What Is Worship?
We find a comprehensive definition of worship in the Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary, page 1153: Worship is "the attitude of humility, reverence, honor, devotion, and adoration that properly mark the relationship of created beings to their Creator, especially in His presence." This lofty experience is granted to fallen man as well as to the angels who never sinned.
Worship not only testifies to our love for, and appreciation of, God but it exerts a power on the worshiper. Worship is an experience, a giving and receiving, a petition and a blessing, a declaration and a benediction.
Worship is an attitude. It is a frame of mind, a condition of heart. Our worship services should contribute toward the fostering of this experience. "Our meetings for worship should be sacred, precious occasions."—Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 607. The sacred atmosphere, the reverent appreciation, are vital attributes of worship. And our God works through His servants to minister this grace to His worshipers. The worship hour is to be made a precious occasion as its importance is pressed home to the consciousness of each repentant, believ. ing soul.
The Lord has ordained that worship be attractive, beautiful, and inspiring. It is not intended to be a sad experience. It is not meant to be enervating but invigorating. "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness" (1 Chron. 16:29). This beauty God imparts through His holiness. We receive through our willing recognition ofbour need and our sincere worship of Christ as our Saviour.
Why Is Worship Essential?
The ascending and descending on the ladder reaching from earth to heaven, from the heart of the worshiper to the heart of God, is a heartening experience that God intends should characterize our expression of devotion to Him. As prayer is talking to and listening to God, through Jesus Christ, so worship is bringing our heavenly Father a sacrifice of love and devotion, and receiving from Him love, strength, and resolution.
This power innate in the worship experience is calculated to lift the believer from the everyday experience into an extraordinary attitude of surrender to God's will, a deeper appreciation of God's love, and a more eager compliance with His commands.
Heaven's appraisal of our worship is clearly brought to mind in the following message: "Every heavenly intelligence is interested in the assemblies of the saints who on earth meet to worship God. . . . They listen to the testimony of the witnesses for Christ . . . , and the praise and thanksgiving from the worshipers . . . is taken up in the heavenly anthem, and praise and rejoicing sound through the heavenly courts because Christ has not died in vain for the fallen sons of Adam."Ibid., vol. 6, p. 366.
Meaningful worship unites us with heaven. This is why adoration for God, as expressed in worship, is so essential. It has always been so and will continue to be eternally vital.
How Is Worship Achieved?
We should do everything within our power to make the worship hour rich in possibilities for development of Christlikeness in the lives of worshipers and of communion with God. Conscious effort should be directed toward providing the atmosphere that will cultivate the spirit of worship so that in every regard the attitude of humility, reverence, honor, devotion, and adoration might characterize our relationship to God our Creator.
"Nothing that is sacred, nothing that pertains to the worship of God, should be treated with carelessness or indifference." —Ibid., vol. 5, p. 491. This is straightforward direction we can all understand. Thoughtful care should be exercised in preparation for, and participation in, the worship experience. No detail is to be treated lightly. Every aspect is important and significant.
As we study to make available to the worshiper the Heaven-sent power of this rich experience, the Spirit of God will teach us our Father's will. Certainly the instruction imparted to the church is replete with direction in regard to how we ought to worship our God, and we should constantly remind ourselves of these provisions. The following areas of activity during the worship service should be closely controlled and at all times pervaded by the Spirit of God.
Enter the sanctuary in the attitude of prayer. Let us pray first for ourselves, then, filled with the love of God, let us pray for the rest of the congregation, including those responsible for leadership.
Families should sit together. This presents an attractive picture. In this way children can be given practical lessons in the proper attitude of worship. One of the most vital lessons is that of remaining quiet. From Testimonies, volume 5, page 493, we read: "Sometimes a little child may so attract the attention of the hearers that the precious seed does not fall into good ground and bring forth fruit." Not only do quiet children bring blessings to other worshipers, but their own young hearts can thus receive Heaven's direction. While we are saved as individuals, acceptable worship is promoted by our sitting in family units.
In the sanctuary we should remain quiet. Leaders and laymen alike should preserve complete quiet except when called upon to speak to the assembly. God speaks to the individual through the still small voice. Quiet meditation fosters communion with Him.
Leaders must give positive direction. Worshipers should never be given reason to feel that those in charge do not know where they are going. Such questions as "Shall we sing?" or "Shall we kneel in prayer?" are weak. When given the choice some persons might want to sing when it is time to pray. "Let us sing" and "We will kneel as we pray" are more positive directions and easier to follow.
Do not prompt impulsive replies from the congregation. All information needed should be carefully gathered before the worship hour begins. Leaders should not invite impromptu speeches on various subjects from the floor. Comments from sundry quarters on church activities serve only to disrupt. All presentations should be smooth, clear, and decisive.
The worship hour demands careful planning. All who assist in the service ought to know of their appointments well in advance. Each aspect of the meeting should be chosen, prepared, and delivered with adoration to God uppermost in our thinking. As this aim is achieved the life-giving power of God will pervade our worship. This we need. It is vouchsafed to us as we worship God with reverent and devoted hearts.
Make the presentation of tithes and offerings a sacred privilege. This area of expression is highly charged with worship possibilities. Here is evidence of inward feeling. It is deep-seated. It touches the inner recesses of heart and life. Every care should be exercised to ensure a worshipful atmosphere. This is brought about by thoughtful reference to Heaven's sacrifice, our privileges, worldwide opportunities, and by offering earnest prayer to our Father in heaven. The Spirit of God cdn make the presentation of gifts in His sanctuary a heart-moving experience. And it must be all this if it is to be an integral phase of our worship to God.
Employ music as a specific part of worship. The singing of suitable hymns will provide expression to aspiration, conviction, and surrender. Hearts are converted. We should never use music as a filler. It is worship. "As a part of religious service, singing is as much an act of worship as is prayer. Indeed, many a song is prayer."—Education, p. 168.
While there are many considerations to this broad and engaging subject, one more point should be stressed in this connection. Nothing is so endowed to promote worship as is the reading of the Word of God. It is recorded of Aaron that he "spake all the words which the Lord had spoken. .. . And the people believed . . . and worshipped" (Ex. 4:30, 31). This experience the church needs today. The congregation must hear the Word of the Lord, believe, and worship.
The Power of Worship
We are told in Testimonies, volume 5. page 609, that meetings for worship "should be pervaded with the very atmosphere of heaven." What a glorious possibility! What a high privilege! The power of God charging the atmosphere of heaven will reach our hearts. And this power is real. It is not an idle phrase, an empty platitude. True worship of God is designed by Him to make us happy now, give us security here, and also prepare us for heaven. The world needs this transforming grace. The saints need it. "God teaches that we should assemble in His house to cultivate the attributes of perfect love. This will fit the dwellers of earth for the mansions that Christ has gone to prepare for all who love Him."—Ibid., vol. 6, p. 368.
"The moral taste of the worshipers in God's holy sanctuary must be elevated, refined, sanctified."—Ibid., vol. 5. p. 496. In coming before God in the attitude of reverence and devotion saints and sinners are brought under the influence of the power of the Spirit of God, which power is inherent in the worship achievement. In order.to worship God acceptably our moral taste must be elevated, refined, and sanctified. In turn, a sincere seeker after God receives, through the act of worship, the very power to achieve this elevation, refinement, and sanctification.
There is a moving account of the impelling power of worship and its inseparable link with sacrifice in the story of Abraham and Isaac. In Genesis 22:5 we read, "I and the lad will . . . worship." How beautiful! We see father and son make their way together to the appointed place of worship. Conversation is brief. The theme is lofty. The love-filled answer from heaven is clear and direct. And, brethren, it is no less real today. You and I can find in worship the power to comply with God's commands, and in this experience receive Heaven's approbation.
Heartfelt worship gives us courage to ask of the Lord, "What saith my Lord unto his servant?" This communion is personal, and as was true in Joshua's experience, we too will haste to respond to Heaven's direction. The Word records simply, "Joshua did so" (Joshua 5:14, 15). Courage, resolution, and accomplishment are ours through the power of worship.
Throughout the Sacred Scriptures the terms worship and serve are repeatedly used together. This is Heaven planned. The Creator God who demands our worship is ready with joy to impart to us strength for service. Let us remember that only as we serve can we preserve. The preservation of the vital link with heaven is assured through willing worship of God.
The Wise Men from the East enjoyed a thrilling experience. Their eyes had been raised heavenward and they saw His star, the record states, and came to worship Him. This was the happy lot of the eleven disciples after the resurrection. It is recorded in Matthew 28:17 that "when they saw him, they worshipped him." How true to life! When we, today, keep our eyes on heavenly things we too will see and will worship. When we come to see Christ as our personal Saviour, then we will be moved to worship Him.
The worship hour is indeed a sitting together in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. How we should treasure every opportunity for worship of our blessed Redeemer. In this hallowed place we receive a sense of commitment, deeper dedication, and strength to obey. From here we are sent forth in the Spirit of God and the power of His might to conquer the world for Christ. What lofty estate granted to fallen mortals!
