The Importance of Worship
Ministers typically have a particular area of ministry that is very near and dear to their hearts. The possibilities range from children's ministry to youth ministry to recovery ministry; and, so many more. For me, it is the ministry of corporate worship. There is nothing that gets my blood pumping more than singing praises of adoration and thanksgiving to our heavenly Father. Let's consider several questions about worship: What is worship? What does worship look like? How do we make worship a priority in our churches?
Christian worship is defined as "adoration of the Father, through the Son, in the power of the Holy Spirit." All persons of the Trinity are involved in worship. Jesus says to the woman at the well in John 4:23-24, "But the time is coming - indeed it's here now - when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." Jesus then later tells Thomas in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." Jesus affirms the definition of worship in these two passages, saying you must worship the Father in spirit and in the truth; and, that no one can come to the Father except through him.
What does worship look like? In Psalms 149 and 150, praise and worship create a big celebration. There is singing and dancing. Instruments are played. Cymbals are clashing. And the Lord delights in it all. Revelation 4 gives us a glimpse into what worship will be like in heaven. In this passage we enter into the throne room of God and there are four living beings day after day, and night after night, who are crying out, "Holy, holy holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, the one who always was, who is, and who is still to come." The twenty-four elders around the throne lay down their crowns and fall down and worship the Lord saying, "You are worthy, O Lord, our God, to receive glory and honor, and power. For you created all things, and they exist because you created what you pleased." Today we try to put labels and limits on how we worship and what that looks like, when in reality, as long as you are praising the Lord of heaven's armies in spirit and in and truth, there is no wrong way to worship.
Worship here and now is practice for what we will be doing for all eternity in heaven. Yet, often we don't treat it with that kind of importance. We sing our songs, listen to the message, and try to beat the Baptists to the buffet line every Sunday! We miss the importance of worship in that moment.
How do we make worship a priority in our churches? First, find a worship leader like Moses. When God came to the Israelites on Mount Sinai in the storm cloud, Exodus 19:16 says "the people trembled" with fear. "Moses led them out from the camp to meet with God" (Exodus 19:17). Meeting God in worship is scary for some people, so find a "Moses" who will lead the people to God. Next, make sure all people involved in leading worship are true worshipers, as Jesus described in John 4. This includes everyone from the song leaders to the drummer. When true worship is happening on stage, in the leadership, true worship will begin to happen with the congregation!
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Connor Howard is a Christian Ministries major from Elizabethtown, KY. He is in his junior year pursuing a dual emphasis, in the vocational ministries and worship arts tracks. Connor is active as a worship leader and participates in numerous performance groups on campus; both instrumental and choral ensembles.
