What do you consider constitutes true worship?

There has been a lack of discipleship in our churches which has led to it being applied inappropriately.

I am not sure how you would see this be expressed but it can and often times is very solemn in that there is a quieting sense of who God is, and then there is a joy expressed much like the hallelujah joy seen when Jesus entered the city before His death.

I am currently discipling my church to see worship as an expression of What they know of God and what God is doing in their lives. To seek God all week and then our worship to be an outpouring of that rather than to be a consumer of a show and the pastor and praise team responsible for how well your worship goes. It has been a struggle in my church and in the average church because:

1. Even though those leading in worship may have, the average church member has not sought God therefore they are not Spirit led.
2. The average church member is a consumer of worship practices rather than engaging in authentic worship in Spirit and truth.
3. The average church member is not willing to seek after God all week and then comes into the church expecting a great worship experience.
4. There has been a serious lack of discipleship in our churches and I blame the pulpits. The buck stops there.

 

In general, I hold to a regulative principle of worship, though not necessarily in the same sense others do. Derek Thomas says, “Put simply, the regulative principle of worship states that the corporate worship of God is to be founded upon specific directions of Scripture.” That is basically what I hold. The 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith, 22:1 expresses it this way:
“...But the acceptable way of worshipping the true God, is instituted by himself, and so limited by his own revealed will, that he may not be worshipped according to the imagination and devices of men, nor the suggestions of Satan, under any visible representations, or any other way not prescribed in the Holy Scriptures.”

We put it this way in our Position Statement: “The sufficiency of Scripture for all matters of faith and practice insists that our congregational gatherings be restricted to those elements that Scripture requires – praying, thanksgiving, praising , singing, Scripture reading, preaching/teaching, giving, observing the ordinances, ordination and sending, testimonies, greetings, reporting the Lord’s work, decision-making and church discipline. Any element must be understood from a command, approved example or necessary implication of Scripture.” [Colossians 4:2-3; Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; 1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 4:2; Matthew 28:20; 1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Matthew 28:19; 1 Corinthians 11:23-30; 1 Timothy 4:14; Acts 13:1-3; 2 Thessalonians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:26; Acts 11:4; Acts 14:26-27; Acts 1:23-26; Acts 6:1-6; Acts 15:22; 1 Corinthians 5:4]

Yes, the corporate worship would be disturbed and interrupted, but that would not preclude individual worship.

While some of these might effect our comfort, the only one of these that would effect worship would be the lack of an available copy of Scriptures. That lack does not end worship, but would limit to some degree our worship based on our memorized knowledge of the Scriptures. For example, you could quote Scripture you know, but could not read or reference any Scripture you do not know.

I'm not sure how honest most of us are with God, period. But we does need times of stillness and quiet to be alone with God. This, though, is different from corporate worship when we assemble together. (Perhaps I am misunderstanding your question.)

 

Stillness and quiet is not excluded altogether, but the purpose of assembling together (based on the representative examples in the book of Acts) will include much activity that is not still or quiet, such as preaching, praying, singing and so on.

 

Our corporate worship is characterized by the basic willingness to come together as a group of wildly diverse individuals and seek God together in faith. We seek an encounter with God, repentance, recognition and celebration of the inherent and demonstrated goodness of God, and growth and sanctification in the process of worship and the discipline of community.

Until we could gather again, our corporate worship would be disturbed. However, the essential elements of personal worship cannot be prevented by any human. The corporate expression of worship is only restricted by disconnection from the community of faith. Once we are together again, we could worship corporately.

The absence of written scripture would be a hindrance to some degree, but many of us have passages of scripture intentionally memorized – or have unintentionally memorized them simply through familiarity. (Truth be told, most of my scripture memorization simply occurs as I study and meditate upon the scriptures. I have not been terribly intentional about it, but grateful that it happens.) Our congregation has enough members who are familiar with the scriptures to reconstruct a significant among of the biblical texts.

As a mild introvert, I naturally seek solitude to unwind, rest, reflect and refocus. In those moments I usually hear God’s voice or have my thoughts directed to certain passages of scripture that turn out to be incredibly relevant to me or to someone whom I will shortly minister. I think extroverts must have a much more difficult time getting to the same place because it requires more discipline and intentionality.

Giving everything one knows about oneself to everything one knows about Christ. That action can be expressed both personally and corporately, using many forms – prayer, song, speaking, the arts, fellowship, testimony, scripture reading, proclamation, teaching, etc.

Worship is the foundation of Christian living and transformation. All of the spiritual disciplines are based in worship and all of our ministries should be acts of worship. In fact, we should trust in the LORD with all our heart and not lean on our own understanding. In all our ways we should acknowledge Him and He will make our paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

All of the major external elements that enhance worship are available to the congregation each Sunday morning. Whether or not an individual worships is something that is out of the control of the gathered body of Christ. It is also difficult to judge whether or not another person is truly worshiping. Often, people assume others are having a deep worship experience because they are emotional or their body language suggests something is overwhelming them, but I know that is not necessarily true. I am not a particularly emotive person (some have described me as “stoic”), but there are some weeks where I am profoundly and deeply stirred by the grace of God, and others where things don’t rise above the Sunday morning routine. On the outside, it is hard to tell the difference on the short term.


I suggest that the best evidence of true worship is transformation of both short term and long term behavior. If someone is living and practicing the works of the flesh, then they are not experiencing God in a significant way. If someone is walking in the Spirit and manifesting the fruit of the Spirit, you can be sure that worship is part of the equation.

 

Answered in post 8 above, which might have been lost in the shuffle -- in which I did not say it should be excluded.

On the flip side, what principles and examples do you see in the New Testament to support stillness and quiet as part of the gathered worship (and perhaps define or explain what you mean by this stillness and quiet).

Thanks.

 

Unless people get to a point where they are truly seeking God daily, I means truly seeking Him, everything else is a non starter. Lip service at best.

 

True Biblical worship is divided in Scripture between personal and public worship. Personal worship can be 24/7 no matter where you are or what you may be doing as long as what you are doing is not contrary to the revealed will of God. Public worship revolves around "the house of God" (1 Tim. 3:15) which refers to the New Testament assembly as in 1 Cor. 12-14 and the form of worship outlined in Scripture.

Worship is the most misunderstood subject in Scripture. The old English word "worship" simply means to "give worth" and the best Biblical text for defining it is Psalm 29:2

Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. – Psa. 29:2

True Biblical worship always gives unto the Lord the glory due unto his name and is always in the beauty of holiness. Worship that does not meet these criteria are called (1) Idolatry; (2) vain worship; (3) will worship; (4) Ignorant worship - Jn. 4; (5) disorderly worship - 1 Cor. 14:33,41

True Biblical worship both personal and public is ALWAYS both "in spirit and in truth" or it ceases to be "acceptable worship."

So true worship is not worship anyway you please but what pleases God and that is revealed in Scripture. You can be sincere but sincerely wrong and wrong worship does not "give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name" nor is it "in the beauty of holiness" or that which is set apart by obedience to His revealed will in this matter.

 

True worshippers are those who worship in truth and in spirit, according to Christ. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and a contrite heart.

I find that where these things abound, there is a dearth of pomp and exhibitionism. There is simplicity in the Gospel presentation, sweetness in the singing, and gentleness and quietness in the congregation.