Why worship? – Part 2

Man was created to worship. To make this possible, God has set eternity in man’s heart, such that he is always seeking after Him. Unfortunately, due to the sinful nature of man, he goes about worshipping wrong gods instead of worshiping the only true God. As a consequence of sin, man now worships all kinds of gods and images.

Worship involves our emotions, passion, sacrifice and loyalty. Where these are not given to God, they are misdirected after false gods and images. Just as there is genuine worship, there is also false worship. At Athens, Paul met those who worshipped an unknown deity. He took the time to explain to them who they were to worship. “Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious; for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you” (Acts 17:22,23).

Philip Wagner gives very good reasons why worship matters. He writes: “Worship matters to God. Worship matters to you. Often, we allow personal distractions to get in the way. Sometimes, we go to church, but we don’t worship. We sing songs, but we don’t worship. We listen to sermons, but we don’t worship. We serve in a ministry area—but don’t worship. All of these things are elements of worship, but they are not worship in and of themselves, which means that you can do all of them and yet have failed to truly worship God. Worship is a lifestyle. It’s the gathering of believers to practise our beliefs and celebration of Him. Praise is the expression we give to the ‘worship’ we live. Worship involves more than we realise.

Worships Involves the Surrender of Our Lives
“I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Rom 12:1).

Worship Is Putting Our Focus on Him
True worship is based on the desire to honour God. It requires a personal revelation of God as found in the Scriptures. Worship is not based on my likes or dislikes. It is not based on personal preferences or priorities. It is a focus on Him.

Worship Involves ‘Getting Out of the Way’
We have to learn to remove our worries, our opinion, our questions and ourselves—so we can worship with appropriate honour. It’s letting go. Sometimes, we get in the way of our own experience of genuine worship.

Worship Involves Personal Sacrifice
Praise can be easier, when times are good or we have had a big victory.
It requires a sacrifice of our own feelings and fears, so we can give Him the focus He deserves (Hebrews 13:15).

We Must Worship in the Face of Pain And Loss
King David demonstrated what it means to worship in the face of loss and pain. His baby died. He prayed and prayed, but the baby died. —Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the LORD and worshipped (2 Sam 12:20 NIV).

Worship Is Celebrating Who God Is and What He Has Done”
We must always celebrate God for all He has done for us and in anticipation of the greater things He will do for us. Contact: pastoracukachi@gmail.com