Worship Study Part 1: Spirit & Truth - Reverence & Awe

I hate being late for church, don't you?  Its because I LOVE to worship. My current church only sings two songs! So, if I'm late, I miss my favorite part. We recently moved, and looked for a new church. In the midst of our search, we had the opportunity to visit many different churches, and experience many different worship environments. Each church is different, and has their own style, and their own "worship box" (explanation below). But, inevitably I found myself singing out in spirit and truth, only to find that I'm often in the minority. In fact in some churches I can only hear the worship leaders, and myself singing. Is this common? Does this happen at your church? Are you the worshiper or the silent one? Do you come late, because it's ok to miss worship?

As a Christian singer/songwriter, it is natural for me to be drawn to worship. But what about everyone else?  If you aren't a singer or musician do you still need to worship? Are we ALL called to worship God? What examples of worship do we see in the Bible?


I hope to answer these questions in this post:  Worship Study Part 1

FYI -- I covered this material on a recent "Worship Warriors" Facebook Live video. You can also find the video on my Youtube channel.

Who do we worship?
This is a reoccurring theme throughout the Bible. We see stories of those worshiping God, and God's anger when His people worship false gods. We find that everyone worships something or someone. God is jealous for our worship.  Who/what we worship tells us who/what our god is.  If you claim to be a believer, worshiping God is necessary. The Biblical examples of this are just too vast to note, but I will simply say if you read the Kings & Chronicles, you'll get the idea. In Matthew 4:9-10, we also see Satan attempting to get Jesus to worship him, imagine! Who we worship is important.

Are we all called to worship?
The short answer is YES! We see worship all over in the Bible. Everything God creates is made to worship Him. "All the nations you have made will come and worship before you, Lord; they will bring glory to your name" - Psalm 86:9.

What if I'm not a singer or musician?
While it is true that if you are musically inclined it's often easier to worship, no one is limited by your gifts. There is more to worship than just singing. There are examples of worshipping with shouting, giving thanks, dancing, and more in the Bible. In fact in Psalm 100:1 it says, "Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth".

So one day I was asking God about what it's like for Him when someone sings and worships Him, but they don't have a good singing voice.  He showed me an image of a person.  They were singing and all of these beautiful waves of color were coming from them. It filled the air before them, then there was a think white line right in the middle.  He told me, the white line is what you can hear, everything else is what comes from their hearts and their minds as they worship.  So very little of what God receives from us is linked to what He hears.  He receives much more from our hearts and minds giving Him thanks, and worshiping Him.  I hope that encourages you.

What is true & acceptable worship? 
This is my favorite section because as a worshiper I want to know what my goal is.  What am I shooting for? Most importantly, what pleases God the most when I worship?  The answers are found in a couple verses.

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. - John 4:23

So how do we worship in spirit and in truth?  Focus your heart and mind on the Lord God while you worship. Its helpful to imagine God on the throne, Jesus on the cross, or the Holy Spirit right there with you communing with you.  A great scripture to help you visualize God on the throne is Revelations 4.

Worshiping in truth means we don't come to God pretending. God allows us to come as we are, happy, sad, struggling, joyful, triumphant.  It is always a good time to worship.  Job 1:20 is an example of worship in the midst of deep trials and heart ache. Psalm 100:2 is an example of joyful worship.

Another aspect of truth is not trying to hide our sin. God sees and knows all anyway.  So, come in repentance. Confession before, or in the midst of worship can be extremely powerful.  It's a humbling that God honors. Watch your worship experience open up, and God's love rush in, when you are truthful, honest, and real with God.

A second verse that shows us "acceptable worship" is:

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe. - Hebrews 12:28

How do we worship God with reverence and awe? By genuinely acknowledging how powerful and awesome He is.  He is not just a guy down the street, or someone that we can read about in a book.  But, He is the creator of EVERYTHING!  He is eternal, the beginning and the end. He is the author of the law, and the final judge over all of us. He determines every being's eternity. He is worthy of our worship, and it's not something to take lightly.

So when we go to worship, lets remember:

Worship in Spirit & Truth - Reverence & Awe.

What is a Worship Box?
This is not a Biblical term, but one I made up.  But I bet you already guessed that. Ha!  Every person and really every church has a worship box.  Some people are very contained in worship.  They either don't sing, or they sing so soft no one can hear them.  They don't lift hands, shout "Alleluia" or anything else that might draw attention to themselves. They prefer to just do the same things each time in worship and never venture outside of their comfort zone.  Some people have a bigger worship box.  They maybe sing a bit louder, maybe lift their hands, or say "Amen".  Their box may be a bit bigger, but there are still boundaries they aren't willing to cross.  Their comfort zone is larger, but there is still a need to remain in familiar territory.

Our goal as worshipers should be to live outside the box.  That doesn't mean we are wild and crazy worshipers, but rather willing to go wherever God leads us in worship.  Going outside our comfort zones if it means we will experience God in a more real or true way.  It means we don't worry about what people around us think, or if they are looking at us.  Worshipping God in spirit and truth is way more important.

As your worship box expands, it is important to constantly check your heart and motives, because God is.  We want to please God with our worship, not put on a show for everyone else.  We want to make God smile with our worship, and GIVE OUR BEST, not just blend in with everyone else. We want to worship and honor God, not stand in silence.  I hope that challenges you to banish your worship box, and worship in complete freedom.

Scriptures to consider:  Isaiah 29:13, 2 Chron 7:3, Neh 8:6, Neh 9:3.

What are the benefits of Worship?
When we worship in Spirit and Truth, the Spirit of God responds.  You will feel the presence of God surround you with peace, love, joy. God can speak to you while you worship.  He can show you things, guide you, heal you, deliver you.  There is great freedom in the presence of God. It's such a beautiful place to be that you won't want it to end.

It also benefits the Kingdom of God when we worship, probably more than we will ever know here on earth.  But we see an example of how God uses worship to win a real life battle in 2 Chron 20:21.  They didn't even have to fight.  The worshipers were put on the front lines, and the enemy literal destroyed itself before the Israelites even had to fight. Amazing!! Only God!!  It is this very reason that God called me to start the Worship Warrior sessions online.  If we are all worshiping around the world at the same time, imagine the amazing battles that could be won!!

How do I become a better worshiper?
I wanted to give some real practical steps to being a better worshiper.  It took years, and several different church experiences for me to get to a point where I could worship in spirit and truth, and outside of the constraints of a worship box.  So here are my pointers:

1. Practice worship at home or in your car. Anything you want to be good at requires practice.  Practice your worship by yourself, with no restraints. That will make it easier to do it when you're at church and around other people.
2. Turn on your favorite worship song. The best songs are ones that speak directly to God, or about His goodness.  Songs that focus on us and who we are in Christ are good, but not really worship songs.
3. Start with adoration. Tell God how great He is. "God you are faithful, full of mercy and grace."
4. Humble yourself. Worship requires humility.
5. Refine your focus - Spirit focus on God, Jesus, Holy Spirit, lyrics.
6. Pour out your praise.  Don't hold back.  Sing out loud and clear.
7. Try something different: lift hands, kneel, dance, speak praise, pray, shout, etc.
8. Take your worship to church. 

Contagious Worship

True worship is contagious! Once one person is brave enough to open up and freely worship, others will start to follow your lead!! Worship Warriors Arise!!

FINALLY
I'd like to leave you with some amazing worship that is happening in our world. I learned to be a better prayer, by listening to great prayer warriors. We can learn to be better worshipers by watching great worshipers.  These are just a few examples, but I'm sure they will bless you.  Please feel free to leave comments below of great worship you have heard or know about.  I love to see people worship the God I love so dearly.  It blesses me so much.

Bethel Worship
iHop Kansas City 24/7 Prayer & Worship
Worship Mob
Psalmist Raine