What Is True Biblical Worship – and How to Worship Our God
This study of biblical worship shows from Scripture what true worship is – a whole life offered to God – and how to worship Him alone, at home, and together.
(Acts 17:11: Please learn to do your own Bible studies like this one – here.)
What Is Worship?
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:1-2
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Galatians 2:20
Based on His love and the cross, we pick up our cross and follow Him
In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.
Luke 14:33
Slaves (employees), obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to curry their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
Colossians 3:22-25
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ’Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ’Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:28-31
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.
John 4:23-24
Practical Expressions of Biblical Worship in the Book of Psalms
- Sing with joy and loud shouts, thanksgiving with music. Psalm 95:1-2 – “Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.”
- Kneeling, bowing down. Psalm 95:6 – “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.”
- Shouts of joy, songs of praise, playing trumpets. Psalm 47:5-7 – “God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises. For God is the King of all the earth; sing to him a psalm of praise. (see also Psalm 27:6)”
- Worship even in the midst of persecution. Acts 16:25-26 – “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.”
- Make a joyful noise (Psalm 95:1-2; Psalm 100:1; 1 Chronicles 15:16). For ALL.
- Play with skill (it is also part of excellent worship). Psalm 33:2-3 – “Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre. Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.” Not all are to be skilled – not the ones who are not leading, like in 1 Chronicles 25:7.
- Clapping. Psalm 47:1 – “Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.”
- Trumpet, harp, lyre, timbrel, dancing, strings, pipe, cymbals. Psalm 150:3-6 – “Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.”
- Lifting hands. Psalm 63:4 – “I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name, I will lift up my hands.”
- Play with a tambourine. Psalm 68:25 – “In front are the singers, after them the musicians; with them are the young women playing the timbrels.”
- Be still and be quiet. Psalm 37:7 – “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him.” Psalm 46:10 – “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Why? For He is great! His love is better than life!
You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me. Those who want to kill me will be destroyed; they will go down to the depths of the earth.
Psalm 63:1-9
Jesus Worshiping and Praising His Father
This is after the 12 disciples had been sent out to do what Jesus did.
At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the “wise and learned”, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
Matthew 11:25-26
This is after the 70 “other” disciples came back and it worked for them to cast out demons.
At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do. “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.” Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
Luke 10:21-24
Three Places of Worship (There Are More)
1. One-on-one
Early – Mark 1:35: “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.””
evening and night
Matthew 14:23
After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone …”
Do you want to walk in miracles?
Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed. One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.
Luke 5:15-17
Please hear the first session in the “normal discipleship” series – also written up as Daddyo Time – My Story of Quality Time With God.
When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Matthew 6:6
- Not to be seen by people (it’s OK if they do – but that must not be your purpose)
- Not with many words or repetitions (Matthew 6:7)
But what? Hang out normally like a person would with their BEST FRIEND!
Now – that is faith – and that is true worship! For the meaning of life is friendship with God.
2. Home church services
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47
What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up. If anyone speaks in a tongue, two – or at the most three – should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God. Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. And if a revelation comes to someone who is sitting down, the first speaker should stop. For you can all prophesy in turn so that everyone may be instructed and encouraged. The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets. For God is not a God of disorder but of peace – as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people.
1 Corinthians 14:26-33
3. Larger gatherings
One speaker speaks and a team does the stuff. Think of Jesus speaking to the masses in the Sermon on the Mount – and other occasions.
What Would God Rather Have Than Worship?
Obedience more than worship sacrifices
But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
1 Samuel 15:22
1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – without love all of the mighty miracles and good deeds are worthless. And love is proven in obedience (John 14:15).
Unity – and the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:1-3)
God will even deny Himself worship for the sake of peace
God will deny Himself the worship He deserves – for us to live in peace and to clear up sins, errors, and misunderstandings – to have us who believe in Him – live in peace together.
Matthew 5:23-25 – this is so wild that I need to quote it exactly as it says:
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
Matthew 5:23-25
Why is Jesus so passionate about the unity of the Spirit, love, and truth?
“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one – I in them and you in me – so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.
John 17:20-23
All of It Is Worship
To execute deep personal repentance, deep humility, gentleness, honor, faith, hope, and love – and live in holiness – as well as learning and doing deliverance and waking the physically dead is ALL worship.
To honorably, lovingly, and in a lowly way to confront someone precisely according to Matthew 18:15-20 – and thereby restore and build and love a brother or sister – is love and is worship – just as much as singing worship by music.
I cry out – the fullness of it all – me choosing to bring Heaven to this piece of earth – and answering the Lord’s prayer and worship Him through that. Not either – or – but believing and doing all He commanded.
To read positive life changing and selfish life breaking teaching – see All Bible Studies of Peter Skov of Action Christianity. Let God lead you to what to engage with first.
And here is my YouTube course on the very minimum foundations of normal discipleship.
