The WHAT of Worship

Dr. David Hocking suggests several answers to the question “what is worship”:

a. It is the reason behind the creation of all things 

John Piper says, “Worship is what we were created for. This is the final end of all existence-the worship of God. God created the universe so that it would display the worth of His glory. And He created us so that we would see this glory and reflect it by knowing and loving it-with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. The church needs to build a common vision of what worship is and what she is gathering to do on Sunday morning and scattering to do on Monday morning”. 

b. It is the realization of the Holiness of God and that HE is not US.. 

According to William Temple, “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His Beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose – and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self- centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin”.

c. It is the recognition of our sin and unworthiness before God.

 “Worship of the living and true God is essentially an engagement with him on the terms that he proposes and in the way that he alone makes possible”. David Peterson

d. It is the result of those who know the greatness and power of God. 

 “Worship is our response, both personal and corporate, to God for who He is, and what He has done; expressed in and by the things we say and the way we live”. Louis Giglio

e. It is the personal relationship of the believer with God that makes all other pursuits secondary. 

“The true, the genuine worship is when man, through his spirit, attains to friendship and intimacy with God. True and genuine worship is not to come to a certain place; it is not to go through a certain ritual or liturgy; it is not even to bring certain gifts. True worship is when the spirit, the immortal and invisible part of man, speaks to and meets with God, who is immortal and invisible”. William Barclay 

(adapted from https://www.davidhocking.org/blog/?p=179)

(part of the Bible Study series: http://johnggage.com/product/small-group-bible-study-worship/)