In Part One and Two I established that music communicates, and explained how various styles of music function in our society. Then in Part Three and Four, I emphasized how important it is in vocal music that both the words and music match and say the same thing, and I introduced what it means to worship God through music. There are many principles we can learn from scripture about corporate worship which we will begin to cover. In the next two sections Part Five and Six, we will look at what corporate worship is not, and what it is.
Corporate worship is not a group of believers singing the same thought over and over to God. Nor is it singing to God without thought of what we are saying. “I hate vain thoughts: but thy law do I love. Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word” (Ps. 119:113-114). In the Bible, vain is defined as insincere, mindless, or proud. This is not the right way to beseech God regardless of how reverent or worshipful it may sound (Mt. 6:7, Mark 7:7). Jesus taught that we are to worship God in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:24). The word spirit in this context is not the Holy Spirit, but translates breath. This means that with our living being we praise God in our knowledge of truth (I Cor. 14:15, Ps. 104:33). Our songs are to be offered up to God as sacrifices of praise with understanding (Hosea 6:6). Also, we must know God and who He is and His character in order to worship Him in truth and not in vain (Is. 45:18-22). Corporate worship is believers singing together to God truths from His Word, but worship is not limited to a place.
Corporate worship is not about going to a place to worship God. When the Samaritan women at the well asked where the best place is to worship, Jesus replied that it wasn’t about location, but rather the manner in which we come to the Father (Jn. 4:24). God is Spirit and can be worshiped anywhere. In addition, Paul writes that we are to be living sacrifices offered up daily to God (Rom. 12:1). For instance, our very ability to take a breath and get up in the morning is because of God and should be acknowledged as such (Eph. 5:20, Phil. 4:4). We worship what we desire and love the most (Duet. 30:17). Thus, the manner in which we come to God should be with a heart desiring and longing for God (Ps. 63:1). In Psalm 40, David exclaims how God saved him from the miry clay and gave him a new song. It is because of God’s forgiveness and holy calling (2 Tim. 1:9) that we have something new to talk and sing about. David declares God’s wondrous works throughout his many songs and beseeches God in a manner of adoration, reverence, and respect. Recognizing and glorifying God for who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing every day in our lives is worshiping God in spirit and in truth. Worship is not limited to a place. Nor is it limited to singing.
Worship is not confined to singing and making music to God. Worship is a state of mind, attitude, and heart (Rom. 1:21). It is a mindset of giving God glory for who He is (Ps. 22:23, Rom. 15:6). As living sacrifices to God (Rom. 12:1) we worship God when we sing of His glory (I Chron. 16:9), give Him thanks (Eph. 5:19), pray (I Thes. 5:17), or serve (Col. 3:23-24). Worship is an attitude of thankfulness to God for what He has done and continues to do on our behalf (Psalm 100:4, Col. 3:15, Lev. 22:29). Then, praying and worship are connected because they are both ways that we can communicate to God. Also, it is hard to imagine true worship without serving God! There are 29 verses in scripture that link together the words serve and worship (Luke 4:8). Corporate worship is when two or more believers gather in His name and together offer up sacrifices of thanks and praises to God (Matt. 18:20), but if this is the only time a believer worships God, than God’s name is not being magnified through the believers life.
Corporate worship is not meaningful unless it is a continuation of our personal every-day worship. Worship is not something we do once a week and rely upon musicians to work at producing for us. Instead, worshiping God is something we do moment-by-moment as we live out each day walking by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Our Sunday worship is real and from the heart when it is a continuation of Monday through Saturday worship! Then, no pumping up or inspirational tactics are needed from the musicians because it is an ingrained way of thinking rather then fabricated or a religious act (Rom. 15:5-6). Efforts in the church by worship leaders to help people get in the mood, feel the Spirit, and be energized to worship God are simply religious motions and do not in and of themselves produce worship! If people are not consumed every day with seeing and seeking God’s face and praising Him for all things then God is not honored in our paying Him respects for one hour on Sundays. This is artificial praise and is not authentic worship. We were not created to be consumed six days by our own lusts and idols and then on the seventh to set those aside and worship God! (Ex. 20:1-6, I Cor. 10:5-7) We were created to magnify God! (Ps. 70:4).Thus, corporate worship is uniting with the body of Christ to continue our praising and glorying to God that we do every day in our personal lives.
Corporate worship is not limited to saying the same thing over and over. Nor is it confined to a location, to the specific act of singing and making music to God, or to a day and time. Instead, worship is about magnifying God in a manner worthy. It is a daily mindset of offering ourselves as living sacrifices to God, and in worshiping God fully with our lives we fulfill our God-designed purpose with our very existence (Is. 43:7).
