Christian Worship to God - Essay Example

Theology of Worship Submission date Worship Christian worship refers to the practice and activities aimed at honoring God, and acknowledging his might. In general, worship is the act of expression of reverence to a being believed to have a higher power than human beings, for example, deity. Theologians define worship as a reference offered to a supernatural being or divine beings. Modern definitions define worship as a way of praising, showing honor and triune to the Almighty God. Worship is how people acknowledge the presence of God (Peterson, 2002). It is a way in which people respond to the redemptive actions of God through His only son Jesus Christ. Biblical foundations of worship The Bible talks about worship in three distinct ways: worship as an act of adoration and worship to God, as a service to God, and worship as a public event. Throughout the bible and especially in the book of psalms, we learn about an aspect of worship. First Timothy 2:8 gives a detailed description of worship in the New Testament. Christians worship God, but this also helps them coexist peacefully with their fellow believers. Both the Old and the New Testament estimate the probability of false worship in the society, for example, in Deuteronomy 7: 3-6, the Canaanites practiced infant sacrifice and the prostitution ritual as a way of worshiping the gods like Baal and Molech while Paul found out that the Greek of Corinth practiced idol worship (1st Corinthians 6: 12-20). The psalmist recognized false worship as a folly that was meaningless to the faithful (psalm 115:2-8). The antidote given by Jesus in his talk with the Samaritan woman is the best preventive against false worship (John 4: 23-24). The worship of God must be true and in spirit. True worship, according to the Bible takes place inside a person; the heart of the worshiper worships the Lord (psalm 45: 1; 103:1-2). The worship that pleases God must be transparent and offered in a humble, pure, and unfeigned heart (Psalms 24: 3-4; Isaiah 66:2). Israelites’ worship of God referred to the veneration of the God of creation (Genesis 1:1-2 and to the God of revelation (Genesis 12: 1-3). The Israelites worshiped God, Yahweh, who was worshipped because He is Mighty (Searcy, 2011). The Old Testament God is holy, transcendent mysterious and incorruptible. God deserves worship because he is Holy, and He alone rules Israel forever, answers and forgives those who call upon Him (Psalms 99: 8). The intimate nature of God made Him worth praising and worshipping and the desire of the Israelites to live a holy life (Psalm 99:3; Leviticus 19:2). The practice of prayer in the patriarchal period was either an expression of thanksgiving or praise prompted by the theophany. It was a demonstration of appreciation of the divine directive of God (Genesis12:2). This expression took place in particular places like altar (GEN 33:20). Worship took the form of combined prayer and animal sacrifice (Gen 26:25; 31:54, 46:1). Ritual purification, circumcision petition, and intercession were parts of the Jewish ways of worshipping God. Job played the part of the head of his clan and the head of the family who confesses and intercedes on behalf of his family (1:5; 42:6). According to Job, worship is an expression of the fear of God. God anointed Israel to be a kingdom of priests thus they must worship God (Exodus 19:6), (Thomas, 2008). Worship in the New Testament is a continuation of some of the elements of the Jewish religion. Christian worship is prominent in the New Testament. The book of Acts indicates the first early development of the church in the history of Christianity. The elements of worship in the New Testament include the Eucharist (Acts 2: 42-47). Jesus worshipped on the synagogue and temples during the Sabbath days (Luke 4:16; John 10: 22-23). The apostolic church remained worshipping God on Sabbath that developed to the Sunday worship (Thomas, 2008). Importance of worship Worship is essential in life because worship is a way of communicating to God. Through worship, Christians speaks to God and ask Him to provide them with their needs. Worship is a way of giving thanks to God. We worship God because we want to appreciate His goodness and manifestations of His live in our lives. God demands worship as the human response to God’s redemptive act through His only son Jesus Christ. The Israelites worshiped God because He is the creator and the maker of the universe who deserves worship and honor. The worship of God begins during the time of the creation when God established a personal relationship with humanity. Worshipping God is a way of extending the communion with God. By just the virtue of God being tour creator, He is worth being worshipped. God created human beings to worship Him. Humans, therefore, worship God because worshipping is a command. The Israelites worshipped God because He redeemed them to worship Him (Exodus 8:1), (MacArthur, 1983). Types of worship and aspects of worship There are many types of Christian worship. However, this essay will analyze four major types of Christian worship. These types include contemporary worship, liturgical worship, traditional worship, and the Pentecostal worship. Liturgy worship took many traditional ways characterized by traditional beliefs and practices. The liturgical traditions included creed recitation on every Sunday and offering of prayers to God. There were some responses to prayers offered by the faithful rather than only listening or looking at the preacher praying. The pastors generally relied on written prayers, communal confessions, and proclamation of faith. Liturgical churches were often painted and decorated. Liturgical worship was unique in the sense that Eucharist other than the sermon was evident in all the evangelical services. Liturgical worship is practiced in churches like the Catholic Church and Anglicans. Traditional worship is common to Americans. Traditional worship does not have fixed liturgy and is characterized by singing hymns. The sanctuary has the main aisle, which is an altar where the pastor or the choir stands during the worship. The preacher often wears a robe and pews, use of bibles and hymnals, characterize the service. The traditional worship has the sermon as the focus of the service. The preached and the written word of God are central in the traditional worship. This form of worship is found in many denominations like Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterians, and other independent churches. The third kind of worship is the Pentecostal worship. Pentecostal worship is new in the Christian life because the service is marked with extreme emotions expressed in raising of hands exuberant singing, speaking on tongues and dancing among other way. Pentecostal worship believes in God’s gift of salvation. The fourth style of worship is a contemporary Christian worship. This style of worship involves the use of music that ideally reflects the modern influences. They view hymns as outdated and go to church in order to connect with other people and share their understanding of the word. The main identity of this kind of worship is the use of music. Places of worship and the preferred worship style Worship is a personal way of communicating to God. Worshipping takes place anywhere. However, there are areas that worship takes place in a communal way. People go to churches, altars, and temples to worship God. Worshipping can take place in a building or in an open air. People worship in groups and individually. For example, one can pray alone while in their house or worship in church with a group of brethren. The true worship of God is worship that is true and spiritual. This implies that worship pleases God if it is genuine irrespective of the style. However, my preferred style of worship is a contemporary worship because in encompasses modernity. Contemporary worship is efficient in the modern world that is influenced by music in every aspect of life. Conclusively, worship is the important aspect of every Christian. The worship of God defines our religious stand. Defining worship relies on our understanding of religion in a theological and nonprofessional’s point of view. There exist several styles and aspects of worship in the society. However, none of the styles is better than the other because God does not look at the style but the heart of the worshipper. References Letham, R. (2004). The Holy Trinity: In Scripture, history, theology, and worship. Phillipsburg, NJ: P & Pub. MacArthur, J. (1983). The Ultimate Priority. Chicago, IL: Moody press Peterson, D. (2002). Engaging with God: A biblical theology of worship. Downers Grove, Ill: InterVarsity Press. Searcy, N. (2011). Engage: A Guide to Creating Life-Transforming Worship Services, Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Books Thomas Nelson Publishers. (2008). The King James study Bible: King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers. Read More