What Worship Is
Ascribing Worth to God - Give glory and thanks to our most high God.
(Ps. 96:7-8) "Ascribe to the Lord the glory due unto His name."
With all of our being - Praise Him with everything that is in you.
(Ps. 111:1;138:1) "I will praise Him with my whole heart..."
Focused solely on the Lord - Choose to give Him all your attention.
(Ps. 57:7-9) "My heart is fixed on God. I will sing and give praise."
A sacrifice of praise - Give yourself as a praise offering unto the Lord.
(Jer. 33:11) "The sacrifice of praise into the house of the Lord."
Music and singing is worship only to the extent that the individual is ascribing worth to God with all their being, is focused solely upon the Lord, and is offering themselves up as a personal sacrifice of praise. Everything else is just nice music.
What Worship is NOT
A performance - The worship teams are not there to entertain, but to lead and encourage people to freely worship.
A "sing along" - The singing of nice songs; singing just to sing without heartfelt surrender to God.
A search for an emotional, religious buzz
What Worship Does
It glorifies God - We express the beauty and wonder of the truth about God to God.
It delights God - "Sing O daughter of Zion, shout aloud...He will take great delight in you...He will rejoice over you with singing." (Zeph. 3:14-17)
It ushers us into the presence of God - "Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song." (Ps. 95:2)
It transforms the worshiper - Here we experience the truth of what we believe.
It accomplishes spiritual warfare - "From the lips of children and infants you have ordained strength because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." (Ps. 8:2)
It demonstrates the reality of God to an unbelieving world - "He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD." (Ps. 40:3)
Different Types of Worship
Quiet, reflective, tender - "I will sing praise unto God. My meditation shall be sweet." (Ps. 104:33-34)
Joyful, exuberant shouting and loug music - We are called to shout, play skillfully with a loud noise, and make a joyful noise unto the Lord.
Clapping Hands - "Clap your hands all you people." (Ps. 47:1)
Lifting of Hands expresses thanksgiving, blessing, petition, and obedience.
Dancing - We are called to praise Him through dance. "David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the Lord with all his might..." (2 Sa. 6:14)
Kneeling - "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow." (Phil. 2:10)
Individual - "They were also to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord. They were to do the same in the evening." (1 Chron. 23:30)
"...Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord." (Eph. 5:19)
Congregational - "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the congregational celebration and praise." (Ps. 22:22-25)
