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The focus of all worship of our God should be to bring Him glory. We are guided by the following principles whenever a body of followers of our Lord Jesus Christ meets for a time of worship. These are a few guiding Scriptures for the corporate time of worship:
- Mark 12:30 - "And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength."
- Colossians 3:16,17 - "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
- Psalm 95:1,2,6 - "Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving. Oh come let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our maker."
The response of the believers to God's glory and grace should include:
- Music that proclaims Biblical truth;
- Congregational singing that allows for the worshipper to speak to God in both a personalized (e.g., "I love you, Lord") and a communal (e.g., "We bring our praise") fashion;
- A variety of worship expressions (musical or otherwise) that includes a mix of both the well known and the new;
- Creativity in presenting Biblical truth through songs, drama, prayers, liturgies, etc... which assist the worshipper in responding to God's grace and mercy;
- Orderly individual professions of faith that edify the body and point others to glorify God (1 Corinthians 10:40);
- Constant encouragement to freely express oneself through the biblical directives under what is worship?
It is our desire that people of every race, language and generation humble themselves and bow down to worship Almighty God. In the presence of God we find a paradox; God is eternally unchanging, yet as we seek to know Him more He desires that we be constantly changing to be more like Jesus. (Romans 12:1,2)
Worship tends to be an issue that divides churches rather than unites. Too often this is because of an over emphasis on musical style, and not enough emphasis on the exaltation of Christ in our lives, carrying over into our corporate worship. People are so easily trapped into the consumer mentality that makes them think that worship is all about one's personal comfort zones and preferences rather than God's agenda. Worship is more about bringing and giving to the Lord than it is receiving. God has already taken the initiative and done the giving. Worship is our response to all that God is and has done for us.
We want to create a worship environment that brings people of every walk of life to worship before God. See more under the heading, what is worship?
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