How Do We Conduct Our Worship?

Dylan Stewart

Congregations often sound and look different one from another. However, one thing that should not vary between congregations is worship. Now, this is not to say that congregations cannot construct, or order, their worship services differently than another group. As long as our actions are approved by God in His word, then our service is acceptable to Him (Psalm 119:160; Col. 3:17). Contrarily, if we do things against God’s law, no matter how much we enjoy or believe what we are doing is “good,” then our service is not satisfactory to Him (James 2:10; Matt. 7:21-23). With this knowledge, it is not the construct of the worship service, but the conduct, or the manner in which we perform our worship, that matters most. Let us examine God’s Word to determine how we should conduct our worship:

In Spirit and Truth – “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).
With Glory and Praise to God – “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31); “Oh come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation! Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!” (Psalm 95:1-2).
Not Lip-Service (Free of Hypocrisy) – “You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: ‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me’” (Matt. 15:7-8).
In Happiness – “Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing” (Psalm 100:1- 2); “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” (Psalm 122:1).
In Thankfulness – “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of [or by the authority of] the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him” (Col. 3:16-17).
In Reverence – “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe” (Heb. 12:28).
With Regularity – “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Heb. 10:25).

Does our worship look like this?