Sabbath: Worship in Education
Image © Pacific Press
Sabbath Afternoon
Read for This Week’s Study: Daniel 3:1-30, Rev: 14:6-12, Ps: 78:1-17, John 4:7-26, 1 Chron: 16:1-36, Mark 7:1-13.
Memory Text: “Give to the LORD the glory due His name; bring an offering, and come before Him. Oh, worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (1 Chronicles 16:29).
Worship is part of humanity, part of human nature, even fallen human nature. No question, we were created as beings who, out of the freedom given us by God, would worship the Lord because we love Him and know that He is worthy of worship. Such worship must have been pretty easy in a pre-Fall world, where humans had face-to-face access to God in a creation unmarred by sin, death, and destruction – a creation that we who know only a fallen world can barely imagine.
Today, of course, although the innate need to worship still exists in us, it, like everything else in this world, has been twisted and distorted by sin, which means that among other things we, as worshiping beings, can end up worshiping the wrong things, or even end up not worshiping the Lord in the way that He is supposed to be worshiped (see, for instance, Mark 7:1-13, Jer: 7:4).
Hence, because worship is so central to the Christian experience, Christian education must deal with the question of worship, the subject for this week’s lesson.
Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, November 14.
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The Anglican Common Book of Prayer first published in 1549 states the wedding vows; largely retained in some form as part of modern Christian wedding services, as follows:
It is interesting to consider what the original writers of these vows were thinking about when they included the phrase, with my body I thee worship. Does this statement illuminate our discussion this week on the meaning of worship in education?
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth. John 4:24
Worship in Education
What is worship- Worship is placing anything or something, making anything or something, esteeming anything or something, valuing anything or something as our 1st and foremost priority.
What is true worship- The act of putting/serving/fearing God and he alone. That act comes from the heart/mind and is portrayed to the outside of the worshiper. The worship that involves serving an unseen Being in Spirit and in truth.
Matt 15:8-9; John 4:24.
Worship must be done 24/7. It is a way of life to the followers of Jesus.
Is there false worship? yes.
Worship is what we do as Christians. God has angels praising Him day and night. Because of our sinful nature, we sometimes worship God the wrong. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that we have to worship God in spirit and truth.
The church is a melting pot and because of it, there are a lot of issues on how to worship God. We need to be open and at the same time looking for churches that suit our styles. Some people believe that we should have the same style of worship. They forget that we come from different cultures and our experiences are different. God doesn’t change but the way that we worship can change. For example, COVID has changed the way we are worshipping God. Let us pray so that the Holy Spirit can dictate the way that we worship Him. Happy sabbath to everyone and stay blessed.
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. Rev 22:7
The problem of worship had and will be a problem until the Lord return and receive his faithful people.
Friday nights my spouse likes to look at Christians movies or listen to religious music, unlike myself, I like to read the bible or spiritual books. Our style of worship is different but can anyone of us say I have the better Friday night worship style? Or my style is right and yours are wrong?
He asked me to look at a movie with him so he found one by the name of: 'A man name Jon.' When I looked at the movie, all I can equate it to is my SDA church. I had the opportunity of worshiping at both SDA congregations just like him. I even want to think the movie is about us in many ways with a few exceptions. Some have taken worship to the far left or to the far right. Every congregations believe that they have the best and right style of worship. For example-Many see clapping of hands and saying Amen as an offense to Jesus in Church while in church.
What does the Lord thinks of us, his people?
When I think about worship to God, I think worship is not only the three hours in church on sabbath, or now for some, it is virtually, or attending church during the week nights, or the attending of crusades or camp meeting etc. I see worship as a 24/7 thing. Even in my dreams I see worship. Yet in my dreams I want to be close to Jesus, even the choices I make in those subconscious hours. The way I live from day to day, the way I treat my spouse, my children/grand, my parents, my co-workers, my boss, and all other contacts, not forgetting my enemies and those who does not look like me and believe what I believe...
That is worship for me. Worship is a life-style and not a day or parts of a day, or a moment in time. Worship is how I live with my God and how I relate to humans.
How is worship in heaven?
The bible says Isaiah had one glimpse of worship in heaven. Isaiah 6:1-8. While John in revelation had several glimpses of worship in heaven. The book of Revelation is about revealing Jesus and worship. All the passages that states- And 'I saw another sign in heaven', And 'I heard a great voice out of the temple', etc, etc. Some texts. Rev 4:1-3; 12:1-17; 15:1-7; 16:1.
There is nothing as sweet and beautiful as Rev 21 and Rev 22 when all the trials and trouble and rambling of who is worshiping the correct way will be over.
How is worship on earth/
The bible says Moses had more than a glimpse of worship on earth. As he advance in the presence of God he was told to remove his sanders because the place where he stood was holy.
I grew up thinking that when the bible said 'the church' or 'God church' I thought it was the SDA church. It was years after I realized what 'the church' meant, and who comprised the church.
Solution- by prayer and total commitment to Jesus we should be asking ourselves supposed I am wrong about how I view others about worship? Many quote EG White writing but took her writing out of context. For that reason many are not among us today who once walked with us.
Lyn - You gave the best explanation on worship. That is why I love this page. I learn from everyone who has been sharing their point of views.
Jude- thanks. It is my desire to encourage others along this Christian pathway. There is only two pathway, the right/true and the wrong/false. We have to decide which pathway we will choose to walk.
I do not fully grasp what ‘Worship in Education’ means, but I want to comment on worship in general. There is no question that we were meant to worship, having been given the capacity to interact with our Creator through loving obedience by Faith.
As students of the Word of God, we are called to study the Scriptures and my comments reflect what I have learned about worship. The lesson offers three scripture references I want to focus my comments on.
1Chronicles 16:29KJV – “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.”
John4:24 KJV – “God is Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.
In the first verse, my focus is drawn to the importance of ‘the glory due his name’ and to ‘worship Him in the beauty of holiness’. Implied in this verse is that we need to understand God’s Glory and Holiness first in order to worship Him according to these attributes. They need to be present within ourselves; His attributes of holiness within us reflect His Holiness.
In the second verse, my focus is drawn to Jesus’ statement that ‘God is a Spirit’, and that He must be worshiped in ‘spirit and truth’. If I interpret ‘a Spirit’ correctly, this means that God is not visible in His original form, but He has established the means/way to be worshiped by us – by ‘spirit’ and ‘truth’.
So, if we worship Him in due reflection of His beautiful Holiness by being in a state of ‘rightness/holiness’ (Leviticus11:44) ourself, and address Him according to His spirit of Love and the word of His Truth, than our worship is acceptable in His sight.
Jer.7:1-34KJV – v.23: “But this thing commanded I them, saying, Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.”
This still applies to our daily walk by Faith and Truth today and will provide a continuous worshipful disposition toward our maker and a testimony to His Holiness.
We talk about worship, but what does it mean to worship? Is attending a church service an act of worship? Is praying worship? If so, how is it qualified thus, or what makes such acts to be considered worship? We read a parable by Jesus of two worshipers, though one prays “with himself”. Does this qualify as worship? The other, pleading for mercy, feels unworthy to even lift his eyes heavenward, but went away “justified”. What is the difference? Perhaps one of the finest definitions of worship in all of scripture is Psalm 29:2. If understood in the light of Lev 11:44,45, we could say worship is to be like the one we adore most. To imitate is considered to be the sincerest form of flattery. Could we say this is true worship?
Robert, you wrote, "If understood in the light of Lev 11:44,45, we could say worship is to be like the one we adore most.". Yes, and I'd like to expand on your observation. True worship is a human way of THINKING that ALIGNS and COMPLIMENTS God's ways of thinking.
Jesus told the Samaritan woman that "God IS Spirit..." and that those who would offer acceptable worship "MUST WORSHIP IN SPIRIT and truth." Jn 4:24 (NKJV). I believe God is revealing that He, unlike us humans, is a non-physical Being (1 Tim 1:17; Lk 24:39). However, He created us with a non-physical characteristic that was to ever and continually reflect His non-physical likeness (Col 1:15; Gen 1:26). It is that non-physical spirit, or mind (Eph 4:23), of man that has fallen out of His likeness and now stands in need of God's redemption. Our new double-minded state (Gen 3:22) has undermined our reflectiveness and placed us at odds with our Creator (Jam 1:7-8,13-15; Eph 4:17-18). No acceptable worship will ever come from the present state of the human spirit (Gal 5:17; Rm 7:23-24).
Robert, we only become LIKE our Creator in our "spirit" when His SPIRIT OF TRUTH (Jn 14:16-17) restores a truthful way of thinking and, consequently, an approved way of living, or worship (Gal 5:16,24-25).
There are many components/aspects of worship found before and after this weeks memory text in the same chapter.
Give thanks to the Lord
Call upon His name
Make known His deeds to the people
Sing of Him
Make know His wondrous works
Glory in His name
Those who seek the Lord, their hearts rejoice
Seek the Lord and His strength
Seek His face forever more
Remember His marvelous works
Proclaim His salvation from day to day
Say to the Lord, "save us, oh God of our salvation".
Indeed we have no excuse to have a mundane worship of our Lord and Saviour.