Many people today claims they are true worshipers but they lack the meaning and attitude of worship.
When we think of worshiping
God what comes to our mind is praying, singing, going to church; no doubt worship includes all these but encompasses much more, it is a Lifestyle.
WHAT THEN IS WORSHIP
1. Worship - to bow down in adoring veneration
The first definition of worship means to bow down, to adore, to lovingly venerate God, both personally and also
corporately. It is something that we do in a specific place at a specific time. The Old Testament word '
shachah' is
from Psalm 95:6,
"O come, let us worship and bow down,
let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker!"
The most primitive root of that word, from the Old Testament definition, means a dog licking his master's
feet--complete, servile obeisance.
The same idea in the New Testament, the Greek word
proskuneo, means adore.
We saw it twice in our study of Revelation 4 and 5,
"[the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated
on the throne
and worship him who lives for ever and ever;
Both the Old Testament and the New Testament word combine not only physical posture and expression in
worship, but also the words we pray or sing as we interact with the Scriptures. We we do this activity solely to
honor the Lord. Regardless of whether I worship by myself, or with my family or roommates, in a home
fellowship group, a Bible study, a Sunday School class, or an all-church service of worship, we do it to focus on
the Lord.
From a human standpoint, it does not seem to have a lot of merit because it is not very productive. It is difficult to
accomplish anything when you are flat on your face.
Here in
Heaven's Culture Ministry, for example, with our
commitment practicing the cultural way of Heaven (worship), we set aside days in a month where we specifically come to worship God. Only a Christian, one who sees through the eyes of faith, can appreciate the eternal value and the
absolute spiritual necessity of learning to bow down before our Lord God in adoring veneration
2. Worship - to actively serve, work and minister
The second meaning of worship is to actively serve, to work, to minister. It can be a personal expression or we
can join with other people corporately to worship. The Old Testament word abad, to serve, is found in Joshua
24:15
"And if you be unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve
. . . but as for me and
my house, we will serve [worship] the LORD."
The second definition for worship is found in Romans 11:33-12:2. The apostle Paul's description of worship as a
lifestyle flows out of a doxology of adoration and praise and worship. A poetic cry from his heart leads into his
loving appeal for focused Christian living:
O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!
How unsearchable are his judgments and
how inscrutable his ways!
"For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?"
"Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?"
For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever. Amen.
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,
to present your bodies as a living
sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God,
which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this
world but be
transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God,
what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Our motivation for a lifestyle of worship
Our lifestyle of worship is lived out every day. It is described in Romans 12:1-2 as a response to this God of
tremendous riches. The opening phrase in verse 1 explains that our motivation for a lifestyle of worship is God's
merciful love. Paul does not command us to live this way, but rather invites us. He appeals to the common
identity that he has with the Roman Christians because they are his brothers and sisters in Christ. Likewise it is an
invitation of love to us as we read these words.
We are to live in response to God's tender mercies shown toward
us. Mercy is for people who cannot save themselves. It is always extended towards helpless people. We do not
serve God out of duty, or fear, or obligation.
The apostle Paul had a clear sense of God's mercy as he looked back over his own life.
To his spiritual son,
Timothy, Paul wrote about the mercies of God and about his response to that: "The saying is sure and worthy of
full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am [present tense] the foremost of
sinners; but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect
patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life" (1 Timothy 1:15,16). Paul says Jesus
saved him to be an exhibit of God's patience, and he never forgot his tremendous debt of grace.
The nature of our lifestyle of worship
The nature of our lifestyle of worship is described in the second phrase of verse 1. It is to be a sacrificial offering:
"I appeal to you, brothers, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God." There are three
important words in the statement. The first word "present," or offer up, is a military word. It means to stand at
attention before a superior. We say to God, "You own one hundred percent of me, and you can do whatever you
want with my life." The Hebrew word that parallels it in the Old Testament was used in the passage where the
young boy Samuel confuses Eli with God's call to him (1 Samuel 3:4). Samuel says, "Here I am," I present
myself. Romans 12:1 asks us secondly to present our "bodies," the sum total of everything we are physically,
emotionally, intellectually, volitionally, and spiritually. God wants everything about us, the good, the bad, and the
ugly. The third word, "sacrifice," can be a confusing word in our modern orientation. We see sacrifice as giving
up something that belongs to us at a great personal loss or inconvenience. That is not the Biblical idea of sacrifice. The word of God understands sacrifice as giving back to God what is already his, what he already owns.
In addition, there are three aspects of our sacrificial lifestyle. First of all, we are a "living sacrifice." This
emphasizes the expression of the life of Christ, the resurrection life of Jesus Christ that is expressed through our
physical life. Because we have been made spiritually alive in Christ, we live out our physical lives differently on
that basis. In Galatians 2:20 the apostle Paul writes, "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live,
but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and
gave himself for me." I live in my physical body with its limitations, but at the same time I express spiritual life
because of what Jesus Christ has done on my behalf. On the basis of that reality, Paul makes an appeal to us in
Romans 6:13: "Do not yield [present] your members [physical bodies] to sin as instruments of wickedness, but
yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life, and your members [all your physical
parts] to God as instruments of righteousness." We are to be a living sacrifice.
We are also to be a "holy sacrifice." This simply means that we are dedicated completely for God's ownership.
God has claimed us, he owns us, and wants to set us apart for specific purposes. The work of Christ has a radical
effect on us. In Colossians 1:21-22, Paul says, "And you, who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing
evil deeds, he [Jesus] has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you'" We present
ourselves, but the Lord Jesus is presenting us as well, and he is presenting us holy and blameless and
irreproachable before the Lord. Holiness is a radical thing. Although it is certainly difficult while we are in the
process, growing in grace is a tremendously exciting process. We are to believe who we are, who God has created
us to be spiritually, and then present all of that to God over and over, day by day, moment by moment.
Finally, Paul says that we are an "acceptable" or pleasing sacrifice. What is pleasing to God is a life which is
totally his, a life that is infused with the life of his Son, the Lord Jesus. We are acceptable through the cross of
Jesus Christ. We are not perfected yet, but we are in the process. The truth is that we have been cleansed by the
blood of Jesus Christ, and although we are not yet perfect it does not make us any less pleasing to the Lord. We
are in a wonderful, ongoing process of sanctification, being changed by the Holy Spirit. In Hebrews 13:21 the
author writes that the God of peace who brought Jesus back from the dead will "equip you with everything good
that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight,'" God calls us to present ourselves to
him, but he says "I will take you, I will equip you, I will train you, I will make you totally adequate to live the kind
of life I want you to live. I am committed to doing that." He is already at work accomplishing that which is
pleasing in his sight. We are acceptable to him right now, and he will continue to work in us as we yield to him on
an ongoing basis.
The essence of our lifestyle of worship
The essence of our lifestyle of worship is spiritual reality. Present your bodies, brothers and sisters, "which is your
spiritual worship," or your reasonable service. Paul says that living sacrificially for the Lord's sake, for the
extension of his kingdom, for the good of other people, is the only reasonable, intelligent, thoughtful way to live.
The spiritual worship of presenting our bodies to God as instruments of righteousness means that all of our
members are affected physically. Our feet walk consistently in his ways. Our mouths tell the truth, speaking of the
life-transforming gospel of Jesus Christ. Our hands perform a variety of tasks in serving people: cooking,
cleaning, driving, repairing, typing. Our arms embrace hurting people who are desperate to be loved, for Jesus'
sake. Our ears listen to the anguish of hurting people. Our eyes focus on the merciful, loving God who is
transforming us, and can impact the lives of people we love. None of this activity is driven by religious duty or
concern about religious appearances. Because it is controlled and directed by God's Holy Spirit, we can resonate
with the apostle Paul writing to the Colossians when he says that we are to do our work "heartily, as serving the
Lord and not men" (3:23).
In summary, Romans 12:1 asks important questions: Do I put my entire self at God's disposal? His loving desire
is to control all of my life all of the time. Do I hold back in terms of my physical energy, my material resources,
or my time? Am I only presenting a part of myself to him on a consistent basis? In reality, his sacrificial love
appeals to us to be sold out to him, and if we hold back on the sacrifice of ourselves, then we are limited in our
effectiveness as an instrument of righteousness. That is the point of 1 Corinthians 6:19b-20a: "...you are not your
own? For you were bought with a price...." If we claim to be Christians we do not belong to ourselves but to the
Lord Jesus. He asks us to give him back what is rightfully his.
The goal of our life of worship
As we continue to verse 2 we answer the question, "What is the goal of living this lifestyle of worship?" The goal
is moral and ethical transformation.
"Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind,
that you may
prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."
J. B. Phillips paraphrases it, "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God
re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets
all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity." (2 ) God's plan for us to live as change agents in
this world is a good one. We are to live as lights, living worshipfully, sacrificially, for the good of those around
us. In the process, God changes us, matures us, and transforms us. He makes us increasingly whole people,
people who are morally and ethically integrated.
WE DO HOPE THIS ARTICLE IS A BLESSING TO YOU....
