WORSHIP IN THE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
ACTS 2:42; ACTS 20:7 PRINCETON CHRISTIAN CHURCH 19 SEPTEMBER 2021
What is worship?
Here is a dictionary definition of worship: The reverence and homage which is, or ought to be paid to God – adoration, sacrifice, praise, prayer, thanksgiving, or other devotional acts performed in honor of the Supreme Being.
That definition would be common to all religions. And there are definitely differences between other religions and Christianity. Others worship for what they want from their gods. They worship those gods because they have a fear of them. Their gods have to be constantly appeased.
Christians worship the One True God because of what God has done for us. Worship is the response we make because of the gifts from God, which He gives daily. We must, above all else worship Him because of His Supreme Gift – Jesus Christ.
David Wilkinson said: “Be careful how you handle God, how you regard Him. He is not Big Daddy or the man upstairs. Regard Him not too casually, or irreverently.
Worship is to be centered in God, our Father, and in Jesus Christ His Son, and our Savior. We worship God because of what He has done for us – making Himself known to us through His Son, Jesus Christ.
Christian worship is an activity for Christians. It is limited to God’s people. We must realize and understand what He has done for us in order to worship. We must be compelled to come to worship because of what He has done.
Worship is a Celebration. God dwells in the midst of His people and in the midst of the praises His people give to Him. The New Testament uses the language of joy to express the life we are to experience in Jesus Christ. Joy should be the most obvious and visible trait in our lives. Celebration – a real expression of joy in our relationship with God. Joy is expressed in praise for Him. Worship expresses in praise our joy and thanksgiving in belonging to Him.
What do we get out of worship? We should get actually come away from worship knowing we have gained something. The blessing of knowing that we have stood in God’s presence; knowing that we have been strengthened, built up for the life, fellowship, and ministry to which He has called us.
It is not so much what we find in the worship service which blesses us as what we bring with us. We should bring with us to the worship a real desire to meet Him in the worship. It should not be attended out of habit, but out of a desire to know and love the Lord in even greater ways.
Now, let’s look at some guidelines for worship. These guidelines for worship are not manmade guidelines, but they come directly from Scripture in the New Testament.
1. 1 Corinthians 14:26 – Let all things be done for edification.
2. 1 Corinthians 14:40 – All things should be done decently and in order.
3. 1 Corinthians 16:14 – Let all that you do be done in love.
4. Colossians 3:17 – Whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
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