This portion of The Study of the Church is devoted to the main purpose of the church.  Not to be confused with the egocentric “Purpose Driven Life,” the purpose we examine here is so wonderful, it is difficult to describe the experience. 

The Church – Its Worship

Matthew 28:17a

“When they saw Him, they worshiped Him. . .”

Is there anything else so sublimely wonderful?  No.  Nothing else in this earthly coil will come close to lifting us to heaven than worship of Him.  People chase after this or that exhilarating experience – some even quite dangerous ones.  They want to feel something outside the limits of their flesh.  No mountain climbing, speed racing, plane jumping, gambling, joy-riding, pharmaceuticals, or any other thrilling experience will come close to the pure, selfless worship of God.  It is unique to those who are saved, and those who are saved are the only ones who can understand what is being described here.

There are three essential components to the worship of God – and all three are interconnected one to the other. 

1. Faith

Exodus 4:31

And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that He had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped.

2. Spirit

John 4:23-24

²³ But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.

²⁴ God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Spiritual worship is directed by the indwelling Holy Spirit – which is why true believers must never join in ecumenical worship services!

Philippians 3:3 

For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

3. Truth

John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.

Jesus Christ = truth, (grammatically, Way, Truth and Life are predicate nominatives – that means they equal the subject of the sentence, which would be I – Jesus Christ) therefore there can be no hypocrisy or false pretenses in the true worship of God.  There is no better example of true and false worship, than that our Savior gave us in the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican.

Luke 18:9-14

⁹ And He spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

¹⁰ Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.

¹¹ The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.

¹² I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.

¹³ And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.

¹⁴ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

To worship is to bow down in awe, to pay honor to a Holy God in humility and reverence.  He is not your buddy, co-pilot, pal, or “the man upstairs.”  He is so far above us that our question should not be – “why does God let this happen to me?”  But, rather –

Psalm 8:4 What is man, that Thou art mindful of him?

sage