Authentic worship is the response to the knowledge that there is a God who intensely loves that which He created. The sincere expression of faith and belief in God who is all powerful, all knowing and everywhere present.

 It is the act of reverence, adoration, devotion and veneration. All based on a personal relationship with the God who is the great I Am That I Am, Exodus 3:3.

Why Worship

Man was created in the image of God, Genesis 1:27. You created all things and because of Your will they existed and were created, Revelation 4:11.

God is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure, Philippians 2:13. Worship is acknowledging that God not only has a plan for He knows the end from the beginning, Isaiah 46:10, but He has a good and perfect purpose for every one of us.

God gave man a free will and the ability to choose to worship the Creator or reject Him. Our choice is important because it determines our eternal destination.

Purpose of Authentic Worship

Now is the time to search our hearts and ask, ‘Why do I worship God?’ The next question is ‘How do I worship God?’ Is my worship deep and sincere from the depths of my spirit, or is it just head knowledge or emotional expression?

Jesus said we must worship with our whole being, in spirit and in truth, John 4:24. For our worship to have real value it must be personal, as we earnestly seek the face of our Heavenly Father.

True worship is a ‘divine exchange’. Just as you interact with a person in the natural, so authentic worship is interaction between the Creator and the created. It is important to note that praise and worship are two different things.

Worship Should be Automatic

We need to know our place is to live in the Most Holy Place where worship is automatic, not something that we strive for. Something that starts our day, is in our day, ends our day and carries us through the night. Only then will we know what it is to fellowship the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

God is moving by His Spirit across the face of the earth, just as the Spirit moved in Genesis 1:2, over the waters. This time the waters represent the people God is calling to Himself, as His own possession, 1 Peter 2:9.

Expression of Worship

Worship can take various forms depending on your culture and personal relationship with God. It can be personal prayer time alone and seeking the face of our Heavenly Father. Offerings and Sacrifice are also a form of worship, besides acts of kindness to others. It is not man-made rites and ceremonies.

Reading the Word of God is a form of worship. God has spoken across the millennia through a variety of writers all inspired by the Holy Spirit. Discovering the secrets God has hidden in His word is a privilege for all believers. It is the glory of God to conceal a matter. But the glory of kings is to search out a matter, Proverbs 25:2.

First Mention

Worship is first mentioned in connection with Abraham.  God had asked Abraham to sacrifice his son of promise. They arrived at the area of Mount Moriah after three days of travel, to what is the Temple Mount today in Jerusalem. Calvary was in the same vicinity.

Abraham told the men with him, ‘Stay here with the donkey and I and the lad will go over there. We will worship and return to you’, Genesis 22:5. Abraham’s faith statement was that they would go and worship God and ‘We will return’.

Ultimate Fiery Test

Abraham underwent the ultimate fiery test that any human being can go through. Did Abraham love and trust God more than the son he had longed for?

Child sacrifice was not unknown among idol worshippers and Abraham grew up in an idol worshipping nation. It was the custom to sacrifice their first-born child to their god.

Abraham had ’given God a hand’ and produced Ishmael through an Egyptian maid. For thirteen years God did not speak to Abraham. Then He showed Abraham that the son he had was not the son of the promise. Around 20 years later God put Abraham through the ultimate fiery test.

Abraham trusted God with his entire being and to obey God was more important than life itself, heedless of the cost. This request from God foreshadowed what He would do in sending His own Son, John 3:16.

True Worship

All true worship begins and ends with Jesus Christ, who died and rose again that all sinners might have access to eternal life and enter into a covenantal relationship with the Creator, John 3:16. We are all sinners who have broken the laws of God. As such, we are worthy of death and not just physical death, but eternal separation from God.

Through the death and resurrection of Christ we are given the Way back to God, John 14:6. Whosoever will, is free to accept so great a gift of salvation, Ephesians 2:8,9. We ignore it to our eternal peril.

Authentic Worship

Authentic worship is when a person believes with their whole soul, mind and spirit. It is not lip service. Neither is true worship just head knowledge, for authentic worship that can only happen when the worshipper has a real relationship with the Creator of the universe.

The authentic worshipper adamantly refuses to participate in worship that is artificial, posturing or entertainment, designed to impress others. Such is the worship that is associated with false gods, for it is based on false premises and centred on self-gratification.

Authentic worship is when we return to our first love, Revelation, 2:4 and the things of this world grow slowly dim, Psalm 123:1. With the eyes of our spirit we see the Lord of Glory in all His wonder and splendour.  It is a foretaste of what it will be like in heaven.

True Worship is Heartfelt Gratitude

The essence of authentic worship is the knowledge of the awesome price Christ paid for us and flows from heartfelt gratitude. God sent His Son to dwell among men, yet, those men took the Son of God and mocked Him, beat Him and nailed Him to a cruel wooden cross. His shed blood is our only means of salvation, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26. There is no other way to enter a personal relationship with God, John 14:6.

For all eternity the saints of God will worship and honour the God who paid the ultimate price for their redemption. Even out of the period of the Great Tribulation that is about to descend upon the whole earth, there will be multitudes without number who will come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, Revelation 7:9-12.

Like Abraham we need to be prepared to give Him our all. It’s all about how much we love, honour and surrender to Him, who gave His all for us, John 3:16.

Way of Life

Authentic worship is a way of life, not an action that is just for a moment. Singing, praying, reading the bible, going to church, fellowshipping with other followers of Christ, or doing good deeds, are only symptoms of worship. However, true worshippers worship the Father in spirit and in truth. For such people the Father seeks to be His worshippers. God is sprit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth, John 4:23,24.

Let us take time this holiday period to worship the Creator with our whole heart, mind and soul. This side of death we will never be able to comprehend the enormity of what God has done for us.

Photo Source

Dr. Wendy Stenberg-Tendys is a freelance writer who enjoys researching a topic and sharing words of encouragement from the Word of God.

Check out our other posts at Whispering Encouragement. We are here to inform and encourage. Subscribe for free so you can keep up to date with topics that interest you.

________________________Whispering Encouragement_______________________