However, religious freedom should not be confused with the idea that we can worship God according to the dictates of our imagination. Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, →, Why Does God Require Our Worship? | Christianity 201, Pingback: Does God Care About Our Doctrinal Disagreements? I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (14-15). This is a selfish motive on our part. Worship should cause us to reflect on the majesty and graciousness of God and Christ, contrasted to our own unworthiness. He created and we rebelled, but rather than do what I do everyday… write off those who abuse me, He gave more grace. No. When he commands us to sing or pray or love our enemies, it is for our benefit. A good one at that. We need to fill our minds constantly with the things of God; God should always be on our mind, and everything we do should be done with reference to Him (Colossians 3:17; 1 Corinthians 10:31). But worship is really about what we give. Is it because he needs constant affirmation? If you were God, what would you do? These are all the elements of true worship. It is a focus on Him. In other words, God wants us to worship, praise, and give glory to God, not for God’s own sake, but for our sake. God not only demands worship, but He has also given instructions about worship! I usually point that out when people say God doesn’t care how we worship. Jesus said that we can identify those who worship God in the right way. . On a side note, that is one of the reasons I am so passionate and often critical about corporate worship. As a result, He created the universe. Worship can help remind us about God’s sovereignty, even when we feel as though all the light has disappeared from the world. We mortify the selfish misdeeds of the body, not because our sin blocks God's love for us, but because our sin blocks our love for others. He is the fountain of all joy and gladness, satisfaction and fulfillment. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. But he doesn’t need it. He does not respect us for attending, if we have not first given our heart to Him, knowing He is the One, who alone provides us with salvation. God does not need praise. Worship leaders and pastors then create environments that help a community to become aware of His presence (well-curated worship environments can beautifully facilitate this), and to engage with Him as the already-active God who is near and can be perceived. We are not doing God any favors. How do we know that God does not accept all kinds of worship? Our “worship” doesn’t enhance Him and our lack of worship doesn’t take anything away from Him. Do I eat the flesh of bulls I think it was you who asked me on my blog about why God asked for sacrifices if he didn’t need them. 50); Israel was to bring the offerings to God not because he needed them, but as an expression of the Israelite’s need of God. God doesn’t “demand worship” out of egotism or a sense of insecurity, like a Pagan god or Roman emperor. His focus on Himself is not only because He is God, but because, out of love, that is what we need. Now, I’m not picking on you! He’s the boss, the ruler, and the Lord of all things. I’m a pastor at Saving Grace Church in Indiana, PA. I’m married to Kristi, have 5 kids, and a growing number of grandkids. The answer to this question is given in the verse: Worship your Lord, Who created you and those who came before you, that ye may guard (against evil). Worshipping God 6 Lessons by Rob Harbison Importance Of Worship “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the Lord’” (Psalm 122:1) Humans are pretty predictable. He gains nothing from our worship, and our lack of it takes nothing away from God. I enjoy songwriting, oil painting and coffee, not necessarily in that order. GOD'S WORD® Translation God made worship good and beneficial for us, from both a worldly and spiritual perspective. | Christianity 201, Does God Care About Our Doctrinal Disagreements? Just like God does not -NEED- us, or anything apart from all that He is. God does not have to have our worship, but we must worship Him to please Him. 1. However, religious freedom should not be confused with the idea that we can worship God according to the dictates of our imagination. If there were, it would mean that God was insufficient in and of himself. God does not need our praise as He is self-sufficient. Psalm 115:3-11 addresses this: But our God is in heaven; He does … Ultimate Guide: 50 BEST Christian Books Every Christian Should Read, Best Study Bible? Of course so did the apostles (1 Cor. Yes, because the King, Ruling Class, and Clergy said so! Therefore, God does not need us to worship Him at all. That implies that there is something lacking or missing, or not full within the Godhead. And when we express our admiration of a Van Gogh or Hanz Zimmer soundtrack or say how delicious a steak is, it adds nothing to the painting or soundtrack or steak but increases our enjoyment of it. We are the ones who need to worship. To say that God doesn’t need us means that he is totally and truly sovereign over the universe. While they didn’t prescribe OT worship with priests and altars, they used it as an example of God’s desire for order starting from the earliest of their writings. We must continually renew our minds to the Word of God by spending time studying every day (Romans 12:2). God wants our love, worship, and praise not because God needs anything from us, but because when we focus our hearts and minds on God instead of on ourselves, we open ourselves up to new love, light, and power from God. And as a bonus, I'll give you FIVE FREE BOOKS as soon as you sign up. As a 52-year-old and a survivor of a rare form of acute leukemia–more accurately, a survivor of the treatment for acute leukemia–my short-term memory can be … let’s just say “unreliable” is being kind. Our “worship” doesn’t enhance Him and our lack of worship doesn’t take anything away from Him. A church building is not needed for us to meet or worship God, nor is it needed for the center of the life of the church. God has designed us to enjoy beauty and excellence and to express that enjoyment. Therefore, anyone who does not worship God and Him only is by default worshipping something other and lesser than He is. He wants nothing but our ever-increasing joy and delight in glory. If God doesn’t need our help, and yet he asks for our help, perhaps he does this not for his needs but because of ours. God could care less if we have the latest sound system and the best worship teams if we do not come to worship Him from our hearts. Just enter your email below! The gist of it is that the contemporary worship movement has so influenced the church that now we primarily define worship as a song. God did not need the food to survive (see Ps. Jesus receives worship in the gospels, indicating he’s God. In order to worship in truth, we must know the truth, which is found in the Bible. We do not worship for our benefit. Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window). I don’t think that God needed the sacrifices, but he did require them. There is an erroneous idea today that the main reason we attend worship is to "get something out of the service", rather than going there to give our worship to God. He would not get nervous or angry if people don't respect him, if his work is unfinished and they have good reasons to be disappointed. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. That doesn’t sound like something I would say. That’s how much our worship of God adds to God. You nonetheless provided an excellent answer to it, not even having seen the question. ( Log Out /  As I express back to Him the truth of who He is and who I am because I’m in Jesus, my sense of identity changes. God never gets hungry, lonely or unhappy. Worship is the key to knowing Allah. Go to any Bible college or seminary and you will hear learned (and sometimes heated) debates about “free will.” and call upon me in the day of trouble; I put a lot of stock in the things that seem universal in the early churches. 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