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What Is Worship?

God created humanity with a capacity to know, love, and worship Him. Worship is that place where the heart of God and the heart of His child meet.

Oswald Chambers said, “Worship is giving God the best He has given you.” Worship carries the idea of showing reverence to God. It’s an active, adoring response whereby we declare His worth. To worship means to pay homage to God: “Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Psalm 95:6).

Who Do We Worship?

Jesus said, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve” (Matthew 4:10). People are not worthy of worship, and neither are things. God alone deserves our worship.

Why Do We Worship?

We worship not to get something for ourselves, but because God is Lord and is worthy of our worship (see Psalm 45:11). The Bible declares, “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power” (Revelation 4:11). We worship God because of the splendor of His being. He doesn’t need our worship, but He desires it—not for His benefit, but for ours.

How Do We Worship?

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). Worshipping in spirit means giving God the homage of an enlightened mind and an affectionate heart. Worshipping in truth is to worship God according to the truth He has revealed in His Word, the Bible.

Forms of Worship

Worship should not resemble a spectator sport where we sit and watch others play. Worship requires participation. We worship the Lord through our words of praise and exaltation of God, by giving thanks to God in all things, by blessing His name through living a godly life, and by sharing His love with others.

Worship is a sacrifice: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1 NIV). We can make every day a worship experience when we yield ourselves to the Lord. God has created each of us with a mind, heart, and spirit. He wants us to use them for His glory. True worship is not lip service, but life service. It is to be as much a part of our lives as breathing and eating. Worship should be demonstrated in every area of our lives.

Expressions of Worship

We express our worship as we read the Bible (see Psalm 119), pray, give tithes and offerings, and offer praise through music. But the greatest demonstration of worship is through the lives we live.

Results of Worship

True worship always magnifies God and our outlook toward Him. As God is magnified, everything else becomes insignificant. We begin to see beyond our circumstances and limitations, our fears diminish, and our spirits become refreshed.

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What is Water Baptism?

Water baptism is not a personal choice, but a command for believers. Jesus established water baptism as an ordinance when He gave the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:19; Mark 16:16).

Water baptism is a public, outward testimony that indicates a personal, inward faith. It gives evidence of the inner change that has already occurred in the believer’s life when he or she was “born again” through faith in Jesus Christ.

Baptism identifies the believer with the message of the gospel, the Person of Jesus Christ, and other believers. It associates the believer with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and signifies the believer’s death to the old life and his or her resurrection as a new creation in Christ (see Romans 6:1–8; Colossians 2:12).

Why are We to be Baptized?

We are to be baptized because Jesus Christ commanded it (Matthew 28:19), and because we love the Lord. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Throughout the Book of Acts, we read how the early church gave importance to water baptism (see 2:41; 8:12, 38; 9:18; 10:47–48; 16:15, 33; 19:3–5).

Who Should be Baptized?

All born-again believers in Jesus Christ—and only believers—should be baptized (see Mark 16:15–16; Acts 8:12, 36–38; 16:31–33; 18:8).

Are Infants and Children to be Baptized?

After Peter spoke at Pentecost, “those who gladly received his word were baptized” (Acts 2:41). In the New Testament, every instance in which a person was baptized and his or her identity was given, that person was an adult. In light of Scripture, infant baptism must be ruled out, because infants cannot receive the Word of God and understand it. However, infants are to be dedicated to the Lord (see 1 Samuel 1:26–28). Children may be baptized if they receive and understand God’s Word.

In Whose Name Are We to be Baptized?

As part of the Great Commission, Jesus instructed the disciples to baptize “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).

Is Water Baptism Necessary for Salvation?

The Bible clearly teaches that we are saved by grace through faith and according to God’s mercy (see Ephesians 2:8–9; Titus 3:5). The thief on the cross next to Jesus had no time to be baptized; yet Jesus promised that he would be with Him in Paradise that day (see Luke 23:43). The Bible contains no record of Jesus baptizing anyone—a strange omission if baptism was essential for salvation. The Apostle Paul declared, “For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel…” (1 Corinthians 1:17). This clearly indicates that salvation is a response of faith to the gospel—not the act of baptism. Therefore, water baptism is not an act of salvation, but an act of obedience.

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Worship

in Foundational Doctrine

What Is Worship? God created humanity with a capacity to know, love, and worship Him. Worship is that place where...

Water Baptism

in Foundational Doctrine

What is Water Baptism? Water baptism is not a personal choice, but a command for believers. Jesus established water baptism...

Trinity

in Foundational Doctrine

The Holy Spirit

in Foundational Doctrine

Who Is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is a Person of the Trinity. When Jesus ascended to the Father,...

The Father

in Foundational Doctrine

The Father is God That the Father is God is an essential teaching of the Scriptures. In the Gospels, Jesus...

The Church

in Foundational Doctrine

The Value of Church It is an absolute necessity to be involved in a church in order to walk with...

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Who Is the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is a Person of the Trinity. When Jesus ascended to the Father, He promised His disciples “another Helper,” the Holy Spirit (see John 14:16–17). In Greek, the word another means, “another of the same kind.” Jesus promised a supernatural Helper just like Him.

The Holy Spirit’s Preexistence

The word for God is elohim, which indicates three or more (referring to the Trinity). The Holy Spirit was active at the time of creation (see Genesis 1:1–2). When God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness” (Genesis 1:26), He was addressing the other two Persons of the Trinity.

The Person and Nature of the Holy Spirit

Some have wrongly thought of the Holy Spirit as more of an “it” than a “He,” but Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as “He” (see John 16). The Holy Spirit has distinct functions in the lives of believers (see John 14:17; 1 Corinthians 2:10–12; Acts 5:3–4). In the original language, the Holy Spirit is called the paraclete, which literally means, “One called alongside to help.”

The Work of the Holy Spirit in the World

In John 16, Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin (verses 8–9) and convinces the world of righteousness and judgment (verses 10–11). The Holy Spirit also restrains the sweeping spread of evil (see 2 Thessalonians 2:7). Before we were Christians, the Holy Spirit spoke to our hearts, showing us our need for salvation. He drew us to Christ and convicted us of sin (see John 16:7–11).

The Work of the Holy Spirit in the Believer

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit dwells within us. The Apostle Paul writes, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16).

The Holy Spirit regenerates us (see Titus 3:4–7; John 3:5; 6:63); indwells us (see 1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19); seals us (see Ephesians 1:13–14); guides us (see John 16:13; Romans 8:14); teaches us (see John 14:26); helps us to pray (see Romans 8:26–27); and empowers us (see Acts 1:8).

Being Filled with the Holy Spirit

When we ask for the Holy Spirit Jesus will give him to us. The Holy Spirit is a free gift and he wants to freely give this gift to every believer. This will allow the believer to operate under the full power of God which will allow them to operate in the gifts of the spirit.  (see Acts 2)

The Power of the Holy Spirit

Someone once referred to Niagara Falls as “the greatest unused power in the world.” Actually, the greatest unused power is the Holy Spirit of the Living God. Don’t neglect the power that God has given you—Himself—through the Holy Spirit.

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The Father is God

That the Father is God is an essential teaching of the Scriptures. In the Gospels, Jesus frequently called God “My Father” (see John 20:17) and taught His disciples to pray to God using the words “our Father” (see Matthew 6:9). Likewise, the Apostle Paul speaks of “God our Father” in his letters to the churches (see 1 Corinthians 1:3; Philippians 4:20). Therefore, from the early Christians to present-day believers, Christians have held to the conviction that the Father is God.

The Father in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament the groundwork was laid for the revelation of the Trinity through the metaphor where God relates to His people as their father. In Deuteronomy, God is pictured as the Father who created His people (see Deuteronomy 32:6). The psalmist proclaimed that God is a Father to the fatherless (see Psalm 68:5). The Lord himself spoke of His fatherly relationship with His people in saying, “I am a Father to Israel…” (Jeremiah 31:9). Christians should be cautioned that these pictures of God as a father do not in any way imply that God is a man. Being Spirit, God is neither male nor female. The metaphor represents God’s committed relationship with His people and His caring authority over them.

Some might ask why the Old Testament’s teaching of God the Father was veiled. One answer is that God sought to embed the idea of His oneness in the minds of His people, as He said in Isaiah, “I am the Lord, and there is no other; there is no God besides Me” (45:5; see also Deuteronomy 6:4). This way God’s people were ready to properly understand the oneness of the Trinity. But the simplest answer is that God waited to reveal His triune nature at the proper time, namely at the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

The Father in the New Testament

The New Testament reveals that the Father is holy (see John 17:11), sovereign (see Matthew 11:25), all powerful (see Mark 14:36), full of love and wanting to forgive (see Luke 15:11–32), the source of all things (see Matthew 11:27; 1 Corinthians 8:6), and all knowing (see Matthew 6:4, 8). Jesus expressed the importance of having fellowship with the Father through His deep, personal relationship with Him. He was constantly praying to the Father and always sought to accomplish His will. The New Testament, therefore, reveals that the Father is indeed God and is worthy of our worship (see John 4:23–24).

The Father in the Trinity

In the New Testament, God revealed His triune nature to His people. The biblical authors attest to the divinity of the Father (see Matthew 11:25), the Son (see John 1:1), and the Holy Spirit (see 2 Peter 1:20–21). While the Son and the Spirit are distinct Persons from the Father, they are of the same substance as the Father. God, therefore, exists as one perfectly unified Being subsisting of three inseparable, distinct, and wholly equal Persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Scripture teaches that God the Father is the Father from eternity, from whom the Son is eternally begotten and from whom the Holy Spirit proceeds. The Father never existed without the Son or the Holy Spirit, nor did He exist before them (John 1:1–3; Genesis 1:1–2, 26). In their divinity, all three Persons of the Trinity are coequal and coeternal. Therefore, just as we can say that the Son and the Spirit are God, we can boldly proclaim that the Father is God!

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The Value of Church

It is an absolute necessity to be involved in a church in order to walk with God and grow spiritually. The Bible instructs us to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…” (Hebrews 10:24–25).

What Is Church?

In the New Testament, temple and synagogue are the only words that describe a building as a place of worship. Today’s church is not a building, but an assembly of people who make up the body of Christ (see Colossians 1:24; Romans 16:5). The universal church consists of genuine Christian believers of all ages, both on earth and in Heaven. There won’t be any denominations in Heaven; there will only be believers!

Is It Necessary to Join a Local Church?

Although we are all members of the universal church, the body of Christ, it’s very important for a Christian to identify with a body of believers in a local church. We need each other in order to develop fully as Christians (see 1 Corinthians 12:4–27) and to make disciples (see Matthew 28:19).

What Makes a Church Effective?

What makes the church effective today is no different from what made the early church effective. It’s the Spirit of God working through the Word of God in the hearts of the people of God. Jesus told His disciples, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Only a Spirit-filled church can be an effective church. We simply need to ask God to empower us.

What Is the Purpose of the Church?

Ultimately, the purpose of the church is to know God and make Him known. Through the Holy Spirit, the church accomplishes this in three ways. First, the church is to exalt God (see Ephesians 1:12). Second, the church is to edify the saints (see Colossians 1:28). Third, the church is to evangelize the world (see Mark 16:15). We believe in adhering to these purposes, while keeping them in their proper balance.

What Is a WELL Church?

A WELL (or healthy) church is one that is a:

• Worshipping church
• Evangelizing church
• Learning church
• Loving church

We find the trademarks of a healthy church in the book of Acts: “And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayer…and the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (2:42, 47).

What Are Ordinances of the Church?

Ordinances of the church are outward rites or symbolic observances commanded by Jesus, which set forth essential Christian truths. We observe the ordinances of water baptism and Communion.

Who Is the Head of the Church?

The Bible says that the head of the church is Jesus Christ Himself (see Ephesians 1:22; 5:23). “Under His direction, the whole body [the church] is fitted together perfectly” (Ephesians 4:16 NLT).

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