What is Worship
To bow down and serve - Matthew 4:8-10 (Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” 10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ”)
In everything we do, we must put it in the perspective of God. God is a Spirit and therefore must worshipped in Spirit and in truth. (John 4:23, 24 - Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”)
We can worship God in Spirit by having a deeper understanding of God's nature through the Holy Ghost.The Spirit of God is not limited to the church building or only on Sunday, but He's omnipresence transcends time and space. God's truth is learning the His attributes and going into His presence, beyond religious activities, so as to know and understand the truth about Him.
"The essence of our worship is to know God truly and then respond from the heart to that knowledge by valuing Him, treasuring Him, prizing Him, enjoying Him, being satisfied with Him above all earthly things. And then that that deep, restful, joyful satisfaction in God overflows in demonstrable acts of praise from the lips and demonstrable acts of love in serving others for the sake of Christ." - John Piper, founder and teacher of desiringGod.org, chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary.
Perspectives on Worship
- In the book, The Grand Weaver, Ravi Zacharias talks about the Four Perspectives of Worship.
- Praise - Worship God through your praise
- Teaching - Proper teaching teaches us how to worship properly (2 Timothy 2:15 - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth)
- Prayer - Having a dialogue with God, be mindful of meaningless prayers of not asking God for wants all the time and neglecting the aspect of true worship. Communication with God enables us to see God's heart in us. We have access to God and should not always depend on others to pray for us. (Luke 11:1-28 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples)
- Giving - Give your best to God at all times. What you spend more of time and money on shows what master you serve. We must not be caught in thoughts of where the money we give goes or how it's used, yet if in doubt, find a Ministry you can trust to give.
Credits:
Created with images by Amaury Gutierrez - "Prayer" • Edwin Andrade - untitled image • Hannah Busing - "reading the bible" • Ben White - "woman in the field"