Psalm 150:2

                      Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.

 

Worship is man’s own act of self-dethronement in God’s presence in order that God, not man, may reign.

                                            Richard deBary, The Gospel of Worship

 

Biblical Ingredients for Purposeful Worship:                                                                     Acts 2:42

They devoted themselves to the apostles= teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.

 

1.   Scripture .                                                                                              Psalm 138:2

I will bow down toward your holy temple and will praise your name for your love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

 

2.   Fellowship .                                                                                   Hebrews 10:23-25

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one anotherÑand all the more as you see the Day approaching.

 

3.   Communion .                                                                                         Acts 2:44-47

All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

 

4.   Prayer .                                                                                                 Acts 4:23-24

On their release, Peter and John went back to their own people and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. 24When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. Sovereign Lord, they said, you made the heaven and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.

 

5.   Praise .                                                                                                    Psalm 56:4

In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?

 

 

Because we endlessly debate the secondary points of worship, we miss what really matters: The Almighty Creator, God of the universe, has called us to enjoy an intimate relationship with Himself.

                                                    Bob Franklin, Worship Matters

 

 

The Believers Response to the Presence of God:                                                            Isaiah 43:6-7

I will say to the north, Give them up! and to the south, Do not hold them back.Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth 7everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

 

1.   Experiencing God’s glory is our ultimate goal.                                       Psalm 16:11

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.


 

2.   Understanding God’s will is our spiritual motivation.                            Philippians 3:3

. . .we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh

 

3.   Discovering the unity of the family is our greatest achievement.      Ephesians 4:1-6

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit just as you were called to one hope when you were called 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.