by Garrett Glende

Moving along in the section of Systematic Theology dealing with the church, we come to the chapter on worship. While we understand that worship is to be a part of our whole life, Grudem specifically focuses on worship within the context of the local church. Certainly, we cannot completely divorce our private worship with our corporate worship, but since this section is dealing with matters of the church, we’ll look at some issues that relate to the body as a whole.

We know from John 4:24 that God is seeking those who worship Him “in spirit and truth.” In order to build an understanding of how corporate worship functions, we must first understand these basic things about worship as a whole. First and foremost, worship is not something that is done externally. As evidenced by Jesus’ statement to the Samaritan woman, worship is a matter of the heart. Jesus elsewhere condemns those people who “honor me with their lips, but their heart is far from me” (Matt. 15:8). Contrary to these hypocrites, true worship happens when our hearts are exalting God for who He is. This is what worshiping in spirit and truth is all about. The woman at the well was concerned about whether Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem was the proper place to worship, but Jesus redirects her attention to her own heart. The exact location where worship takes place is not the main issue. The main issue is a spiritual one, not physical. However, this also must be informed by the truth. Our hearts must exalt God for things that are true about Him; otherwise we are worshiping a different god. As we encounter the immeasurable beauty of the character of God, our hearts should respond in true worship. The external result may be different depending on the situation, but the important thing is what is happening in the heart.

Understanding these basic truths about worship, we can now apply it to the corporate body. The thrust of Grudem’s chapter deals with how worship is seen through a Sunday service, so let’s take a look at the interplay between our understanding of worship and the acts that take place on Sunday. Since the Sunday gathering is usually called a worship service, we can expect worship to take place there, but why are the specific things that we do considered worship? Let’s take a look at a normal service:

• There’s usually a time of singing at the beginning and many people would say that this is worship. Yes, this is true, but what makes it worship? It certainly is not simply the fact that we are singing truths about God. Any unbeliever can do this just as well. What makes mere singing turn into worship is the posture of our hearts as we sing. It is worship because we’ve been so affected by truth that we cannot help but have it overflow.
• After this time of singing, the pastor will preach from a passage of the Bible and the congregation will listen. Again, how is this worship? For those of us in the crowd, we can listen to what is being taught and respond or not. Simply hearing the words is not an act of worship, yet worship exists when our hearts respond to the truths being preached.
• There are many other elements that go into a normal Sunday service that can be considered an aspect of worship. Take the setup team for example. Because God is a God of order and not confusion, the chairs and other items in the sanctuary should be arranged in such a way that reflects this truth. When every part of the service has meaning and purpose behind it that is based on biblical truth in a way that leads people’s hearts to exalt God, then true worship is happening.

Worship is something that comes natural to all of us. However, the object of our worship is not always God. Because this problem is a spiritual one, we need spiritual help. And the only way that we can truly worship God is if we are filled with the Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18 says “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” We then see that this results in the singing of songs and hymns and spiritual songs with thanksgiving in our hearts. If true worship is going to take place corporately, then each member must be walking in the Spirit daily. Our hearts are prone to wander and pursue other idols, but we must ask God to help us focus our hearts attention on Him alone. The Holy Spirit is the only one who can truly change our hearts so that we are able to worship God truly. Therefore, our prayer lives become all the more important. This fervency in prayer and a devotion to God’s word will foster a community of true worshipers no matter where the church is located. So the next time you go to church, don’t just think of the external things, but focus on what is going on inside of you. And let’s sing with all our hearts.