Read online or click on the link below to download a PDF copy
This note explains the Biblical pattern and reasons for the way we hold our church services and why and how we worship God.
Why do we have a time of worship, a sermon, and prophetic words from God at our services?
God has given each of us different gifts which we can use in different ways to worship Him and to serve each other.
1 Corinthians 14:26 Well, my brothers, and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.
Why do we worship God?
God is the creator of the entire universe and yet loves each of us. He is worthy of all our praise and worship.
Matthew 4:10 “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” Psalm 95:6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
Psalm 96:9 Worship the Lord in all his holy splendour. Let all the earth tremble before him. Revelation 15:4 Who will not fear you, Lord, and glorify your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for Your righteous deeds have been revealed.”
How should we worship God?
With musical instruments
God created music, and there is always music and worship in heaven – see Revelation 5:11–15. Psalm 150:3–6 Praise him with a blast of the ram’s horn; praise him with the lyre and harp! Praise him with the tambourine and dancing; praise him with strings and flutes! Praise him with a clash of cymbals; praise him with loud clanging cymbals. Let everything that breathes sing praises to the Lord! Praise the Lord!
By singing out loud together
Just as we love to listen to singing, so does the Lord, and especially when we sing songs or praise and worship to Him. The angels in heaven and those who have gone before us also praise God in heaven.
Psalm 96:1–2 Sing a new song to the Lord! Let the whole earth sing to the Lord! Sing to the Lord; praise his name. Each day proclaim the good news that he saves.
Psalm 149:1 Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful.
Hebrews 13:15 Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to his name.
Revelation 5:11–13 Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered – to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.” And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honour and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever.” See also Revelation 19:1–6.
By standing up to sing
Standing up has widely been accepted as a mark of respect to honour someone.
2 Chronicles 20:19 Then the Levites from the clans of Kohath and Korah stood to praise the Lord, the God of Israel, with a very loud shout. (See also Nehemiah 9:5)
Revelation 7:9–10 After this I saw a vast crowd, too great to count, from every nation and tribe and people and language, standing in front of the throne and before the Lamb. They were clothed in white robes and held palm branches in their hands. And they were shouting with a great roar, “Salvation comes from our God who sits on the throne and from the Lamb!”
By bowing down or kneeling before God
Bowing down, and kneeling, have likewise been recognised as ways to show respect. Psalm 95:6 Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker,
Revelation 7:11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living beings. And they fell before the throne with their faces to the ground and worshiped God.
By raising our hands while praying or worshiping
Psalm 63:4 I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
Psalm 143:6 I lift my hands to you in prayer. I thirst for you as parched land thirsts for rain.
1 Timothy 2:8 In every place of worship, I want men to pray with holy hands lifted up to God, free from anger and controversy.
By clapping our hands
Psalm 47:1 For the choir director: A psalm of the descendants of Korah. Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise!
By dancing and jumping for joy
We all need to express our gratitude to God for all His blessings with joyful praise.
Psalm 30:11 You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing. You have taken away my clothes of mourning and clothed me with joy,
2 Samuel 6:14 And David danced before the Lord with all his might, wearing a priestly garment. In spirit and in truth
When we come before the Lord there must be no duplicity or pride in our hearts.
John 4:23–4 But the time is coming – indeed it’s here now – when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
Philippians 3:3 For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort.
Why do we pray and sing in our own language and in tongues?
‘Tongues’ is a special unknown language given to each believer who is baptised in the Holy Spirit, and is used as a personal language to pray and to sing to the Lord.
1 Corinthians 14:14–15 For if I pray in tongues, my spirit is praying, but I don’t understand what I am saying. Well then, what shall I do? I will pray in the spirit, and I will also pray in words I understand. I will sing in the spirit, and I will also sing in words I understand.
Why do we have speaking in tongues and its interpretation?
Sometimes a person may be led to speak out in a meeting in his personal tongue and to trust that the Lord will give another person the interpretation, as we saw above in 1 Corinthians 14:26 so that everyone present can be encouraged by the Lord.
1 Corinthians 12:10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still, another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.
Why do we have prophecy in our meetings?
God has given us His written word – the Bible, and He also speaks to us to encourage and guide us through prophetic words.
1 Corinthians 14:3 But one who prophesies strengthens others, encourages them, and comforts them.
Why do people sometimes fall down when someone prays for them? The power of the Lord can sometimes ‘overwhelm’ someone, especially when prayed for, causing them to fall down, or even to fall into a type of ‘sleep’. The closest reference to this is in Acts. Acts 9:4 He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul! Saul! Why are you persecuting me?”
Why do we sometimes say ‘amen’ during the service?
‘Amen’ means ‘so be it’, or ‘I agree’. It is spoken to show one’s agreement with what has just been said.
1 Chronicles16:36 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! And all the people shouted “Amen!” and praised the Lord.
Psalm 106:48 Praise the Lord, the God of Israel, who lives from everlasting to everlasting! Let all the people say, “Amen!” Praise the Lord!
Jeremiah 11:5 I said this so I could keep my promise to your ancestors to give you a land flowing with milk and honey – the land you live in today.’” Then I replied, “Amen, Lord! May it be so.”
Why do we take collections at our meetings?
A collection is typically taken at Sunday meetings. The money is needed to support the church leaders and staff who serve in the church and to pay for the upkeep of the church.
1 Timothy 5:17–18 Elders who do their work well should be respected and paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox to keep it from eating as it treads out the grain.” And in another place, “Those who work deserve their pay!”
Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.”
2 Corinthians 9:7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
Dr Brian Drury