What it means to worship God
What truly is worship, and how do we worship God? You might be surprised to find out what really is worship and where you have gone wrong.
The name of Jesus has been misused and maligned to the degree that many people have an aversion when they hear the word, whether they will admit it or not. Still, this example is key to understanding what worship is and what it means to worship God.
Revelation 19:10 highlights one of the critical roles that Jesus played on earth. That role was to demonstrate how to worship God. Paul explains and differentiates between the body (flesh) and the Spirit (Romans 8:8-9). This Spirit he refers to comes from God, which dwells in everyone; all life stems from God. You, the person, are the soul, an individual with a mind and free will who sits between those two poles. The Body and the Spirit.
Each one tugs at us, but we can choose whose call we welcome. To worship God in the Spirit, we must listen to His Spirit and follow its instructions. Conversely, to worship the world, follow the flesh and its carnal desires.
Sin & the Body
The sins of this earth have established themselves in the people's hearts. The man of sin sits in the temple of God as if he were God (2 Thessalonians 2:1-10). Sin is prevalent and is pushed with a relentless vengeance on us every day. Without the Spirit of God, which he has given to us, none of us could escape this onslaught.
The Temple
The body is the temple of God (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 1 Corinthians 6:15-20). We should rejoice in the destruction of the physical sanctuary (Matthew 24:2, John 4:21-23) since that remnant of the need for men on earth to intercede with God for us has been removed.
Ezekiel 44:7 and Ezekiel 44:9 show the importance that God places on keeping our body undefiled, where being defiled falls under breaking his instructions.
The Testimony
Jesus fulfilled every instruction in the scriptures for him to accomplish (Luke 24:44); thus, every instruction written for us must be kept. This is the example of Jesus. Therefore, by keeping ourselves clean by doing the will of God, we indeed worship God in the Spirit.
Worship God
To listen to the Spirit is to listen to God and to follow his instructions. The Spirit, as did Jesus, testifies of God.
Jesus never prostrated himself and performed all sorts of antics in the name of worship. Jesus didn't dwell on "worship songs", which subtly redefine worship. Jesus also never defined "good" in his terms since there is only one good, God (Luke 18:19). We must do good, but according to God's definition of good.
13. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.14. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.15. If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 14:13-15
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
1 John 5:3
Conclusion
To worship God is to do God's will; thus, to worship anything is to do that thing's will. Worshipping Satan is to do his will, to honour yourself is to do your own will (if that's possible since our identity is defined as either for God or against Him), and to worship anyone is to do their will. If we do the will of this world, then we are indeed worshipping this world, and Satan is the prince of this world.
Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.
James 4:4
