Your Link to All Things Worship

IV. TOTAL WORSHIP ENCOMPASSES THE SPIRIT, SOUL, and BODY

In reference to John 4:24, part of the Truth we are to worship God in is the truth that His Scripture declares.
God desires wholeness in our spirit, soul, and body.
“May your spirit, soul and body be kept strong and blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah.” I Thessalonians 5:23

1. SPIRIT - pneuma
The eternal, God conscious spirit in a man. It has been made alive, renewed in Jesus Christ.

2. SOUL - psuche
Between the spirit and body. The character and personality of a man. Here are the will, mind, emotions, intellect. The soul is aware of deeper things than we experience by our senses. God has placed reasoning capabilities in us.

3. BODY - soma
The flesh that houses the spirit and soul. It responds to its environment through the five senses.

It’s been put this way:

The SPIRIT is God-conscious.

The SOUL is self-conscious.

The BODY is sense-conscious.

Worship is designed to involve our whole being...spirit, soul, and body.
Just as the Lord ministers to our whole man, he desires us to minister through our whole man.

4. WORSHIP IN SPIRIT
“For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and
have no confidence in the flesh.” Philemon 3:3
“My spirit doth rejoice in God my Savior.” Luke 1:47
“God is spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” John 4:24

5. WORSHIP IN SOUL
“My soul doth magnify the Lord.” Luke 1:47
“Bless the Lord, O my soul.” Psalm 103:1

6. WORSHIP IN BODY
“My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let ALL FLESH bless His Holy Name forever
and ever.” Psalm 145:21
“I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth.” Psalm 109:30

As we will study in coming sessions, we are encouraged in scripture to “lift up holy hands”, “clap our hands”,“shout with a voice of triumph”, and a number of other “physical” expressions of praise and worship.

Worship starts in spirit (but must be expressed),
changes our emotion and understanding in mind,
released in a pure expression of love (singing, bowing, lifting...)

Worship is...

stimulated in SPIRIT,
experienced in SOUL,
demonstrated in BODY.

Body form without spirit and mental participation is ritual.

We can go through all the right motions and totally miss God.

This is the fourth installment of Pastor Daniel Gardner's series, True Worshipers of God. For this complete series on audio, go to WorshipToonz on this page. You can also find much of Dan's music, recorded and published, on this page. Each song has its own audio and leadsheet demos.

John Watilo and Heart of Praise

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