Worship at New Covenant

“Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place. Ascribe to the LORD, O families of nations, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength, ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name. Bring an offering and come before him; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.” Deut. 16:27-29

We all worship something

You may recall that God told Pharaoh, through Moses, “Let my people go, that they may worship me!” God is seeking worship – true, spiritual worship. But people need to be freed if they are to worship, freed not only from political slavery but from spiritual slavery.

You see, all of us worship something - because God made us to be worshipers. It is the result of our corruption and individual sin that we misdirect our worship toward false gods, or toward petty things such as all-consuming hobbies or ideologies. We need to be freed from these idols in order to worship the true God as He intended.

God is searching for true worshipers

When Jesus came, He cleared the road for true worship. Listen to his words:

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

Jesus made this kind of worship, in spirit and truth, possible – through the forgiveness of sins, the gift of the Holy Spirit, eternal salvation, and the deep joy that flows from this. Being made into a true worshiper by the living God is a tremendous joy and privilege:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” 1 Peter 2:9-10

Clearly worship is not something forced and cold. Neither is it flippant or fueled by passing emotion. Instead, it is a response to God’s transforming work in our lives, and a recognition of his excellence. It can only happen if our minds and emotions are each engaged!

John Piper captures well the biblical teaching when he writes:

“Truth without emotion produces dead orthodoxy and a church full (or half-full) of artificial admirers… On the other hand, emotion without truth produces empty frenzy and cultivates shallow people who refuse the discipline of rigorous thought. But true worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine. Strong affections for God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow of biblical worship.” John Piper, Desiring God

Worshiping Together

God is honored as we join our hearts and voices together in worship. We do this in particular on Sunday mornings, what the Bible calls the Lord’s Day. Contrary to some of our natural tendencies, it is not enough to quietly worship God on our own. Consider these passages that show the importance of corporate worship in the Old Testament…

“I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord!’” Psalm 122:1

“Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!” Psalm 149:1

In the New…

“And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” Acts 2:42

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25

And even in eternity!

“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” Revelation 7:9-10

The Priority of Worship at New Covenant

Worshiping God together, through the mercy found in Jesus Christ, is the basis of our life together at New Covenant. Our prayer is that you would personally experience the new life offered in Christ through the gospel, and express that new life by joining with your fellow believers in Christ-centered, God-honoring worship.

From a posture of worship, we then serve others and the world. In fact, it is only from this posture that we have anything to offer others! The Great Commission was given in the context of worship (Matthew 28:17) and the effective ministry of the apostles and early believers centered unified prayer and worship (Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-37).

The style of worship at New Covenant

Musical style is unfortunately a matter of ongoing debate with Christian circles. No doubt our personal preferences get in the way. What we strive for at New Covenant is worship that…

• Centers on God and His salvation through Jesus Christ
• Properly engages the mind and emotions
• Encourages active involvement rather than passivity
• Reminds us of our connection to the larger body of Christ
• Incorporates the “best of the old and the best of the new” in terms of song selection

We encourage you to prepare your heart for worship each Sunday through repentance, prayer, and meditation on God’s word. May the glorious gospel of Jesus Christ eclipse every lesser concern, by God’s grace, as we gather together.