In order to understand the meaning of worship, we have to understand the meaning of the word “worship”. The English word comes from the two words “worth” and “ship”, which together mean “to recognize the value of a person or object by expression of courtesy, reverence and homage.”
The Hebrew primitive root “shachah”, which is translated worship, means “to prostrate oneself”. It occurs over 100 times in the Old Testament. The Greek “proskuneo” carries the same idea of prostrating oneself before the object of worship. It is used 59 times in the New Testament.
In ancient times a person fell on his face before a king as a sign of his submission or to beg for mercy. Kneeling or bowing was done in recognition of superiority of the king. Worship includes reverence to God in recognition of His worthiness. We read that Abraham fell on his face before God (Genesis 17:3); as did Moses and Aaron when they begged God to be merciful to the people (Numbers 14:5).
We still bow our heads or kneel in worship to express reverence to God and His worthiness to rule our lives. The Psalmist wrote (Psalm 95:6-7):
If we do not allow God to rule our lives, our “worship” is not “in truth” (John 4:24) but is mere formal and it is not acceptable to the Father.
In my view the worship has four aspects: adoration; inspiration; revelation and communication; and recreation and incarnation.
The adoration is giving of vocal praise and honor to God without any thought of personal gain. The English word adore comes from the Latin word “orare” which means “to speak or pray aloud, such as in oration”. So we use the term “adoration to speak of vocal exaltation of God that comes from fervent devotion and reverent love. To adore God is to be filled with such deep love and admiration for Him that we enjoy praising and worshiping Him.
Some of the greatest lyrics of worship known are given to us in the occasion of the birth of the Son of God, our Redeemer. Even before His birth, even while He was in her womb, Mary sang a glorious hymn of praise. Could we ever find more beautiful phrases put together in adoration of the Lord (Luke 1:46-47)?
David, another biblical worshiper says in Psalm 34:1-3:
The focus of spiritual worship is the character and the personality of God. Revelation 4:10-11 describes the adoration of God in this way:
Here we see the highest form of worship. There is no prayer, petition or request. When men worship, they are consumed with who God is. He is completely worthy of all praise and adoration.
In our church when we have service, we start it with praise and worship. We come to our Lord in thanksgiving. We praise Him for what He has done for us and worship for who He is. And when we sing to the Lord, His presence comes. We all are filled with the Holy Spirit and feel God’s touch. We adore the Lord for His mercy, love, goodness, and faithfulness; we revere Him for His holiness and purity. Our eyes are fixed on His glory, and we are looking to see His face. Then we glorify our Savior and enjoy our relationship with Him. These are the most unforgettable moments that take place in our lives.
Inspiration is the divine influence, which enables a person to communicate to others what has been revealed to him. Inspiration of knowing God through Jesus Christ is both a cause and a result of worship. We worship God because we are inspired by His greatness, but also we are further inspired by our encounter with Him in the worship. The later inspiration is creative and it makes us productive.
In both Hebrew and Greek the word “inspiration” means “breath”. An example of this is found in 2 Timothy 3:16: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (KJV). This text testifies that “all scripture”, the Old Testament in particular and the whole Bible in general is the Word of God. “Teopneustos” (Greek), translated “inspiration of God” literally means “God-breathed” (NIV).
When we come in the presence of God we “draw air into our lungs” from His breath, e.g. from His Spirit. So the Holy Spirit inspires us for evangelism, ministry, good works, and art. When the Holy Spirit fills us He starts to manifest His gifts through us (1 Corinthians 12:7-11).
Often this inspiration expresses itself in music and poetry. When David worshiped the Lord, the Spirit of the Lord came upon him and he was able to compose psalms and bless others through music. The historical writing of 1 Chronicles 25:1-3 speaks of prophecy with harps.
Prophecy was given accompanied by music. This suggests a very strong connection between the first two aspects of worship – adoration and inspiration. Similar is the case of Elisha the prophet in 2 Kings 3:15 who needed music to inspire him so that he can start to prophesy.
So, on one hand the Bible teaches us that when we are inspired by God we will create music to the Lord (Ephesians 5:18-20). On the other hand praise and worship music will bring upon us the anointing of the Holy Spirit. It seems to me that adoration and inspiration are two aspects of worship that mutually stimulate each other.
Revelation is God’s disclosure or manifestation of Himself and His will to man. In worship God reveals Himself to the worshipper. When we worship in the Spirit He often helps us to grasp and understand better truths already revealed to us in the Scripture.
In order for man to understand adequately what God wants to tell him, the revelation should be transferred from one human being to another human being – revelation from God to man through man (1 Peter 1:12). God found this to be the best way to communicate with man as we see in the face of Jesus Christ who is our Mediator.
Communication is exchange of thoughts or opinions, sharing of ideas or information. Through communication we receive God’s revelation. Through communication we convey and transmit it to others. Communication implies relationship – relationship with God and relationship with people. Worship is our communication with God. Worship is also our communication with the congregation. Through our worship of God we communicate to others His glory and salvation.
From the very beginning God has planned for a man to be a social being. When he was creating man he said “It is not good for the man to be alone…” (Genesis 2:18). Consequently man can fulfill more adequately his greatest potential in the company of others. So we see that God is the creator of community.
The word that includes all concepts of communication and that express it in the best possible way is the Greek word “koinonia”. Most often it is translated fellowship, but it is more than that. It is also “having things in common, sacrificial sharing, community”. It is a strong word that goes beyond just verbal relationships. It cuts deeply into our time, talent, and treasure and leads us to mature sharing of everything with other parts of the body of Christ. Jesus emphasized the value of the koinonia when He said in (Matthew 18:20):
Koinonia is a corporate expression of worship. It is a union of believers with the purpose of glorifying God. When unified worship occurs, the power of the Holy Spirit is manifested, and Jesus Christ is revealed through His people. One Biblical example of such manifestation is the revelation of Jesus to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32). The disciples were talking together, and they were talking about Jesus. Their thoughts were focused upon the Lord. This reminds us of Malachi 3:16-17 and Mathew 18:20. While they fellowship together, Jesus drew near, and later He revealed Himself when they were breaking the bread. The sense of harmony speaks of fulfillment of Matthew 18:20 even though He remains invisible to us.
Koinonia is expressed in very special way in small groups. Close relationships are developed in them and real unity happens. Personal needs are shared and preyed about together. God responds to the worship of His children and the gifts of the Spirit are being manifested. Then each participant can be a communicator of God and channel of His revelation to others.
Worship causes the worshipper to be recreated from within. When he worships, the Holy Spirit refreshes and renews his spirit, soul and body. When our whole being is enveloped in worship we are strengthened daily. Then we experience the truth of Nehemiah 8:10 which says: “the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
“Incarnation” is a lofty term that means “a state of being clothed with flesh”. In usual biblical sense it refers to the union of Deity with humanity in the person of Jesus Christ (John 1:14).
We use the term “incarnation” in a similar though not identical sense – to speak about the life of Christ within the believer. The Holy Spirit came to live in Christians and made us “the body of Christ”. True worship involves the incarnation of the Word of God and Christ in us. By living our life in the Spirit we will reveal God to the world. In this way worship becomes more than just a short act of paying respect and homage to God – it becomes an integrated way of life. We honor God in all we think, say and do.
In Romans 8:29-30 Paul speaks about God’s plan and purpose for us.
God’s desire for us is Christ-likeness – His will is to form in us the character of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. When He controls our lives the fruit of the Spirit is growing in us (Galatians 5:22-23), and Christ starts to manifest Himself in our mortal flesh. In worship we gaze at the Father and the Son, and focus our attention on God, and thus we become like Him. Then the Holy Spirit within us changes us to be like our Savior and to reveal Christ becomes our lifestyle. This “incarnation” of Christ in us is the highest form of praise.
There is also recreation of our bodies – physically and mentally – as we worship. Lifting up voice, hands, and heart in worship brings cheerfulness and refreshing. It affects the entire body. Present day psychiatry and medicine have researched the effects of both positive and negative feelings to the body. Findings reveal that positive emotions have definite positive effect upon human body, while negative emotions can actually cause worsening of many physical problems. Scripture gives as a clue to the great truth that spiritual worship results in recreation and even healing of human mind and body. For example:
Proverbs 4:20-22
Proverbs 3:7-8
Proverbs 17:22
In His grace God showers us with great spiritual and physical blessings when we worship Him. The full understanding and appreciation of the body of Christ has a healing effect. It is sad the opposite is also true: a bitter spirit and resentment can actually bring about physical and emotional damage.
In our church people often get healed, comforted, and blessed during our worship, prayer and ministry or the Word. Praise God for the renewal of our whole being as we come into His presence in worship.