十一。基督徒明白敬拜的定义和重要
“敬拜”是怎么一回事？
关于基督徒敬拜神，耶稣基督说道：“神是灵，敬拜他的必须用心灵按真理敬拜他”（约翰福音4:24新译本）。从此可知，基督徒的敬拜包括两个重点——心灵和真理。心灵的意思是我们要以正确的态度站在神的面前。真理的意思是我们应该以正确的方式跪拜在神的施恩宝座前。心灵牵涉到我们敬畏不敬畏神。真理包括我们是否以圣经的真理敬拜神。“按真理敬拜”神包括神所预定的几件事，就是唱诗歌、祷告、研读圣经聆听神的话、领用主餐、以及奉献金钱为星期日敬拜神的方式。按真理敬拜神使得人们亲近神以及与他交往。
基督徒敬拜创造宇宙万物人类的神。事实上，人只应该敬拜这位神；人不应该敬拜其他任何人或物。宇宙的创造者才有资格接受人的敬拜。在新约圣经中，我们得知如何敬拜这位神。神借着圣经告诉我们如何敬拜他。新约圣经是“用心灵按真理敬拜他[神] ”的蓝图。
我们还是想问，“敬拜是怎么一回事？”
1 ♦ 敬拜是天上真神所应该得到的尊敬，就是神向世人表示自己，介绍自己以后应该得到的尊敬，敬爱和侍奉。
2 ♦ 敬拜是肉身的人用他的心灵寻找创造他的神，追求爱他的神。
3 ♦ 敬拜神时，世人承认这位神是真善美的泉源，是生命的主，是圣洁的标准，是慈爱的化身，是施爱的榜样。
4 ♦ 敬拜神时，神的真理供给人的智力，神的智慧供应人的心灵，神的圣洁提高人良心的标准。
5 ♦ 敬拜神时，神的慈爱洗干净人的罪孽。
6 ♦ 敬拜神时，神的赦免感动人奉献自己，用他的意志和能力侍奉神。
7 ♦ 神的圣灵借着圣经教导基督徒要怎么样敬拜神。能够被神接受的敬拜要合乎按照圣经的教诲。（从该隐、亚伯，拿答、亚比户的故事中，我们得知不可以偏离圣经的教导。）
8 ♦ 敬拜不止是用双手和嘴巴来表示尊敬、敬爱神。敬拜包括人们要用心灵、感情、爱心、理智以及他们的感官——反应神所作所为。
9 ♦ 敬拜神时，神的圣洁谴责人的良心，神的真理供养人的理智，神的美丽清除人的幻想，神的慈爱打开人的心门。结果，人把他的意志力转为神的旨意，接受神的旨意，下决心把神的旨意行在自己的生命上。
每当星期天（“主日”），基督徒都要“用心灵按真理敬拜他”（约翰福音4:24新译本）。请您跟着我们一块儿前往神的施恩宝座，感谢、赞美、荣耀他的圣名。
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.