What Does The Bible Say About Worship?

It is in worship that we enter into a divine realm, the residence of the Holy Spirit. It is in this place where we find ourselves bursting with spectacular emotions—transcendent joy, irrevocable peace, and perfect love. The Holy Spirit gives us the power to taste God’s sweet presence through worship. Worshipping God opens our senses and gives us a spiritual view of His dwelling place. The Sons of Korah expressed this in Psalm 84:1-2. “How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the LORD; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.” (ESV)

Worshipping God is one way of expressing our affection and longing for Him. The psalmist says in Psalm 42:1, “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.” The more we worship God, the more we shall long for Him. This kind of longing is then beautifully rewarded. Remember what Jesus said. “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.” (Matthew 7:7) God rewards our worship by enveloping our hearts with great joy, and such great joy is too much for us to contain; so that we cannot help but break forth into shout and singing of praises! This is when we happily say together with the psalmist in Psalm 98:4, “Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth; Break forth into joyous song and sing praises.” (ESV)

Worshipping in Spirit and Truth

Jesus Christ commanded us to worship in spirit and truth (John 4:24). Worshipping God means being filled with the Holy Spirit, and the Bible tells us of how powerful the Holy Spirit is when it comes to healing (Acts 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.). It is the Spirit of God Who gives us utterance of wisdom and utterance of knowledge. Believers who worship in spirit will be able to behold amazing signs and wonders. Worshipping in Spirit means witnessing the working of miracles, prophecies, kinds of tongues, and interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one in the same Spirit, Who apportions to each one individually as he wills (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).

Worshipping God is also about worshipping in truth. This means that our worship must be Biblically driven. When we worship God, it is essential that we worship Him according to what He has revealed about Himself in His Word. In order for our worship to become Biblical, it must abide by the teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 John 1:9). God is truly a gracious God, for He has given us instructions on how to properly worship Him. True, Biblical worship service comprises communion (Acts 20:7); prayers (1 Corinthians 14:15-16); songs (Ephesians 5:19 Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;); reading of the Bible (Colossians 4:16); and proclamation of the Gospel or the Word of God (Acts 20:7).

Paul instructed us in Ephesians 5:19-20 that we need to be “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (ESV). Singing to the Lord with all our hearts, souls, and minds conveys the truth set of music (Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.). It is in worshipping God that our voices and singing become a lovely vibration that resonates with peace, love, and joy. Songs of worship transmit divine echoes that give us knowledge and wisdom from the Lord. It is in our songs of worship that we find the precious heart of God. In our singing of praise, we rediscover the true value of the Blood of Christ. It is in our joyful songs of praise and worship that we become more aware of the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit.

True Worship

Christians are encouraged to follow the pattern of true worship that is in the Bible. Our worship should be full of passion and enthusiasm. It should engage both our hearts and heads. Worship means treasuring and enjoying God above all things. It is about telling Him how important He is to our lives. God’s worth is infinite, and one of the best ways for us to give credit to His worth is through worship. In fact, the English word for “worship” comes from “worth ship.” Thus, worshipping means showing or displaying the worth of God in our lives.

The more we know the worth of God, the deeper our worship becomes. When we fill our minds with the Word of God, our worship becomes truthful. Right worship is soaked with the Word of God. Worshipping in Spirit means being immersed in the everlasting Word of God. Our minds and hearts must be drenched in His Word for us to fully experience genuine worship. Worship is about glorifying God; the more we glorify Him in our worship, the more we magnify Jesus Christ. The more we magnify Jesus Christ, the more we are satisfied in Him. And once we are satisfied in Him, we obtain priceless joy and peace inside us. Truly, worship affects our lives. And so let us put to heart what Paul has said in Hebrews 12:28-29, “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,  for our God is a consuming fire.”