Do You Know How to Worship?

Dr. Charles Stanley introduces a vital series on worship from a biblical perspective, emphasizing that true devotion is not merely a religious activity but a profound emotional and spiritual experience. Stanley asserts that to understand worship, one must move beyond common struggles with definition and grasp the core elements demonstrated in the Bible, such as the story of Abraham in Genesis 22.

I. The Essence of True Worship: Three Defining Words

Stanley uses three key words to define the essence of true worship, highlighting that it is focused entirely on the Person of God, not on personal needs or blessings.

1. Overflowing: Worship is a spontaneous outpouring of an inner sense of awe, adoration, and praise to the Lord. It is like a spring spontaneously “bubbling up”.
2. Outpouring: It involves actively pouring out our heart to Him, expressing the joy, thanksgiving, and praise we feel about Him internally.
3. Occupation (The Key Word): True worship is a total occupation with God. When worshiping, the focus must be exclusively on Him, concentrating, thinking, adoring, admiring, and rejoicing about who He is.

Stanley contrasts worship with common religious activities:

• Praying is usually occupied with our needs (e.g., “Lord, here’s what I need you to do with me”).
• Praising is usually occupied with our blessings and what God has done for us (e.g., “I love you because of what you did for me”).

True worship is simply saying, “God, I love you just because you’re you“. Stanley cautions that what many call worship today is often not worship at all.

II. Conditions and Requirements for Authentic Worship

True worship is highly conditional and requires specific spiritual preparation and choices on the part of the believer, regardless of whether worship occurs alone or in large groups.

1. Spiritual Indwelling (The Prerequisite)

The first requirement is the presence of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual things are “spiritually discerned”.

• Impossibility for the Unsaved: No person has ever worshiped God who was not a Christian. The things of the Spirit are foolishness to the world, and they do not understand the things of God.
• The Holy Spirit’s Role: To worship God, believers must have the living Holy Spirit within us to lift our praise and worship to God. A sinful person cannot worship a holy God; it is only when the righteous, holy Christ comes into a life that the Holy Spirit within us “praises and who worships the Father through us”.

2. Based on God’s Revelation (The Foundation)

True worship must be based on a revelation of God. The very foundation of all worship is accepting this revelation.

• Knowledge of God: Until you and I accept the revelation of God, we will not worship Him. Abraham knew God was speaking to him and responded immediately in obedience, demonstrating that he accepted the divine revelation.
• Disbelief Hinders Worship: If a person does not believe the Bible (God’s revelation), they are not worshiping God, even if they claim to do so every Sunday.