True Worship
By Pastor Alex

During my first year in college, way back in 1987, the guest speaker at a Missions’ Conference made a profound statement that forever changed my concept and perspective on worship.  He said, ‘the highest physical emotion is sexual intimacy and the highest spiritual emotion is worship!’

Typical of my lifestyle, I don’t let any statement go unanalyzed or un-researched so a couple of questions are worth asking:

• Is there a correlation between physical sexual intimacy and spiritual worship experience?
• How do these two mirror each other?

Sex was created by God, a beautiful act of expressing wholeness of dedication, devotion, and commitment between married couples – a man and a woman.  Those of us who are legally married under the principles of God’s institution know that to fully enjoy sexual intimacy you must give your ALL.  Anytime that a spouse holds back, or there is an unresolved issue, makes this experience highly unfulfilling.  Statistics show that couples with a healthy sexual life tend to have very stable marriages.  No wonder Christians with a deep worship lifestyle have such a unique and lasting relationship with God. 

There are three stages of worship I would want us to discuss – I will deal with the first in this editorial.  Jesus mentioned true worship in John 4:24, ‘God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth!’  Most Christians are so consumed with which church to go to, which Worship Leader to sit under, what particular song to listen to, in a bid to have a wonderful worship experience.  In the well-renowned ‘by-the-well-conversation’ between Jesus and the Samaritan woman, he made it clear that neither in Samaria or Judea is there of any importance as to the location of worship.  The essence of worship, irrespective of where, who and when, should be spiritual and true.  In other words, there should be a MEANING to worship.  Pastor Don George, Senior Pastor of Calvary Church in Irving, TX, says that the meaning of worship “occurs when all that you are responds to all that God is!” 

In simple terms, worship is not about our pastors, worship leaders, choirs, etc. but about God!  How many of us have had such an incredible experience of connecting to the climax when the natural (you) meets the spiritual (God)?  That threshold point that we lightly refer to as the supernatural, is actually a state of spiritual orgasm.  For me, when worship gets intense, that is, goes beyond the threshold point, I most often than not (may be always) fall to my knees or fall prostrate and in tears – that is where (and it’s different for everyone) the highest physical emotions reflect or mirror the highest spiritual experience.  Nobody can remain standing for long when you genuinely and overwhelmingly get into God’s presence.  Isaiah (Isaiah 6: 1-9) was overwhelmed and John the Apostle (Revelation 1:17) had to fall prostrate.  True worship is not singing or praying to impress anyone, true worship is actually a spiritual affair.

On the flip side, worship is not just singing and praising, it is a way of life.  Paul admonishes us in Romans 12: 1-2 to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God which is your spiritual worship (KJV).  My body and life should reflect worship!  If I give my ALL to God, then I give my time, energy, money, etc without holding back, otherwise the worship will not be fulfilling!!!  There must be a meaning behind any form of worship we render, therefore Jesus says in Mark 12:30,
“Thou shall love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with thy entire mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.”