Culture of Worship
FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS
Worship is a heart issue
The main Greek word for worship is Proskuneo which means to bow down, with a sense of reverence, respect and honour. It occurs 164 times in the Old Testament, 26 times in the gospels and only in instances where people would bow down worshipfully before Jesus, 21 times in Revelation whenever the heavenly beings bow before God and only once in the Epistles (1 Corinthians 14:25). It is interesting that the major word for worship in the Bible is barely used in the Epistles of Paul, Peter, James, John and Jude, or even in Jesus’ teachings on the subject of worship. This is such a profound truth!
Jesus in his teachings constantly emphasized the condition of our heart above the outward actions. Mark 7:6-7 (NIV) He replied, “Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: ‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.
In fact, He was often very harsh with the religious folks for their vain worship expressions! Matthew 23:25-27 (NIV) “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, and then the outside also will be clean. “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
John Piper writes: ‘What we find in the New Testament, perhaps to our amazement is an utterly stunning degree of indifference to worship as an outward ritual and an utterly radical intensification of worship as an inward experience of the heart.’
Lifestyle rather than an event
Romans 12:1 (NIV) 12 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.
Someone has joked that the problem with a living sacrifice is that it tends to get off the altar! Paul here, is essentially saying that God wants us to live in such a way that every aspect of our living is an act of worship to God and that requires us to die to ourselves, over and over again! Paul in Philippians 1:21 summarises worship this way ‘For to me, to live is Christ… That, friends, is the essence of worship in the New Covenant.
Worship is not merely what we engage in on Sunday morning but rather how we live a life that pleases and glorifies God every moment of our existence…how we treat our families when they are unlovely, how you speak to that reckless boda guy who cuts you off in traffic, how we treat our bodies which are His temple, the thoughts that occupy us etc.
Different Covenants, Different Emphasis
Old Testament (Hebrews 8 & 9) Vs New Testament (John 4:20-24)
Specific location Vs Neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem
Specific time Vs But the hour comes, and now is
Animal sacrifices Vs Jesus the perfect sacrifice offered once and for all; our response is to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1)
High Priest chosen from among the people acted as the mediator between God and man Vs Jesus, our eternal high priest has qualified us for priesthood and consequently given us access to God (1 Peter 2:9)
Several rules & regulations Vs Relationship with the Father though the Son as revealed by the Holy Spirit
John Piper beautifully summarises the above differences: ‘So you can see what is happening in the New Testament. Worship is being significantly de-institutionalized, de-localized, de-ritualized. The whole thrust is being taken off of ceremony and seasons and places and forms; and is being shifted to what is happening in the heart — not just on Sunday, but every day and all the time in all of life.’
This, however leaves us with a question. What’s the essence of corporate worship, in the traditional sense as we understand it?
Worship within the context of corporate gatherings
Although the New Testament is mostly silent on corporate worship as we have come to understand it, we can still see examples from scripture where the church engaged in it. The writer of Hebrews encouraged believers to prioritise fellowship with one another in Hebrews 10:24-25; we also see throughout Acts that the church met in the temple, synagogues and regularly from house to house.
Acts 2:46 (NKJV) So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.
Colossians 3:16 (NKJV) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
ESSENTIALS OF CORPORATE WORSHIP
God’s Revealed/Manifest Presence
God is omnipresent and it is important that we have this truth close to our hearts whenever we come together (Hebrews 13:5, Matthew 28:20); however, when we press into this truth through heartfelt worship, we become more tuned into His presence and God reveals more of himself in our midst. This is what we call the manifest presence of God.
Psalm 22:3 (NKJV) But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. The Hebrew word Qadosh used in this verse means to sit, dwell or remain! God is essentially saying, ‘I am at home where my people praise.’ Wow!
A sense of God’s supernatural presence is the first essential of real worship. When the person of God is revealed in our worship, there is an electricity, an atmosphere of expectancy, joy, hope and peace. Without a sense of God’s nearness, worship is about as exciting as reading the minutes to the last board meeting. We might as well go home and balance our check books or clean the garage. – Sally Morgenthaler
Unity of fellowship
Psalm 133:1-3 (NIV) – Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing - Life forevermore. God releases an anointing and blessing upon believers dwelling in unity.
Jesus in Matthew 5:23 went as far as telling his disciples to abandon their gift at the altar and first address conflict with their brethren before continuing with their worship! Paul in Ephesians 4:3 (NIV) asks us to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
Unity is perhaps the most outstanding quality of the early church; the book of Acts is loaded with such phrases as: continuing daily in one accord, had everything in common, were together, were of one heart and one soul etc. The blessing and anointing of God upon the early church is evident by the signs and wonders that happened in their midst as well as the impact they had on their society.
Freedom in Worship
Galatians 4:9 (NKJV) But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements, to which you desire again to be in bondage?
Galatians 5:1 (Amp) It was for this freedom that Christ set us free [completely liberating us]; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery [which you once removed].
Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Whenever we approach our worship celebration, it is important to remember what Christ redeemed us from – sin, condemnation, guilt, efforts at self-righteousness through observance of the law etc. and what He redeemed us to – a loving relationship with God as our Father. That should release us into exuberant worship!
THE GOAL OF CORPORATE WORSHIP
Transformation
2nd Corinthians 3:18 (Amp) And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.
The Bible is an account of people who encountered God and how their lives were dramatically changed: Peter after the miracle of the great catch of fish (Luke 5:1-8), Isaiah upon seeing vision of the Lord sitting on a throne (Isaiah 6:5), Moses and the burning bush experience (Exodus 3) and Paul’s encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) among others.
When we make God’s presence a priority in our corporate worship, it goes without saying that our lives will be transformed! You cannot encounter the Living God and stay the same.
Revival and Reformation
Heartfelt worship characterised by unity, liberty and the manifest presence of God can’t be contained within the four walls of our church buildings; it is bound to explode and affect all spheres of society.
The lost are intrigued and are bound to come and investigate us – ‘If a church was on fire for God, people for miles would come to watch it burn’ – William Booth.
The transformed believers are compelled to share their faith with the dying world. ‘Worship is the fuel of missions’ – John Piper
Worship is warfare – Worship magnifies God, releases his light and dispels darkness. Worship impacts the spiritual realm of communities. Battles are won in worship (2 Chronicles 20:18-24), prison walls crumble (Acts 16:16-33) etc.
2nd Corinthians 10:4 (NIV) The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
Ps 8:1 Out of the mouths of infants, you have ordained praise to silence the enemy and the avenger.
Food for thought
Our corporate worship experience is not solely the responsibility of the team leading from the front. We should not only come with an attitude to receive from God but also with a readiness to bless those with whom we worship. See 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 on Paul’s teaching on the gifts of the Holy Spirit which I believe should accompany our corporate worship as the church of Christ.
Question to ponder
How can I prepare my heart throughout the week to make our corporate worship a meaningful experience for others?
