What if all churches announced that the Sunday morning worship service would now begin at 6 am? How many would show up? How important is our gatherings to worship important to you?Our relationship between each other and especially with God is nourished, enriched and renewed by our worship together. But what is “worship”? Jesus defined worship this way, “True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23-24).Jesus is teaching that how we worship is important to God. God is seeking people who will worship Him the way He wants to be worshipped. It’s about worshiping in SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH.Let’s look at this word “worship.” The Greek word that Jesus used was “proskuneo” that means “to bow before.” Many scholars say this means to bow down to the ground before the person to be honored or worshiped, thus meaning to “kiss the ground.” Now ultimately the meaning is to pay reverence, honor—to worship.So the next question is: who is worship for? It’s for God! We come together worship to pay honor—to bow before Him. In worship we declare that God is God, and I’m not! I owe Him my worship; I owe Him my allegiance; I owe Him my very life and my salvation.The purpose of worship is to honor God. It is to acknowledge Him as our sovereign Lord. It is not about “me.” Some think that worship is all about entertainment and excitement—but that take the purpose away from God.In the book of Acts we have a glimpse of what those first Christians did. In Acts 2:42 tells us that in the early Church that they devoted themselves to 1) the apostles’ teaching and 2) the fellowship, 3) to the breaking of bread and 4) the prayer.Each of these things are not worship in and of themselves. These are the tools we use to worship. Imagine sitting down at the table to eat and on the table you have a plate and utensils. Those utensils and plate are not the meal, they are merely the tools you use to eat your meal with. In the same way, singing, communion, praying, teaching, fellowship are the tools we use to worship.Jesus said “Those who worship must worship in Spirit and in truth.” He ...
