1. Foundations of Worship: a Biblical Perspective By Charity Stratford

2. Today’s View of Worship  The songs and the sermon  Often, we do not consider the other aspects of worship. It is so much more than singing songs and listening to a sermon.

3. What Worship Is  Worship is a response to God and the giving of our entire selves to God for His use.

4. Israel’s Worship in the Old Testament  Patriarchal Response  A reclamation of creation and location  Altar-building (Gen. 12:1-9)  Placement of stone pillars and libation offerings (Gen. 28:18, 22; 35:14)  Taking vows (Gen. 28:20; 31:13)  Ritual purification for meeting someone (Gen. 35:2)  Circumcision (Gen. 17:9-14)  Prayers of praise, thanksgiving (Gen. 12:8; 13:4), petition (Gen. 24:12; 25:21), and intercession (Gen. 18:22-33; 20:7)

5.  The reclamation of relationship and mission  The Covenant  Function: the king protecting servant, servant participating in king’s mission  Ceremony: sacrifice and eating/drinking the sacrifice

6.  Problem: there was no direct access to God. They had to go through the High Priest  Jeremiah 17:9 -- the heart could not be cured  Jeremiah 31:31-- prophecy  Solution: Jesus redefined the relationships between God and man and between man and man so that man could finally be good enough for an intimate relationship with God. What did it look like now?

7. The Early Church Worship  Acts 2:42-47  Apostle’s teaching  Fellowship  Eating together  Prayer  Wonders and miraculous signs  Giving to those who had need  Met together in the temple courts every day  Praise to God

8.  Hebrews 10:8-25  This is us now.

9. Unitarian and Existential Unitarian Model: Father Father Father Father Father | | | | | Jesus Paul Us Son Individual Existential Model: --- Jesus God --- Spirit | --- “knowing God” \ encounter | Work of Christ -- Preaching event -- Our faith response -- “personal salvation”

10. Incarnational-Trinitarian Model  New Testament worship is about the unique relationship of the Son to the Father in the Spirit  The “drawing in” in a participatory way, into the unique life, worship, and communion of the Son by the Father with the Spirit  Two kinds of relationships: between God and humanity, and between Christ and the Church

11. Incarnational-Trinitarian YahwehFather -- | | \ Israel (Royal Priesthood) spirit spirit | | \ All Nations Jesus Church-Body of Christ (son of God (Children of God son of Man) Children of Men) | | Jews, Gentiles, All nations males, females

12. Horizontal and Vertical Worship  Horizontal: the community of believers worshipping together  Fellowship with each other  Vertical: believers responding and giving themselves in worship to God  Intimate communion with God We are one with God and with each other.

13. Worship  We have now been made clean through Jesus’ perfect sacrifice for our sins. God has taken up residence within us. This is why we worship.  Worship is a way of life. Everything we do is a natural response to God, and therefore a potential act of worship.