Acknowledging God as Ruling Authority
A picture of the Kingdom of God is the acknowledgment that God is the “Ruling Authority” and is the “Sovereign” of the Kingdom in which we will forever worship Him. We will bow down and worship God in complete obedience because of our choice and love for Him. An example of worship is the “twenty-four elders bow down in front of the throne” (Revelation 4:10, New King James Version). Worship of God compels a person because of the gratefulness of God for saving and sparing the human race from eternal separation from Him. Ultimately, God desires us to “enjoy His creation and enter into the perfection of the seventh day, His rest.” [1] If rest were unimportant, God would have never included it as a command after His creation.
Surrendering to God, not the Demands of the World
Worship can be surrendering to the demands of society, culture, or the desires of the flesh if it becomes the object of our focus. Jesus stated, “no one can serve two masters” or “serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24, New King James Version). Temptation tempts us to redirect our focus of worship; it is to God that lives are owed. In “What is Worship,” Francis Chan states that God “wants to be your first allegiance.” God’s ways require complete submission to Him and established ways of His Kingdom.
Ask, and You Shall Receive
A more helpful understanding of worship begins with asking “the five W’s and one H of worship,” found in the “Defining Worship Video.” First, determining the “who” in worship is the “Father, Song, the Holy Spirit,” and man and woman. Second is loving God with all of our “heart, soul, and might” answering the “what” (Deuteronomy 6:5, New King James Version). The third is the “why we worship.” We worship because of His greatness, His “wisdom,” and because He is the Lord of all creation, He deserves and commands our worship. Finally, we ask “the how question.” Realizing God sealed every believer in Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit gives direct access to worship God.
Worship is a Choice
Now, on a more personal and practical note, our worship is a choice to bow and submit ourselves to God. Hopefully, our surrender to Jesus Christ has given way to a heart to worship Him. In a previous worship insight, we discovered that the leading of worship is not just a battle for the worship team but the whole church. The heart of worship may be born out of the struggles that God has graciously brought us through. One of my favorite scriptures speaks of God drawing near us. Can you imagine that He draws near to us? However, there is a reason why God draws near. It is because of our brokenness and crushed spirit. “The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit” (Psalm 34:18, NKJV). When we continue bowing down and worshiping God in our deep valleys, something special cements our relationship, which He desires. Yes, the God of the universe loves you and awaits to speak with you.
Dying to Gain, Living for Christ
Dying to self and living for Christ is more effortless to read than to carry out daily. The world attempts to compete with our time, creating a struggle to keep Him on the throne of our lives. When we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we have the blessing of the Holy Spirit residing in us; for that, we are eternally grateful. We, the bride of Christ, are blessed to be God’s people under His place and rule. Nothing else in the seen or the unseen deserves our obedience and worship of Him.
[1] Vaughan Roberts, God’s Big Picture: Tracing the Storyline of the Bible (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2002), 33.