Week 01: Introductions, Review of the Syllabus, “Worship Is a Lifestyle!”

Dr. Bullins

“The Responsibility and Qualifications of a Worshipper”

TWCVA - Summer 2023

June 29, 2023

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Objectives: Week 01

At the end of this lesson, students will be able to:

• Familiarize themselves with their classmates
• Foster a sense of community among course participants
• Review the course syllabus, and ask any questions about course expectations
• Define worship according to the scriptures
• Begin working on the “End-of-Semester Project Planner”

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Agenda: Week 01

1. Opening Prayer
2. Introductions Activity
3. Review of the Syllabus
4. Introduction to the Final Project
5. “Worship Is a Lifestyle!”
6. End-of-Semester Project Planner
7. Closing Remarks
8. Prayer

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Opening Prayer

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Introductions Activity

• Whiparounds
• What is your name?
• What is your location?
• What is your favorite worship song?

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Review of the Syllabus

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“Heart of Worship” Project Presentations

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What is “worship”?

• The first mention of “worship” in the scripture is Genesis 22:5
• In Genesis 22, the Hebrew word “shachah” is first translated worship.
• Genesis 22 describes, defines, and discloses the true meaning of worship. Abraham went up the mountain to give his most-love, most-treasured, most-prized possession.
• But Genesis 22 is not the first occurrence of that Hebrew word.
• The first mention is found in Genesis 18:1-3 where the same Hebrew word is translated “bowed to the ground.”

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What is “worship”?

• Therefore, according to the Law of First Mention, which states that understanding the Bible is premised on the idea that when a subject is mentioned for the first time in scripture, it becomes key to interpreting future mentions, worship is based on these two ideals:
• Worship is sacrificial.
• Worship requires my humility and my reverence for the excellent greatness of God.

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What is “worship”?

• In simplistic form, worship expresses to God His worth and supreme value.
• It is the full expression of the heart (mind, soul, and will) that suggests a relational commitment and surrender to God, expressed in an act of obedience, submission, and declaration.

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What is “worship”?

• To summarize, worship requires:
• Me to sacrifice whatever means the most to me (obedience)
• My humility in order to properly exalt God into His rightful place (submission)
• The engagement of the totality of my being (declaration)
• THESE REQUIREMENTS FOR WORSHIP CANNOT BE MET IN A 20-MINUTE WORSHIP SERVICE EXPERIENCE! THIS TYPE OF WORSHIP REQUIRES AN ONGOING COMMITMENT = A LIFESTYLE OF WORSHIP!

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Worship Is a Lifestyle!

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Worship Is a Lifestyle

• Obedient Worship
• Romans 12:1 (NKJV) 12 I beseech[a] you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your [b]reasonable service.

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Worship Is a Lifestyle

• Submitted Worship
• Submission = the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person.
• Worship arises from the right priorities.
• Every human being has a natural inclination toward praise and worship. If our world isn’t rightly ordered, we will end up worshiping and serving things besides God. It isn’t until we’re able to rightly prioritize God above everything else in our world that we can begin to worship in spirit and live that truth.

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Worship Is a Lifestyle

• Declarative Worship
• My heart & mind are in it.
• My soul is in it.
• My will is in it.
• “Worship has been misunderstood as something that arises from a feeling which ‘comes upon you,’ but it is vital that we understand that it is rooted in a conscious act of the will, to serve and obey the Lord Jesus Christ.” —Graham Kendrick

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The Neuroscience of Worship

• Modern neuroscience and psychology tell us that worship is a human universal and seems to be hardwired into our biology.
• Leading neuroscientist Andrew Newberg states, “The human brain is uniquely constructed to perceive and generate spiritual entities.” Hence, according to this research, just as human beings are driven by their biology to speak, eat, and procreate, they are also driven to engage in the spiritual pursuit of worship.

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The Neuroscience of Worship

• An individual's ultimate concern is what an individual loves the most, their highest ambition in life. Everyone, even an atheist, must have something that they love most, which is, in fact, their ‘god’ that is worshipped.

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The Neuroscience of Worship

• While we often think of worship as purely associated with rituals, we must recognize that worship penetrates deep into the heart of the human being and encompasses everything about one’s ultimate concern including beliefs, feelings, and actions. Therefore, worship represents the entire journey toward one’s ultimate concern in life. Defining worship as such broadens it from the domain of ritual into the domain of living.

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The Psychology of Worship

• Human beings are, by nature, dependent creatures and must find what will bring them benefit so they can actively pursue it and what will bring them harm so they can actively avoid it. He asserts that pleasure and pain are the motivating factors that drive human beings toward benefit and away from harm.

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The Psychology of Worship

• The second point he explains follows from the first. Since human beings are fundamentally motivated to find benefit and avoid harm, they must construct a belief system that informs them of the sources of benefit and harm.
• While the source should be God Almighty, people may insert other ideas.
• Wealth, fame, status, gratifying one’s desires

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The Psychology of Worship

• Whatever a person conceptualizes as the Ultimate Source of Benefit and Harm becomes their deity. For its sake they live and for its sake they strive. They submit to whatever needs to be done to accomplish their goals.

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The Psychology of Worship

• Hence, the dilemma of humanity is not whether to worship or not worship. They must submit to whatever they perceive has the power to harm or benefit them or else they face the consequences. The true existential dilemma that faces every human being is what is worthy of their worship. What exactly can and will fulfill their needs?

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End-of-Semester Project Planner

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Homework & Looking Ahead: Week 02

• Finish updating the End-of-Semester Project Planner with what you’ve learned this week.
• Watch all videos and complete all readings for Week 02.
1. All of this content is posted in our course portal.
• Prayerfully determine what type of project you will complete.
• Please reach out with any questions.

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Closing Remarks

Shaneka Bullins, Ed.D.

dr.shaneka.bullins@gmail.com

(310) 663-5181

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