Worship Is Inside Out
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Straight to the Cross
COLUMN: Scriptures Speak
Worship Is Inside Out
by Jimmy Jividen
Do religious rituals seem cold? Do sacred
ceremonies seem meaningless? Is worship
impersonal, merely an exercise in demanded duty?
Do worship periods make you feel as if you are an
audience watching a professional performance?
If you answered "yes" to any of the above, then
read on.
The Bible teaches that worship is a spiritual
fellowship with God. It is not emotional
excitement, magic rituals, or holy words, but
submission of our own will to the will of God.
This submission involves the inner man — his mind
to reason, his heart to feel, and his spirit to
will. If you do not understand the words of
worship, if what you say and do in worship is not
from your heart, and if your will is only
passively involved, then worship cannot take
place. The Bible teaches that worship must be
"with the spirit" and "with the mind" (1 Cor.
14:15). Worship must be more than watching a
performance.
This submission involves following the will of God
revealed in the Bible. There can be no
substitutions of human innovations or neglect of
what God has revealed. Good intentions do not
count. If they did, every man could make his own
idol and worship his own way. The true God is
worshipped "in truth" (Jn. 4:24).
Worship is a deep spiritual expression of a
grateful heart.
Worship is a rational understanding of what is
thought, said, and done in the worship experience.
Worship is a humble submission to God, approaching
Him as He has directed in His Word.
The Bible teaches that true worship comes from the
heart and involves both the spirit and the
understanding of the worshipper. More is involved
than going through traditional rituals and the
stimulation of emotional response.
Thanks to The Voice of Truth International, Vol
9, p. 56.
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