Philosophy of Worship
Who do we worship?
As Christians, we worship the one true God (Deuteronomy 6:4). As the Lord is head of the Trinity, we also worship in a Trinitarian fashion, worshipping God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:3-14). We worship the Lord by Christ’s atoning sacrifice through the power of the Holy Spirit. A trinitarian focus helps shape the church’s heart in knowledge and worship of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.
How do we worship?
“But while God wants us to worship Him, we cannot worship Him just any way we will. The One who made us to worship Him has decreed how we shall worship Him. He accepts only the worship that He Himself has decreed.”
A.W. Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship? A Call to True Worship
The Bible gives us clear answers of how worship should take place on earth. Isaiah 6 provides us a biblical model of how to create a weekly worship service that focuses on the worship of God.
This chapter describes Isaiah’s vision of heavenly worship which follows a focused progression that our worship services should include: Revelation (vv. 1-2), Praise (vv. 3-4), Confession (v. 5), Propitiation (vv. 6-7), Proclamation (v. 8), Dedication (v. 8b), Commission (vv. 9-10). In this worship model, Isaiah describes his vision of God governing His people from His throne. Throughout the reading of this chapter, the overarching posture of worship from Isaiah is that of humility. Isaiah begins his understanding of true worship through God’s revelation to him, and this revelation was completely different from anything Isaiah had ever witnessed. Our God is powerful and omnipotent, and in the space of a second of time, He revealed himself to Isaiah, rendering Isaiah dumbfounded in how to express the glory of his Uncreated God. Only through the work of the Holy Spirit can we worship God the way he requires. Tozer describes the worship cycle as, “Worship starts with God, pierces the heart of man [through the Holy Spirit] and then returns to the God who started it all. True worship maintains this divine cycle.” (My Daily Pursuit: Devotions for Every Day, p. 49)
Furthermore, Jesus told the Samaritan woman what consists of true worship, in which he said, “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24) Worshiping God in spirit means engaging both heart and mind in worship. To worship God in spirit means to humble ourselves and employ our affections toward Him. To worship God in truth means to engage our minds in worship and stand in accordance with the inerrancy of scripture, believing that God is everything he says he is in His Word. We do not reserve the right to worship only the attributes of God that we find appealing. Worshiping in truth means worshiping the God of the Old Testament, which is the same God in the New Testament.
Why do we worship?
God created us to worship Him. In the garden, God initiated worship with Adam and Eve and communed with them daily. Although sin corrupted God’s original plan of worship, we still strive today to worship God as he requires. We worship God to ascribe unto him ultimate worth. We remove the focus from ourselves and place the attention of our hearts on God.
When do we worship?
Worship includes two distinct forms: devotional and corporate. Believing Christians should worship God daily through personal prayer, Scripture reading, and singing. This is a private act that occurs between the believer and God, forming the heart of the believer through this sacred time. Just as Mark 1:35-39 describes Jesus’s personal time with God, so we should model our Savior and ascribe to daily devotional time where we focus on the worship of our Lord.
In addition to this private act of worship, believers are charged to join with other believers and worship as a community. God invites believers into the continual worship that is occurring around his throne, as evidenced in Revelation 4. Worship is not something we initiate. Rather, God invites us into his presence and when we gather with other believers, we get to join our voices in proclaiming God’s praises and worth for all to hear. This sacred time unifies the singers and focuses their attention on God.
The Purpose of Congregational Song
The focus of congregational singing is to help form the heart of the gathering body. When songs focus on a biblical model of worship, then congregational song incorporates songs of praise and adoration, as well as confession and lament. Congregational singing is meant to be structured and orderly, focusing on God and his character. The purpose of congregational singing is two-fold: most importantly, believers worship God. But in their worship of God, they encourage and edify other believers who are present. So congregational song has both vertical and horizontal aspects.
Beauty in Worship
In society today, the term “beauty” is viewed as subjective, meaning anyone can determine what is beautiful. However, God tells us what is beautiful in His Word, and then commands us to “think about such things.” (Philippians 4:8) When we read in Isaiah and Revelation about glimpses of worship around God’s throne, God is surrounded with beauty. Revelation 4:2-4 says, “At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and carnelian. A rainbow, resembling an emerald, encircled the throne.” We do not determine what is beautiful. God sets the standard for beauty, which is rooted in the very nature and character of who He is. Our responsibility comes in discerning what is truly beautiful, based on God’s standards. His beauty resides above creation, whereas our definition of beauty is diluted by sin. Humility is required to determine what is truly beautiful in worship, and only through surrender of our conceptions and desires can we see the beauty of God.
