True Worship
What is the religious ceremony known as the “mass”? If you put this question to a sincere, devout Catholic person many of them will not be able to give you a meaningful answer.
But let’s ask ourselves a similar question: What is worship? When we go to different dictionaries, we find a variety of definitions—which in some cases do not help much. In reality, the dictionary follows whatever the people understand about the meaning of words.
In His dialogue with the Samaritan woman, Christ said to her: “You Samaritans worship what you do not know” (John 4:22) Holman Bible. Like the Samaritans of old, there are millions of people today who worship something they do not know.
For some people, worshipping means to go to church, attend the main meetings, socialize, return home and repeat this schedule regularly or irregularly.
I remember a trip I made to Buenos Aires, Argentina, in the 1990’s. Sitting next to me in the airplane, there was a young lady with whom I started a religious dialogue. When I asked her if she knew the Bible, she told me that she used to attend the Armenian Church, but the priests would conduct the ceremonies in the old Armenian language. Thus, the younger generation, including those such as herself, couldn’t understand the message—but they respected the meetings. Like that young lady, there are millions who just respect what happens in the church but they do not understand what is going on.
True worship has much to do with our eternal salvation, so it is more than worth it for us to have a clear understanding about this subject!
In the first angel’s message, we find the divine command: “Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters” (Revelation 14:7, emphasis supplied).
Worshipping relates to the acknowledgment that God is the Creator of “heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters.” If He is the Creator of the universe, then we are under the sacred obligation to live and do all under His control.
The renowned William Temple once said: “The world can be saved by one thing and that is worship. For to worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of God.”
The Hebrew word most often translated as “worship” is shachah, and the Greek word is proskuneo. Both words indicate to prostrate oneself in reverence or bow one’s self down in homage and adoration. In order to be truly genuine, this type of submission should be accompanied by a lifestyle in harmony with it.
The Bible talks about effective worship and about vain worship.
In His rebuke to the Pharisees because they put their own tradition above God’s law, Christ quoted the word of God through the prophet Isaiah explaining in what consists vain worship:
“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). And then Christ added the words: “But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:9).
In these Scriptures, we find some characteristics of false and vain worship:
Worship just by mouth and lips without the heart;
Worship based on the commandments of men (or human traditions).
Going back to the dialogue between Christ and the Samaritan woman, He said to her: “The hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:23, 24).
“Not by seeking a holy mountain or a sacred temple are men brought into communion with heaven. Religion is not to be confined to external forms and ceremonies. The religion that comes from God is the only religion that will lead to God. In order to serve Him aright, we must be born of the divine Spirit. This will purify the heart and renew the mind, giving us a new capacity for knowing and loving God. It will give us a willing obedience to all His requirements. This is true worship. It is the fruit of the working of the Holy Spirit. By the Spirit every sincere prayer is indited, and such prayer is acceptable to God. Wherever a soul reaches out after God, there the Spirit’s working is manifest, and God will reveal Himself to that soul. For such worshipers He is seeking. He waits to receive them, and to make them His sons and daughters.”1
This whole paragraph is worthy of serious analysis:
We cannot be in communion with God by seeking a holy mountain or a sacred temple;
Worship doesn’t depend on external forms or ceremonies;
True religion is that one which comes from God;
Before worshipping God, we need to be born again;
We can worship God only if we know and love Him, resulting in willing obedience to His will.
This is true worship. It is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in the soul of the believer.
Then we can understand why Abel and his offering were accepted by the Lord—and Cain and his offering were rejected. The first submitted himself fully to God and His instructions. The second did everything according to his own mind and will, rejecting God’s plan of salvation.
The same principles explain why the worship of the publican was fully accepted by the Lord, while the worship of the Pharisee was totally rejected. The first recognized his own sinfulness and need, and submitted himself to the mercy of God. The second, trusting in his own “merits,” offered a prayer full of spiritual pride and self-righteousness.
Let us examine God’s word and ourselves to see if we are following God’s plan for true worship or if we are following commandments of men. May the Lord bless us and make us able to worship Him “in spirit and in truth”!
When we are worshipping God, we are to be confessing His worthiness or “worthwhileness” above everything else we know. When we do this sincerely, we are not playing a game or going through some kind of mere outward show to impress or deceive.
When we worship “in spirit,” our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength are engaged in the action.
When we worship “in truth,” we are not lying to ourselves or to anyone else about what we are doing. We really believe with all of our heart—and by faith are engaged in a genuine, meaningful, victorious experience.
“Faithful work is more acceptable to God than the most zealous and thought-to-be holiest worship. It is working together with Christ that is true worship. Prayers, exhortation, and talk are cheap fruits, which are frequently tied on; but fruits that are manifested in good works, in caring for the needy, the fatherless, and widows, are genuine fruits, and grow naturally upon a good tree.
“Pure religion and undefiled before the Father is this: ‘To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.’ Good deeds are the fruit that Christ requires us to bear: kind words, deeds of benevolence, of tender regard for the poor, the needy, the afflicted. When hearts sympathize with hearts burdened with discouragement and grief, when the hand dispenses to the needy, when the naked are clothed, the stranger made welcome to a seat in your parlor and a place in your heart, angels are coming very near, and an answering strain is responded to in heaven. Every act of justice, mercy, and benevolence makes melody in heaven. The Father from His throne beholds those who do these acts of mercy, and numbers them with His most precious treasures. ‘And they shall be Mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up My jewels.’ Every merciful act to the needy, the suffering, is regarded as though done to Jesus. When you succor the poor, sympathize with the afflicted and oppressed, and befriend the orphan, you bring yourselves into a closer relationship to Jesus.”2
“The holiness of [Christ’s] character is reflected by all who serve Him in spirit and in truth.”3
“Those who assemble to worship [God] should put away every evil thing. Unless they worship Him in spirit and truth and in the beauty of holiness, their coming together will be of no avail.”4
“Sometimes young men and women have so little reverence for the house and worship of God that they keep up a continual communication with each other during the sermon. Could these see the angels of God looking upon them and marking their doings, they would be filled with shame, with abhorrence of themselves. God wants attentive hearers. It was while men slept that Satan sowed his tares.
“When the benediction is pronounced, all should still be quiet, as if fearful of losing the peace of Christ. Let all pass out without jostling or loud talking, feeling that they are in the presence of God, that His eye is resting upon them, and that they must act as in His visible presence. Let there be no stopping in the aisles to visit or gossip, thus blocking them up so that others cannot pass out. The precincts of the church should be invested with a sacred reverence. It should not be made a place to meet old friends and visit and introduce common thoughts and worldly business transactions. These should be left outside the church. God and angels have been dishonored by the careless, noisy laughing and shuffling of feet heard in some places.
“Parents, elevate the standard of Christianity in the minds of your children; help them to weave Jesus into their experience; teach them to have the highest reverence for the house of God and to understand that when they enter the Lord’s house it should be with hearts that are softened and subdued by such thoughts as these: ‘God is here; this is His house. I must have pure thoughts and the holiest motives. I must have no pride, envy, jealousy, evil surmising, hatred, or deception in my heart, for I am coming into the presence of the holy God. This is the place where God meets with and blesses His people. The high and holy One who inhabiteth eternity looks upon me, searches my heart, and reads the most secret thoughts and acts of my life.’ ”5
“When you meet with the Lord, say, I am in the Lord’s house, and I desire all wicked thoughts, all mistrust and murmuring against my brethren to be banished. We have met here with God, who ‘so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ This is our privilege, and we desire to come into the house of God with thanksgiving. We ask the Lord to remove from our hearts every thing that is evil, that we may bring to the house of God that which He can bless.
“Let every church member kneel before God while in His temple, and consecrate to him His own, which He has bought with the blood of Christ. Pray for the speaker. Pray that great blessing may come to the one who is to hold forth the bread of life. Strive earnestly to lay hold of a blessing for yourself. Cry unto God, Increase my faith, Make me understand Thy word: for the entrance of Thy word giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple. Refresh me by Thy presence. Fill my heart with thy love, that in possessing so great a treasure, I may love my brethren as Christ loved me.
“God will bless all who will thus prepare themselves for His service. They will understand what it means to have the assurance of the Spirit, because they have received Christ by faith. The religion of Christ means much more than the forgiveness of sin. It means taking away our sins, and filling the vacuum with the Holy Spirit. It means divine illumination, rejoicing in God. It means a heart emptied of self, and blessed with the abiding presence of Christ. We need the vital qualities of Christianity, and when we possess them, the church will be a living, active, working church. There will be a growth in grace, because the bright rays of the Sun of righteousness pervade the chambers of the mind.
“Let us not bring the gloom of unbelief into the church. Let us trim our lamps, seeking a fresh supply of oil, before we step over the threshold. It is our right, our privilege, to dismiss gloomy depression. As we go to the house of worship, we may go with joyfulness; for are we not going to meet with God and His people?
“Christ welcomed little children to His presence. He was cheered by the simplicity of their faith. Let us become as little children, that in simplicity of faith we may welcome Christ and be welcomed by Him. Sing to the Lord with the Spirit and the understanding. Let no thought of criticism enter your mind, to torment you; for Satan is near. He will do this work without your help. Refuse to cooperate with the accuser of the brethren. Gather up every ray of light, then seek out those who need help, and give this light to them. God says, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that My house may be filled.’ ”6
“Praise the Lord, all ye saints. Be glad in the Lord. Praise His holy name. We must carry to every religious gathering a quickened spiritual consciousness that God and the angels are there, cooperating with all true worshipers. We do not obtain one hundredth part of what we should from assembling together to worship God. Our perceptive faculties need sharpening. Fellowship with one another should make us glad. Why, with such a hope as we have, are our hearts not aglow with the love of God?
“When we are tempted to murmur or complain at something some one has done, praise something in that person. Say, ‘Satan, I have defeated your temptations this time.’ Cultivate the habit of thankfulness. Praise God over and over again for His wonderful love in giving Christ to die for us. It never pays to think of old grievances. God calls upon us to cultivate His mercy and His matchless love, that we may be inspired with praise.”7