The word worship itself is fascinating. It is a shortened English version of the old Anglo-Saxon word weorthscipe, which is transliterated “worth-ship.” It simply means “worthiness.” Thus to worship someone means to recognize and to declare that person’s worth. But to...
00723 – There is but One God
There is but one God, “in whom we live and move and have our being,” and when we worship we stand before the mystery of that deep and eternal Reality to whom we give different names. From Jews, we learn of God’s faithfulness; from Muslims, of God’s sovereignty and...
00721 – God is Due Worship from the Church
If believers worship with gladness and passion, anyone not yet a part of the community certainly will be attracted to the One who is the object of their worship. But to focus the worship on evangelistic introduction deprives believers of deeper nurturing toward Church...
00720 – Worship is Drawing Close to God
In the end, worship can never be a performance, something you’re pretending or putting on. It’s got to be an overflow of your heart… Worship is about getting personal with God, drawing close to God. from Heart of Worship
00719 – The Tapestry of Worship
The tapestry of worship is formed by the various threads of conversation that occur in interweaving fashion: God’s Word being communicated to the gathered community (both individually and corporately), worshipers responding to God under the prompting of God’s Spirit,...
00718 – Worship: Seeking an Experience vs. Seeking God
The most common mistake Christians make in worship today is seeking an experience rather than seeking God. They look for a feeling, and if it happens, they conclude that they have worshiped. Wrong. In fact, God often removes our feelings so we won’t depend on them....
00716 – Worship and the Gospel
Worship dare not be glib or superficial, ought not to dispense false assurances or manipulate emotions. Instead, genuine worship always offers the true hope of the Gospel—neither entertainment nor escapism, neither diversion nor another sort of consumerism, but the...
00715 – Our Total Lives Must be Toward Worship of God
If you do not know the presence of God in your office, your factory, your home, then God is not in the church when you attend. I have come to believe that when we are worshipping—if the love of God is in us and the Spirit of God is breathing praise within us, all the...
00714 – Finding Joy in the Ordinary
What if [instead of just the “wow” moments in worship] we actively pursue the joy of the ordinary? What if in this season of Lent, when we verbalize our “ashes to ashes” condition , we give God glory for the profound nature of His handiwork without feeling that we...
00713 – Offering is Central to Authentic Worship
The offering is the pinnacle act in worship. Likewise, all of worship is an offering. The self-emptying of Jesus is the model. Unless a person offers the total self to God, true worship does not occur. Actions devoid of self-giving do not qualify as the worship of God...