The problem I chose to address for my doctoral research is the process of developing true worshipers through spiritual formation for the purpose of offering God acceptable worship. The purpose of this post is to establish Old Testament precedence of accepatable and unaccepatable worship.

Jesus taught the only object of personal worship is God
Matthew 4:8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; 10 And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. 10 Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

Jesus taught the only worship that is acceptable to God comes from “true worshipers”
John 4: 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Jesus taught the essentials components of personal worship is spirit and truth
John 4: 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Jesus affirms the definition of worship as submitting the human will to God
John 4: 31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

Comments

Worship between one worshiper and God is what we call personal worship. Worship between two or more persons and God is identified as corporate worship. There is very little discussion in our generation about the importance of personal worship in the life of the believer. The assumption I purport in this post is Jesus through example and doctrine taught us what it takes to achieve acceptable personal worship.  What say ye? Support all counter arguments with scripture.