What comes to your mind when you think about worship?
WHAT IS WORSHIP?
Worship is much more than attending a church service. Worship is more than just songs. Worship is more than an emotion and so much more than an experience. Really, everyone worships something. The question is, what are we worshipping? Some worship themselves; s ome worship TV, celebrities, money and other things of the earth. But our Lord, has designed us to find our full expression in Him.
Worship is therefore connecting heart to heart with our Creator. Worship is walking in relationship with our King. It is our expression in response to His worth. It involves giving ourselves wholeheartedly to The One who loves us the most, our Maker, our Creator, and our Heavenly King. Placing Him at the centre of our lives.
I decided to go back in scripture to look at Worship. Man was created in a context of worship and walked in perfect fellowship with God. However sin entered the world through the temptation in the garden of Eden and man’s relationship with God needed rebuilding (Genesis 3:1-24). God had to progressively bring us back into relationship. Man could not and can not do this on his own.
For man’s worship to be accepted, sin has to be dealt with. God is the initiator of worship. God provided the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, to atone for the sin of man. God ensures we worship in a way He can accept. We know the story of Cain and Abel who both worshipped God. However, Abel’s sacrifice was accepted, and Cain’s sacrifice was not (Genesis 4:4-7). This account outlines for us that faith and right heart attitude amongst others, are needed when we come in worship to our Lord.
A heart of obedience is also important when we come before the Lord in worship. We see this in the story of Abraham, offering up his son, Isaac on the altar (Genesis 22:1-18). There can be no true worship without obedience. The more costly the obedience, the more an act of worship it is.
WHY DOES THE LORD WANT US TO WORSHIP HIM?
John 4:4-40 gives an account of a woman Jesus met by the well in Samaria. It’s a very interesting account as she was the first person Jesus revealed Himself to as the Messiah. She asked Jesus about the right location for worship, and Jesus told her that worship was not about location. Rather it was about engaging with the Spirit of God. He said that Father God is looking for true worshippers. He went on to say God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and in truth.
The impact encountering Jesus had on this woman was so profound that she left her water jug, and went to the town to call others to come to be impacted by Him. She found her full expression in Jesus, and now knew the One to worship. As we draw nearer still in worship, we will not only be impacted, but will draw others nearer to be impacted.
To worship in Spirit and truth refers to worship from an open, honest heart with sincerity and transparency. True worship really is loving God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength (Mark 12:30). True worship involves us learning to put our trust in Christ for salvation, and in the Holy Spirit to empower and direct us daily. The Holy Spirit will then help us to grow in faith as we learn to be totally surrendered to God our Father.
You become like the one you worship. So God’s greatest desire for us is that we become more and more like His Son, Jesus Christ. Our hearts become transformed, the longer we spend in His Presence in worship.
Worship is also very important for the Spiritual environment it creates, where warfare, healing, etc are carried out. We see examples in the Bible where worshippers were sent first into battle and the army came after them.
As we together uncover once again, the great importance of our worship of our Most High God, in Spirit and in truth, we pray that this will pave the way into eternity, where our worship will finally be made perfect.
Mina Bajomo
