PRAISE
Is praise worship? It all depends on who it is addressed to. Praise is simply boasting about God. When I boast about God to someone else, for example, how God is working in my life, I'm praising God, though indirectly. But it's not worship, it's praise. On the contrary, when I address my praise directly to God ("God, You are an awesome Father"), it's worship.
SERVICE
Is service worship? Not in itself. True worshipers will be compelled to serve the Lord and be driven to live their lives for God. One who worships God will naturally serve Him. We need to serve, but it is not the same as true, intimate worship. Even Jesus separates worship and service.
"Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only." (Luke 4:8).
So what is worship then? The best way to come up with a definition is to look at the components of what worship looks like.
1 - Worship Is Intentional
We cannot worship God without being aware of it. Worship is deliberate. It can be prompted by many things -- a song, a situation, a beautiful sunset, etc. Worship can happen anywhere.
2 - Worship Is Spiritual
When we worship, it is a spiritual encounter. It's when we spiritually come into God's presence. Jesus said that we must worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:23).
3 - Worship Is Emotional
True worship is about the heart, it's heart-felt. And in this sense it's emotional. Our worship moments are full of wonder and awe - full of admiration and reverence done with a sincere, humble attitude. Our worship involves an expression of thanksgiving, praise, adoration, and awe.
To summarize:
Worship is Intentional
Worship is Spiritual
Worship is Emotional
When all three of these components are engaged, we are truly worshiping God. Another way to describe these 3 components of worship:
1. THE MIND (Worship is Intentional)
2. THE SOUL (Worship is Spiritual)
3. THE HEART (Worship is Emotional)
When we involve the mind, the soul, and the heart in worship, we are, what I call, "worshiping in the zone." This is the true form of worship. It can happen anywhere, at anytime. It can happen in a brief moment or an extended time period. It can be prompted by a song, or a sunset, or a sermon, or anything that reminds us of God.
ONE SENTENCE DEFINITION OF WORSHIP
So what is worship? We can come up with a one sentence definition based on the above components:
"Worship is a deliberate moment when we spiritually bow down before the Lord and express our heart-felt praise, awe, thanksgiving or adoration."
In this one-sentence definition, the Mind ("deliberate moment...."), the Soul ("spiritually bow down...."), and the heart ("heart-felt praise,....."), are engaged.
The act of worship is always a one way street – from you to God. It has nothing to do with you. It’s all about Him. It’s never a time when you are asking or praying for something for yourself. It’s a time of complete focus on Him alone. When this special moment of worship occurs, you are in the zone with God, and you know it!
