十一。基督徒明白敬拜的定義和重要
“敬拜”是怎麼一回事？
關於基督徒敬拜神，耶穌基督說道：“神是靈，敬拜他的必須用心靈按真理敬拜他”（約翰福音4:24新譯本）。從此可知，基督徒的敬拜包括兩個重點——心靈和真理。心靈的意思是我們要以正確的態度站在神的面前。真理的意思是我們應該以正確的方式跪拜在神的施恩寶座前。心靈牽涉到我們敬畏不敬畏神。真理包括我們是否以聖經的真理敬拜神。“按真理敬拜”神包括神所預定的幾件事，就是唱詩歌、禱告、研讀聖經聆聽神的話、領用主餐、以及奉獻金錢為星期日敬拜神的方式。按真理敬拜神使得人們親近神以及與他交往。
基督徒敬拜創造宇宙萬物人類的神。事實上，人只應該敬拜這位神；人不應該敬拜其他任何人或物。宇宙的創造者才有資格接受人的敬拜。在新約聖經中，我們得知如何敬拜這位神。神藉著聖經告訴我們如何敬拜他。新約聖經是“用心靈按真理敬拜他[神] ”的藍圖。
我們還是想問，“敬拜是怎麼一回事？”
1 ♦ 敬拜是天上真神所應該得到的尊敬，就是神向世人表示自己，介紹自己以後應該得到的尊敬，敬愛和侍奉。
2 ♦ 敬拜是肉身的人用他的心靈尋找創造他的神，追求愛他的神。
3 ♦ 敬拜神時，世人承認這位神是真善美的泉源，是生命的主，是聖潔的標準，是慈愛的化身，是施愛的榜樣。
4 ♦ 敬拜神時，神的真理供給人的智力，神的智慧供應人的心靈，神的聖潔提高人良心的標準。
5 ♦ 敬拜神時，神的慈愛洗乾淨人的罪孽。
6 ♦ 敬拜神時，神的赦免感動人奉獻自己，用他的意志和能力侍奉神。
7 ♦ 神的聖靈藉著聖經教導基督徒要怎麼樣敬拜神。能夠被神接受的敬拜要合乎按照聖經的教誨。（從該隱、亞伯，拿答、亞比戶的故事中，我們得知不可以偏離聖經的教導。）
8 ♦ 敬拜不止是用雙手和嘴巴來表示尊敬、敬愛神。敬拜包括人們要用心靈、感情、愛心、理智以及他們的感官——反應神所作所為。
9 ♦ 敬拜神時，神的聖潔譴責人的良心，神的真理供養人的理智，神的美麗清除人的幻想，神的慈愛打開人的心門。結果，人把他的意志力轉為神的旨意，接受神的旨意，下決心把神的旨意行在自己的生命上。
每當星期天（“主日”），基督徒都要“用心靈按真理敬拜他”（約翰福音4:24新譯本）。請您跟着我們一塊兒前往神的施恩寶座，感謝、讚美、榮耀他的聖名。
Why Christians Attend Worship Every Sunday /11
11: Christians Understand What Worship is All About
By Edward Short
What is “worship” all about?
Concerning Christian worship, Jesus said, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). From this we know that Christian worship includes two important aspects—spirit and truth. Spirit means that we should stand before God with the proper attitude of heart. Truth means that we should bow before God’s throne of grace in the correct manner. Spirit involves whether we reverence God or not; truth involves whether we worship God according to his truth, the Bible. “…worship… in truth” includes the several items of worship that God has ordained as Sunday worship activities, i.e., singing, prayer, Bible reading and study, the Lord’s supper, and contribution of financial resources. Worshiping God according to truth brings a person closer to God and enables him to communicate with God.
Christians worship God, the creator of the universe, mankind and all things. The fact is that man should worship God only; we shouldn’t worship any man or thing. Only the creator of the universe is worthy of man’s worship. We learn in the New Testament how Christians are to worship God; in the Bible, God reveals his will to us about worship. The New Testament is the blueprint for worshiping God “in spirit and in truth.”
But we still ask the question: “What is worship all about?
♦ Worship is the respect, love and service which should be shown to the true God of heaven—the God who has revealed and introduced himself to mankind.
♦ Worship is the search that flesh and blood makes for the God who created him and who loves him.
♦ In worship, mankind admits that God is the fountain of truth, goodness and beauty, that he is the Lord of life, the standard of holiness, the embodiment of love and the example of how to express love.
♦ In worship, God’s truth feeds man’s intellect, God’s wisdom supplies man’s spirit, God holiness raises man’s sense of right and wrong.
♦ In worship, God’s love forgives man’s sins.
♦ In worship, God’s love prompts man to sacrifice himself to God, and to determine to bend his will and to use his abilities to serve God.
♦ In the Bible, God’s Spirit teaches Christians how to worship God. Worship that’s acceptable to God should be as specified in the Bible. (From the stories about Cain, Able, Nadab and Abihu we learn that we mustn’t change the instructions given by God.)
♦ Worship is not simply the movement of one’s mouth in praise of God, an outward expression of respect and love for God. Worship includes the use of one’s spirit, emotion, heart, intellect, and his very senses, as he reacts to all that God is, and all that God has done.
♦ During worship, God’s holiness pricks man’s conscience, God’s truth feeds man’s intellect; God’s beauty clears away his illusions; God’s love opens man’s heart. The result is that man changes his own will to the will of God, he accepts God’s will, and commits himself to accomplishing God’s will in his own life.
Each Sunday, Christians want to worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). We invite you also to go before God’s throne of grace, and to thank, praise and glorify his holy name.
Some material in this article was adapted from Dr. Batsell Barrett Baxter, Family of God: A Study of the New Testament Church, Nashville: Gospel Advocate Co., 1980, s.v. “Worship,” chapter 14, pp. 84-91.