The Heart of Worship

(I'm going to confess right now that this is kind of long... but I pray that just as I learned some amazing truth you will as well!! I pray that you will learn what it means to have a Heart of Worship and that you have a burning desire to join me in learning to walk in a lifestyle of true worship! If you need prayer let me know, likewise keep me in your prayers that I can commit to a life of true worship!!)

1 Corinthians 12:7-13

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
¹² Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body

**What does a body need to survive?

            One major thing the body needs is circulation!!

                        The circulatory system is an organ system that permits circulation to transport nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide, hormones, blood cells, etc. to and from cells in the body to nourish it and help to fight diseases, and to stabilize body temperature and pH levels.

What does this have to do with the Heart of Worship?? Well if we define the Heart of Worship it may become clear:

Heart: a hollow muscular organ that by its rhythmic contraction acts as a force pump maintaining the circulation of the blood

Worship: reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power: an act of expressing such reverence

So if we take those two words and create a definition for the Heart of Worship we get:

Heart of Worship: a rhythmic force maintaining circulation in an act of expressing reverence

**I want to go through this definition one word at a time so that we fully grasp what the Heart of Worship means!

Rhythmic

Heart of Worship: a rhythmic force maintaining circulation in an act of expressing reverence

Rhythmic or Rhythm: Something marked by moving: an ordered recurrent alteration of strong and weak: the aspect of music comprising all the elements that relate to forward movement

**This tells us that rhythm is constantly moving forward, by an alteration of strong and weak. Well if we are talking about worship there are two elements… us and God. We KNOW that God is strong! So if the alteration requires strong AND weak, we must be the weak portion.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10 NLT

⁸ Three different times I begged the Lord to take it away. ⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ¹⁰ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

**Worship connects us to God so that when we are weak HE can be our strength! We make a continuous exchange with God, we give him out weaknesses for his strength; and that exchange allows us to “keep moving forward” (Walt Disney).

Force and Maintain:

Heart of Worship: a rhythmic force maintaining circulation in an act of expressing reverence
Force: strength or energy exerted: cause of motion or change: active power: capacity to persuade or convince

**Here again we see the words strength and movement. Rhythm and Force are tied together by their definitions, but a new set of words is introduced to us Persuade or Convince… in other words make us believe!!

Worship causes us to believe, it convinces us of the truth.

Maintaining or Maintain: preserve from failure: sustain against opposition or danger: uphold and defend: to continue or persevere: to support or provide for

**this is what the force is causing us to believe in: that God will preserve us from failure, he will protect us from danger, he will cause us to persevere and he will support and provide for us!!

Isaiah 43:1-5
But now, this is what the Lord says—
    he who created you, Jacob,
    he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
    I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
    they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
    you will not be burned;
    the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the Lord your God,
    the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
    Cush and Seba in your stead.
⁴ Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
    and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
    nations in exchange for your life.
⁵ Do not be afraid, for I am with you;

Isaiah 43:10-13

“You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord,
    “and my servant whom I have chosen,
so that you may know and believe me
    and understand that I am he.
Before me no god was formed,
    nor will there be one after me.
¹¹ I, even I, am the Lord,
    and apart from me there is no savior.
¹² I have revealed and saved and proclaimed—
    I, and not some foreign god among you.
You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, “that I am God.
¹³     Yes, and from ancient days I am he.
No one can deliver out of my hand.
    When I act, who can reverse it?”

**the last line reminds me of the song “the whole world in his hands” God has us in his hand and that means that there is nothing that can come against us that can take us out! God maintains us!!

Express:

Heart of Worship: a rhythmic force maintaining circulation in an act of expressing reverence

Expressing or Express: directly: designed for or adapted to its purpose: delivered without delay

**Worship gives us direct access to God through the Holy Spirit. “Without delay” sometimes when we want to talk to someone they are not available, that is not the case with God, we can speak to him without delay!!

My pastor said one Sunday “we were saved, so that we could worship the Lord.” We see in the definition of expressing “designed for a purpose.” We were created to bring God praise and Glory!!

Ephesians 1:11-14

¹¹ Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.
¹² God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. ¹³ And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. ¹⁴ The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

**God gave each of us a purpose, that purpose is to praise and glorify the Lord!!

Reverence:

Heart of Worship: a rhythmic force maintaining circulation in an act of expressing reverence
Reverence: honor or respect felt or shown: a gesture of respect: one held in reverence

**honor and respect, those to me are powerful words!! We were created with the purpose to bring honor and respect to God through worship!!!

The Bible shows us the perfect example of this kind of worship!

Mark 14:1-9

It was now two days before Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and kill him. ² “But not during the Passover celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”

³ Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.
⁴ Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked. ⁵ “It could have been sold for a year’s wages and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.
⁶ But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why criticize her for doing such a good thing to me? ⁷ You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me. ⁸ She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. ⁹ I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and discussed.”

** This woman in a true act of worship took a year’s worth of wages and poured it out upon Jesus!! The men there called it a waste, but Jesus called it a good thing. I think the number one reason that people hold back from having a heart of worship is fear of what other people may think of them!

Worship isn’t just getting up and singing to God, it is a lifestyle!! When you pray you are worshiping God by honoring him. Does it make you uncomfortable to pray with others around? And why is that? Are you afraid of what they may think? 

In verse 8 Jesus said “She has done what she could” God is not asking you to be someone or something that you are not, he wants you to be YOU. That’s what he desires… YOU!!! He wants you to give him what you can, give him what you are!!!

Verse 9 Jesus tells us that this lady will be remembered and discussed (like now), if you live with a true Heart of Worship you WILL effect others for God’s glory!! There is this guy Dave that I used to know when I was in high school. He passed away a year ago, leaving his wife and four young children. His wife Jess, could have given up and turned her back on God; but instead she has laid down her life at God’s feet and walked a life that is a shinning example of the Heart of Worship!!

In the same way you can also cause someone to turn from God!! You can choose to be an example of a hardened heart…

1 Corinthians 8:9-13

⁹ Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak. ¹⁰ For if someone with a weak conscience sees you, with all your knowledge, eating in an idol’s temple, won’t that person be emboldened to eat what is sacrificed to idols? ¹¹ So this weak brother or sister, for whom Christ died, is destroyed by your knowledge. ¹² When you sin against them in this way and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. ¹³ Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother or sister to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause them to fall.

Romans 14:13-21

¹³ Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. ¹⁴ I am convinced, being fully persuaded in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in itself. But if anyone regards something as unclean, then for that person it is unclean. ¹⁵ If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. ¹⁶ Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil. ¹⁷ For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, ¹⁸ because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and receives human approval.
¹⁹ Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. ²⁰ Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a person to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. ²¹ It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother or sister to fall.

** Be that person that brings glory to God!! Don’t let the way that you live be an obstacle for others! We don’t want something that is said here to cause someone else to feel like they are not welcome! We want the words that come out of our mouths to be building words!! Let the words that come out of your mouth Glorify God!! Honor and Respect him, one of the ways you do that is to honor and respect others!!

** We know the definition of the Heart of Worship is this:

a rhythmic force maintaining circulation in an act of expressing reverence

So if we re-define the definition of the Heart of Worship using what we just learned we come up with something like this:

Heart of Worship re-defined:

A continuous exchange with God, in which I give him my weakness for his strength / allowing me to move forward with the belief / that he will keep me from failure; and that he will protect and provide for me / by allowing me direct access to him when I live out my purpose / of bringing him honor and respect

Last thought… a continuous exchange, that brings us back to the topic of circulation! This is not a one time thing, it is a continuous exchange we make with God! Having a Heart of Worship is so important for our spiritual walk, without it we are dead. Just as the body can not survive without circulation, the spirit can not survive without worship!