WORSHIP.
1. A PERSONAL PILGRIMAGE.
Early conversion experiences --- 1960.
Emergence of Charismatic Movement --- early 1960's.
Marriage, Bugbrooke, Michael Harper, Jimmy Owens etc.
Russell Park YPF --- mid 1970's.
Sunday Evenings --- Peter Alley, David Devenish, Caves Lane
Lakes, Harrogate, Downs
God's presence, tongues, interpretation
Singing in the Spirit
Prophecy
Wimber and the Vineyard.
Carl Tuttle, Eddy Espinoza, Danny Daniels, Andy Park
Today
2. WHAT IS WORSHIP?
Robert E. Webber -- "Worship old and new"
Worship is a personal meeting with God in which we hymn, magnify and glorify Him for His Person and actions.
The reasons for worship are basic. We worship God simply because He is God. There is none other besides Him. He is high, holy and lifted up. He alone is God, the Almighty, the King of the universe, the Lord of all. We also worship God because of His gracious actions towards us.
It seems clear that the church is primarily a worshipping community -- a community called to praise and enact the wonderful deeds of its Saviour to the praise of the Father.
Worship entails the personal offering of one's entire life to the Father through Jesus Christ.
Tozer --"Worship - the missing Jewel".
True worship of God must be a constant attitude or state of mind within the believer. It will always be a sustained and blessed acknowledgement of love and adoration, subject in this life to degrees of perfection and intensity.
William Temple.
To worship God is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart by the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.
Psalm 29 v 2.
Give unto the Lord the glory due to His Name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.
John 4 vv 23,24.
True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.
John Wimber.
A result of our worshipping and blessing God is being blessed by Him. We don't worship God in order to get blessed, but we are blessed as we worship Him. He visits His people with manifestations of the Holy Spirit.
Thus worship has a two-fold aspect: communication with God through the basic means of singing and praying, and communication from God through teaching and preaching the Word, prophecy, exhortation etc. We lift Him up and exalt Him, and as a result are drawn into His presence where He speaks to us.
Danny Daniels.
Gathering together to seek the face of God and to learn to worship Him should result in a visitation by God in, upon, and through His people .... What's desirable and profitable in any individual or group dealings with God is not only learning "about" Him, but learning from Him directly, by the Holy Spirit's presence and power.
Worship and power must begin with intimacy, one-to-one with the Father. It's easy to tell in a group of people which ones have a lifestyle of worship and surrender. They worship freely, without self-consciousness. They don't worry if their actions are approved by others, yet they are sensitive not to distract or offend others if possible. They come to congregation having already prepared themselves to worship. In fact they have begun their day with God; the meeting is just another phase in their day of worship. While they are led by the worship leader or music group, they do not look to them to worship for them. When a song ends, they continue to worship in their hearts to the Lord. When appropriate in the service, they contribute words, prophecies, or other manifestations of spiritual gifts as they are led by the by the Spirit to do so. They are learning to be led by the Holy Spirit to function as Jesus, no matter what the setting: church service, home, job, market place or whatever. They come to hear and obey the Word of God as it is taught under the anointing of His Spirit. The concept of attending church once a week to be "filled up for the rest of the week" is absurd to them. They know that the walk with Jesus is day-to-day, hour-by-hour, even minute-by-minute.
Carl Tuttle.
It is essential that any outward expression be consistent with an inward reality .... What we are expressing outwardly must be heart connected. If it is not, it is done in vain. We can bow low, dance and lift our hands, yet our hearts may be in a different place.
Phil Rogers.
To worship forever before the throne of God is our ultimate destiny. Our experience on earth is but a foretaste of eternity and but a shadowy reflection of what it will be like when we see Him face to face.
3. WORSHIP IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
a) Individuals in worship.
Abraham Genesis 22 v 5 --- heart obedience.
Eliezer Genesis 25 v 26 --- God's provision.
Jacob Genesis 49 v 1 --- glad acceptance of God's will
Hebrews 11 v 21
Moses Exodus 34 v 8 --- revelation of God.
Joshua Joshua 5 v 14 --- revelation of the Mighty One.
Gideon Judges 7 v 15 --- God and the impossible.
David 2 Samuel 12 v 20 --- tragedy and sin dealt with.
Job Job 1 v 20 --- in the midst of tragedy.
b) Groups in worship.
Elkanah's family 1 Samuel 1 v 3 --- regular family worship.
Moses and Elders Exodus 4 v 31 --- understanding the purposes of God.
Past practice 2 Samuel 15 v 32 --- where people used to worship.
Word of God read Nehemiah 8 v 6 --- action, confession, worship.
Deliverance Exodus 15 v 1,21 --- expression of joy.
A new thing 2 Samuel 6 v 12 --- ark brought to Jerusalem.
c) The stages of Old Testament Worship.
i) Spontaneous.
Abel's offering Genesis 4 v 4
Enoch walked with God Genesis 5 v 22
Noah walked with God Genesis 6 v 9
Noah built an altar Genesis 8 v 29
Abram built an altar Genesis 12 v 8
Abraham's life Genesis 13 ff
ii) Formalised.
The Tabernacle and Ceremonial Law.
Priests, altars and sacrifice. Exodus.
Offerings and Feasts. Leviticus.
Solomon's Temple. 2 Chronicles 1ff
iii) Formality.
Isaiah 29 v 13
These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
Malachi 1 v 10
Oh, that one of you would shut the temple doors, so that you would not light useless fires on my altar.
d) Times and places for worship.
The sacrifices were made twice a day, morning and evening. There were Sabbaths and feast days (Passover, Tabernacles, Day of Atonement etc).
Bethel Genesis 28 v 22, 35 v 1.
Jerusalem Resting place of the Ark.
Solomon's Temple.
Post-exilic temple.
The Synagogue.
4. WORSHIP IN THE NEW TESTAMENT.
There is a distinct lack of teaching regarding forms of corporate worship in the New Testament. Paul does give guidelines and corrections in his letters. Worship is to be orderly (1 Corinthians 14 v 40) but not straight- jacketed. There are to be psalms, hymns, spiritual songs, tongues and interpretations, prophecies, revelations, teachings, exhortations etc as the Holy Spirit leads. Ceremonial forms give way to Spirit sensitive spirits.
a) Places of worship.
We have examples in the New Testament of people worshipping in:-
The temple Acts 2 v 46.
The synagogue Acts 13 v 5, 14; 14 v 1
The streets Acts 3 v 9; 2 v 1-11
Their homes Acts 5 v 42; 2 v 7, 46
b) Days and times of worship.
Everyday was a day of worship! Acts 2 v 46 speaks of "day after day", and Acts 3 v 1 suggests that they kept the daily Jewish "hour of prayer" which was actually kept three times a day at 9am, noon and 3pm.
Sabbath was for them the Jewish day of worship and they kept the Sabbath -- Acts 13 v 14, 42, 44 etc.
The first day of the week was precious because of being the weekly anniversary of the resurrection.
Acts 20 v 7, Revelation 1 v 10.
c) Participants in worship.
i) Worship was an activity for the whole church.
1 Corinthians 14 v 26 "when you come together everyone has........"
ii) All were able to help and encourage one-another.
Ephesians 5 v 19 "speak to one-another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs".
iii) Women can pray and prophesy in public provided they are veiled (i.e. under authority).
1 Corinthians 11 v 4ff
iv) Women are commanded to be silent in the congregation. (i.e. not chattering).
1 Corinthians 14 v 34
v) Women are not to teach or have authority over a man.
1 Timothy 2 v 12 [Be careful that you understand what this really means !]
i) Example in Jerusalem. Acts 2 v 42.
The apostles' teaching.
The fellowship.
Breaking of bread.
Prayer.
ii) Example in Corinth. 1 Corinthians 10ff.
The Lord's Table 10 v 21
Lord's Supper 11 v 20
Exercise of spiritual gifts 12 v 1 - 11
Gifts of prophecy and tongues 14 v 1ff
Singing 14 v 26
Instruction 14 v 26
Revelation 14 v 26
Collection 16 v 1ff
iii) Instructions to Timothy. 1 Timothy 2 v 1ff
Requests, prayers, intercessions, thanksgiving - for everyone including rulers and those in authority.
5. PRINCIPLES FOR WORSHIP.
a) Preparation and attitude.
We worship God because He is worthy of it and therefore we need to prepare our hearts and minds before we meet together.
We should not worship to see "what we can get out of it".
Worship in public can only be a reflection of our worship in private, although God will greatly enhance it. NOTE a leader of worship cannot take people further than they want to go, or are adequately prepared to go.
b) Participation.
1 Corinthians 14 makes it plain that all are to contribute. That puts a burden of responsibility on all to be prepared to participate when the Spirit leads them (and only then!). We should not look to the few to carry the whole, but should expect that most will contribute on a regular basis in some way.
c) Freedom and Form.
There are two dangers that reveal themselves in worship:-
Freedom being equated with licence.
Form being equated with dictation.
1 Corinthians 14 v 40.
"Let everything be done decently and in order"
Be careful how you interpret this text!
d) Love for the brethren.
1 Corinthians 13
6. WORDS REFERRING TO WORSHIP.
a) OLD TESTAMENT.
HALAL.
To be boastful, to praise, to celebrate. Forms the base word of "hallelujah".
1 Chron. 7v4,36 25v3; 2 Chron. 5v13; Ezra 3v11; Ps. 22v22,23,26, 69v30
YADAH.
To give thanks, to praise. The root word suggests the extended hand. Yadah implies worshipping with raised hands. 2 Chron. 7v3; Ps 9v1, 42v5, 45v17, 57v9; Is.12v1,4, 25v1; Jer. 33v11
TODAH.
To give thanks. Ps 42v4, 50v23, 56v12.
TEHILLAH.
A song of praise extolling deeds that are worthy of praise. It is used to praise God for who He is and for His actions. 1 Chron.16v35; Ps.34v1, 65v1, 71v14, 119v71; Is.42v10, 43v21; Hab.3v3.
BARAK.
To bless God for His blessings on us. Neh.8v6, 9v5; Ps.34v1, 100v4, 134v1,2, 145v1,2.
ZAMAR.
Literally to touch the strings of a harp. Refers to praising God in song, harmony and music.
2 Sam.22 v 5; Ps.7v7, 9v2, 47v6, 61v8, 104v33
SHABACH.
To congratulate or speak well of. Suggests triumphant praise of God.
Ps.63v3, 145v4
SAMEACH.
To be glad, to rejoice. Implies an outburst of spontaneous singing which overflows into some physical action.
Ps.32v11, 64v10, 96v11, 105v3
SIYA.
To be bright, to leap with mirth. Ps.40v16, 76v4, 119v162; Is.61v10
GIYL.
To rejoice, to cry out, to be glad. Ps.2v11; Is.41v16; Zech.10v7
SHACHAH.
To bow down in reverence, to prostrate oneself. It is the word commonly used to denote coming before God in worship. Gen.22v5; Ex.24v1; Deut.4v19; 1 Sam.1v3; Ps.5v7, 95v8, 99v5; Is.2v20
RUAH.
To raise a shout, a battle cry, a jubilant shout of joy. Ps.47v1, 65v13
QUARA.
To call or proclaim. Ps.18v3, 88v9, 116v17; Joel 2v32
b) NEW TESTAMENT.
PROSKUNEO.
To come towards to kiss. An expression of intimacy and adoration.
Matt.2v2, 4v10, 18v26; Mark 5v6, 15v9; Acts 10v25; Heb.1v6; Rev.5v14, 14v7
SEBOMAI.
A word that emphasises feelings of reverence and awe in the presence of God.
Mark 7v7; Acts 16v14, 18v7
LAITREUO.
Used to indicate that worship is not only an inner attitude, but is also an outer manifestation of this attitude in righteous living.
Acts 7v42; Phil.3v3; Heb. 9v6; Rom.12v1.
CHAIRA.
To rejoice in a sustained manner.
Lk.19v37; Phil.3v1, 4v4
AGALLIO.
To rejoice greatly, to exult, to lift up. A demonstration of joy.
Lk.1v43; Jn.5v35; Rev.19v7
7. VALUES IN WORSHIP.
a) Worship is given solely for God's glory and honour.
Deuteronomy 5 v 6-10; Romans 1 v 20-23
b) We are to be intimate and self-disclosing with God.
Isaiah 49 v 15,16; Ephesians 4 v 13; Phillipians 3 v 10
c) Nothing is to be done for effect or the manipulation of God or the people.
1 Kings 18 v 26-29
d) We are to be committed to honesty and integrity in our worship.
Ephesians 4 v 15, 25; Colosians 3 v 9
e) Although our worship may be emotional, we are not to "work up" emotions, nor are we to suppress what God is doing to our emotions.
f) We are to WELCOME the ministry of the Holy Spirit as He works in whatever ways He choses.
1 Thessalonians 5 v 19
8. WORSHIP PRIORITIES IN THE VINEYARD.
(Used with grateful thanks to John Wimber)
Our worship is directed and focus on God Himself. We do not just sing about God, we sing to Him.
Worship is a two-fold communications process. We worship God and He touches us. Remember that "proskuneo" means "to draw near to kiss".
Worship is practised as a lifestyle on both the corporate and individual level (Col.3 v 15-17).
We set aside time to worship. Just as quality love-making takes time, neither can quality worship be hurried. Pliny the Younger wrote to the Emperor Trajan that the first century Christians would frequently worship far into the night singing chorus after chorus for hours at a time.
We invest money for musical instruments and sound equipment so that we will have quality in our worship (1 Chron.25 v 1-6).
We expend energy to rehearse, set-up and prepare for worship. Spontaneity is best when it is undergirded with thorough preparation.
We teach others how to worship so that they might experience intimacy with God (Col.3 v 16).
We feel free to integrate change as our worship grows and expands. We are careful, though, to maintain consistency between our values and our priorities when we do initiate change.
9. WORSHIP PRACTICES IN THE VINEYARD.
(Used with grateful thanks to John Wimber).
In the Vineyard we seek to engage in practices which are Biblically sanctioned, either implicitly or explicitly.
a We encourage the whole person to enter into worship through the use of:
Body (raising hands, kneeling, bowing .........)
Soul (reading of Scripture, singing, shouting, recalling God's works.........)
Spirit (Spirit to spirit, tongues, love .........)
b We worship whenever we gather in various groups and settings, even if they are spontaneous.
c We encourage an uninhibited flow of worship. Thus, we will sing many songs in succession without interjection from the worship leader.
d We worship in a contemporary musical style. This helps people to identify with what they are singing to God.
e We always seek to expand and deepen our present foundation. We seek new songs, new modes of expression, new experiences of God.