The word worship came into prominence in the 1300s. It was a contraction of two words: worth and ship. It meant to ascribe or declare the worth of something, or to place value in the thing being honored. To worship, then, is to lift up the Lord, to declare his value, and to place life under his Lordship.3 The word is best used in Psalm 29:1–2:
Ascribe to the LORD, you heavenly beings,
Ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
The word ascribe in this text can be used synonymously with the word worship.
We worship whether we realize it or not. Jud Wilhite, senior pastor of Central Christian in Henderson, Nevada, wrote, “Everybody worships something. The worship switch is always set to “on.” Anything we derive pleasure from, anything we derive satisfaction from, anything we ascribe supreme worth to (such as art, sex, music, and sports) can become the thing that we worship.”4 This is why when man refused to give God glory, he “gave them over” to replace His love with the things of their desire. “Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen” (Romans 1:24–25). Jesus said that we cannot serve God and money, or God and power, or God and—you fill in the blank. We describe “sun worshipers” as those who spend their lives getting the perfect tan. When our job is our total focus, it becomes our object of worship. Our toys, the vacation house, television, food, or any number of other things can become the object of our worship when it becomes the main priority of our heart.
We can identify what we worship by the results that are exhibited in our life—our fruit. Our character is shaped by the objects of our worship. Worshipers of “things” become materialistic. Worshipers of money become greedy. Ruthless and controlling people worship power. An unhealthy focus on the opposite sex breeds lust. People who worship themselves become selfish and prideful. “But if by his very nature God is bigger and more powerful and more lasting than all of these things, then not only should our worship be tuned to him, but also our worship of him should be turned up to 11!”5 When we dedicate ourselves to this kind of worship of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we grow into Christlikeness. As Jesus said, “Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them” (John 7:20).
When we use the word worship, we must make a broad stroke with our definition. It must include corporate settings as well as personal one-on-one time with Jesus. It includes singing praises, and being quiet. It includes prayer, reading, serving, preaching, and evangelism. Worship takes place on Sunday, but it also takes place every other day of the week. In fact, as we will learn through this book, corporate worship is a reflection of the worship we experienced the previous six and a half days, as well as the springboard for our worship in the week to come.
Perhaps we struggle to define worship because we struggle to do worship. As Wilhite points out, “Basically, the meaning of life is to wholeheartedly worship the giver and sustainer of life… and to enjoy doing so!”6 Bob Sorge, in Exploring Worship, declares that worship is learned. The psalmist seems to agree. “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, LORD” (Psalm 89:15). Even though our worship switch is always on, we need to dial ourselves in, and rid ourselves of the static. Dialed-in worship takes practice. “Worship is the art of expressing oneself to God, and we must learn that expression and open our hearts as channels of the Holy Spirit.”7 We need to explore every aspect of the art of worship so that we might become more fulfilled in the acts of worship.
In the following chapters, we will explore the meaning of worship. All aspects of worship must be included if we are to be satisfied with any one aspect of our worship of God. You may already have knowledge of the information in some of the chapters. That is okay, read it anyway. God wants every aspect of your worship to grow. You might also face material that you were taught to disregard. Read that as well. By looking at things in a different context, you may find a whole new freshness in your worship. Static will fade away, and you will hear God loud and clear.
At the end of each chapter is a section titled “Try These Activities.” They are important and should not be skipped over. Read through each of the activity ideas and focus on at least one chance for enrichment.
Try These Activities
• Before moving on to chapter two, grab a pen or pencil to write with in the space below. Using your own experience and what you have read so far, create your own definition of worship. Write your ideas below each section. Don’t pass by this exercise without writing out your thoughts. It will help you process the chapters that follow.
• Name an area that you would like to expand on as a part of your worship experience, and focus on that area for a month.
Chapter 2: Practicing the Art of Worship
“Depend on it, my hearer; you will never go to heaven unless you are prepared to worship Jesus Christ as God.” (Charles Spurgeon)
Worship takes practice. How do we practice the art of worship? It’s not as though there is a formula for living a life of worship. There is no checklist where we can verify whether we have worshiped or not. In the very beginning, Adam was able to walk in the garden with God. They conversed, had fellowship, and had an intimate understanding of each other. Sin broke that bond and forever changed the relationship that humanity has with God.
Since the garden, God has been working to restore his relationship with us so that we may share heaven with him. However, we don’t have to wait until heaven to walk with Jesus. We can commit every aspect of our life to him as an act of worship. When we work, it should be an act of worship. When we play, it is worship. When we are alone, we worship. We do so because we are declaring how important God is to us in those moments. If we are doing something that we know God would not like, we are declaring that he is not all that important. If, on the other hand, we commit everything we do to the Lord, and consider it an act of worship, then people will see Christ living in us whether we say anything or not.
The story behind Matt Redman’s praise song, “The Heart of Worship,” helps to explain why the art of worship is at the heart of worship.
The song dates back to the late 1990s, born from a period of apathy within Matt’s home church, Soul Survivor, in Watford, England. Despite the country’s overall contribution to the current worship revival, Redman’s congregation was struggling to find meaning in its musical outpouring at the time.
“There was a dynamic missing, so the pastor did a pretty brave thing,” he recalls. “He decided to get rid of the sound system and band for a season, and we gathered together with just our voices. His point was that we’d lost our way in worship, and the way to get back to the heart would be to strip everything away.”
Reminding his church family to be producers in worship, not just consumers, the pastor, Mike Pilavachi, asked, “When you come through the doors on a Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God?”
Matt says the question initially led to some embarrassing silence, but eventually people broke into a cappella songs and heartfelt prayers, encountering God in a fresh way.
“Before long, we reintroduced the musicians and sound system, as we’d gained a new perspective that worship is all about Jesus, and He commands a response in the depths of our souls no matter what the circumstance and setting. ‘The Heart of Worship’ simply describes what occurred.”
When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply