Worship That Is God-Approved

Worshiping God acceptably involves the proper attitude and authority as indicated by Jesus’ qualification of true worship as being “in spirit and truth” (Jn. 4:24). The context of John 4 indicates that “in spirit” refers to the human spirit. True worship must, therefore, be characterized by the appropriate attitude. The acts of worship cannot be worship in and of themselves without the proper involvement of the inner person, which requires an attitude of humility, a desire to please God, and a cooperative spirit to conform to His will. Only when the proper attitude is present may one worship God acceptably. However, “in spirit” is only half of the requirement given by Jesus. “In truth” means that worship is to be done according to God’s word, which is “truth” (Jn. 17:17). Only in accordance with divine authority can worship be acceptable to God (Col. 3:17).

God-Approved Acts (or Avenues) of Worship

Paul wrote, “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” (Col. 3:17, NKJ). “In the name of” does not mean to dedicate everything to God, but rather has to do with power, or authority (cf. Acts 4:7, 10, 12, 17-18; 5:28, 40). God has revealed in His word (“truth”) a set of approved actions for worship. These worship acts, or avenues, are not all contained in a single verse, but are ascertained through studying the total teaching of the Bible, the New Testament in particular, since we are under the new covenant of Christ and not the old covenant of Moses (Gal. 3:24-25; Heb. 9:16-17). God-approved worship can be proven by the following logical argument:1 (1) All total situations the component parts of which are Scriptural are total situations that are Scriptural; (2) The total situation described by the statement, “the New Testament authorizes only singing without the accompaniment of mechanical instruments, praying, teaching/studying God’s word, and on the first day of the week, partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and giving of our means” is a total situation the component parts of which are Scriptural; (3) Therefore, the total situation described by the statement, “the New Testament authorizes only singing without the accompaniment of mechanical instruments, praying, teaching/studying God’s word, and on the first day of the week, partaking of the lord’s Supper, and giving of our means” is Scriptural.

Proof of the logical argument lies in examining the first two statements. The first statement, (1) All total situations the component parts of which are Scriptural are total situations that are Scriptural, is self-evident and cannot be rationally denied. It simply says that if all the pieces of a pie (component parts) are Scriptural, then the whole pie (total situation) is Scriptural. The second statement is also true because the New Testament authorizes one to sing without the accompaniment of mechanical instruments (Eph. 5:18-19; Col. 3:16); to pray (Acts 2:42; 1 Tim. 2:8); to teach/study God’s word (Acts 2:42; 20:7 cf. Mt.15:8-9); and on the first day of the week to partake of the Lord’s Supper (Acts 2:42; 20:7) and to give of our means (1 Cor. 16:1-2). For anything else (such as playing a piano, hand-clapping, etc.) there just simply is no divine authority! It should not be surprising that acceptable worship involves specific acts, or avenues. Worship has always required specific actions, and worship has always had a “starting place and a stopping place” (cf. Gen.22:5; Judg.7:15; 1 Sam.1:19; Acts 8:27; 24:11; Rev. 15:4).2

God-Approved Worship Is Not a Form of Entertainment

While it is true that God-approved worship should be enjoyable to all worshipers, the focus of worship should not be upon pleasing the flesh. Worship is not a “spectator/performer situation with the congregation in the spectator role while the preacher and song leader are performers.”3 This should be obvious, but based on the gimmicks promoted in some congregations (denominational or otherwise), this truth is either not realized or not accepted. Many innovations in worship such as drama groups, hand-clapping, and “praise teams” are allowed under the guise of being more spiritual, but in reality are nothing more than appeals to the flesh and forms of entertainment. However, the very nature of God-approved worship, “in spirit and truth,” appeals to the inward spirit of mankind, not to the fleshly side. We must know the difference between true worship and entertainment and know that the difference matters!

Endnotes

1Adapted from Jackie M. Stearsman, Topical Studies: Interpretation Principles Applied (Lakeland, FL: Florida School of Preaching, 1994) 19.

2 Gary Workman, “What Is Worship?” Spiritual Sword 24.2 (1993): 9.

3 A. Albert Reeves, “Worshiping God in Spirit and Truth,” The Midway Exchange [monthly bulletin of the Midway church of Christ, Trenton, TN] Feb. 1995: 2