More Worship

Worship God

The Power of Praying Through the Bible By Stormie Omartian / Harvest House Publishers Join best-selling author Omartian on a journey of discovery from Genesis to Revelation! Based on devotions from The Power of a Praying Woman Bible, this encouraging guide reveals how God designed prayer so that we can communicate with him, embrace the promises of Scripture, release burdens to his care, walk with Jesus, and listen to the Spirit. 400 pages, softcover from Harvest.

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Praying God's Word By Beth Moore / B & H Publishing Group In Praying God's Word, Beth Moore teaches how the truth of Scripture and the power of prayer can help destroy the strongholds of sin in your life. Moore begins by carefully identifying fourteen common strongholds such as anger, unforgiveness and addiction that threaten to destroy your spiritual life. She then presents Scriptures that are arranged in prayer form, so that you can use them as a means of fighting against and ultimately destroying these strongholds of sin.

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In Step with God: Understanding His Ways and Plans for Your Life By Charles F. Stanley / Thomas Nelson How do you make all the choices you face every day? Stanley reveals that understanding, considering, and trusting God's character will help you align your life with the direction he has for you. Discover how to know when to make big decisions; what God has for your future; why you're in difficult circumstances; and more. 256 pages, hardcover from Nelson.

Preparing for Hurricane Ike

In Step with God: Understanding His Ways and Plans for Your Life By Charles F. Stanley / Thomas Nelson How do you make all the choices you face every day? Stanley reveals that understanding, considering, and trusting God's character will help you align your life with the direction he has for you. Discover how to know when to make big decisions; what God has for your future; why you're in difficult circumstances; and more. 256 pages, hardcover from Nelson.

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It's kind of difficult to say which is tougher; the Hurricane with the winds, rain, etc. Or the damages and the cleanups that the Hurricane leaves behind. Well both, sort of. The winds from my experience is scary. The way it hits against the windows, the walls of the house, and shakes the house. It's not the best thing to witness in life. But, that's not all. Some people are usually more prepared for things like this than others. Usually, the more prepared ones are those who have gone through it before. They know how it is. They're aware of the lights going off, trees falling, water problems among other things that happen when the storm is raging. Some others that are prepared are the ones who tune in to the News Channels, Radio stations for News, Weather Channels, and maybe read the Newspaper.

As we know, knowledge is power. There are those who maybe just want to try out their Faith. They believe that nothing will happen, after all, God is God. And, some others are not even aware of what is happening. This is just how it is in our Christian lives. Some of us are always "in tune" with God, the Holy Spirit. And we receive the messages, the warnings against danger, against temptations. And because we are "in tune", we are on the same "Frequency" with God, the Holy Spirit, we listen, and we obey. And guess what, we prepare ourselves for "it". We read the Bible, the Word of God. We sing songs of Praise and Worship. We pray. All these, to get us prepared so that we can overcome. (1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24; John 16:3, 4, 13; Proverbs 20:27)

This brings me to talk about being God-Inside Minded. I believe as people of God, when we become "in-tuned" with God, we become God-Inside Minded. We are no longer of the world, even though we're in the world. We are "spirits" living in a natural world. We have souls, and we live in a physical body. We receive the Spirit of God who guides us into all truth through our regenerated human spirits. The Spirit of God living inside of us leads us in all. And all we do is look inside of us, and know that His spirit is there. After a while, we become spirit-conscious. But this can last all through life, only if we dwell in the Word of God, making sure the Word does not depart out of our mouths. We meditate upon it day and night. (1 Corinthians 2:12; Romans 8:14 - 16; John 3:6, 7; James 2:22; Joshua 1:8)

On Saturday, my husband and I had to go to the church for a church duty, and as we were driving along the streets, we noticed there were so many cars on the road, this was just after the rain stopped. But, we noticed that people were searching for food. On our our way back home, we became hungry. And, since there was no light and our stove and oven are electric, I couldn't cook. As we drove into our driveway, we noticed that our neighbors to the left and right had light from their generators. Also, on our way home along one of the streets we drove through, there was a Popeye that was open. But guess what? It had a very long line. Over 20 cars lined open to buy food. Later on when I was talking to my sister, she asked me why we were not prepared. She and another sister had warned us to get prepared in every way. We were not. We eventually ate cake, raisin-bread and sardines, and drank some chocolate beverage, the water came from the tap.

Why am I writing about this? Preparedness, not just for Hurricane Ike, but in the Spiritual also. "Put on the full armor of God ...." Ephesians 6:11-14. We should put on the Word, which is truth. It contains all the weapons of our warfare, which are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.

We should put on the breastplate of righteousness, which is faith and love. Our feet are shod with the preparation of the Gospel of peace. In Christ Jesus, we have peace and pursue peace with all men.

We also need to take the shield of faith, with which we are able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked; the helmet of salvation (holding the thoughts, feelings, and purpose of god's heart); and the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. So that, in the face of all trials, tests, temptations, Hurricanes, tornadoes, and tribulation, we cut to pieces the snare of the devil by speaking the Word of God. For "Greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world". (2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:14 - 17)

So, I believe that we should pray at all times - on every occasion, in every season - in the Spirit, with every manner of prayer and entreaty. In that way, we will keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding on behalf of all others in our lives and outside our lives. Our loved ones, friends, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances, church members, every one including the needy, the homeless. Let's remember that the Hurricane Ike, has rendered a lot of people homeless.

More Scripture References: Ephesians 2:14; Psalm 34:14; 2 Corinthians 5:8; 1 John 4:4; 2 Corinthians 3:5, 6.

My Life as a Christian

I thank God for all who came out unscathed from the Hurricane Ike in Texas. And in my prayers, I remember those who did not make it. And those who lost their homes/properties. My family is safe, (thank God). It was scary, (the wind). At some point, I thought the house was going to fall or something. But, Glory to God, my family and I, did not suffer any serious damages.



Times like this raise all kinds of questions about God. Why does God let things like this happen? Does He not love us as the Bible, His Word says? Is He punishing us? If so, what for? And why? But then His word says, "in all things, give thanks". But, then when things like Hurricane happen, it does not mean we are not loved. Because, God loves us. "We love Him, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19.

May we continue to be steadfast in the Lord Jesus. For the steadfast of the Lord never ceaseth.

My Life as a Christian

Rebecca's Reward, Daughters of Blessings Series #4 By Lauraine Snelling / Bethany House Nineteen-year-old Rebecca Baard has experienced more than her share of sorrow, and now she is afraid to open her heart to love. Besides, no man has ever shown enough interest in her to come courting. So Rebecca's friends set out to remedy the situation, concocting social events to attract all the eligible bachelors in Blessing and advising her in the use of feminine wiles. When none of these efforts seem to work, Rebecca tries yet another tack, only to discover that even the best of intentions can't keep events from taking a surprising turn. Will Rebecca overcome her fears, or will she settle for something less than love?

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I was born into a christian home. My Grandparents were serious christians. They were part of the church leadership. My mother, a Choir leader. Headed a Bible-based Fellowship. Attended most Christian programs, church based, and outside church. My Dad, a church leader, has played different major roles in the Church of Jesus Christ. We, (me and my 3 sisters and my parents, woke up everyday as early as 5 in the morning for Devotionals and prayer, and words of wisdom from both parents, mostly my Dad, and ended the day with the same, but with other members of our household.

I accepted Jesus into my life at the age of 16. I was in my first year in college then. I consider myself a "true born-again" christian. As a child, I went through all the "rituals" a little child in the church is supposed to go through: infant baptism, sunday school enrollment, member of the Girls' Brigade, a member of a young women's group, CGIT (Christian Girls' In Training), confirmation, etc. I actively participated in the church activities, reciting Bible passages in front of a congregation of maybe over 100 members, singing, taking up roles in dramas, 1st and 2nd bible readings, etc. I thought all these automatically made one a "true christian". I believed this gave me a VIP ticket to heaven, I was special. I believed I was saved.

But, in the course of life, I found out all I did as a kid, young girl, were not enough. Infact, I discovered chrisitianity is deeper than that. I went to church every Sunday, attended Church weekly programs. I was "worshipping" God. In a way, yes, I was. But, not really the way God wants me to. I found out that worshipping God is deeper than I thought...

God First

Pastor Jerry Wilhite, author

It is time to make a decision. Either you are for or not for God. This may sound harsh and like we are judging or coming down on some. But it is just the truth; you are either for or against God.
And if you are for then God has to be first in your life, first over spouse, parents even children. With God first all the rest will be blessed.
Matthew 22
37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38. This is the first and great comandment.
To have God first we must dedicate time daily to God, not just reading His word and praying, but listening.
Matthew 15
3. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the comandment of God by your tradition?
4. For God comanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death.
5. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;
6. And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the comandment of God of none effect by your tradition.
7. Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,
8. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the comandments of men.
Jesus said it best, when we learn from man, we learn of man, the only way to learn of and about God is from God, not just His word, but via His spirit. All the rest is tradition, and tradition can lead us from God.
John 1426. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.
God should be first because He said it, but also with anything else before God in your life will open a hole for Satan to enter. And that will eventually cause you to fall away.Other verses that you need to read are:
1. John 15:26
2. Romans 8:16
3. I John 2:20-27
4. I John 4:1-3
5. 1 Corinthians 1:24
6. 1 Corinthians 1:11-13
7. Hosea 4:6 (Revelations 1:6)
A study does not have to be long to be effective.
For those who really want to grow, and to know God, read this next paragraph.
After reading (if you have not read all of the above scriptures stop now and do so) all of the above scripture you should understand that you are suppose to actually hear from God. Actually hear His voice, and to know it is God.
1. Dedicate time daily to hear from God.
2. Find a place that is free of any distractions and is quite.
3. Ask God to help you hear His voice. And daily sit and listen to and for the voice of God.
You must do this daily for atleast 30 minutes a day, not missing any days for any reason. Then sit and listen until you hear, and then ask what you read in I John 4:1-3 to verify it is God and not Satan you are hearing from. And all that is left then is to continue until you hear God's voice constant in your life.How long does it take to hear from God?The average is about 2 months, some hear in days and others take longer. How long should not be important, the only thing that should be impotant is doing it and not stopping for any reason. It is worth the time, imagine hearing from God and all doubt about God and salvation disappearing forever.

Can We Worship For Our Own Entertainment?

There is an erroneous idea today that the main reason we attend worship is to "get something out of the service", rather than going there to give our worship to God. This is a selfish motive on our part. This is the reason people cannot be satisfied with the worship service when their emphasis is not on the proper object of worship, God. People want to "do their own thing" in the worship of the church. What the Bible has to say about worship for many people is of little consequence as long as they are happy and feel good. We must be concerned with what God says on how He is to be worshipped instead of what we might want to offer Him.
The United States has produced the most entertainment-oriented people the world has ever known. We have more forms of amusement than has ever been know to man, but we still want more. In our age everything is designed to appeal to our emotions and to entertain us. We seem to have forgotten our worship service is to bring glory and honor to God, and not to entertain ourselves. When we have choirs to sing to us and concerts to entertain us, we are not worshipping God; but we have become the spectators who are being entertained. Worship is not a spectator event. We dare not become spectators, because in worship it is God who is the spectator. People have the roles reversed. People expect divine will to conform to what seems right in their own eyes. Proverbs 12:15 says, "The way of the fool is right in his own eyes." The emphasis is how can the worship service be made more entertaining to people to please themselves and not God.
Worship to God is holy and sacred. To pervert and corrupt it with entertainment and what we can "get out of the service" in trying to please and gratify ourselves is nothing short of blasphemy! The sacredness of true worship must not be sacrificed on altars of entertainment-oriented quartets, choirs, and other entertainment groups. We are as Hebrews 13:15 says to "Offer the sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name." In worship we must be the participants, not the observers. We want to please and entertain ourselves. In Galatians 1:10 the question is asked, "Do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ." Worship is God-centered not man-centered. When our worship is to please God instead of ourselves, then and only then will our worship be much more meaningful and spiritually uplifting to us and acceptable to God.
When people seek an "emotional high" from worship and don’t get it, they are disappointed and start blaming the song service, the preacher, etc. The world wants their worship service to be "more entertaining", thus they are failing to worship God in spirit and in truth. Where in the Bible can we go to show that our worship is designed to please the worshipper. The desire to have an experience or an encounter along the lines of mysticism also gives little regard to what God says in the Bible.
Our worship to God requires commitment on our part. People had rather worship Christ as a babe in a manger than Christ as their crucified savior. Their worshipping Christ as a babe in a manger requires no commitment on their part. They feel they can put Him in a box and live the rest of the year as they please. But worshipping Christ as our crucified savior requires commitment, a complete change of our life, and a willingness to do all that He says. Jesus says in Matthew 10:37, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me." God and Christ must be first in our lives, and this requires that we be committed to them.
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Desiring God

Revelation 22:8-9
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, "Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God."
Reasons for a Series on Worship
I begin today a series of messages on worship. There are two reasons, at least. One is that worship is what we were created for. This is the final end of all existence: the worship of God. God created the universe so that it would display the worth of his glory. And he created us so that we would see this glory and reflect it by knowing and loving it - with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. The other reason is that since the last time I preached on worship, hundreds of new people have come to Bethlehem, including a new lead worshipper, Chuck Steddom. So we need to rebuild a common vision of what worship is and what we are gathering to do on Sunday morning, and scattering to do on Monday morning. What is it? Why do we do it? How do we do it? Those are the questions for the next several weeks, and I think you are going to be surprised what we find in the Bible, which is where we will be looking for answers.
Worship God!
I begin with Revelation 22:9 not because I intend to do an exposition of it today, but because I want us to hear the simple command, "Worship God!" The angel said to John, when he fell down at the angel's feet, "Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God." In other words, don't worship angels, worship God! Don't worship nothing, worship God! Don't neglect God or despise God, worship God! This is the last chapter of the Bible, and this is the last duty of man: worship God!
What I aim to do this morning is a broad overview of the New Testament by way of introduction to the theme.
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.
No Gatherings Called "Worship Services" in the New Testament
Let's begin with a startling fact, namely, that in the epistles of the New Testament there is very little instruction that deals explicitly with corporate worship - what we call worship services. Not that there were no corporate gatherings for worship: 1 Corinthians 14:23 speaks of "the whole church gathering together," and Acts 2:46 speaks of the early church "attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes," and Hebrews 10:25 speaks of "not neglecting to meet together." But this is not much and the remarkable thing is that, even when the gatherings are in view, the apostles do not speak explicitly of "worship."
Let me illustrate this so that you feel its full force. In the Old Testament the most common word for worship is the Hebrew word hishtahvah (or some related form of that word). Its basic meaning is "bow down," with the sense of reverence and respect and honor. It occurs 171 times. In the Greek Old Testament, 164 of those instances of this Hebrew word are translated by the Greek word proskuneo.
In the Greek New Testament this is the main word for worship - proskuneo. But when you look at its use something astonishing appears. The word is common in the gospels (26 times) - people would often bow down worshipfully before Jesus. And it is common in the book of Revelation (21 times) because the angels and elders in heaven often bow down before God. But in the epistles of Paul it occurs only once, namely in 1 Corinthians 14:25 where the unbeliever falls down at the power of prophecy and confesses God is in the assembly. And it doesn't occur at all in the letters of Peter, James or John.
Now this is remarkable - that the main word for worship in the Old Testament is virtually absent from the letters of the New Testament. Why is this? Why are the very epistles that are written to help the church be what it ought to be in this age almost totally devoid of this word and of explicit teaching on the specifics of corporate worship?
"Something Greater than the Temple is Here"
Let me suggest a reason. I think the reason is found in the way Jesus treated worship in his life and teaching. His main statement is found in John 4:20-24. But before we look at that, consider a few other things he said. For example, his attitude to the Temple - the main place of Jewish worship - was not at all what the Jewish leaders thought it should be.
When he wove a whip and drove out the money changers, the reason he give is not for the sake of proper sacrifices but for the sake of prayer—in fact prayer for all the nations. "My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations" (Mark 11:17). In other words he focused attention away from the outward acts of Jewish sacrifices to the personal act of communion with God in prayer for all peoples.
Then he said two other things about the temple that pointed to a radically altered view of worship. He said, "Something greater than the Temple is here," referring to himself (Matthew 12:6), and he said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). This attitude to the Temple not only got him killed (Mark 14:58; 15:29), but it also got Stephen killed (Acts 6:14). That's how important it was.
What Jesus was doing was identifying himself as the true Temple. "Something greater than the Temple is here." In himself he will fulfill everything the Temple stood for, especially the place where believers meet God. So here again he is perting attention away from worship as a localized thing with outward ritual to a personal, spiritual experience with himself at the center. Worship does not need a building, a priesthood and a sacrificial system. It needs the risen Jesus.
True Worship is in Spirit and in Truth
What Jesus was doing to worship in the way he related to the Temple is made explicit in John 4:20-24. Here he uses the word proskuneo - that dominant Old Testament word for worship - and shows that it was laden with outward and localized meaning, and transforms it into a concept that is mainly inward rather than outward, and mainly pervasive rather than localized.
The woman at the well said:
Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship." [The word for worship used here is that common Old Testament word, proskuneo; and note the localized emphasis in her mind.] Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father." (John 4:20-21)
Here you can see him loosening worship from its outward and localized connotations. Place is not the issue: "neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem." He goes on,
But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." (verses 23-24)
Here is the key sentence: true worship, which was anticipated for the age to come, has arrived: "the hour is coming [in the age to come] and now is [here in me]." And what marks this true future worship that has broken into the present time from the glorious age to come is that it is not bound by localized place or outward form. Instead of being in this mountain or in Jerusalem, it is "in spirit and in truth."
What Jesus is doing here is stripping proskuneo of its last vestiges of localized and outward connotation. Not that it will be wrong for worship to be in a place or that it will be wrong for it to use outward forms; but rather he is making explicit and central that this is not what makes worship worship. What makes worship worship is what happens "in spirit and in truth" - with or without a place and with or without outward forms.
What do those two phrases mean: "in spirit" and "in truth"?
I take "in spirit" to mean that this true worship is carried along by the Holy Spirit and is happening mainly as an inward, spiritual event, not mainly as an outward bodily event. And I take "in truth" to mean that this true worship is a response to true views of God and is shaped and guided by true views of God.
So what Jesus has done is break decisively the necessary connection between worship and its outward and localized associations. It is mainly something inward and free from locality. This is what he meant when he said, "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me" (Matthew 15:8-9). When the heart is far from God, worship is vain, empty, non-existent. The experience of the heart is the defining, vital, indispensable essence of worship.
True Worship is not Oriented on a Place or an Event
Now let's go back to our earlier question: why is the central Old Testament word for worship, proskuneo, virtually boycotted by Peter, James, John and Paul in the letters they write to the churches?
I think the reason is that the word did not make clear enough the inward, spiritual nature of true worship. It carried significant connotations of place and form. The word was associated with bodily bowing down and with the actual presence of a visible manifestation to bow down before.
In the gospels, Jesus was really there in visible form to fall before. So the word proskuneo is used a lot. In the book of Revelation the bowing down usually happens to God's manifestation in heaven or to false gods on the earth. So the word proskuneo is used widely in Revelation too.
But in the epistles something very different is happening. Jesus is not present in visible glory to fall before. Therefore the whole tendency of the early church - at least as it moved out of Jerusalem - was to deal with worship as primarily inward and spiritual rather than outward and ritualistic, and primarily pervasive rather than localized.
To confirm this, and see even more clearly how radically non-place- and non-event-oriented the New Testament view of worship is, consider what Paul does to some of the other words related to Old Testament worship.
For example, the next most frequent word for worship in the Old Testament (after proskuneo) is the word latreuo (over 90 times, almost always translating `abad) which is usually translated "serve," as in Exodus 23:24: "You shall not worship their gods or serve them."
When Paul uses it for Christian worship he goes out of his way to make sure that we know he means not a localized or outward form for worship practice but a non-localized, spiritual experience. In fact, he takes it so far as to treat virtually all of life as an act of worship when lived in the right spirit. For example, in Romans 1:9 he says, "I serve [or: worship] God in my spirit in the preaching of the Gospel." And in Philippians 3:3 Paul says that true Christians "worship God in the Spirit of God . . . and put no confidence in the flesh." And in Romans 12:1 Paul urges Christians to "present your bodies as living and holy sacrifices acceptable to God which is your spiritual worship."
So even when Paul uses an Old Testament word for worship, he takes pains to let us know that what he has in mind is not mainly a localized or external event of worship but an internal, spiritual experience - so much so that he sees all of life and ministry as an expression of that inner experience of worship.
You see the same thing if you take the New Testament use of the Old Testament language for Temple "sacrifices" and "priestly service." The praise and thanks of the lips is called a "sacrifice to God" (Hebrews 13:15). But so are good works in everyday life (Hebrews 13:16). Paul calls his own ministry a "priestly service [of worship]" and he calls the converts themselves an "acceptable offering [in worship]" to God (Romans 15:16; see also Philippians 2:17). He even calls the money that the churches send him "a fragrant aroma and acceptable sacrifice to God [in worship]" (Phililippians 4:18). And his own death for Christ he calls a "drink offering to God" (2 Timothy 4:6).
Worship Happens in the Heart, Every Day and all the Time
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 is what it means when we read things like, "Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). And "whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father" (Colossians 3:17). This is the form of worship commanded in the New Testament: to act in a way that reflects the value of the glory of God - to do a thing in the name of Jesus with thanks to God. That is the basic form of living worship. But the New Testament uses those greatest of all worship sentences without any reference to worship services. They describe life.
Even when Paul calls us to "be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father," there is no reference to a time or place or a service. In fact, the key word is "always" - "always giving thanks for all things in the name of Jesus" (see Colossians 3:16). This may, in fact, be what we should do in a worship service, but it is not Paul's burden to tell us that. His burden is to call for a radical, inward authenticity of worship and an all-encompassing pervasiveness of worship in all of life. Place and form are not of the essence. Spirit and truth are all-important.
"A Continuous Act of Worship"
This is what gripped and shaped the reformed tradition, especially the Puritans and their heirs. The Puritans carried through the simplification and freedom of worship in music and liturgy and architecture. Patrick Collinson summarizes Puritan theory and practice by saying that, the life of the Puritan was in one sense a continuous act of worship, pursued under an unremitting and lively sense of God's providential purposes and constantly refreshed by religious activity, personal, domestic and public.
One of the reasons Puritans called their churches "meeting houses" and kept them very simple was to pert attention from the physical place to the inward, spiritual nature of worship.
My conclusion then is that in the New Testament there is a stunning indifference to the outward forms and places of worship. And there is, at the same time, a radical intensification of worship as an inward, spiritual experience that has no bounds and pervades all of life. These emphases were recaptured in the Reformation and came to clear expression in the Puritan wing of the Reformed tradition.
What begs for attention now is the question: what is the essence of that radical, authentic, inward experience called worship, and how is it that this experience comes to expression in gathered congregations and in everyday life? We will turn to that next week.

© Desiring God
By John Piper. © Desiring God. Website: desiringGod.org

Spiritually Worshipping God

Worshipping God "in spirit" means with reverence, attentiveness, and having the right purpose of honoring God, while understanding what we are doing. Hebrews 12:28-29 says, "Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. For our God is a consuming fire." Our worship must glorify God. 1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."
In order to worship God in the right spirit, we must take time before worship to make ready our hearts and emotions so we will be in the proper frame of mind. We read in Psalms 89:7, "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him." Our worship must show great reverence toward God. He is our creator and He holds our eternal destiny in His hands. We must strive to please Him. We should not have to rush or hurry to worship, arriving late but should always plan to be there early enough so we can be in a worshipful attitude and spirit. Our mind must be ready, attentive, and alert.
Concerning the Lord’s Supper, we are warned in 1 Corinthians 11:27, "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." Our worship to God must be done in a worthy manner. It must be done in a manner that brings glory and honor to God and Christ. Continuing to read in verse 29, "For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body." We must control our thoughts during periods of worship and not let them wander to other things. We should never be wishing the worship service would hurry up and be over so we can get to the restaurant early and not have to stand in line. In fact we should be of the frame of mind that we are disappointed to see the worship service end.
In showing reverence and respect to God, we will not be indifferent, inattentive, and taking lightly that which should be considered serious. Worship to God is holy. Our character in worship must also be holy. In 1 Peter 1:15-16 we read, "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in your conduct, because it is written, Be holy for I am holy." Slouching over, sleeping, playing with babies, squirming, unnecessary talking, and passing notes all show disrespect in worshipping God. Worship which is insincere, that is not from the heart, is vain, useless, and unacceptable to God. Jesus says, "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me" (Mark 7:6). Active participation will tend to get rid of our lack of interest and inattentiveness.
Reverence is not having a long face, folded hands, or a put on look of piety. Worship is a time of joy for us. It is a time of offering thanks, adoration, love, praying, singing praises to God, feeding on His word, and proclaiming Christ to the world in partaking of the Lord’s Supper.