Thankfully, animal sacrifices are no longer a necessary part of worship because Jesus gave Himself as a once and for all sacrifice for our sins. We no longer have to rely on priests to intercede for us because that heavy curtain separating us from God’s Holy presence was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died. So what is the proper way for us to worship God as Christians? Is there some rite, formula or procedure for us to follow in order to worship God in a way that will be not only satisfy our desire to worship, but will satisfy Him? Can worship only take place in the house of the Lord with other believers?
Most churches now set aside time at the beginning of the service to worship God in song. We no longer have an organist or pianist, choir and choir director to lead us in hymns and anthems. There are now keyboardists and a variety of other musical instruments and vocalists forming a worship team to lead us in singing worship music. Is that a joyful noise to the Lord? Or do we need to clap our hands or raise them to the sky? Do we need to kneel in reverent silence or shout out our praise to God? How can we know that our worship pleases God?
Jesus gave us the answer to all of those questions when he spoke to the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. “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 in that way. For God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.” (John 4:23-24) So, what is important isn’t where we worship or the actions we take during worship, it is that our worship of God comes sincerely from our heart, allowing our spirit to connect with His Spirit. Our mind needs to be stayed on His glory and the truth of His word. That is the only form of worship God desires of us. The rest is just personal preferences that vary widely from one person to another because He created us uniquely. All of it pleases God as long as you love and adore Him “with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind and all your strength” without reservation or distraction. (Mark 12:30)
From the oldest hymns to the latest worship songs, those powerful words of poetic imagery touch our heart and lift our spirit preparing us to worship God in spirit and in truth.