Apostoic worship??

[Esaias]

What is "worship"? Is it mood music and the "feelings" that music generates in us? Is it us doing things to psyche ourselves into feeling something? To the point where many will literally pretend to "feel the power/fire/water/wind/anointing" or whatever, and jerk, twitch, jump, roll around, scream, etc as they LARP their way through yet another otherwise anemic fundraising service for the clown in the fancy monkey-suit up on stage?

Worship is translated in the Bible from several terms, the most common being proskeuno. That term is a euphemism for prostration (bowing), but has a more literal meaning describing what a dog does when it licks his master's hand. In other words, worship is an expression in the physical world whereby one expresses their acknowledgment of another's superiority and graciousness. It is both an expression of obeisance, respect, and submission, as well as thankfulness, appreciation, and love.

It is NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM a "feeling", although a Christian's worship ought to flow with great feeling. Worship can stimulate feeling, as well. Yes, you can praise until you start to feel it, and you can pray until you feel it. But the feeling is not worship, nor is the feeling a barometer of the worship as to its acceptability to God, its propriety, or its spirituality.

Right worship may not induce any feeling in you at all. The problem is you, not the worship. And, the wrong worship can induce all sorts of ecstacies, or none at all. Therefore, how you feel is an indication of NOTHING except how you feel. It has no bearing on whether or not worship is good or bad or whatnot.

Worship is also divine service. The priests engaged in certain actions as worship, or divine service, illustrating who their God is and who they served. Under the new covenant, divine service continues although under new covenant forms. That includes such things as prayer, preaching, alms giving, praise and thanksgiving, supporting the spread of the gospel with your resources, assembling with fellow saints, etc. And music (actually, SINGING) has a role in that.

To reduce worship to just the music and how it makes one feel, is not only unbiblical and reductionistic, but selfish.