Worship God's Way

If God was to design His own worship, what would it look like? Well, we're not left to guess.

^4:1 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, "Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things."

^4:2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne. ^4:3 And He who was sitting was like a jasper stone and a sardius in appearance; and there was a rainbow around the throne, like an emerald in appearance. ^4:4 Around the throne were twenty-four thrones; and upon the thrones I saw twenty-four elders sitting, clothed in white garments, and golden crowns on their heads. ^4:5 Out from the throne come flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder. And there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God; ^4:6 and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. ^4:7 The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. ^4:8 And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, "HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME." ^4:9 And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, ^4:10 the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, ^4:11 "Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created."

^5:1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. ^5:2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals?" ^5:3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. ^5:4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; ^5:5 and one of the elders *said to me, "Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals."

^5:6 And I saw between the throne (with the four living creatures) and the elders a Lamb standing, as if slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God, sent out into all the earth. ^5:7 And He came and took the book out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. ^5:8 When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. ^5:9 And they sang a new song, saying, "Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. ^5:10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth."

^5:11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, ^5:12 saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing." ^5:13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." ^5:14 And the four living creatures kept saying, "Amen." And the elders fell down and worshiped.

To those who find worship "irrelevant" and "boring", I have to say, "You're doing it wrong." And let me just say this about the rest. If you can give me a taste of this, a hint of this, a little flavor of this on Sunday morning, I will worship through the week. And I have to be honest. A worship band with guitar and drums is going to have to work really, really hard to give me a taste of worship done God's way. I will settle, however, for the structure -- where God on His throne is the central core (notice how many times "the throne" is mentioned as the reference point for the entire thing) and the Lamb is its theme. Easy, right?