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Topics · Prayer, fasting and worship

Praise and worship

Why this matters for following Jesus

Jesus said the Father seeks worshippers "in spirit and truth", and Revelation shows the whole creation worshipping the Lamb who was slain. Worship is where followers rehearse who Jesus is and give their lives back to him (Rom 12:1), and Amos and Isaiah warn that songs without mercy and justice do not please God. Singing together also shapes the community that tells others about him.

Study path

  1. 1Worship God accepts and rejectsFollow

    Does my worship go with how I live?

    Exod 20:1-6Lev 10:1-3Amos 5:21-24Isa 1:11-17Mic 6:6-8

  2. 2The Psalms: the church's songbookFollow

    How do the Psalms teach me to praise, lament and trust?

    Ps 9596100146-150

  3. 3In spirit and truth, and all of lifeKnowFollow

    What does Jesus ask of a worshipper?

    John 4:19-24Rom 12:1-2Heb 12:2813:15-16

  4. 4The early church gatheredFollow

    What do Christians do when they meet, and why?

    Acts 2:42-471 Cor 11, 14Col 3:16Eph 5:18-20Justin Martyr, First Apology 67

  5. 5The Lamb is worthyKnow

    Who is Jesus in the worship of heaven?

    Isa 6:1-8Rev 4-5

Living it out

Sing or read a Psalm aloud each day, and let one line shape how you treat someone before the week ends (Amos 5:24).

Telling others

Invite a friend to a gathering where the Lamb is sung about, and let your own praise (Acts 16:25: Paul and Silas singing in prison) be a witness.

Read for yourself

Classic writing on this topic, free to read. Older English can read differently from today’s, and each author writes from his own tradition, so read widely and test everything against Scripture.

Viewpoints from different traditions and profiles of the leading teachers on this topic are added after scholars review them. Suggest a topic or a correction.