What Is Worship?

Worship--to declare the "worth" of. Only God is worthy, and therefore only God is worthy of our praise. The truest purest form of worship ought to be found between a believer and his God (i.e., Christ) alone in his devotional time as he prays and allows God to speak to him through His Word. That is where true worship is found.
"Worship services" is a relatively new term, perhaps just in the last decade or two, and is really a misnomer. Why do we come to church? Is it really for worship. Not in most churches. There is worship in song, and worship in prayer, but most of our services are taken up with the preaching of the Word of God, which is more instruction, doctrine, teaching, rather than "worship" per se.

The most worshipful service (and there should be a good amount of time defoted to it--not just five minutes tacked on to the end of a service), is the Communion service. Here is a time when believers can come together and worshipfully reflect on the death, burial and resurrection of Christ; on why Christ died for us. Time to reflect on what he has done for us. Time to reflect on if there is anything between us and our Saviour. Time to reflect on the actual meaning of the elements of the Lord's Table. There should be a good deal of prayer, meditation, and singing. It truly ought to be a worshipful service in comparison to other services which are primarily instructive.

 

Worship is getting emotional, trembling and crying while singing the top 40 praise and worship songs.

Worship is getting emotional, trembling and crying while singing the top 40 praise and worship songs.

Worship is getting emotional, trembling and crying while singing the top 40 praise and worship songs.


Sorry, I figure if I repeat that to myself enough I'll fit in with most of today's churches...

 

The first instance of the word 'worship mentioned in the Word of God, Abraham told servants to 'Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you'

The word 'worship' there meant to prostrate oneself, or to bow humbly before the Lord.

That is what I believe worship is. There are no verses in the Word of God that tell us to worship God in song or dance.
We are to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

 

Revelation 4:10-11 The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.

Revelation 5:11-14 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever.

 

Exactly! In both instances you quoted they 'fell down and worshiped Him'

Worshiping is an act of falling prostrate before the Lord, bowing before Him in humility and obedience.

 

npetrely,

If you can only figure out how to condense that phrase,
" Worship is getting emotional, trembling and crying while singing the top 40 praise and worship songs," down to 7 words and repeat them 11 times, you might have a hit song. :laugh:

 

Is prayer worship? I believe it is.
Even to intercede on another's behalf in one's private devotions is still a part of worship.
However, the RCC doesn't consider prayer as worship. Thus the loophole in the theology of prayinig to the saints without worshiping them, when God clearly commands that worship belongs to God alone. What think ye?

 

How 'bout this. Giving is also worship. There are many who refuse to worship God this way.