Worship

It's amazing how much stuff there is out there on worship. It's also amazing how much stuff there is out there about worship that's wrong. I've been working on curriculum for a new believer's study to explain worship Biblically, and simply. The idea here is milk not meat. This is for first steps, not a theological discourse.

Most of what I have found focuses on the idea of "worth-ship" - ascibing value to someone or something. In this case God. The application of this is often singing songs.

The problem with this is that it isn't a Biblical view of worship. The Bible is clear that God is the sovereign creator of the universe. As such, He already has all the value there can possibly be. He is God. He declares His first place in all the world and in the first command to "love the Lord your God." Jesus addressed this in His discussion with the woman at the well. He said that God seeks worshippers who will worship in "spirit and in truth."

We don't need to ascribe value to God, we need to accept the value He already has. We need to acknowledge who He is, that He is, and what He has already done. This is the truth! Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." We need to worship in Him who is truth. We also must have a relationship with Him to be able to truly worship. In order to worship in the "spirit" we must have the spirit, and the only way to have that is through our relationship with Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit is the promise given to those who follow Him.

So, we worship God by living for Christ and celebrating what he has done in the world and in our lives. We can express worship in a variety of ways. Yes, singing is one way we can express worship. The Bible is filled with examples of people expressing worship through song.

How else can we express worship? Not any way we please, but any way that pleases him! That's a tough one. But I'll get more into that in another post. For now, focus on the true meaning of worship, not the popular meaning.