Consider What, When, and Where
When many people think of worshiping God, they first think of the music part of a church service. Whether they participate or observe, they see song as a form of worship. It is. At least it should be.
But is that all there is when it comes to worshiping God? If so, then we worship God for about thirty minutes on Sunday morning, one day out of seven. What about the other 10,060 minutes of the week? Is there more? Or is that it?
What is Worship?
Worship is both a noun and a verb. That means worship can be both an idea and an action. We must grasp both.
Though we can worship anyone or anything, as followers of Jesus we should worship the one true, living God and him alone (Luke 4:8). Our worship of anyone or anything else is idolatry, which we must diligently avoid (2 Kings 17:12 and Psalm 106:36).
Our worship of God emerges as a reverent love, devotion, and admiration. It is adoration. We rightly worship our Creator, our Savior, and our Advocate: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (Romans 1:25).
Worship at Church
In this way, we worship when we sing songs to God, about God, and for God. Through our music—regardless of the style—we worship our Lord.
If song is worship, what about the rest of the church service? Is that not worship? Though it would seem so, why do many churches refer to the entire hour-long service as worship? Can we worship God by listening to a sermon? It’s something to consider.
Then there is the offering. Some ministers say, “Let’s worship God with our tithes and offerings.” Is that really worship or just a spiritual sounding way to raise funds? It could be either, depending on the attitude of the giver.
Last are physical displays of worship. At some churches this means raising hands in adoration.
For others it could be gently swaying to the music, waving flags, or even dancing in the aisles. The opposite extreme is a rigid and respectful stoicism throughout the entire church service.
We can also kneel in worship and even prostrate ourselves, bowing before our Lord (Revelation 7:11 and Revelation 19:4).
Worship Away from Church
Extending these ideas to outside the Sunday church service, we can worship God at home, listening to God-honoring music and Bible-based sermons, presenting him with our physical displays of worship, and giving money to causes that serve him.
We can do some of these in our car, while driving down the road. Yes, I’ve seen it happen.
We can also worship God at work. Though this will not be like at church, we can worship God by how we do our jobs. (Consider Ephesians 6:5-8, Colossians 3:22-24, and 1 Peter 2:18-21.)
This means having a good attitude, respecting our bosses, and doing our best. It means getting along with coworkers, serving customers as if serving our Lord, and not complaining (Numbers 11:1, Philippians 2:14-16, and James 5:9).
In the same way, we can worship God through our hobbies and leisure activities. (Consider Deuteronomy 6:7 and Deuteronomy 11:19.)
Whatever we do or wherever we go, envision going there with Jesus at our side. If we’d be embarrassed to take Jesus there, then we shouldn’t be there either.
True Worship
Jesus talks about true worship. He says, “True worshipers worship Father God in the Spirit and in truth. This is what he desires” (John 4:23).
Paul urges us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God. This is true and proper worship (Romans 12:1).
Everywhere and All the Time
As we worship God at church and away from church in these ways, all of life emerges as a way to worship our Lord. We do all things for his glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).
In this way, worship expands from a specific activity at a specified time and place to become a lifestyle. It’s the way we should conduct ourselves 24/7. May it be so.
Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
Read more in his books, blog, and weekly email updates.
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