Christians worship both individually and collectively. They worship with their entire lives, in all that they do. Additionally, they worship with a pure and willing heart.
Christian worship includes music, singing, prayer, helping others, generous living and many other avenues. Whether they are eating, sleeping, working, or taking part in any activity, all should be done for the glory of God. Rather, worship is a holistic approach to life. There are, however, places, times, and occasions that worship is expressed in various ways, both individually and collectively. Often times, congregated worship involving music and singing is what comes to mind for Christian worship.
This is, in fact, a large part of Christian worship. There are great benefits and beauty to this style of worship. Yet, there are even greater depths that can be reached with the Lord and with others, when we identify and live out the other aspects of worship. Furthermore, a true mark of worship is shown in the fulfillment of the first and second commandments.
These are originally stated in the Old Testament and then reiterated by Jesus and the early church. This is the first and greatest commandment. God is worthy of our worship unlike anything or anyone else. Listen to the great worth of Jesus which the apostle Paul describes in Colossians 1.
Hearing these words unlocks an innate response of worship in my soul. The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Never have we praised something truly worthy of glory, until now. Like a newborn clinging to its mother, we know worship of our good, loving, and powerful God is what we were intended to do.
You and I were designed to glorify him and, in that, we can enjoy him and his presence. Worship is a compass. The magnetic pull and rotation of the earth always points a compass back to true north. Remember the idolatry we discussed in chapter four, Your Greatest Threat? Idolatry is when we turn to the created to get what only the Creator can give. Idolatry and worship have an interconnected relationship. But when we turn to the Creator, our worship flows up to the Creator and we experience all enjoyment.
Is praise of God flowing freely? Is his honor and the joy of his presence in your life pouring from your lips? Worship will always be the compass back to north, back to the way we were intended to be.
Worship cuts off the process of idolatry and allows us to turn back to our good Creator to get what only he can give and to give what only he deserves. Worship is the way back home. Get your copy from our store here. What is proclaimed is more than just an idea: when the Word is communicated, situations change, attitudes change, lives change.
When the Word is spoken and interpreted, it comes alive to us. It's an experience of the Holy Spirit's work to reach your soul. If things are happening but the Word is not heard, it can be pretty safely said that the Spirit isn't doing it. The main point of having a sermon in a worship service isn't to teach doctrine or practice, nor to rally them around a cause, nor to get their attention to whatever the preacher is saying that week.
The reason the sermon is there is that the Gospel must be proclaimed and taught so that we can live in it. That is why at least one passage of one of the four gospels is read and preached in each service. When worshiping, Christians pray a lot. They pray for:. These are all a part of prayer within worship. Prayers in the mode of the liturgical churches show a full vision of prayer.
We examine ourselves and see our sin; we see how wrong it is, and commit before God to do it no more; we ask God to help us do it; we ask God to forgive us; we meditate on God's Word as told by the preacher; we thank God for the work of Christ in restoring our relationship ; and we celebrate God's presence among us with praise.
Truth be told, many Christians don't really believe that the prayers said in a worship service have effectiveness and power. They pray, but expect that nothing will happen. Yet the Christian faith itself is one for praying with the expectation that someway, somehow, something will happen because of faithful prayers, that the Almighty does have room for us in the divine scheme of things. Jesus told us so. When those who are gathered pray and believe that it matters, it's amazing to be part of it.
In worship, the pastor or worship leader often speaks a prayer on behalf of all of those gathered. But the leader is not to do this alone. Everyone present is called on to pray along, so that all are joined together in prayer. These sort of prayers are often printed in the bulletin each person receives when they arrive, or put up on a screen when it's time for the prayer.
This way, the prayer can be spoken out loud by all, and they can develop a stronger sense of being joined together. A well-written liturgical prayer not only gets us all to pray together, but also frees our mind from having to create ways to express the prayer.
It can 'hit the nail on the head', saying what we all mean to say at that point in the service, so we can simply give it our ' yes ' or our ' amen '. The Bible is brimming with music, song, chant, refrains, and commemoration. The Hebrew poetry of the Prophets and Writings lends itself to being sung. The Psalms are really worship lyrics, gathered in a hymnal of sorts. Embedded in the histories are several songs, including those of Miriam and Hannah.
The bread and wine may have been ordinary, but they had no ordinary significance to Christians. The two highlights of the eucharistic celebration for Justin were the consecration and the Communion. It is sufficient to note that, according to Justin, by the Word of God Jesus and by prayer of thanksgiving the bread and wine were now set apart consecrated, given a new significance.
The common table beverage of the ancient world was wine diluted with water. Justin thus counters wild pagan stories about the Christian meal by saying that Christians ate ordinary bread and drank the common table beverage not something more intoxicating.
Earlier Justin specifically called the food Eucharist. Throughout his writings, Justin makes much of thanksgiving. This was the Christian sacrifice. Unlike the bloody offerings of paganism, Christians offered to God the pure spiritual sacrifice of prayer and thanksgivings. The main theme, therefore, was praise and thanksgiving to God for his gifts, and these included both Creation and Redemption, but especially Redemption.
By the amen , the congregation confirmed what had been said, and so made the prayer pronounced by one person the joint prayer of the whole people.
Justin seems to have been much impressed with this element of congregational participation. He describes its rendition with a word that has a double meaning: to make acclamation, or to sing.
It was shouted out, not mumbled. The elements consecrated by prayer were then distributed by the deacons for the communion of the members. Each person received both the bread and mixed wine. One was either in communion, or one was not. Sharing the bread and wine expressed the fellowship of the believing community.
The deacons even carried the consecrated elements to those who were sick and unable to be present physically, preserving a sense of corporate fellowship among those confined to their homes or beds. It was an expression of brotherly love; it welcomed the newly baptized into the family of God.
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