God's Plan for Worship from Genesis through Revelation - Research Paper Example

Gods Plan for Worship from Genesis Through Revelation Contents Gods Plan for Worship from Genesis through Revelation Introduction It is no wonder seeing Christians going to churches every Sunday or Saturday, with some carrying their Bibles by their side. Ask anyone the reason why they do so, and the answer will be obvious, they are going to ‘worship.’ The reason provided by most Christians for worshiping is to appreciate God the most high for what He has done in their lives1. Christians hold the belief that God deserves to be thanked in worship as manifested throughout the Bible beginning from Genesis all through to Revelation. The books of the bible talk of God’s desire for worship and how worship should be done. Indeed, His greatness and worth is manifested right from Genesis when He created Adam and Eve saying, “Let Us (father, Son, and Holly Spirit) make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness…” before he “gave man complete authority over everything on earth” (Gen. 1:26-28). In the New Testament, as stated in the Gospels, God decided to send His only son, Jesus Christ, to come and die for humankind so that they may be saved and walk in the path of righteousness. These are some of the reasons why God is worth being adored, praised and reverenced. The Oxford dictionary defines the term worship as a reverence given to a divine being or the act of expressing reverence. This could imply that Christians should offer reverence to God2. However, different scriptures also give different meanings for worship. In Hebrew, the term worship (shachach) implies stooping, kneeling, prostrating oneself or throwing oneself to the ground in reverence. However, Greeks define worship (proskuneo) as an expression of deep respect or adoration by either bowing down, using words, or kissing3. Concisely, therefore, the term worship can be taken to mean praising something for its worth. As Christian, we acknowledge that there is only one God who is worthy of praise and worship for having created everything, and for giving His only son for our sins so that everyone who believes in Him should perish not but enjoy eternal life. Old Testament Principles for Worship The Old Testament generally marks the first encounter where we perfectly see God’s desire to be worshiped. It contains glorious and magnificent collections of kinds, rituals, shadow, and liturgy. The Old Testament clearly reveals how the new covenant in Christ changed the real meaning of worship and accomplishing the totality of the desires of God through worship4. In the beginning, in the Garden of Eden as recorded in the book of Genesis, God created Adam and Eve in righteousness. Indeed God loved them so much to the extent that He gave them power over everything that He had created. At some point, Genesis records that God intimately walked with Adam and Eve in fellowship. It can be concluded that the act of fellowshipping with Adam and Eve in itself amounted to worship. Nevertheless, this kind of worship did not last long, since it ended immediately Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan to eat the forbidden fruit. It is for the sins of these first people that even today, people still languish under the curse of sin whose ultimate price is death; spiritually and physically. This (sin) is the reason humankind no longer walks with God. As a result of man’s fall, God is seen providing animal skin so as to cover man’s sins by shedding of blood. Therefore, to be in the presence of God, it is desirable to seek for his indulgence through worship and repentance, otherwise no human can be in His presence again5. God begins to give an account of His story in Genesis as a revelation strategy is unveiled. God initiated the responsibility of revealing Himself to humankind through creation. Whaley notes that God gave an eyewitness account of happenings of the ages as well as opening heaven’s windows so as to reveal His glory, love, character, and wisdom so that mankind can know who He is6. This is because humans’ instinctive response in acknowledging God personally is in itself worship. Worship was part of God’s plan for all His creation. In the book of Genesis, God’s work of revelation was first shown through creation and fulfilled through His only son, Jesus. This revelation was to be made perfect when all the saints of all ages join in worship before the throne in heaven. It can as well be seen that right from the beginning, God stays focused right on the task, dividing His work into days and time. In the end, God emerges as a wonder; everything He created was so perfect and beautiful. Through this, God ultimately developed a framework of making Himself known to the human mind, heart and soul and in so doing, a relationship was developed7. In fact, God gave an example of worship by approving His work. It is then that He took time for restoration, response, contemplation, and response by giving humankind a model for worship. It can, therefore, be deduced that the creation account is itself a call to worship since in it, God reveals to humankind His presence, purpose, power, person, and plan8. It can also be seen that even before God gave out his commandments to Moses and before the establishment of Israel, God had already planned that man should worship him by appreciating the labor of His hands in the form of giving sacrifices. This is clearly brought out in Genesis, through the first sons of Adam Abel, and Cain, whom the Bible shows to have worshiped God by offering the fruits of the labor as a sacrifice to God. Cain gave an offering in the form of grains to God while Abel gave livestock. The result of these sacrifices saw Cain hate his younger brother Abel because of his righteousness since it is Cain’s offering that was acceptable to God. This in turn saw Cain hate God for not accepting his sacrifice, and instead favoring his younger brother. It can be seen that the conflict itself was due to the act of worship. This conflict emanated from the difference in attitude during worshiping in addition to differences of opinion when worshiping. From these scripture, it can be deduced that Abel gave genuine worship while Cain’s was false9. The bible indicates that the purpose behind the establishment of Israel was to worship God. This is manifested through many people including Abram. Through Jacob’s descendants, the nation of Israel, it can be seen that when God either disciplines or delivers, the end result was worship. For instance, the bible tells us that Abraham worshiped by obeying God. The first encounter with Abraham is where he is introduced as Terah’s son and husband to Sarai, his half sister, who happened to be barren. Nevertheless, despite the fact that he hailed from Ur a place well known for many temples put up for the purpose of worshiping several pagan gods and goddess, and worship mainly involved religious prostitution, Abraham and Sarai worshipped God.. In fact, Joshua 24:2 reveals that Abraham’s father worshiped more than twelve deities. Nevertheless, the bible tells says that Abram had already established himself as a follower of one God. This was to show his obedience to God in line with God’s plans, who commanded man not to worship any other god but Him10. The Bible also reveals that when the Jews were faced with famine and starvation, the only way they could redeem themselves was by seeking God’s intervention through Moses. Therefore, through Moses, the proper way of worship is brought out in the Old Testament. This is especially when God commanded him to take away his shoes since the ground he was standing on was holy. From these words, it is evident that the presence of God is holy, consuming, and pure, and should be given utmost respect. This is also seen in the Garden of Eden when He talked to Adam. Because of sin humankind is unfit to go before God. Rather, they should approach Him through repentance, humility, and in fear. Moses was used by God to act as a teacher to all humankind with the help of the Ten Commandments. These laws can be said to show how worthy God is with regard to His authority, rule and power. Moses and his disciples worshipped in fear and adoration at Mount Sinai, where the congregation is seen trembling for the fear of God. The people asked Moses to plead with God not to come any closer to address them preferring instead to hear from God through Moses11. Despite hearing Gods voice and seeing him through manifestations of cloud and fire, they still fell at the whims of Satan and worshiped other gods. This annoyed God, forcing Him to destroy many of the children of Israel for worshiping false gods. In addition, God had to delay His promises and killed all the unbelieving and restless souls with the burden of wondering for forty years12. New Testament Principles for Worship It is evident that there was a notable change in the principles of worship as applied in the New Testament in comparison to Old Testament worship. Nevertheless, the principles that apply in the New Testament still falls within the realm of the definition of worship. For instance, in the gospel books, several disciples of Jesus happened to have come into contact with Jesus after his rising from the dead. When this happened, they did not doubt at all that it was Jesus who had appeared to them. The act of not having doubt that Jesus had risen from the dead in itself was a form of worship13. Nevertheless, the scripture notes that Thomas, one of the disciplines, happened not to have encountered the risen Jesus initially. When told of Jesus’ reapperance, he doubted. He is therefore seen in this context as a non-worshiper. This forced Jesus to approach Thomas Himself to prove to him that He was indeed alive. In addition, by resurrecting Jesus from the dead, God wanted to show His power over death to Thomas and the rest of the world. Therefore, Thomas’ response is seen as an act of worship as he acknowledges the work and power of God. This is so since later Thomas accepted that Christ was risen from the dead. This is also seen through Paul’s teaching that resurrection adds values to faith. The life of Jesus ultimately showed God’s righteousness, which is a daily act of worship by living a holy life. We see that despite having faced several temptations as when He was told to turn stones into bread Jesus steadfastly worshipped God in humility. Due to His obedience to God, he challenged the devil by telling him that “man does not live on bread alone but by the word of God” as noted in Mathew 4:4. He obeyed God’s command and lived a holy life which is a form of worship. God’s righteousness is also depicted through the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Through the death of the perfect God-man on the cross man’s sins are forgiven. It is through Christ’s death that God could justify his forgiveness to those who otherwise would not be forgiven. Christ’s death on the cross has thus altered what worship is to date14. God’s plan for worship is also manifested during the Passover. Just as indicated in the Old Testament that the Jews worshiped God in festivals, Jesus celebrates with his disciples during the Passover, where he declares to them that He is the Passover lamb. Despite this, Jesus declines to take glory, rather preferring to give glory to the almighty God telling the gathering that worshiping Him equals to worshiping God15. The Bible also tells us in John was not until Jesus saved the Samaritan woman that she realizes that there are many things that really matter in worshiping in addition to worshiping in churches and offering sacrifices. In this connection, the woman learnt that it does not matter that much where one worship’s God as long as they worship in spirit and in truth as noted in John 4: 20-24. The Bible tells us that Jesus showed how to worship by going to the synagogue, where He prayed, and practiced righteousness as instructed by ancient prophets. Jesus also worshiped by revealing His love for his sheep and giving its life for the glory of God. His life and death was also meant to show how righteous God is so that humankind can acknowledge the power of God and worship Him16. John 4: 23-24 is also another gospel book where Jesus talks of a time which is coming when true worshipers will worship God both in spirit and in truth, for they are the people that God is looking for. The chapter indicates that God is itself a spirit; therefore, His worshipers must also worship him both in truth and in spirit. Indeed, there are three conclusions, which can be made from these verses. One is that God wants humankind to worship Him in the right spirit. Secondly, we must worship Him in truth and lastly God almighty is seeking for worshipers. Worth noting here is that this woman, being a Samaritan, was part of a group of individuals who had been excluded from the Temple. In Romans 12:1, Paul writes to the Roman Church urging Christians to “offer their bodies as living sacrifices to God”. This in itself is a spiritual act of worship17. Application of Worship to Daily Living The Bible explains that worshiping is part of Christian living18. This is because Worshiping is one way through which humankind gets closer to God. It is also a way through which humankind can express their desires to God. Bible gurus have established that worship is applied widely in Christian daily lives just as shown in the different verses of the Bible. One way through which Christian daily lives are seen to show a perfect example of worship is through faith. The Bible indicates that it is not easy to please God whatsoever without faith. As such, it is imperative that Christians observe faith in Christ in every facet of their life19. For instance, it is through faith that Sarah, the wife of Abraham was able to bear a child despite being old. She kept worshiping God despite her state of barrenness. Showing our courage and faith in whatever God does in our lives is an act of worship. It is common practice that many people tend to worship God only during good times and forget to worship God when things appear to be at a mess. They argue that God is not there to protect them. However, doing this is not an act of worship as the bible tells us that we should not fall a stray and move out of the way of righteousness merely because we are faced with problems. Therefore, as we preach and share with one another, it is imperative that as Christians we remain steadfast in our faith in Jesus Christ who is able and is there for his people20. Christians should always stand for the truth, as Jesus noted that true worshippers must do so in truth and in spirit. Worship is also applied in Christian daily lives through prayers21. The bible says that a prayer is itself an act of worship. As such, Christians are being advised to observe prayers as it is a way of establishing a relational intimacy with the most high and shows our commitments and dependency on Him, thus His worth. It is a matter of fact that without prayers, it is not easy to tell that a Christian is faithful to God. For instance, Failing to pray and thanking God even for the things that seem insignificant in our lives is a sigh that we do not need Him as regards those things. Nevertheless, this should not be the case as Christians are advised to pray even at times of difficulties when all seem to be lost, the same way Sarah did. If Jesus prayed, so why shouldn’t we? Christians also apply worship in their daily lives by offering services to others. The Bible tells us that by exercising our faith through prayers, we would ultimately see our daily lives worship, by helping others. In fact, one of the Ten Commandments given to Moses talks about loving our neighbors as we love ourselves. Jesus is also seen reminding His disciples that the universe will know that they are His is they could only take it upon themselves by showing love for one another. Showing love to one another in this case implies helping those in need. The Bible says that those who cannot take it upon themselves and help the needy have something wrong with their worship. This is because a true and committed worshiper put the needs and interest of the needy above his, particularly the needs of his children in Christ22. Principles Learned about Worship from the Psalms Worship is arguably the most spiritual event that human nature can engage in. Nevertheless, certain acts are particularly important in glorifying God. One such is singing of psalms with grace in the heart. The Oxford dictionary defines psalms as a sacred song, sang during religious worship such as in church. The bible, however tells us that, God Himself directs what should be sung in church. In this regard, God’s word found in the two testaments are the guiding principles of how Christians may glorify and enjoy Him23. Singing of psalms has for a long time been a distinctive element in worship. The Bible says that psalms are supposed to be sung by God’s people. This is manifested in the book of psalms as well as some sections of the New Testament. For instance, Psalms 95:2 states that, “Let us come before his presence with thanks giving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms24.” Psalms 105: 2 also notes that “sing to Him…talk of all his wondrous works.” These are not the only verses in the bible through which worshipers are encouraged to praise God by singing his praise with the words of psalms. It is noted that such encouragements can be found in at least 37 verses of the book of Psalms. In I Chronicle chapter 16, it is noted that psalms were sang after David had placed God’s Ark in the Tabernacle25. Psalms are also supposed to be sung as a thanks giving to the Lord. This is in appreciation of God’s works in the lives of Christian. For instance, in Nehemiah 12, psalms of thanksgiving are sung after the completion of the walls of Jerusalem. This is also seen in other New Testament scriptures such as Colossians 3:16 and Ephesians 5:1926. Psalms are also supposed to be sung spiritually during worship. This has indeed being a practice in certain churches like the Anglican Church, where singing of psalms in spirit is a doctrine. One thing for sure that one can never fail to see in Anglican Church is the recitation of psalms in praise of God. In fact, there are several instances in the New Testament where psalms are sung in spirit. Such include in the Gospel according to Luke 1:68-79, where we find the songs of Mary. These songs are spirit-inspired songs27. Conclusion Worship is a process which is never ending especially to true Christians who believe in God. In fact, it is more than mere music or services rather relating to life eternal. We discover both in the Old and New Testament that worship is not about just seeking for the Lord, rather knowing that He is seeking us. It is also through worship that we approach the throne of God. Worship is important because when we are faced with problems, worship consoles our hearts and brings us close to God Most High. God is holy and almighty and He is the only one who is worth being worshiped by everyone. Bibliography Barnett, John. Revelation from Now to Forever. New York, NY: BMF Books, 2004, pp.452 Keddie, John W. Sing the Lord’s Song! Biblical Psalms in worship. (2012), Retrieved from: http://www.westminsterconfession.org/worship/sing-the-lords-song-biblical-psalms-in-worship.php Kinchen, John D. Old Testament and New Testament Principles of Worship WRSP 201. Hoboken, NJ: Academx Publishing Services, Incorporated, 2009 pp.32-41. Liesch, Barry. People in the Presence of God: Models and Directions for Worship. Michigan: Zondervan, 1988, pp. 34-48. Mears, Henrietta C. God’s plan: Discover what the Bible says about Finding yourself in Grand Design. Ventura, CA: Gospel Light Publication, 2008, pp. 28. Prible Stephen. The Regulative Principle and Singing in Worship. http://www.all-of-grace.org/pub/pribble/hymnsing.html Whaley, Vernon. Called to Worship. Wheaton, IL: Thomas Nelson Inc. 2009 pp 1-294 Appendix 1. Angel-A Greek word meaning a messenger 2. Sunday-A day set aside for worship 3. Lord-a term applied for all heathen deities and is a substitute for God or Yahweh 4. Jesus-come from Greek word Iesous, name given to the son of God, the messenger 5. Church-a Christian place of worship 6. God-a term applied to superhuman beings 7. Amen-is a term use for prayer ending, meaning let it be done. 8. Bible-derived from Greek word, Biblos, which is a spiritual Book used by Christian faithful Read More