Every week millions of people go to a church somewhere in the world. Why do so many people go to church? Many do not know the answer. Some go by custom. Others to accompany the family. Still, others go to church to see their friends. Why do we go to church?
The church was created so that God's people would enjoy His presence. It is the place where God manifests Himself to His children. Whenever His people gather, He promises to be present.
After delivering the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt, the Lord led them through the wilderness toward Canaan. Along the way, He directed them to build a place where He might dwell among them (Exodus 25:8).
“And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, that brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, that I may dwell among them: I am the Lord their God” (Exodus 29:44–46).
God wanted to dwell among His people. He wanted them to be a people that were His own, different from others—a people who considered Him sovereign and who worshiped Him.
The reason for worship
In the desert, God richly blessed the people of Israel—providing support and protection for 1them for 40 years. He revealed Himself to His people and then taught them true worship. God gives us many reasons to worship Him too.
“O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation” (Psalm 95:1).
In this text, the psalmist invites us to praise the Lord because He is the Rock of our salvation.
“Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!" (Psalm 107:8).
Here the Word of God commands us to praise the Lord because of His wonders.
“Sing unto the Lord, praise ye the Lord: for he hath delivered the soul of the poor from the hand of evildoers” (Jeremiah 20:13).
In this text, we see another reason to praise God: He protects us from the wicked.
Many are the wonders of the Lord! When we recognize this, we humbly bow down before Him and worship Him. Worship is a reaction to the things that God has done for us. He showers us with blessings and, in response, we praise Him. Gratitude is the main reason for worship. Seeing the goodness and mercy of God, we realize how worthy He is and our heart feels the desire to praise Him.
What is worship?
Worship is the way we show our love for God.
One day a doctor of the law asked Jesus what was the most important commandment of the law. “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself'” (Matthew 22:37–40).
Jesus did not revoke the Ten Commandments, just summarized them. All the duties of the Christian life, all the commandments, all the rules of conduct can be summarized in two principles: love towards 2God and love for our neighbor.
Jesus said that the first and greatest commandment is to love God. That comes first. The first purpose of life should be to love God with all our strength and with all our understanding. Loving God means worshiping Him—putting Him as the center of our life. It means to not just be concerned with our own interests. We no longer live for ourselves, but rather we live for God.
The word “love” comes from the Latin "adorare". The meaning is “to value someone or assign value to something.” Love is to recognize the value of God. It is to recognize that He is the Sovereign of our life. Love is a verb in the active voice.
The word for worship in the Old Testament is "shachad", which means “bow down.” In the New Testament, the word for worship is proskuneo, which means “kiss respectfully” or “bow down reverently.”
We are bidden, “Come, let us worship and bow down; kneel down before the Lord who created us" (Psalm 95:6). The word “worship” in the Bible is always linked to an action—something can be done. True worship is manifested in action. If someone claims to love God but does not keep His commandments, that person is a liar (1 John 2:4).
To say, “Hallelujah, glory” without doing the will of God has no value. “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 7:21).
We can worship God in many ways. We can worship Him in every thought or action. God asks us to worship Him at all times and situations. “Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). To do everything for the glory of God means to worship Him in all things. True worship is comprehensive and includes all aspects of life.
The true worshiper glorifies the Lord not only in church services. It is important to attend services, but that is not everything. God asks for more. We must learn to place God as the center of our lives EVERY DAY.
The psalmist declares, “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple” (Psalm 27:4).
He asks the Lord to grant us the privilege of being in His presence every day. This is worship.
“‘God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth’ (John 4:24). When our hearts are tuned to praise our Maker, not only in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs but also in our lives, we shall live in communion with Heaven. Our offering of grateful thanks will not be spasmodic, or reserved for special occasions; there will be gratitude in the heart and in the home, in private as well as in public devotion. This constitutes the true worship of God.”1
Music: an excellent way to worship
Music is an excellent way to worship. God is the Creator of music.
“Music forms a part of God's worship in the courts above, and we should endeavor, in our songs of praise, to approach as nearly as possible to the harmony of the heavenly choirs. The proper training of the voice is an important feature in education, and should not be neglected. Singing, as a part of religious service, is as much an act of worship as is prayer.”2
In heaven there is a lot of music: “The melody of praise is the atmosphere of heaven.”3 Around the throne of God, there are beings who praise Him day and night (Revelation 4:6–11 and Isaiah 6:2, 3). The Lord requests the worship of His creatures through music (Psalm 150). He enjoys being praised.
Music is an act of worship. It's not just to sing with technical ability or to play an instrument well. It is true that God requires us to offer the best we can do, but real praise is not a matter of good 4technique. Music in a worship setting is not merely an artistic expression, such as what an accomplished musician presents in a concert hall. It's much more than that! It is a presentation that aims to please God and magnify His holy name.
To worship God with music means to dedicate the gift that He has given us to recognize His sovereignty, His power, and especially His goodness and His love for us. When singing or playing an instrument, the musician presents an offering to God. He is the main recipient of our praise.
The musician applies perfectly the counsel the apostle Paul gave to young Timothy: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (II Timothy 2:15).
A presentation to God
When presenting music, the worshiper also presents himself or herself as a sacrifice to the Lord.
“By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name” (Hebrews 13:15).
“I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs” (Psalm 69:30, 31).
God is pleased with the worshiper who addresses Him with gratitude in the heart. He does not simply evaluate the music—above all, He looks at the heart of the musician.
God wants the musician to render true worship, not just praise with the lips. He wants us to worship Him with our whole being.
“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isaiah 29:13).
The Lord loves music but hates hypocrisy and mere formality 5in worship. “There is nothing more offensive in God's sight than a display of instrumental music when those taking part are not consecrated, are not making melody in their hearts to the Lord.”4
Worship is not a formal act; it involves the delivery of the whole being to the Lord Jesus. Does God ask something of the musicians? Yes. He asks that the musician surrender to Jesus. God loves music. However, more than the music, HE LOVES THE MUSICIANS. He wants to save them.
We are talking about worship, but God does not demand worship—He seeks worshipers (John 4:23, last part). He looks at the musicians of His church and, in essence, asks, "Is there anyone who really loves Me? Is there anyone who really wants to place his or her life in my hands and have Me as sovereign in life? That's the kind of person that I look for.”
The Lord calls us today to be true worshipers. Will you be one?
1. The Youth’s Instructor, December 31, 1896.
2. Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 594.
3. Education, p. 161.
4. Evangelism, p. 510.