Why Worship?
Updated: November 18, 2025
Because God is looking for worshippers! On Sundays and other designated days, many believers gather together in “places of worship.” By the name we assume that God is intended to be glorified by what occurs within those walls. People are greeted, songs are sung, teachers teach, and preachers preach. Yet are things “worship” simply because they are done in the name of the Lord?
In the Bible book of John, Jesus spoke about the kind of worship that pleases God. While answering a question about the place and ritual of worship, He indicates that God actually seeks those who will worship Him “in the spirit and in truth.” He followed that by saying, “God is Spirit.” This indicates that the place and rituals of worship are not in themselves what God seeks, but rather He is seeking those who will worship from their hearts (the spirit of mankind) and in truth (reality).
It doesn’t mean that you can’t have beautiful venues and rituals (God has approved both before), it just means that these aren’t what God is really looking for. If these get in the way of genuine, from-the-heart worship, then they actually stand opposed to what is important to God. In fact, it is written that God inhabits us – that we are the temple of God. So, clearly, how we are on the inside matters more than what happens on the outside.
But one wonders: can anyone live up to that standard? It seems impossible that our hearts could ever be worthy of the King of all Kings. Yet this is in itself a reason to worship! Jesus’ sacrifice made it legal for us to be God’s house. According to scripture, we are holy through faith. (See also Why Grace?) So we can worship from the heart wherever and whenever we want in the freedom and confidence that He hears and accepts us. The Bible describes many ways to worship, and all of them are acceptable as long as it is true and from a heart directed toward the Lord.
(John 4:19-24, Matthew 7:21-23, 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Ephesians 2:8, Matthew 15:15-20, Matthew 21:13, Acts 7:44-50, Acts 10:25-26,35, Acts 17:22-25, Revelation 19:10)