Discover a Heart of Worship

• Start the session with a worship song
• Share how you first started to worship, how you found it uncomfortable at first, then how you grew more used to it

Worship your God

• good worship is compared to eating casually at home as compared to eating at a fine dining restaurant
• God did not design worship to be an ‘expensive meal’
• He wants it to be a family affair
• our focus is not on pleasing people, but on pleasing God

  John 4:23-24

The Meaning of Worship

• worship includes every action of our lives
• our daily actions should be acts of worship
• we should set aside a certain time abd occasion to worship God
• it should eventually come naturally to us

Reflection: Why should I worship God?

Romans 12:1

• worship is an integral part of Christian life
• the Lord created us to enjoy Him
• as God is spirit, we should worship Him in spirit, and not just by thoughts, rituals, or feelings
• as God is truth, we should also worship Him in truth, and not by culture or tradition

Key Reasons for Worship

1. It is a means for us to fellowship with God
   1 Chronicles 16:28-29
   
2. God seeks true worshippers and esteems our undivided worship
   John 4:23-24
   
3. The Bible encourages us to worship Him
   Psalm 95:6-7
   
4. Worship honours God
   Psalms 50:23
   
5. God is worthy to be praised
   1. He is Good. Psalms 34:8
   2. We recognize His benefits and wonderful deeds. Psalms 103:1-3
   3. The Lord has saved us from our sins and taken us as His treasured possession. Psalms 135:4
   4. Our God is great and awesome. Psalms 135:5

Attitudes to Adopt During Worship

Worship is not about how loud we can clap, or how gracefully we can dance, or how good our musical sense is; it is about a heart’s desire to long for God, being truthful, sincere, and willing to allow His Lordship to reign over our lives.

• Place Him at the center of our worship. Psalm 103:2-4
• Be willing to receive His forgiveness. Jeremiah 31:34
• Do not depend on the place where you are worshipping. John 4:21
• Be sincere. Isaiah 29:13
• Be biblical, and worship God according to the truths in the Word of God.

Biblical Patterns of Worship

• Singing praises to the Lord. Psalm 95:1
• Clapping our hands. Psalm 47:1
• Lifting our hands. Psalm 134:2
• Standing. Psalm 134:1
• Kneeling and bowing down. Psalm 95:6
• With our spoken words. Psalm 145:21
• With our tongues. Acts 10:46
• With our stillness before the Lord. Psalm 46:10
• Dancing with joy. Psalm 149:3
• Singing new songs. Psalm 33:3
• Using musical instruments. Psalm 150:3-6

Mentor Chat: What are the results of praising God?

• God’s indwelling among worshippers (He visits us)
• It brings the spirit of prophecy
• It brings God’s power and victory
• It inspires believers to sing new songs from their hearts to the Lord
• It gives victory to Christians when their hearts are full of despair
• It brings peace, joy, and happiness to God’s people.

Conclusion

• True worship does not depend on where you are, nor upon who you are
• True worship depends upon your heart attitudes towards God.
• We worship in Spirit (not by thoughts, rituals, or feelings) and in Truth, the truth that comes from the Bible.

²³Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

John 4:23-24