The Bible is a tale of two Covenants, the Old and the New. Understanding the difference between the two and knowing which applies to our everyday lives is crucial. The New Covenant, the New Testament is the contract Jesus ratified with His own blood. It replaces the Old. Lack of understanding has caused some to carry over Old Testament forms of worship bringing them into the church. In this week’s post, we continue talking about these common mistakes in the area of worship.

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The Tremendous Importance of Worship

• One of Jesus’ temptations in the wilderness had to do with the area of worship.

Matthew 4:8–10 (KJV)
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 9 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

• If the devil wants anything from us, that should just be a red flag.
• You can see from this account that worship is a big deal.
• If it’s a big deal to God, it should be a big deal to us.

The Old Testament Pattern for Worship Versus the New Testament Pattern

• Do not confuse Old Testament worship with the New Testament pattern.
• They are not the same.
• There is a New Testament Pattern of worship.

In the New Testament, Thanksgiving Should Be Offered:

1. To God – 2 Cor. 2:14
2. To Christ – 1 Tim. 1:12
3. Through Christ – Rom. 1:8, Col. 3:17, Heb. 13:15
4. In the Name of Christ – Eph. 5:20
5. On behalf of God’s servants – 2 Cor. 1:11
6. In everything – 1 Thess. 5:18
7. Before receiving food – Acts 27:35, John 6:11
8. Always – Eph. 1:16, 5:20, 1 Thess. 1:2
9. For the gift of Christ – 2 Cor. 9:15
10. For Christ’s power and reign – Rev. 11:17
11. For the reception and effectual working of the word of God in others – 1 Thess. 2:13
12. For deliverance from indwelling sin, through Christ – Rom. 7:23-25
13. For victory over death and the grave – 1 Cor. 15:57
14. For the triumph of the gospel – 2 Cor. 2:14
15. For the conversion of others – Rom. 6:17
16. For faith exhibited by others – Rom. 1:8
17. For love exhibited by others – 2 Thess. 1:13
18. For the grace bestowed on others – 1 Cor. 1:14, Phil. 1:3-5
19. For the zeal exhibited by others – 2 Cor. 8:16
20. For appointment to spiritual service 1 Tim. 1:12
21. For the supply of our bodily needs – Rom. 14:6-7
22. For all people – 1 Tim. 2:1
23. For all things – Eph. 5:20, 2 Cor. 9:11

• These are general references to worship in the New Covenant but there is one vital difference between the Old and the New Testaments.

New Testament Worship is from the Spirit of Man

John 4:24 (KJV)
24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

• The pattern of worship in the New Testament is in Spirit and in truth.
• Here is this pattern again in the epistles of Paul.

Philippians 3:3 (KJV)
3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

• There is an Old Testament pattern.
• The Old Testament involves worshiping with everything EXCEPT your spirit.
• Old Testament people of God could not worship in the spirit because they were spiritually dead inside.
• They could only worship in the flesh.
• They could only use their bodies because their spirits were not alive to God.
• What does ‘worshiping in the flesh’ mean in the Old Testament context?
• It means that the anointing did not come upon them to energize their worship.
• In other words, they could not tap into their spirits.
• When Davis danced before the Ark, he danced with HIS MIGHT, not with God’s might or ability.

2 Samuel 6:14 (KJV)
14 And David danced before the LORD with all his might, and David was girded with a linen ephod.

• The worship we see in the Old Testament and evident in the Psalms was outward body oriented worship.
• They could not worship with their spirits so they used their bodies instead.
• In Psalm 150, the psalmist exhorted the people to praise God with their instruments.

Psalm 150:3–5 (NKJV) — 3 Praise Him with the sound of the trumpet; Praise Him with the lute and harp! 4 Praise Him with the timbrel and dance; Praise Him with stringed instruments and flutes! 5 Praise Him with loud cymbals; Praise Him with clashing cymbals!

• What transpired here was the musicians picked up their instruments and played in the flesh with no anointing upon them.
• There were only three classes of people in the Old Covenant who experienced the anointing; prophets, priests, and kings.
• Musicians didn’t qualify and so the anointing never came.
• People look into the pages of the Psalms and try to emulate what they see there.
• That’s how the pattern gets confused.
• Have you ever been in a service where you were asked to give Jesus a hand clap?
• Is that Old Testament worship or New Testament?
• In the New Testament references above, none of them include clapping.
• You simply cannot clap with the anointing of the Spirit of God.
• Why? Because it’s Old Testament worship.
• In fact, there is only one reference to clapping in the whole Bible?
• It’s in the one-hundred-forty-seventh Psalm.

Psalm 47:1 (KJV)
1 O clap your hands, all ye people; Shout unto God with the voice of triumph.

• Only one reference in the Bible but in so many church services across the land Jesus is given a hand clap.
• This is not the pattern for a New Testament child of God.
• You cannot applaud Jesus.
• Earthly men are applauded all the time.
  • People applaud the dignitaries of this world.
  • They rise and clap for rock stars, politicians, and actors.
  • We applaud and clap for great actors at the Emmy’s.
  • We applaud great athletes who score points and make great plays.
  • We hail great statesman and even bad politicians.
  • We clap for famous people when they walk into a room.
  • We clap for astronauts when they land on a planet that God made.
  • Is Jesus in this class?
  • Why sinners even applaud false prophets, drug dealers, and strippers.
  • Surely clapping is not the vehicle to show our love and adoration for the anointed Son of God.
• Jesus is God Almighty and a distinction must be made.
• Jesus is to be worshiped not applauded.
• How, then, should we properly worship Him?
• Look at this passage in the epistles of Paul.

1 Timothy 2:8 (KJV)
8 I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

• Do you see it?
• Believers should lift up their holy hands to God.
• Try it out and see for yourself.
• Try to give Jesus a round of applause in your living room.
• Test it out. Put some ump into it even and see if the anointing comes upon you.
• And then, try the New Testament pattern of worship.
• Lift your hands and express your heart to Him and notice the difference.
• There will be a distinct difference you can reference.
• You will know that clapping your hands is merely applause but lifting your hands to God is worship.
• It’s night and day.

Call to Action

So, we have seen some of the mistakes that people make in this area of worship. The more we come in line with God’s Word in any area, the better things work. So, now its your turn to rev up your worship life and watch the Presence of the Lord increase in your life?

Question: What additional areas in this worship area do you think should be addressed in a believers life? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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