Book Review: Living a Life of True Worship

Living a Life of True Worship by Kay Arthur, Bob & Diane Vereen Trade Paperback: 96 pages Publisher: Waterbrook Press First Released: 2002

Source: Bought through Half.com.

Book Description from Back Cover:
How Does One Worship a Holy God?

We all worship someone, something--and our worship takes many forms. But according to God, if our worship is to be true worship it must be His way. God said, "By those who come near Me, I will be treated as holy, and before all the people I will be honored."

How...when...where does man worship God in spirit and in truth? This is what you'll discover for yourself as you study and discuss what God says about all those who would come near to Him.


Review:
Living a Life of True Worship is a no homework, 6-week-long Bible study. It's designed for small groups to do together once a week in a 40 minute period. The Bible study pretty much let Scripture speak for itself and explored what the whole Bible taught on the subject. The lessons were about what worship actually is, the tabernacle/Old Testament worship and how Jesus fulfilled that in the New Testament, and then how to apply what we've learned so that--as followers of Jesus--we can worship God "in spirit and in truth."

The study had people read several verses (which were included in the book along with information about the context of the verses), mark/highlight certain words, then answer several questions about what was just read. Insight boxes were included with historical information that helped make a verse or point more understandable. This study also included line drawings of the layout of the tabernacle and its furniture (altars, lamp stand, etc.).

The questions were helpful in focusing attention on all the points that needed to be looked at. In case you missed a point, the "wrap up" section at the end of each week's lesson summarized what was learned that week.

I really enjoyed this study and learned some new things. Overall, I'd highly recommend this Bible study to all Christian believers as it really puts things into perspective.


If you've read this book, what do you think about it? I'd be honored if you wrote your own opinion of the book in the comments.


Excerpt: Week One
OBSERVE
The first place the word worship is mentioned in the English Bible is in Genesis 22. Although the word appears only once in that chapter, you can learn some foundational truths about true worship by studying this passage.


Leader: Read aloud Genesis 22:1-10, which you see printed in the sidebar. Have the group say "God" aloud every time He is mentioned. Also have the group...

*draw a triangle around each occurrence of the word God (plus all pronouns that refer to Him).

*mark the word worship with a big W.


Genesis 22:1-10
Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." He said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you."

So Abraham rose early in the morning and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and Isaac his son; and he split wood for the burnt offering, and arose and went to the place of which God had told him. On the third day Abraham raised his eyes and saw the place from a distance. Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you."

Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son, and he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So the two of them walked on together. Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son." So the two of them walked on together.

Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

INSIGHT: Worship is the Hebrew word shachah ("a" as in "father" and "ch" as in "Christ"). It means to prostrate oneself or to bow down. In the Old Testament, it is the common term used for coming before God in worship to honor Him. The English word means to look at someone's "worth-ship." To worship God is to respect and honor Him for who He is.

DISCUSS:
*What do you learn from marking the references to God?

*What did God instruct Abraham to do?