The Week in Review

Theology of Worship

Written January 11, 2007

By Minister Jewel D. Williams (posted 11/09)

Why do we worship God? There are many ways that individuals may answer this question, but the best way to answer it is through biblical models. When one understands what the Bible says regarding worship, it can help in preparation of worship before the Lord within the church.

“Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7, also in Deut. 15:7). This scripture is normally used when individuals are referring to the giving of money, but I would like to show another application of this verse.

God calls all believers to be givers of all of their self; their time, their finances, their talents, and we are to do that with the right spirit. When we come to worship it should be done with a cheerful and ready heart. God does not want us to come out of obligation or with the wrong spirit. “And it shall come to pass, if ye shall hearken diligently unto my commandments which I command you this day, to love the LORD your God, and to serve him with all your heart and will all your soul,” (Deuteronomy 11:13). Therefore, our worship of the Lord calls us to come giving cheerfully of our entire self, our hearts, mind and soul to the Lord, along with our talents and abilities. He also wants nothing else to be above him in our lives. We see that clearly when we look at the tabernacle.

I was able to obtain useful information from the website, www.the-tabernacle-place.com, from lesson 2: The Basic Layout of the Tabernacle and the Gate. In the study of the Tabernacle, we can glean some ideas of how we are to worship God. First, in the way the tabernacle was set up, we see where God wants to be in our relationship. The tabernacle was set in the midst of the camp and the Israelites’ tents all faced the tabernacle. When they came out of their tents in the morning, the first thing they saw was the tabernacle and the last thing they saw at night was the tabernacle. This reminds us that our Lord should be on our minds throughout our daily lives, not just on Sunday morning. He is the one we should seek in the morning as we begin our day and the one we should thank as the day sets. The tabernacle was also a reminder to the people of God’s presence was with them at all times. It is imperative that when we come together we are reminded of the importance of seeking God everyday of our lives. Worship within the church should also help us to understand this important fact, that we must worship God daily.

Another significant point we can glean from the tabernacle is the gate. The gate of the tabernacle was always in the east. This is important because as the people entered the gate they were always facing west, and the sun was always behind them. This was a direct opposition to the pagan sun worshippers of the day who always faced east (Ezekiel 8:16-18). God wants no other God before him, for he alone is worthy of all our praise. God then calls for worshippers to focus all on him when we come to worship. God does not want anything to take his place in the service of worship.

One of the last examples that will be used is the book of Psalms. From the book titled, Encountering the Old Testament, written by Bill T. Arnold and Bryan E. Beyer vital information is given to help an individual understand the usage of the psalms. The word psalm comes from the Greek word psalmos, which means a song or a hymn. The Hebrew word for the book is tĕhillîm and it means praises. The book itself contains 150 songs used in the life and worship of the people of God. These were songs that were dear to the people’s hearts and reflective of their personal experiences (304).

The psalms were written in different classifications. For example, there were some that were hymns. These were written to praise God and offer him thanksgiving for who he was and what he had done in the lives of the people. An example of hymns would be psalms 8, 136 and 150. There were also penitential songs. These psalms expressed sorrow for sin (example psalm 38). The other types of psalms are wisdom (general observations on life, especially God and our relationship to him), royal (focus on the king), messianic (describe some aspect of the Messiah’s person or ministry), imprecatory (call for God’s judgment against God’s enemies) and lament (lament one’s condition) (307). This helps us today to understand that in worship music has many different roles it plays within the service. Music should help the worshipper be reflective of their experience with God. It should help us express praise to God, our life experience and our walk with God. This is a good example of how much music plays a part in the worship service of believers and we should be free to use different styles to help with the worship service, just as the people did in early biblical times.

Why do we worship? We worship because scripture shows us it is a part of what God requires of believers in order to have a healthy relationship. We worship because God deserves our devotion and our adoration. We worship because God calls us to come fellowship with him with all of who we are, our hearts, minds, spirits and soul. When one is able to glean this understanding from biblical background, it helps the worship leader better prepare the people to come and worship in spirit and in truth.

Work Cited

Alden, Robert L., et al. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1995.

Arnold, Bill T., et al. Encountering The Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1999.

Lesson 2: The Basic Layout of the Tabernacle and the Gate. 2004. 05 March 2006. http://www.the-tabernacle-place.com.

The Week in Review

Theology of Worship

Written 11/07 (posted 11/9/09)

The greatest challenge for today’s worship leader in a postmodern world is how to help individuals feel and think within the worship experience. These challenges cause trouble for the worship leader because they must try to blend different worlds together. In the book Experiencing God in Worship, Leonard Sweet, the author of the piece titled, A New Reformation: Re-Creating Worship for a Postmodern World, states “Here’s the point: In postmodern culture, the experience is the message. Postmoderns literally ‘feel’ their way through life. If postmodern worship can’t make people furiously feel and think (in the old ‘modern’ word, we would have said only ‘think’), it can’t show them how God’s Word transform the way we ‘feel’”(177).


With this understanding, it is vital for the worship leader to seek God’s direction for the Spirit to guide the worship process as stated here, “worship is not about style; it’s about spirit. If the ‘spirit’ isn’t right, presentation means little – no matter how contemporary or high-tech. Ten times zero is still zero. And, if the Spirit is there, presentation also means little – no matter how traditional or bookish” (Sweet, 181).


The worship leader’s job, with the help of God is to help the congregation address some of the problems facing worship today. First, the congregation needs to be given an understanding about the purpose of worship. In the book Experiencing God in Worship, George Barna in his piece titled, Worship in the Third Millennium, states, “Most adults will contend that a Christian has a responsibility to worship God. However, when asked to define what worship means, two out of three are unable to offer an appropriate definition or description of worship…For most Americans worship is to satisfy or please them, not to honor or please God” (15).


A worship leader must allow God to work through them to create a worship service that will grasp the attention of the worshipers and call them to interact with God. The worship leader must create an atmosphere that calls for individuals to thirst for God, and that can be difficult when trying to blend different music and artistic styles. It is important then for the leader to introduce changes, such as music, dance, video or other artistic mediums in the service in a gradual way, with much prayer and leading by the Spirit of God. Some will complain and that is unfortunately due to the fact that individuals think worship is more about them and their likes or dislikes. “The problem is that American Christians do not have a heart that is thirsting for an experience with God, eager to express gratitude and praise to him, and open to his response to their efforts to convey humility, appreciation, acknowledgement of his love and character, and joy in knowing and serving him” (Barna, 16).

A worship leader may also face difficulties because of the age and cultural differences within the worship services, along with the difference in music preferences. The step that can be taken to help is to teach the importance of worship. “Teaching individuals how to worship by helping them achieve a sense of God’s holiness, understand the meaning of worship, and commit to worshipping God is often necessary if more than just a scattered handful of attendees are to be engaged in real worship” (Barna, 25).

The greatest help the worship leader can give is to help individuals experience God in worship through the flow and choices made using different styles of music and artistic blends. The individual can then begin to move from the idea that worship is about one’s self and understand that it is more about giving to God. There is no one way of doing it, so each worship leader must seek to present what is needed for their congregation remembering that the most important factors are the leading of the Holy Spirit and prayer. Alas, with all changes, both good and bad, there will be individuals that will resist. The leader must not give up, but patiently help others see that the changes are not to move the church away from God, but to move his people closer to experiencing his presence.

Work Cited

Barna, George, et. al. Experience God in Worship. Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, Inc., 2000.

The Week in Review

Assignment 1 – Theology of Worship

“Christian Worship – January 11, 2007”

What does it mean to worship? To gain an appreciation of what it means to worship, one could start with how one defines experiential worship. A person’s aesthetic capacity helps them experience God and find spiritual meaning in worship; it can also help characterize ones understanding of what it means to worship. When one answers these questions, an individual can begin to define their theology of worship.

What does it mean to worship? I like the definition given by author Stormie Omartian in her book, The Prayer That Changes Everything, where she states, “Worship and praise is the purest form of prayer because it focuses our minds and souls entirely away from ourselves and on to Him…That’s because praise welcomes His presence in our midst.” (9). She also states, “We were created to worship God…Worship must become a lifestyle” (22). Therefore, worship is devotion, adoration or love for God. We fulfill our purpose when we reverence God in our times of worship.

Worship involves one’s experiences. Experiential worship involves one’s thoughts and emotions. In the book, Experience God in Worship, the contributing author, Jack W. Hayford states, “One of Jesus’ most profound statements about worship came as he offered the woman at the well an opportunity to empty her cup of loneliness and brokenness and have it filled with his love (John 4:3-26). This passage illustrates that worship involves an exchange between God and his people. Healing and joy flow into our lives from heaven as we offer ourselves to God as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1)” (137). When believers do as scripture instructs, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30), individuals experience worship.

The individual is involving their heart (how they feel), they are involving they mind (their thoughts) and with the strength of their being. In the online article by Rich Warren, titled Planned for God’s Pleasure, he states, “God wants me to love him thoughtfully “with my mind”, passionately “with my heart and soul” and practically “with my strength” (1). Experiential worship then calls for the individual to become part of the worship by entering into the presence of God through their thoughts, as they think on the goodness of God. Just as Jack Hayford stated, when Jesus invited the woman to empty her cup of loneliness and brokenness, he was inviting her into an experience of worship where she would receive healing of her spirit from God. That is a vital part of worship. We come into the presence of God and experience his power to heal us of our brokenness and to fill our cups until they overflow with his goodness. When we receive these blessings from the Lord, we are to praise him in our thoughts, in our heart and souls and with our very strength. “God desired to bless people with victory, mercy, and lovingkindness. As we observe the worship life of David, it’s impossible to avoid one powerful conclusion: Not only is God unopposed to emotional, expressive worship – he welcomes it” (Hayford, 139).

Work cited

Barna, George, et. al. Experience God in Worship. Loveland, CO: Group Publishing, Inc. 2000.

Warren, Rick. Planned for God’s Pleasure. 2002. 7 January 2007. http://webct.macu.edu.

Pmin-3303 Unit 1. Experiencing God through the Human Aesthetic Capacity. 7 January 2007. http://webct.macu.edu/