Jesus The Worshipper

“TRUE worship which pleases God, happens when you give yourself completely to God.”

Nola Pelser

Because so little is written about Jesus’ worship practices, we often assume He never needed to worship God. The fact that He did express worship to God is hugely significant. One notable instance of Jesus’ worship is when He fell on the ground kneeling in Prayer during the last hours in Gethsemane (Mark 14:35). During the Passover meal, Jesus sang the customary Hallel (Psalms 114-118) with His disciples (Matthew 26:30). Furthermore, Jesus displayed ecstatic joy in Luke 10:21: “In that hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit.” The Greek word for “rejoiced” here is ἀγαλλιάω (agalliáō), meaning “to leap”. It signifies a physical expressive exultation, leaping for joy, a spontaneous overwhelming sense of ecstatic delight. Jesus was, hence, also an expressive worshipper of God!

God does not need our worship; He is not a self-centered being sitting on a throne, demanding praise to satisfy His ego. In fact, God is complete within Himself—perfect in love, holiness, and power. He lacks nothing, and our worship does not add to His glory or elevate His status. Instead, worship is for our benefit. It aligns us with His truth, opens our hearts to His presence, and draws us into a deeper relationship with Him. Worship is a response to who God is—a natural outpouring of love, gratitude, and reverence when we encounter His majesty, goodness, and grace.

God desires our worship, not for His sake, but because it transforms us. It shifts our focus away from ourselves and our circumstances, reminding us of His sovereignty and faithfulness. In worship, we are reminded of our purpose, our identity in Christ, and the hope we have in Him. True worship brings freedom as we lay down our burdens and fears, trusting fully in His love and care. It is not about fulfilling God’s need for adoration but about experiencing the fullness of life and joy in His presence.

There is such a vast display of expressions of worship in the many different churches, historically and presently, that one ponders: What is the correct or most acceptable expression of worship to God? If one thinks of the various forms and styles of church music through the ages, worship music has evolved through various styles across the ages. Early Christian worship featured simple chants like Gregorian chants, focused on monophonic melodies. The Middle Ages introduced polyphony as time progressed, with multiple voices blending harmoniously. The Renaissance and Baroque periods saw more complex compositions, like hymns and chorales, emphasizing structured harmony. In the 19th century, gospel and revivalist songs brought more emotion and participation. The 20th century introduced contemporary worship with modern instruments, blending pop, rock, and folk styles, which continue to shape today’s worship experience.

Throughout history, people sincerely worshipped God according to the traditions of the specific religious upbringing they understood. But what is the kind of worship that is most pleasing to God? Let’s find the answer in the best life ever lived—Jesus Christ, our Lord, the incarnation of God’s perfect will.

What is True Worship?

Today, much emphasis is placed on the most current accepted style of worship. One church competes with the other over whose worship is the best and attracts the most people. Jesus was clearly opposed to this kind of worship that is to be seen and revered by people. “But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the borders of their garments.” (Matt. 23:5)

Jesus exemplified that worship is not far removed from the people, constrained to temples and synagogues. Worship is a lifestyle practised in everyday life and in nature. In the OT, it is mentioned that temple buildings do not glorify God. Rather: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me and where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made and all those things exist,” says the Lord. “But on this one will I look. On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at My word“ (Isa. 66:1-2).

Jesus therefore shows us that worship is a permanent way of life and not a place to go. My life, walk and deeds are His sanctuary (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16).

Jan Oosthuizen

Work is Worship

During our visit to Pennsylvania, USA, where the Amish people live and farm, I remember how impressed we were with the neatness, precision, and beautiful, healthy corn and wheat fields. We were amazed at the work of these people’s hands. May mankind also marvel at our creations, creativity, expertise, work, fruitfulness, and service! Our work is worship and even an unspoken sermon!

Jesus dedicated 90% of His life to worshipping and glorifying the Father in a very earthly, ordinary, everyday existence among ordinary people. He could have chosen the occupations of a priest, scribe, pharisee, or judge, yet He decided to worship God by being a humble craftsman. We do not have to dress in religious clothes to worship God; our attitude, thoughts, actions, habits, and lifestyle should glorify God. “Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.” (Matt. 5:15). Apart from the fact that Jesus had to work hard at this time, He teaches us that He and the Father also work. But Jesus rebuked them, saying, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working” (John 5:17).

The original idea that work is worship comes from the Hebrew keyword “tend” or “keep”. Gen. 2:15:  “Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.” abad: create, cultivate, labour, fruitful, and service. Also, to take care = Samar: to keep, to preserve, to protect, to be careful, to keep watch.

This command to work was given before the fall, showing that we were created to work and be stewards. The curse of the fall is: “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life” (Gen. 3:17).

Work is not our punishment for sinning against God; toiling without understanding our creational purpose of creativity, stewardship, and caring for our natural resources is a punishment called slavery. Slaves do not work with a sense of purpose and destiny; they slave mindlessly through the day. Work is dignity. Creating something of value is fundamentally satisfactory and delightful. Work truly is worship, but it also reveals who or what we worship.

Being Fruitful is Worship

It is interesting how much Jesus refers to agriculture and to planting and growing things – Growth is our praise to the Lord. We were created to grow, to be fruitful. We glorify the Lord the most when we live out His purpose of creation!

Jesus’ Teachings exemplify fruitfulness, industriousness, and multiplication.

• The parable of the sower (Matt. 13:1-2) focuses on the cultivation of the inner motivations of the heart.
• The parable of the wheat and the chaff (Matt. 13:24-30, 36-43) soberingly points to what kind of legacy you leave behind and our consequent eternal destination.
• The parable of the mustard seed (Matt. 13:31-32) reveals the one thing that overcomes the world’s trials—our faith.
• Jesus repeatedly encourages us to bear fruit like a healthy tree (Matt. 3:8-10).
• You cannot grow good and bad fruit from the same tree (Matt. 7:16-20).
• The best fruit He desires is gathering the harvest and praying for more labourers.
• He curses the fig tree that does not bear fruit (Matt. 21:18-20).
• The Kingdom is basically a seed that grows and bears fruit (Mark 4:26-29).
• Our very lives are the seed:“Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain” (John 12:24).

Jesus, therefore, sees true worship as us being fruitful to His Glory!

The two parables—the parable of the Minas (Luke 19:11-27), and the parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)—tell the compelling story of a master who entrusts his servants with a certain amount, instructing them to go and multiply what they have been given. The Greek word for multiplication is “Pragma”, which means to be industrious, entrepreneurial, trade, traffic, occupation, and excelling. The servant who protected his amount by burying it, scared of taking risks, is seen as wicked and cast out into the darkness.

When the Lord created the earth, He said it was good. What do we create that is good? He is glorified by what we create. Some people create division, disorder and contention. As creation testifies to His glory and who God is, the works of our hands testify to our shame or to His glory.

Since my calling as an apostle, I have had equal interest in both churches and business. I marvel when a company grows to become a successful enterprise that not only serves humanity with an excellent, valuable, glorious product but also develops its employees as part of a family reaching their best potential. Moreover, doing good and generously supporting local communities and its people. A healthy church provides the best employees and managers with outstanding noble and exceptional character and work ethic. The business corporation provides the funds and the means for the church to extend its reach like yeast into the world.

The highlight of the garden theme in Jesus’ sermon is: “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit” (John 15:1-10). The reason for pruning in this verse is the farmer’s dedication and desire for a bigger and more delicious nutritious harvest. To achieve this goal, the farmer or vinedresser must cut away the dead branches and retain the wild ones because he seeks a harvest from the orchard as a whole.

Our mindset of worship has grown to be seen only in terms of our individual lives. These scripture examples reveal God’s desire to see a collective of people worshipping Him in truth and righteousness. Our family, church, and business should glorify Him as a collective!

Living right in a wicked world is how we glorify God the most.

Consider Daniel, Nehemiah, Mordecai, and Esther! A godly lifestyle is how God is most glorified. “To do righteousness and justice is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.” (Prov. 21:3). When individuals choose to do what is right, they form a family that does what is right. That family becomes a church, then a tribe, and eventually, a nation shaped by righteousness.

God also seeks our expressions of worship and praise

Does our study conclude that physical expressions of worship are not necessary and important to God? Certainly not! Just think of Buddhism, Islam, and all the Eastern religions, which are expressive and include physical movements of praise to their god.

The Pentecostal Church is synonymous with expressive praise. Back in the day, they were sometimes referred to as the “Happy Clappies”.

The Bible makes direct references to expressive praise:

• Clapping hands – Ps. 47:2; Isa. 55:12
• Cheers, cheers, shouts – Ezra 3:11; Ps. 95:1-2
• Singing – Ps. 100:4; Ps. 101:1; Ps. 105:2
• Prostration: Lying on your face – Gen. 17:3
• Kneeling and bending down – Ps. 95:6; Ezra 9:5; Eph. 3:14
• Standing – Gen. 18:22
• Raising of hands – Ps. 63:5; Ps. 28:3; 1 Tim. 2:8; 1 Kings 8:54
• Antiphonal singing (Echo or answer the lead singer) – Ps. 107; 136; Neh. 12:31, 40-42

The danger, however, is that these actions can easily become robotic rituals that people follow without thought. But God desires faith! Without faith, it is impossible to please Him. So, clapping my hands carries a purpose—a depth of faith behind the action. When I praise the Lord in dance, despite my sadness and pain, it becomes an act of faith! Joyfully clapping and worshipping God expresses my faith and trust in God, particularly when things go wrong! These are not mere movements or empty gestures but faith-filled acts of worship.

Moreover, doing these actions of spontaneous praise is an act of faith in itself, particularly when people may frown or be displeased by this emotional public display of affection to God! Remember Mary’s affectionate expression of love to God, taking a pound of very costly spikenard oil, anointing the feet of Jesus, and wiping His feet with her hair (John 12:1-7).

Just as the Trinity is one Deity, so God also wants us to worship spirit, soul and body in unity. My whole being, heart, mind, will, intellect, and body are in harmonious unity and surrender before God in my worship.

Unacceptable Worship

Gen. 4:4-5:“Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.” (NLV). Why did God reject Cain’s worship? Because his works were evil and his brother’s righteous. (1 John 3:12)

Amos 4:4-5: “Go ahead and offer sacrifices to the idols at Bethel. Keep on disobeying at Gilgal. Offer sacrifices each morning, and bring your tithes every three days. Present your bread made with yeast as an offering of thanksgiving. Then give your extra voluntary offerings so you can brag about it everywhere! This is the kind of thing you Israelites love to do,” says the Sovereign Lord.” (NLV)

Amos 5:23: “Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps.” (NLV)

Amos 6:5:“You sing trivial songs to the sound of the harp and fancy yourselves to be great musicians like David.” (NLT)

Is. 1:11-15: “What makes you think I want all your sacrifices?”says the Lord. “I am sick of your burnt offerings of rams and the fat of fattened cattle. I get no pleasure from the blood of bulls and lambs and goats When you come to worship me, who asked you to parade through my courts with all your ceremony? Stop bringing me your meaningless gifts; the incense of your offerings disgusts me. As for your celebrations of the new moon and the Sabbath and your special days for fasting—they are all sinful and false. I want no more of your pious meetings. hate your new moon celebrations and your annual festivals. They are a burden to me. I cannot stand them! When you lift up your hands in prayer, I will not look. Though you offer many prayers, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with the blood of innocent victims.” (NLT)

Is. 5:12: “They furnish wine and lovely music at their grand parties— lyre and harp, tambourine and flute—but they never think about the Lord or notice what he is doing.” (NLT)

Is. 29:13:”Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men.” (NKJV)

Reading these verses makes it clear that God sees and weighs the commitment and dedication of the heart above all things! He seeks our undivided attention and focus! Our false outward worship does not fool him if the heart is not explicitly aligned.

Faith In God: The Highest Form of Worship

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6)

God accepted Abel’s worship because he believed: “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.” (Heb. 11:4)

Jesus said believe: “Then they said to Him, “What shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He sent.” (John 6:28-29) “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6)

Even two Gentiles, a Roman officer and a Canaanite woman, were praised for their great faith: “When Jesus heard it, He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel!” (Matt. 8:10)

It is very clear from the above Scriptures that God is most pleased with our faith! Praise and worship require faith.

“For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.” (Gal. 5:6)

Sincere Love – God Seeks Your WHOLE Heart

Praise the Lord with your entire being—every part of you is involved. Love flows from the heart’s direction. Just as a man cannot fake love for his wife—she sees through his insincerity when he buys her flowers but speaks harshly or treats her poorly—so does God seek our genuine, unfeigned, wholehearted love.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27). It simply implies that you must love the Lord with your mind, emotions, body, and everything! Our whole being is present and involved in loving God. God is, therefore, the focus of our hearts. Our everything, will, life, desires, dreams, passions, and world of thought are geared to praise and glorify God.

Spontaneous Worship

True love is spontaneous: “The next day a great multitude that had come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: “Hosanna! ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ The King of Israel!” (John 12:12-19). This stands in stark contrast to the formal, ritualistic religion practised by the temple leaders of that time. It’s like how we value a spontaneous love poem from a child or spouse far more than hearing something read from a script written by someone else. Authenticity and heartfelt expression always speak louder than mere formality.

Worship In Spirit and Truth (John 4:24)

“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23-24)

It means praising Him sincerely, with unfeigned honesty, and not caring what people say. Truth speaks of the authenticity of our focus. We do not pray prayers to be heard by people (Matt. 6:5-8). Truth also speaks of seeing God truthfully. For example, when spending time with someone you love, there are these precious moments when you see the person for who they truly are. You see them in their glory and special uniqueness. God is seeking worshippers who see Him in the moment. His disciples worshipped Him as being the Messiah, the son of God, yet did not see the weight of sin He was soon to carry on their behalf. Only Mary saw His current state of mind and worshipped Him accordingly.

People often worship God out of duty simply because He is God and deserves worship. In doing so, they miss His living presence and will for this moment, failing to connect with His heart and desire in the “now”.

Worship by the Spirit means worship that flows from your heart, inspired by the Holy Spirit within you, and directed toward the glory of God. At the core of all true worship is a dependence on the Holy Spirit’s help as we sing and praise. For no one can truly worship or even perceive God without the Father revealing Himself through His Spirit (Matt. 16:17; Matt. 11:27; 1 Cor. 2:10; Gal. 1:16).

God Is Spirit, and We Know Him By The Spirit

“But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.” (1 Cor. 2:10-11)

We cannot understand God, and reason with our minds. We see, hear, understand through the Spirit. “But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.  But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Cor. 3:15-18)

“Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.” (Matt. 16:17)

Worship is, therefore, spiritual, not just singing songs. There is a spiritual connection. “What is the conclusion then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.  Otherwise, if you bless with the spirit, how will he who occupies the place of the uninformed say “Amen” at your giving of thanks, since he does not understand what you say?” (1 Cor. 14:15-16)

Only spiritual people can judge spiritual things (1 Cor. 2:13). Paul also refers directly to the singing of spiritual songs, as opposed to psalms and hymns (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:19). These spiritual songs have their origin in the spirit, not the human mind and intellect, and are the new song to which the Bible often refers (Ps. 33:3; 40:4; 96:1; 98:1; 144:9 ; 149:1; Isa. 42:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3).

Praise Comes When God Is A Reality

When you personally see or experience God, praise and worship flow naturally. No one will need to teach you how—it’s a spontaneous response to the reality of His presence in your life. The problem is that many have grown up in churches where worship is practised in a singular, formulaic way without a genuine, firsthand encounter with who God truly is. Influenced by culture and humanism, worship in many churches has drifted away from the biblical precepts and examples meant to guide and inspire true worship.

Corporate praise together with clean hearts

God sees our hearts and not our praise expressions. You can dance, jump and rejoice, but God sees the heart with which you do it. It is essential that we raise our hands to the Lord without anger, bitterness, strife and discord (1 Tim. 2:8). “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matt. 5:23-24)

Leonard Sweet explains that the two beams of the cross, one vertical and the other horizontal, point to our upward worship of God and mutually to our service to one another. The one cannot do without the other. If we focus only on one aspect of our faith, we will later use the beam to hurt others more. This is the paradox of the cross. We worship Him and focus on Him, but He helps us focus on each other again and serve one another.

The Spirit of worship is the Spirit of Christ, marked by service, submission, valuing others, sensitivity, sincerity, and humility. Jesus worshipped God through His life among people, which makes corporate worship so powerful—we learn to praise and honour the Lord together as one body. No one is left out or alienated when the entire family and congregation worship together. God’s kingdom is inclusive; everyone is welcome. This is why we consider one another when choosing songs, as young and old alike set aside personal preferences to worship God together. These shared acts of worship are rooted in self-denial, starkly contrasting to praise that can easily become self-centred, focused on human glory, rivalry, or carnal motivations. True worship is about humility, service, unity, and obedience—the very Spirit of Christ that should reign in our worship.

A Living Sacrifice

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.” (Rom. 12:1)

In the Old Testament, God required the offering of dead flesh as a sacrifice. As Hebrews 9:22 states, “And according to the law, almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission.” The priests were not allowed to enter God’s presence while perspiring (Ezek. 44:18), emphasizing that self-denial is more pleasing to God than outward acts of worship (Matt. 16:24). In the past, people could approach God through the sacrifices of animals, but Jesus, through His once-for-all sacrifice, opened the way for us to come boldly into God’s presence (Heb. 9:12; 10:19).

Our daily act of renouncing self and taking up our cross is, in fact, an act of worship. This is how Jesus glorified the Father—ultimately laying down His life (Luke 22:42).