Right Worship – Acts 2.42-47 Pt. 5

42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2.42-47, ESV).[1]
 
Memory Verse – And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. – Acts 2.42

      Worship of our Lord Jesus Christ is important. It brings us closer to each other and into the very throne room of our Living God. Our attitude, object of worship, when we worship and where we worship are helpful to us in maintaining our spiritual well-being and joy.
      But ‘How we worship’ might be one of the most critical aspects of all. The ‘how’ of worship can look very much like the ‘when’ and ‘where’ but there are some very different aspects to the ‘how’ of worship.
      Right about now many of us are thinking about our own worship experiences whether past or present, and how they have drawn us either closer to God or driven us further from Him. We might think music is the key. In many churches the ‘music wars’ have caused great divisions and even caused churches to split, dissolve, or worst stay in existence but with a very bad attitude and reputation within the community.
      This is not what God ever intended from His church. Joshua told the children of Israel, “fear the Lord and worship him in sincerity and truth. Get rid of the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and worship the Lord” (Joshua 24.14, CSB).[2] We need to have healthy fear (awe or reverence) for the Lord; and as Joshua said in “sincerity and truth.”
      This goes along with what Jesus told the woman at the well in John four, we must worship God in Spirit and truth (John 4.24). If our hearts are not in our worship then how can we really give God what He truly desires? He deserves our best, all we have, all of our love, all our heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark 12.30). There is no way we can worship God with only part of us, part of our heart, soul, mind, or strength. What kind of worship would that be?
       The Psalmist calls us to worship God in the splendor of His Holiness (Psalm 95.6). Meaning we need to raise our level of worship above ourselves, above the things around us looking to see what God has done and elevating those things to bring Him glory and honor.
      Psalms 144 through 150 are Psalms of praise to God. As we read each one, we can see how God is exulted above everything. How the whole world sings His praises, and no matter the circumstances we can always count on God to be faithful and true. “Every day I will bless You and praise Your name forever and ever.  Great is the Lord, and greatly to be raised, and His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145. 2-3, ESV).[3]
      So, how we worship is important, it is not about the music, but it is about our heart, our mind, our soul, and coming in the right motive before Almighty God. Lifting our voices in song to Him, yes; giving ourselves to Him, yes; listening to His message, yes; serving Him, yes; and so on. All of these things are acts of worship. All of these things are the ‘how’ of worship and should be taken very seriously, yet need to be done with joy and gladness within our hearts and soul.
       If we just come to worship our Savior with actions then we will be no better than those of which the Lord spoke saying, “these people draw near with their mouths and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their worship of me is a human commandment learned by rote” (Isaiah 29.13, NRSV).[4]
      The word ‘rote’ means by mechanical or habitual repetitions; this is the way much of our worship looks. Our order of service in many churches has not changed in the last ten, fifteen, twenty or more years. And in some cases, fifty to one hundred years it has not changed, talk about habitual repetitions. What are we doing in worship that is so important that we cannot change one thing about our worship service? Remember we are worshiping God our Father, not ourselves.
      The book of Revelation is the picture of the type of worship we will experience in the presence of Christ our King. While we are here on earth, we can practice this worship, this fellowship with other believers, honoring and rejoicing together, lifting our voices in song, giving of ourselves in service, giving of our possessions to help others, and desiring the Word
of God daily.
      These are all the things the early church was doing in worship, they were growing not because they had Peter, James and John. Not because they had a great praise team singing all the latest contemporary music. Not because they had super wealthy people, or television, and radio broadcasts to air their services. No, they had the Holy Spirit, the power of God, the message of the gospel, and the love of each other.
      They worked together in unity, sharing, caring, loving, serving, and worshiping with one another God Almighty. In doing so, they had all the aspects of worship, and the community saw what they had, they saw the genuineness of these new believers and they were drawn to it, wanting what they had.
      Because of their worship, because they “praised God and had favor with all the people. The Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” (Acts2.42, NASB95, emphasis added).[5]
     
Application

1. Think about your worship in the past, what does your “HOW” look like? (I might share your answer but not your name, please be honest).
2. Have you found yourself worshiping God in a mechanical or respective way?  How? Why? Please Explain as above.
3. Deeper Thinking: Read Psalms 147 – what does this passage say about the ‘HOW’ of worship? What other understanding do you see in this passage? You can use scripture or other illustrations to back up your discussion.
4. Commit to learning Acts 2.42 and coming to corporate worship service.

 
Prayer
 
      O My God, Lord Of all the heavens I lift You up, giving You glory, praise and honor. I know You desire, a broken heart, one that is humble before You. Lord help me to be that kind of person. One who is looking after others needs before my own, considering what they want and need, before I think of myself. This is what Your Son, my Savior did. I thank You for His sacrifice on the Cross, without it I would have nothing. Lord, may my worship always be about You, be pleasing to You and You alone. As I share Your gospel give me boldness and a fearless heart so others will hear and know who You are. This I pray in Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen.


[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ac 2:42–47). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2020). (Jos 24:14). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (Ps 145:2–3). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[4] The Holy Bible: New Revised Standard Version. (1989). (Is 29:13). Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers.
[5] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Ac 2:47). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

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