“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” – John 4:23-24
In Part 1 of this series, we discussed the following points:
- The purpose of the assembling together of the local church is to develop mature disciples of Christ through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the instruction of the Scriptures, and the encouragement of the saints.
- Christians are to grow spiritually, intellectually, socially, and emotionally as all of their being conforms to the image of Christ.
- Worship is the means by which we mature emotionally and is, therefore, an integral part of fulfilling the purpose of the assembly.
In this post, we will zoom in on this topic of corporate worship and its importance to the life of the church.
As I write this, I understand that the topic of worship has become quite a nuanced topic among authors, churches, and blogs. I certainly don’t want to add to the confusion, so I’ll do my best to present my points clearly and support them biblically.
Remember, we are discussing the need for worship leaders. Having established a biblical foundation of the purpose of the church and corporate worship’s role in that purpose, we now must zoom in on the topic of worship as we frame this issue.
Part 2 – The Plea for Worshipers
We could talk about a lot of things that God seeks. We often hear how God “sought for a man among them to stand in the gap and make up the hedge…” Such a sermon serves as a call to action to fill that gap.
When did last consider the fact that God is seeking authentic worshipers? When did that verse serve as a call to action to offer Him authentic worship? He is seeking not just those who would perform some heroic deed of service, but also those who from the heart would offer Him the praise and honor of which He is so worthy.
A Definition of Worship
There are many meaningful definitions for worship, and most of them are biblically plausible. There is one definition that I’ve heard that I believe is the most inclusive of all aspects involved in worship.
This definition touches both on the matter of motivation (spirit) and the matter of obedience (truth). Any activity in life can become an act of worship when performed for God’s glory in a way that honors God’s Word. In reality, worship can also be defined as simply any obedient response to the truth of God.
“Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” – Ecclesiastes 9:10
“Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.” – 1 Corinthians 10:31
In the main text of this series (John 4), the Lord Jesus counters the objection of the Samaritan woman by directing her attention, not to the place of worship but rather the Person of worship. God is the One who will be worshiped in spirit and in truth, regardless of the specific location for which the woman was arguing.
Jesus emphasized that true worshipers would worship in spirit and in truth. Worship in spirit means that this worship must flow from a heart of right affections for God. Worship cannot be limited to action. One of the greatest plagues infecting the worship of our churches is the plague of mindless, thoughtless singing. We stand, sing a song we’ve sung thousands of time with little or no thought to its implications in our lives, let alone whether or not we really mean what it is we’re singing.
Similarly, we are to worship in truth. The correct response to truth depends on believing that truth correctly. If our theology is faulty, our worshipful response will also be faulty at best. We must understand the truth of God as revealed in nature and His Word in order to properly respond in worship. The first chapter of Romans outlines the results of ignoring or suppressing the truth of God in our worship.
“Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” – Romans 1:25
We’ve all heard judgments passed on some modern songs for their overemphasis of God’s love and grace without an appropriate emphasis on God’s holiness. I’m not willing to make such a broad-brush statement, but if it were true, the problem lies in an incomplete understanding of God’s nature and therefore an incomplete response. However, if we sing or speak of God’s love and grace as a justification for our lack of sanctification, this is no longer an incomplete response, but rather a faulty response to the truth.
A side note:
Pastor Chappell recently preached a sermon that emphasized the fact that we move from truth to emotion, not the other way around. Authentic worship moves from believing the truth about God and responding appropriately and affectionately to that truth.
Corporate Worship
We are primarily discussing corporate worship in this series. Corporate worship is the unified ascription of worth to God as the result of understanding a truth about God. The Bible calls these “spiritual sacrifices.”
“Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. 9 But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”
– 1 Peter 2:5, 9
Spiritual sacrifices are specific, worshipful responses to God’s truth carried out by believers. There are many ways to corporately respond to God’s truth. I personally like the way some have listed these four specific sacrifices.
- The Sacrifice of Possession: responding to the truth of God’s goodness and provision. (Phil. 4)
- The Sacrifice of Prayer: response to the truth of God’s power and our dependence on Him (James 5:16)
- The Sacrifice of Person: responding to specific truths that require our obedience. (Romans 12:1-2)
- The Sacrifice of Praise: responding through singing and exclaiming adulations based on truths about God’s person and/or His work. (Hebrews 13:15)
A rabbit trail here, but I believe we ought to teach the importance of these activities to our congregations lest they become simply “how we do things.” This is when we pray. This is when we give. This is when we stand and sing. If there is not a clear connection with the purpose, we can lead our congregations into a meaningless routine that does not foster or encourage worship.
In part 1, we moved from the purpose of the church and zoomed in on corporate worship. Now, we move from the concept of corporate worship and zoom in specifically on the sacrifice of praise.
The historically proven method of offering the spiritual sacrifice of praise is through the medium of music. We could certainly cite passages where praise was offered by means other than singing. However, the Psalms and historical tradition are sufficient evidence to suggest that music making has been central in corporate praise. We will examine some of those scriptures more thoroughly in Part 3.
To summarize this post:
- God is seeking for those who would worship Him with authenticity.
- Worship is any obedient response to the truth of God from a heart of true affection.
- Corporate worship is a unified ascription of worth to God in response to a truth about God.
- The historical method by which the church has offered God praise is the medium of music.
This may not be the main point of this series, but I believe some questions of application might be important here.
Pastors, is there any part of the worship service that has become routine or meaningless? How can your congregation better approach their time of corporate worship?
Worshiper, how do you approach worship every time you gather? Is there any way you can better prepare to worship in spirit and in truth?
Having established God’s search for authentic worshipers and music’s biblical and historical role in corporate worship, we will address the heart of the problem in Part 3.
