<strong>God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in\nspirit and truth<\/strong>\u201d (<strong>John 4:24<\/strong>). When we are exalting the truth of\nScripture, when we are personally losing ourselves in the adoration of God, we\ncan engage in true worship whether in a crowded cathedral or alone in the\ndesert. When our lives are dedicated to honoring God in all we do, we are\nliving a lifestyle of true biblical worship.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the transition from the Old to New Testament, all of the core essentials remain: Throughout the Bible, people express godly worship in a variety of ways, from building altars and offering burnt sacrifices to praying and singing. The worship of God or gods was often equated with regular service. In fact, God used the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[526,537],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v22.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Biblical Worship - Grace Evangelical Free Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Biblical Worship - Grace Evangelical Free Church\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In the transition from the Old to New Testament, all of the core essentials remain: Throughout the Bible, people express godly worship in a variety of ways, from building altars and offering burnt sacrifices to praying and singing. 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