What does it mean to worship God?

[Rose]

People worship God in a variety of ways....I would like to use this thread to explore what christian folk consider to be an act of worshiping God.

For starters would someone who has great respect for all of creation around them be considered a person who worships God by christians, even if they call themselves atheists?

Blessings,
Rose

[Clifford]

People worship God in a variety of ways....I would like to use this thread to explore what christian folk consider to be a act of worshiping God.

For starters would someone who has great respect for all of creation around them be considered a person who worships God by christians, even if they call themselves atheists?

Blessings,
Rose

For the example you give here I would have to say no because it seems to counterdict Romans 1:25 that says:

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.

To me they would be worshiping what God created rather than God himself.

[Rose]

For the example you give here I would have to say no because it seems to counterdict Romans 1:25 that says:

They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised.

To me they would be worshiping what God created rather than God himself.

When a person gives value to something, isn't that the same as praising the creator of it....even if you don't know who created it?

Respecting the worth of something is different from worshiping the object as an entity.

Rose

[EndtimesDeut32/70AD]

It's a good topic.

Some verses and ideas for consideration;

1. Jesus discussion with the Woman at the well; not on this moutain or temple; but in Spirit and Truth...

10Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water............................................. .................................................. .................................................. ..............................
19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

2. Pauls transitory statements and phrase (spiritual service of Worship) in Rom 12:1;2. In Romans he declares, defines and supports full and complete justification by Grace/MERCY through faith (apart from the law) and explained Christ/God's work of canceling both the law of sin/death (Rom 8:2) and the law of moses (Rom 10:4). He then asks and begs the believers, In view of Gods Mercy and his, the Creator's, abrogation of the law and individual justification by Faith what now should our morally obligated response Be?

From the ESV; others are similar;

1. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

I think both the previous and following verses of 12:1,2 help clarify and explain what Paul instructs in these verses.

Rom 7 and 8 instructs about attempted obedience to the law having no ability to appease or please God and then about walking in the Sprit and the Light etc. Chs 7,8 lead into Rom 12 with chs 9-11 being a parenthetical discussion about the remaining corporal Israelites of faith in the mosaic covenant in Judea before the desolation/judgment.

The fruits of the Spirit in Gal 5 helps support the outcome of walking by the Spirit.

The verses following 1,2 in Romans 12 help apply this instruction and meaning with application to the gifts of the spirit and 'body life'.

There could be an argument made from this passage for congregational style of meetings with even a consideration for the Quaker perspectives.

[CWH]

When a person gives value to something, isn't that the same as praising the creator of it....even if you don't know who created it?

Respecting the worth of something is different from worshiping the object as an entity.

Rose

I think the important message here is that you cannot serve both God and mammon.... Matthew 6:21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

You must know your priorities... which is better...worship God or worship mammon? Which is better.....worship the Creator or worship the Created?


I don't understand what you mean here?

When a person gives value to something, isn't that the same as praising the creator of it....even if you don't know who created it?

Everything is created by God, so when you praise something such as a scenery or an art or animals, an invention, a person always have God in mind and glorify God for His creation. You may say that art and invention is created by man....but who created man with intelligent/imaginative brain to create art and invention in the first place?

This comes to mind, who is the first to create aerodynamics, sonar, fusion, physics, chemistry, light, electricity, physiology etc. in the first place??????......

Just a few food for thoughts:

Job 38:36
Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind ?

Job 38:37
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens

Job 39:26
"Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south?


But the question which atheists will always ask is, "if God created everything, who created God in the first place?"........


Many Blessings.

[CWH]

I think the important message here is that you cannot serve both God and mammon.... Matthew 6:21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

You must know your priorities... which is better...worship God or worship mammon? Which is better.....worship the Creator or worship the Created?


I don't understand what you mean here?


Everything is created by God, so when you praise something such as a scenery or an art or animals, an invention, a person always have God in mind and glorify God for His creation. You may say that art and invention is created by man....but who created man with intelligent/imaginative brain to create art and invention in the first place?

This comes to mind, who is the first to create aerodynamics, sonar, fusion, physics, chemistry, light, electricity, physiology etc. in the first place??????......

Just a few food for thoughts:

Job 38:36
Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind ?

Job 38:37
Who has the wisdom to count the clouds? Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens

Job 39:26
"Does the hawk take flight by your wisdom and spread his wings toward the south?


But the question which atheists will always ask is, "if God created everything, who created God in the first place?"........


Many Blessings.

To simply summarized:

To worship God is to worship with all your heart, soul and mind; knowing that all things were created by Him for His glory. Therefore to worship God is to glorify Him and His creation in everything we do. See Colossian 1:

15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. 17He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. 19For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.

Many Blessings.

[Rose]

There are many problems that atheists bring up around the idea of blindly worshiping "God" which deserve to be looked at.

One such example is when a person compares the idea of God the Creator to the parent, child relationship. If a child is born with disabilities, would you expect that child to worship and thank their parents for those disabilities?....of course not. The same holds true for countless situations which people find themselves in only because they were born!

Does God demand worship just because we are alive?

Should we as parents demand worship from our children just because they are alive?


Rose

[CWH]

There are many problems that atheists bring up around the idea of blindly worshiping "God" which deserve to be looked at.

One such example is when a person compares the idea of God the Creator to the parent, child relationship. If a child is born with disabilities, would you expect that child to worship and thank their parents for those disabilities?....of course not. The same holds true for countless situations which people find themselves in only because they were born!

Does God demand worship just because we are alive?

Should we as parents demand worship from our children just because they are alive?


Rose

As parents we demand respect not worship from our children. This is one of the 10 commandments ...respect your parents.

I think I know what you are driving at Rose. All creation perfect or imperfect are for the glory of God. Why are some people born blind?....so that the works of God can be glorified through them:

John 9:1As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"
3"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.

I believe this is what Jesus meant : If there are no blind men in this world, would people look for a cure for them?...or look for alternatives to make life more convenient for them such as braille, eye transplant etc, All these works and kind acts to relieve one's imperfection or alleviate their sufferings are doing works that glorify God. A blind man is blind but he is able to learn to make full uses of his other senses; he could feel, hear, smell, taste much more acutely than most of us. There are blind people who became famous pianists...this is an act that glorifies what God can do in disadvantaged people. Beethoven was deaf yet he could create beautiful music for everyone's enjoyment...this is an act that glorifies God.

Imperfections in other people provide opportunities to do good so as to glorify God or the works of God. If there are no diseases in this world, would people be motivated to find cures or solutions to help people afflicted with diseases? Such acts of kindness to help fellow human beings in need glorify God and exemplify God's love in us.

Many Blessings.

[CWH]

What is the meaning of worship. Is worshipping means,fasting, bowing, praying, praising God? or is it doing everything pleasing to God?....even the Pharisees did that and yet Jesus was not pleased with them. So what is true worship?...True worship is not about self but God-centred. Jesus have gave many examples about true worship and it is a very interesting subject..... To summarize, I would say True worship is doing everything pleasing to God that is not self-centred but God-centred in everything we do.

Matthew 6
Giving to the Needy
1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Prayer
5"And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.[a]' 14For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Fasting
16"When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 17But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Treasures in Heaven
19"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
22"The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. 23But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

24"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

For more details about meaning of worship...Please see:

http://www.christianlibrary.org/auth...gofworship.htm

MANY BLESSINGS.

[Rose]

What is the meaning of worship. Is worshipping means,fasting, bowing, praying, praising God? or is it doing everything pleasing to God?....even the Pharisees did that and yet Jesus was not pleased with them. So what is true worship?...True worship is not about self but God-centred. Jesus have gave many examples about true worship and it is a very interesting subject..... To summarize, I would say True worship is doing everything pleasing to God that is not self-centred but God-centred in everything we do.

So now my question would be: what if someone who is an atheist, has totally devoted their lives to giving and caring for others....how would that measure up in God's eyes?

I would say that the atheist is worshiping God by his actions of caring for God's creation ever bit as much as the believer, only the atheist doesn't know it...


Rose