GNCC Equipping Class: Worship (2 of 5)

Worship (2)Acts of Worship: Biblical Models

Good News Community ChurchJune 8, 2008

Timothy Chan

Class Outline

❖6/1 - God: The Author of Worship

❖6/8 - Acts of Worship: Biblical Models

❖6/15 - Worship in Community: Roles & Expectations

❖6/22 - Battlefronts of Worship

❖6/29 - Worship is an Instinct

Review & Concept Picture

Revelationfrom the Triune God

Worship: our response

Spirit enabling us to connect revelation to response

Story

❖A story is told of the Christian couple who, after 25 years of marriage, went in for counseling. “He never tells me he loves me,” she began. When the counselor looked to the husband, he responded, “Look, twenty five years ago I said ‘I love you.’ If it ever changes, I’ll tell you.

❖Maybe there was love, but because there was no expression of love, the marriage was lacking. In our churches, maybe there is love for God, but that love needs to be expressed.

Your Acts of Worship

❖How do you worship God?

Biblical Word Study

❖The specific Hebrew (OT) and Greek (NT) words used in the Bible to express "worship" (and related concepts) are carefully chosen due to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and they can give us insight into how God wants us to worship Him

❖"The biblical words for worship do not represent discrete concepts but are part of a whole mosaic of thought about the way to relate to God." -- David Peterson, "Engaging With God" (1992), p. 56

Biblical Word Study

❖The deeper meanings are missing from the simplistic Chinese (or English) translation to 敬拜 (or "worship")

❖Overall observations about biblical words for "worship" and "praise":

❖They are expressed through bodily actions, mind/intellect, and will❖They provide depth and diversity to worship❖They imply a total life pattern❖They are best understood in a cultural context

Biblical Word Study

❖This study of selective Biblical words of "worship" and "praise" is compiled from:

❖"Engaging With God" (1992) by David Peterson❖"Worship Old And New" (1994) by Robert Webber❖"Prophetic Worship" (1999) by Vivien Hibbert❖" 詩篇中的敬拜動詞 " (2007) by Alan Yu at afcspeaks.blogspot.com

❖We'll mainly concentrate on Hebrew words here

http://afcspeaks.blogspot.com/

Hebrew Words for Praise

barak ( 跪拜 )❖To kneel, bless, praise, salute❖To remember joyfully -- He is the source of all your blessing❖Ps 28:6 耶和華是應當稱頌的，因為他聽了我懇求的聲音。 (Blessed be the LORD, because He has heard the voice of my supplication.)❖Ps 95:6 來吧，我們來俯伏敬拜，在造我們的耶和華面前跪下。 (Come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.)


yadah ( 稱謝 ) ("yad" = hand, "ah" = cast out)❖To confess with outstretched hands❖To revere or worship with raised hands❖Imply surrender and intimacy❖"Judah" comes from the root word "yadah"❖Ps 111:1 你們要讚美耶和華。在正直人的議會中和大會裡，我要全心稱謝耶和華。 (... I will give thanks to the LORD with all my heart ...)❖Dan 9:4 我向耶和華我的　神禱告、認罪 ... (I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed ...)


zamar ( 歌頌 )❖Literally means "to touch the strings"❖To make melody and music (may or may not be accompanied by singing)❖Ps 47:7 因為　神是全地的王，你們要用詩歌歌頌他。 (For God is the King of all the earth; sing praises with a skillful psalm)❖Ps 144:9 　神啊！我要向你唱新歌，我要用十弦琴向你歌唱。 (... Upon a harp of ten strings I will sing praises to You ...)


shabach ( 頌讚 )❖To shout or address in a loud tone❖To give glory or triumph in praise❖Ps 63:3 因你的慈愛比生命更好，我的嘴唇要頌讚你。 (Because Your lovingkindness is better than life, my lips will praise You.)


halal ( 讚美 / 誇耀 )❖To shine, give light; make glorious❖To make a clear and brilliant tone or sound❖To rave, make noise, celebrate, boast, to be clamorously foolish❖"Hallelujah" is from "halal" + "jah" (Yahweh)❖Ps 150:1 你們要讚美耶和華。要在　神的聖所讚美他，要在他顯能力的穹蒼下讚美他。 (Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse.)


tehillah ( 讚美 )❖To sing, laud, celebrate with song❖High and extravagant praise❖Spontaneous worship in the Spirit❖Ps 40:3 他使我口唱新歌，讚美我們的　神；許多人看見了，就必懼怕，並且要倚靠耶和華。 (He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear and will trust in the LORD.)

Additional Hebrew Words for Praise

batach ( 倚靠 ), e.g. Ps 13:5❖To trust, to confide in, to be care-free

qavah ( 等候 ), e.g. Ps 27:14❖To wait, to expect

yada' ( 知道 ), e.g. Ps 46:10❖To know, to discern, to find out to acknowledge

towdah ( 以感謝為祭 ), e.g. Ps 50:23❖Sacrifice of thanksgiving

Hebrew Words for Worship

shachah ( 俯伏敬拜 )❖To prostrate, bow down flat❖To humbly beseech, pay homage, worship❖A heartfelt honoring of God in response to God's provision❖Ex 4:31 ... 他們聽見耶和華眷顧以色列人，也鑒察了他們的痛苦，就俯伏敬拜。 (... when they heard that the LORD was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.)


'abad ( 事奉 )❖To serve, work, labor❖Worship is a life totally committed to serving God, not just an inner heartfelt response❖Deut 6:13 你要敬畏耶和華你的　神，要事奉他，奉他的名起誓。 (You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.)❖Ex 8:1 ... 耶和華這樣說：“讓我的人民離開這裡，使他們可以事奉我。 (... Let My people go, that they may serve Me.)


yare' ( 敬畏 )❖To fear, be astonished, in awe of, respect❖Worship involves a fear of God that inspires obedient living and turning away from evil❖Ecc 12:13 ... 總而言之，應當敬畏　神，謹守他的誡命，因為這是每一個人的本分。 (... fear God and keep His commandments ...)

Notable Greek Words for Worship

latreuo or latreia ( 事奉 ), e.g. Rom 12:1, Acts 24:14❖To serve publicly, to perform priestly service

doulos ( 服事 ), e.g. 1 Thess 1:9, Matt 6:24❖To serve as a slave❖Total dependence and obedience without any right of personal choice

phobeomai ( 敬畏 ), e.g. Acts 9:31❖To fear❖The church are people living "in fear of the Lord"

Romans 12:1

Rom 12:1 所以弟兄們，我憑著　神的仁慈勸你們，要把身體獻上，作聖潔而蒙　神悅納的活祭；這是你們理所當然的事奉。 (Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship)

Romans 12:1


❖Believers act as both the priests and the sacrifice itself

Romans 12:1


❖To Greeks, body and spirit are separate; perhaps Paul wrote this to shock his Greek readers❖Even evangelicals over-spiritualize worship as only a matter of the heart

Romans 12:1


❖In contrast to OT, our sacrifice is living❖Therefore our offering of our total life as a sacrifice to God is therefore a sacred service (latreia)

Romans 12:1


❖This living sacrifice is therefore an acceptable worship in response to God's revelation of His grace and mercy

Romans 12:2

Rom 12:2 不要模仿這個世代，倒要藉著心意的更新而改變過來，使你們可以察驗出甚麼是　神的旨意，就是察驗出甚麼是美好的、蒙他悅納的和完全的事。(And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.)

Conclusion

❖To the Jews, there is no difference between worship and life: "all that happens in life is our worshipful response to God and God's revelation, and the specific response of our worship practices influences both directly and indirectly who we are as we worship in the rest of life." -- Marva Dawn, "Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down" (1995), p. 106

Conclusion

❖"Worship is meant to usher us into God's presence so that we can delight in that relationship and consequently be formed to live according to God's best purposes." -- Marva Dawn, "Reaching Out Without Dumbing Down" (1995), p. 116

Conclusion

❖Every action of your life molds your character. If you constantly curse, you become a foul-mouthed person. If you want to be a kind person, you make daily choices to be kind to others. You can only be a lifestyle worshiper if you make constant choices to be worshipful.

❖Again, in the area of being a worshiper, instead of asking how (what "worship methods" to use?), we need to be asking who (am I a worshiper in my daily living?)

1984 Barna Research

❖Survey findings:❖40% Christians think everyone is free to do whatever pleases him, as long as it does not hurt other people❖30% Christians think nothing in life is more important than having fun and being happy❖> 60% Christians express love for money, possessions, and other material objects

❖Do all this have to do with worship?

Worship & Life

Source: http://asbojesus.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/

http://asbojesus.wordpress.com/2007/10/16/

Implications

❖Be wary of "worship methods" that only evoke feelings without pointing toward a self-revealing, transcendent God and His work in us

❖Sing 2 fast songs, then 3 slow songs❖ 有得着

❖Be wary of "worship methods" that aim at achieving ulterior goals, instead of leading to God

❖Sing some songs to "warm up" for preaching❖Using prayer as announcements❖"Seeker-sensitive"

Just Live It!

Source: http://asbojesus.wordpress.com/2007/10/14/163/

http://asbojesus.wordpress.com/2007/10/14/163/

GNCC Equipping Class: Worship (2 of 5)

Spiritual

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