Is Worship About a Personal Experience?

Many times we confuse worship with our personal experience that takes place during a church service.  Is worship a subjective experience and is all worship acceptable to God?  I've heard some suggest that as long as you are expressing love to God then everything is good.  All of our subjective experiences, even when it comes to worship, must be measured by the objective truth of God's Word.  Even though worship services may look different at times, they must all align themselves with the Truth from God's Word.  When this is done, Christ calls it acceptable worship (John 4:23-24).  God does allow us to experience a relationship with Him.  My concern is that God is sometimes not included in worship services that take place and yet Christians can still leave church feeling that they had a great morning of worship.

Worship is certainly and expression of love and adoration for who God is.  In fact, worship is a response from our own personal redemption through Jesus Christ.  True worshipers are those who have been redeemed (purchased) by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.  We truly have much to sing about and proclaim!  Christ teaches us in John 4:23-24, "But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

I would suggest that the foundation of worship is not primarily love as love is a byproduct of walking in step with the Spirit of God (1 Cor. 13).  I believe that the foundation of worship is actually redemption.  Everything flows out of a transformed life which gives us the ability to love God properly (and others).  God the Father is seeking those who will worship Him for eternity.  The response of our redemption is to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength-this is what Christ taught (Mark 12:20; Deut. 6:4-6).  Worship is truly a response to God for all that He has done in our redemption.  It is revealed in our love, praise, and adoration to Him each and every day of our lives.  Worship is truly Whole Life Worship (Rom. 12:1-2).