A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity.
This passage describes an amazingly vibrant community life, including worship. They met together every day in the Temple for worship, and most likely their home gatherings were not only shared meals but also a home-based worship service that included celebrating Holy Communion. The apostles understood the importance of worship for each individual believer and for the nascent community. It was together as a worshipping, praying, sharing, learning, serving community that they were able to continue the work of Jesus Christ.
John Wesley also believed that worship was crucial to the Christian life. Wesley was concerned that people grow spiritually. We also worship because we were made for love, and made for relationship with God, who is love. When we come to worship we are so often aware of our own sin and weakness. But God wants us to come to Him just as we are - bringing our fears, failings and brokenness as well as our joys, hopes and desires.
When we give our whole selves to God He renews us, heals us and brings us closer to His heart. And then we actually start to look more like our Father who made us. We enter into a deeper relationship with God, but also we deepen our relationship with others.
This doesn't have to look the same for everyone, our worship is supposed to be unique and a personal offering to God but in our individual praise through song, dance, art, work, or any other form of worship, we should be encouraged and built up as a Church. In the end, every knee will bow before Christ and will acknowledge him as Lord Philippians When that time comes, those who do not believe may think they will act in defiance of God, but, instead, they will fall on their faces before him and acknowledge that he is worthy of their worship.
Unfortunately, it will be too late for it to make any difference, but it will happen nonetheless. In the fourth chapter of Revelation, John sees a vision of God on his throne in heaven. And surrounding the throne are four living creatures and 24 elders.
They are worshiping God and saying,. They are proclaiming that God is worthy of our worship because he created all things. Because all things have their being in him. This creation that we are a part of is truly amazing. The size and complexity of the universe are incomprehensible to most of us.
From the smallest particle to the largest galactic clusters, it is all intricate and well designed. The more we learn of this world we inhabit, the more wonderful it is revealed to be. We look at an artistic masterpiece, an amazing athletic performance, or an amazing feat of engineering and express praise towards the one who created or performed it. They are thought to be worthy of praise because of what they have done. How much more so for the one who produced the universe we inhabit?
More than any other person, place or thing, the creator of us all is worthy of our praise and worship. Lord is not a term that is used much in our world today, at least not in the west. But it was a widely used term in biblical days. You find it in the Bible mostly in reference to God, but it is also used for a sovereign or master.
He seems so real to them! They seem to have such intimacy, such freedom, and such power! Then, I think you would say, "I wish I could experience that too! And I believe you can.
But before you can experience the benefits of worship, you have to understand what worship is, why worship is important, and what happens when you worship. By definition, worship is ascribing worth to something or someone. But true worship is also a matter of the heart. It must be felt. It can't be ritualistic. It can't be just an external going through the motions. True worship is a heartfelt expression of love, adoration, admiration, fascination, wonder, and celebration.
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