What does worshiping God involve? How should I worship God? - Worship - TouchPoints

Genesis 35:2-3So Jacob told everyone in his household, “Get rid of all your pagan idols, purify yourselves, and put on clean clothing. We are now going to Bethel, where I will build an altar to the God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

Exodus 20:2-4“I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea.”

Deuteronomy 11:16“Be careful. Don’t let your heart be deceived so that you turn away from the Lord and serve and worship other gods.”

Psalm 96:4Great is the Lord! He is most worthy of praise! He is to be feared above all gods.

Revelation 22:9But he [the angel] said, “No, don’t worship me. I am a servant of God, just like you and your brothers the prophets, as well as all who obey what is written in this book. Worship only God!”

We must worship God alone because he alone is worthy of our utmost devotion.

1 Chronicles 13:3[David Said] “It is time to bring back the Ark of our God, for we neglected it during the reign of Saul.”

True worship is an expression of genuine love for God; it is not done out of a sense of guilt. God wants a heartfelt response from us, like David’s—not a distant acknowledgment like Saul’s.

Exodus 3:5“Do not come any closer,” the Lord warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground.”

When we approach God’s presence in worship, we must recognize that wherever we are in his presence, we are standing on holy ground. In other words, we must come to God with an attitude of respect and humility for Almighty God, no matter where we are.

Psalm 9:11Sing praises to the Lord who reigns in Jerusalem. Tell the world about his unforgettable deeds.

Psalm 35:18Then I will thank you in front of the great assembly. I will praise you before all the people.

Hebrews 13:15Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.

Our worship should include praise and thanks to God for what he has done through his Son.

1 Chronicles 13:6-8Then David and all Israel went to Baalah of Judah (also called Kiriath-jearim) to bring back the Ark of God, which bears the name of the Lord who is enthroned between the cherubim. They placed the Ark of God on a new cart and brought it from Abinadab’s house. Uzzah and Ahio were guiding the cart. David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, singing songs and playing all kinds of musical instruments—lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals, and trumpets.

Psalm 33:2Praise the Lord with melodies on the lyre; make music for him on the ten-stringed harp.

Psalm 71:22Then I will praise you with music on the harp, because you are faithful to your promises, O my God. I will sing praises to you with a lyre, O Holy One of Israel.

Psalm 150:3-5Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals.

Worship can take the form of a joyous celebration with musical instruments.

1 Chronicles 15:16David also ordered the Levite leaders to appoint a choir of Levites who were singers and musicians to sing joyful songs to the accompaniment of harps, lyres, and cymbals.

Psalm 30:4Sing to the Lord, all you godly ones! Praise his holy name.

Psalm 147:1Praise the Lord! How good to sing praises to our God! How delightful and how fitting!

Ephesians 5:18-19Be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.

Singing is an important part of our worship to God. Note above how the psalmist is encouraging praise through song, practicing the mutual encouragement aspect of worship. Further, Paul reminds the Ephesians that worship ought to include expressions directed to God not simply before God. We praise when we speak about God; we worship when we speak to God.

Psalm 95:6Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,

Kneeling and bowing are appropriate postures for corporate worship.

Hebrews 12:28Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe.

Holy respect and awe should accompany thanksgiving as appropriate attitudes in worship.

Amos 5:21-24“I hate all your show and pretense—the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies. I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings. I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings. Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living.”

Matthew 15:8-9“‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’”

Public worship is useless if done without sincerity and the desire to live wholeheartedly for God.

1 Chronicles 29:10-13Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly: “O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name!”

1 Timothy 2:8In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.

Public prayer is an important part of corporate worship.

Deuteronomy 31:12-13“Call them all together—men, women, children, and the foreigners living in your towns—so they may hear this Book of Instruction and learn to fear the Lord your God and carefully obey all the terms of these instructions. Do this so that your children who have not known these instructions will hear them and will learn to fear the Lord your God. Do this as long as you live in the land you are crossing the Jordan to occupy.”

2 Chronicles 20:13All the men of Judah stood before the Lord with their little ones, wives, and children.

It is good to worship as a family.

Matthew 2:11They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

Worship should be accompanied by generous giving.

John 4:23-24“The time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Acts 2:46They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity.

Worship must be in spirit and in truth, with full engagement on the part of worshipers, not only expressing heartfelt truth about God and to God, but also receiving truth from God.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26I pass on to you what I received from the Lord himself. On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, he took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me as often as you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord’s death until he comes again.

The Lord’s Supper is both an act of worship to God and an act of fellowship among believers.

1 Corinthians 14:26Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.

Everyone has something valuable to contribute to public worship, but all things must be done in good order.

1 Chronicles 16:4-6David appointed the following Levites to lead the people in worship before the Ark of the Lord—to invoke his blessings, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel. Asaph, the leader of this group, sounded the cymbals. Second to him was Zechariah, followed by Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom, and Jeiel. They played the harps and lyres. The priests, Benaiah and Jahaziel, played the trumpets regularly before the Ark of God’s Covenant.

Worship leaders can help guide God’s people in worship.