Praise, Worship, and Other Things – Part 6

This is Part 6 of a series on Praise and Worship published in our church newsletter.

One of the attributes of the Church of Jesus Christ is that we follow what the Bible teaches. When it comes to praise and worship in our corporate gatherings there are not many New Testament examples given to us. Here are the references to singing given in the New Testament:

Matthew 26:30 (ESV)

And when they (Jesus and the Twelve Disciples) had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Acts 16:25-26a (ESV)

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them, and suddenly …

1 Corinthians 14:15 (ESV)

What am I to do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will pray with my mind also; I will sing praise with my spirit, but I will sing with my mind also.

Hebrews 2:11b-12 (ESV)

That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” (quoting Ps. 22:22)

James 5:13 (ESV)

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise.

The other references are in Revelation which were covered under the “New Song” article.

When we speak of Biblical worship there are not many specifics given for us to follow. The verse cited by most when teaching on worship in the life of the Believer it this:

“God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 (ESV)  Here Jesus was speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well. What exactly does that mean?

It tells us where worship occurs; it is a spiritual activity. True worship is when our spirit engages the Holy Spirit in communion (fellowship). The most common expression of this is prayer, but it also involves singing or playing an instrument. Music is a gift given to us to connect with our Creator God.

The second word is the one that gives us the most varied interpretations – truth. As I just pointed out above, there are not many “truths” given to us regarding worship in the New Testament. Personally, I feel this is intentional by the Holy Spirit, by whom the New Testament was inspired. By not giving specifics regarding style or expression it keeps worship from becoming law-based. It allows us as Believers the liberty to worship in ways that works for us. The simplest way I know to sing in “truth” is to sing scripturally-based songs. The word of God is truth. Jesus is truth. Sing songs filled with both.

We will look more at “Truth” next time.