Worship Is Our Response.

Throughout our study, we will use this working definition of worship:

Worship is our response to God’s revelation of who He is and what He has done.

Simply stated, we are called to respond to all that God has revealed about Himself—and to His never-ending desire to enter a deeper relationship with each of us. Through the ages, God has been in the constant process of revealing His character and essence. Yes, God is mysterious in many ways, but He is never a mystery. He has gone to great lengths to reveal Himself throughout history—including sending His Son, Jesus, into the world—and He continues to reveal Himself today in a variety of ways:

• God reveals Himself in creation.
• God reveals Himself through His Word.
• God reveals Himself through the Holy Spirit.

For years I wondered…

For years I wondered what it would take for more of God’s church—ordinary folks like you and me—to fully embrace His love for us, step beyond our distractions and doubts, and truly join God as He works right where we live. I believe with all my heart that the key to breakthrough—the key to experiencing God in our own lives and having a personal relationship with Him—is found in developing a lifestyle of worship.

As we focus our time and attention on the Lord in worship, proclaim His place of honor in our lives, and thank and praise God for His eternal promises in our lives, we can expect God to intervene in our circumstances. God has promised to inhabit our worship, and He will. When the King is present, all things are possible!

That’s why we must worship through the good times and the bad—when we’re waiting for God’s merciful touch in our circumstances and when we’re standing in awe of His power at work around us. Worship invites God’s presence, enabling us to experience God in our lives.

Seven Words of Worship

Our study together will be guided by these seven simple words and the biblically based summary statement that follows. You have heard these words before, but perhaps not in the worship context:

Creation – Grace – Love – Response – Expression – Presence – Experience

Each of us was created by God for relationship with Him, but we can only enjoy that relationship by God’s grace. God’s great love for us, demonstrated in Christ Jesus, initiates our response. The only reasonable and adequate response is our expression of worship. As we worship, God has promised His presence. We can always experience God in worship!