Why Do We Have a Worship Philosophy?

Despite our Jesus-won righteousness before God, sin has impacted us in every area of our lives and our natural tendency is to distort the truth and live self-centered instead of God-centered. Even our worship of God is warped. Because of this, we must be thoughtful and intentional in how we worship God.

A worship philosophy is one guide that we use to keep our worship pure and focused, grounded on the truth of God’s Word and His revelation of Himself. We should not assume or take for granted that our worship is fitting or proper for the Holy God, but must strive to learn how to worship Him in a way that is pleasing and acceptable. As we seek to grow deeper through worship, we believe that our corporate worship should be:

1. Grounded in God’s Word

God is the only authority who can teach us what is proper and pleasing to Him, and He reveals His will through His Word. Although our experiences and feelings are important, we must be careful not to be directed by them, but guided by truth. As such, our worship should be saturated in God’s Word. Our songs and prayers should be shaped by Scriptures. Our preaching should be committed to declaring and exposing God’s Word. We should be faithful in the public reading of the Bible, not simply for the sake of reading, but for the sake of remembering the good news of the gospel and seeking God’s will.

2. Focused on God

Since God is who we worship and the reason that we worship, everything we do in corporate worship should be God-honoring in purpose. Our worship must be Christ-centered, since it is only because of Christ’s atonement that we are able to worship. It must also be Holy Spirit-empowered, since it is the Spirit who guides and enables us. We worship best by reflecting on God’s character and remembering His acts. Although we do expect God to work in our lives as we worship, we come humbly seeking and submitting to His will rather than our own.

3. Dedicated to the good of others

Corporate worship is not a solitary event, but a communal event, and Christian worship is marked specifically by love for others. Desiring that all might participate, we should strive for worship that is accessible, understandable, and non-distracting. We demonstrate our love for others best by humbly putting aside our personal preferences for the benefit of all. Everything that we do as we worship must be for the edification of the body. We build one another up specifically by serving one another and through the acts of exhortation, encouragement, and equipping with God’s Word. This is only possible if we have grown together through relationship, so we commit to meet together regularly.