Village Schools of the Bible

WORSHIP: WHAT IS IT?
by Max Frazier, Jr.
Part One in a 4 Part Series

Worship. It is a word used frequently both in the Old Testament (104 times) and the New Testament (77 times). The word is used most often in the active tense, therefore, it is something that a person does. It is not something that is done for him by another. I cannot worship for you. It is not something that is done to you. I cannot compel you to worship. Worship is something that only you can do. Although it is often done within a corporate structure, worship is a private matter of one's heart.

Worship Defined

The English word "worship" comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "worthship" which meant, "to attribute supreme worth to someone or something." Here is how a few others have defined this term:

To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God. (William Temple, late Archbishop of Canterbury).

A worship service is a dramatic event. When the Creator meets the creature, when the Infinite contacts the finite, when Immortal meets mortal, when God reveals and man responds, it is dramatic. If this encounter fails to occur, worship has not taken place even if the bulletin heading reads, "Worship Service." (Ron Allen, professor of Old Testament at Western Conservative Baptist Seminary).

Most people think of the church as a drama with the minister as the chief actor, God as the prompter, and the laity as the critic. What is actually the case is that the congregation is the chief actor, the minister is the prompter, and God is the critic. (Dr. D. James Kennedy, Senior Pastor of Coral Ridge Presbyterian Church).

Worship is a response of adoration in intelligent appreciation for who the Lord is and what he has done. (Dr. Stuart Briscoe, Senior Pastor of Elmbrook Church)

Worship: What Is It?

First of all, worship is the celebration of God. We extol Him. We sound His praises. We boast in Him. In his book titled, Worship: Rediscovering the Missing Jewel, Ron Allen writes:

Worship is not the casual chatter that occasionally drowns out the organ prelude; we celebrate God when we allow the prelude to attune our hearts to the glory of God by the means of music.

Worship is not the mumbling of prayers or the mouthing of hymns with little thought and less heart; we celebrate God when we join together earnestly in prayer and intensely in song.

Worship is not self-aggrandizing words or boring cliche`s when one is asked to give a testimony; we celebrate God when we boast in His name to the good of His people.

Worship is not irrelevant thoughts or fragmented elements, silly asides or unconnected directions in purpose; we celebrate God when all the parts of the service fit together and work to a common end.

Worship is not grudging gifts or compulsory service; we celebrate God when we give to Him hilariously and serve Him with integrity.

Worship is not haphazard music done poorly, not even great music done merely as a performance; we celebrate God when we enjoy and participate in music to His glory.

Worship is not a distracted endurance of the sermon that is poorly prepared and carelessly delivered; we celebrate God when we honor His Word with our words, by His Spirit.

Worship is not hurried motions or a "tacked-on" Lord's Table; we celebrate God pre-eminently when we fellowship gratefully at the ceremonial meal that speaks so centrally of our faith in the Christ Who died for us, Who rose again on our behalf, and Who is to return for our good. (pages 18-19).

Secondly, worship is a state of heart. It is who we are. It is not what we do. Ron Allen continued, When the heart is set upon God, true worship will not depend upon outward stimulus, it will be in constant progress. If our hearts are in tune with God, then all of life is a time of worship.

But the key to worship is, Where is my heart? Is my heart at the ball park? Is my heart on the golf course? Is my heart out in the middle of the lake fishing? Is my heart home relaxing? Is my heart wondering about the work that I need to accomplish tomorrow? Or, is my heart focusing upon God and God alone?

The following verses describe the important role the heart has in response to God:

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. (Psalm 73:26)

Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23)

Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22)

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. (Deuteronomy 6:4-6)

So, what is worship? Worship is an active response from my heart to God whereby I declare how worthy God is. Worship is really hearing and doing, and until I respond to God I really have not worshipped.

Worship: Why Do We Fail?

First, our attitude of heart is missing. Worship is not something we just do on Sunday mornings. Worship is not a switch we turn off and on. Worship is not a text but a context; it is not an isolated experience in life, but a series of life experiences (Gary Gulbranson, as quoted in Quotable Quotes, by Lloyd Cory).

Because of this fact, we have form but no power. The power of worship comes when we truly give active expression to our love of God and make His love the center of our lives. I can't just love God at certain times of the day or at certain times of the week. I am either in love with God or not in love with Him. Furthermore, God wants all my love. Let us read once again Deuteronomy 6:5, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Let me see if I can illustrate it this way. I can't both love my wife and not love her. I can't say to her, "Honey, I will love you on Thursdays from 7-8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 1-10p.m. and on Sundays from 8 a.m. to noon. I either love her all the time or none of the time. Furthermore, she is desirous of all my love all the time. She does not want to share the love I have for her with anyone else.

To worship properly means that God's love is exclusive in our lives. We do have a form of worship but no power because we have forgotten how to really show priority love to God.

The second reason we fail in worship is that we spend our time changing the form but not correcting the heart. When our worship is not what we think it should be, we immediately begin to focus on what we do instead of what we are. We look at the outside instead of the heart.

Why do we do this? It is easier and less costly for me to change formats than to change my heart attitude. Putting another hymn or chorus into a service isn't costly. Removing a responsive reading selection isn't costly. Adding another special number isn't costly. Adding instruments or subtracting instruments isn't costly. To conduct ourselves this way is like having a cancer, but instead of having the tumor removed, we merely change doctors. But it is not the format that causes our worship to fail. It is our heart toward God!

Worship: What Is Needed for a Renewal?

First, we need a renewed reverence or awe for God. Where is our sense of the awesomeness of God? Note the distinct heartbeat of the following verses from the Psalms:

Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. (Psalm 29:1-2)

How awesome is the Lord Most High, the great King over all the earth. (Psalm 47:2)

Praise the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. (Psalm 104:1)

O Lord, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! (Psalm 8:9)

Remember the third commandment which states that we are not to take the name of the Lord our God in vain. How many of us would never think of profaning God's name with our lips but do it with our hearts by not entering into His presence with a right attitude. In his book, New Ways in Christian Worship, Robert Bailey writes, We cannot worship rightly until we recapture, as the principal element in worship, the overwhelming sense of awe and reverence in the presence of God. Here's how the writer of Hebrews expressed that thought: 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 (Hebrews 12:28-29). We need to be aware of God in everyday living, not just on Sunday mornings during our "worship service."

Secondly, we need a deepened sense of the community of God. Again, let's listen to the writer of the Hebrews: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25). We need each other as we worship. Empty pews don't worship - people worship. Empty pews don't sing hymns and songs of praise - people sing. Empty pews don't pray - people pray. It is in the community that the dynamics of worship are deepened.

Worship: So, What Is It?

Worship is the active response of my heart full of love toward God telling Him how much I do love Him. It is a heart that marvels at the deep mysteries of God! It is a heart that says, "God, I don't understand You, but I do love You and praise You for who You are!"

Friend, before you leave for your next worship experience at your local church, ask yourself the following questions:

a. Why am I attending this service? What is my motivation?

b. Do I fully expect to have a meeting with God there, or just a meeting with other friends?

c. Have my weekly times of worship prepared me for this time of corporate worship?

Then, after being honest with God and yourself, go and worship Him with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Discover the rich blessings that can come when we rediscover what worship is about.

In the next article, "Reverence in Worship", we will focus on how a believer can truly enter God's presence with reverence. What does the psalmist mean when he states we are to worship God in the beauty of holiness? How can this concept of reverence be cultivated in a local church setting?

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