Last week I had a chance to do a teaching session at Adelphia School of the Bible, ConvergNW‘s brand new one year bible certificate program at Lake Retreat in Ravensdale WA. 21 College students in the class and the questions burning on my mind were these: Why do we worship? What is worship? What does the Bible have to say about worship?
Here are my notes!
Theology of Worship and Music
What is Worship Theology?
-Theology [Theos Logos]
“God” “Word/Teaching”
-Worship [Wor Ship]
“Worth” “Scribe”
narrow and broad definition: use words, music, art AND life (both/and, not either/or)
Worship is the natural response to God revealing himself to us.
Worship Service (who are we serving and worshipping?)
Why do we worship God?
Because his fragile ego needs it? Because his pride needs it? Because He needs it? NO!
- God is Most worthy, more worthy than anything else, it is RIGHT to praise him
- Communication is a natural, essential part of loving relationship
- Worship is natural response (think every contact with Angels, God, …) to coming into contact with God
- We are forgetful. We need worship to help us remember, to remind us of who God is
- Evangelism (great commission: tell others about God)
- Infinite (Can constantly explore who God is: mountain illustration)
- Worship Changes us (moses, disciples, …)
- Battle: Spiritual Warfare (Jehoshaphat)
- We are made in the image of God: Creative (Gen 1)
- He tells us to! (throughout the Psalms, Eph, Col, …)
We use music to help us worship God by:
1.Remembering God
2.Expressing emotions
3.Celebrating who he is
4.With all our Hearts, Soul, Mind, Strength together in unity!
Key Worship Words in the Bible
Hebrew: Shachah (Shaw-kaw) : to bow down
Greek: -Proskuneo: to kneel, bown, to kiss the royal hand
-Latreuo/Latreia : to serve God
Key Scriptures on Worship:
-Gen 1:1 (creation)
-Gen 3:8 (walk in the garden)
-Deut 5 (10 commandments: have no other gods, no idols, …: worship only God)
-Deut 6:4-6 (Shema – Great commandment: Love)
+ Matt 22, Mark 12, Luke 10:26 …
-Ex 15 (first song: Moses)
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (God looks at the heart)
-II Sam 6 (bringing ark to temple, Uzzah’s death, Michal’s scorn)
-1 Kings 8:10 (Glory of God comes like a cloud at temple dedication)
-2 Chronicles 20 (Jehoshophat sends singers in front of the army)
-Psalm 33:3 (play skillfully!)
-Psalm 69:30-32 (God loves praise more than sacrifices)
-Psalm 150 (let everything that has breath praise the Lord)
-Matthew 18:20 (where 2 or more are gathered…)
-John 4:23-24 (worship in spirit and truth)
-Eph. 5:19 and Col. 3:16 (psalms, hymns, spiritual songs)
-Hebrews 10:25 (do not give up meeting together …)
-Revelation 4, 5, 7, 19, 20 (worship of creation, creatures, saints, angels, …)
-Rev 21:3-4 (God will dwell with his people, wipe every tear from their eye)
-Rev 22:8-9 (don’t worship angels)
Greatest commandment:
Love God with all that you are (+ neighbor as yourself)
-Heart
-Soul
-Mind
-Strength
It’s about loving relationships with communication at it’s core:
-Listen (nature, bible, heart to heart, wisdom of elders, …)
-Speak: worship
He began his series, “What I Learned On My Summer
