The American church has changed the idea of worship. Over the years, worship has become synonymous with a band singing Christian songs on stage or through your radio. It’s been condensed down into something we consume. We buy a “Worship” album or go to a “Worship” concert, brought to us by the new and most popular “Worship” band.
What if worship was more than that? What if I was to tell you that worship was given to us, by God, for God and God alone?
What is not worship?
To help understand what worship truly is, we first have to understand what worship is not.
Praise is not worship. In the most simplistic of terms, praise is joyfully giving thanks for all that God has done for us.
…speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ -Ephesians 5:19-20
Worship is not music. Music is a vehicle that can drive us to worship. In fact, the “worship” music genre is a blend of praise and Christian contemporary (Jesus) music.
By saying worship is music, we are essentially making something for God into something that can be consumed, packaged, rated and ultimately given for human consumption, turning worship into an idol made to suit each person's tastes, wants and needs. How many of us have used the “I don’t like this band” approach to deciding when to tune in or out at church? I am honestly guilty of this exact same thing when we play music from a specific band.
What is worship?
When trying to determine what worship is, it might be easier to take it to the root. The Hebrew and Greek word for worship doesn’t really exist. The Hebrew word is abodah, which basically translates to, to labor or serve.
Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy1 will go over there and worship and come again to you. - Genesis 22:5
Worship is sacrifice. Plain and simple. When you tithe, you worship. When you feed or clothe the homeless, you worship. Every time you show up to Church to serve, you are worshiping.
Come let us worship and bow down - Psalms 96:6
By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff - Hebrews 11:21
Then I fell down at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God.” For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. - Revelation 19:10
When worship is mentioned in scripture, there is typically an act of solemness and bowing associated with it.
Worship is an act of humility. It’s an act of giving and allowing God's sovereign rule of our lives. So while praise is a response of thanksgiving, worship is a response to God where submission, sacrificial service, praise, profession, testimony and gratitude are freely expressed.
"Therefore you shall love the Lord your God, and keep His charge, His statutes, His judgments, and His commandments always." - Deuteronomy 11:1
Worship is love. In the same way God loves us by giving us life through his son, how then do we show Him love. If we condensed this down to the love languages its simple,
Words of affirmation = Praise
Quality time = Spending time in the word
Gifts = Tithes and offerings
Acts of service = Speaks for itself
How do we worship?
So if worship is not a form of music, and is an offering of servitude and humility to the living God, how do we actually worship?
I’ll give you a hint, Jesus is our model.
We submit ourselves in the same way Jesus submitted himself. The same way he ministered to Jew and gentiles alike. The same way he washed the feet of his disciples. The same way, in the Garden of Gethsemane, He proclaimed “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done” - Luke 22:42.
Jesus endured being whipped, spit on, mocked, nailed to a cross, a spear to the side, and ultimately gave his life. All as the ultimate act of worship, so that we have freedom and life in God’s kingdom.
For us, a call to worship isn't going to involve a sacrifice of death in a physical sense, but a call to death of self. A true sacrifice of who we are for the Kingdom of God.
Written by: Stephen Fisher
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