FOUNDATIONS OF WORSHIP — FOUR-MONTH STUDY
MONTH 1 — THE WORD “WORSHIP”: LAW, FIRST MENTION, AND FOUNDATIONAL MEANING
Theme: Understanding what worship actually is before exploring how we worship.
Week 1 — The Meaning of Worship (Hebrew: שָׁחָה — shachah)
Key Scriptures: Genesis 18:2; Exodus 34:8; Psalm 95:6
Focus:
• Hebrew shachah = “to bow down, to prostrate oneself, to lower oneself in honour.”
• Worship is first an act of lowering, submission, recognising God’s superiority.
• Worship is not singing; it is posture before it is expression.
Discussion/Application:
• How does bowing show heart posture?
• What does lowering myself before God look like in my daily life?
• What external habits can help cultivate internal humility?
Week 2 — First Mention of Worship (Genesis 22:5)
Key Scriptures: Genesis 22:1–14
Focus:
• Abraham’s words: “I and the lad will go yonder and worship…”
• First mention establishes core truth: worship involves obedience and costly trust.
• Worship is not music, but yielding to God’s instruction, even when unclear or painful.
Discussion/Application:
• Why does God tie worship to obedience, not emotion?
• What does Abraham teach us about worship in moments of testing?
• What area in my life needs obedience to become worship?
Week 3 — Worship in the Law (Torah Foundations)
Key Scriptures: Exodus 20:1–6; Deuteronomy 6:4–5; Exodus 25–30
Focus:
• Worship in the Law emphasised exclusive devotion, holiness, and God’s order.
• Tabernacle pattern: approaching God involves reverence, cleansing, sacrifice, and order.
• God defines how He wants to be worshipped — worship is God-centred, not preference-centred.
Discussion/Application:
• How does God’s order correct modern casual attitudes?
• What are the consequences when worship loses reverence?
• How does holiness relate to worship?
Week 4 — Key Scriptures on Worship (Psalms + Prophets)
Key Scriptures: Psalm 29:2; Psalm 95; Isaiah 6:1–8; Jeremiah 2:13
Focus:
• Worship reveals God’s worth and exposes man’s condition.
• Isaiah’s vision: true worship leads to conviction, cleansing, calling.
• Worship is relational — God reveals, man responds.
Discussion/Application:
• What happens in us when we see God more clearly?
• How does revelation lead to transformation?
• What false “cisterns” (Jer. 2:13) do people worship today?
MONTH 2 — WORTH & VALUE: SEEING GOD AS WORTHY
Theme: Worship flows from what we value. You worship whatever you declare is worthy.
Week 1 — Worship as Worth-Ship: Seeing God’s Value
Key Scriptures: Revelation 4:8–11; Psalm 27:4
Focus:
• “Worship” in English = worth-ship: ascribing value.
• You worship what you treasure.
• Worship is not about getting something from God but recognising His worth.
Discussion/Application:
• What competes with God for highest value in my life?
• How does seeing God’s worth shift behaviour?
• What daily disciplines increase my vision of His value?
Week 2 — The Cost of Worship (David’s Example)
Key Scriptures: 2 Samuel 24:24; 1 Chronicles 16:29
Focus:
• “I will not offer… that which costs me nothing.”
• Worship has weight — glory = kabod = heaviness, importance.
• Worship requires intentionality, sacrifice, priority.
Discussion/Application:
• What does costly worship look like today?
• Where has worship become casual or convenient?
• What priority shifts show God’s value in my schedule?
Week 3 — Competing Values: Idols of the Heart
Key Scriptures: Ezekiel 14:3; Matthew 6:24; Romans 1:25
Focus:
• Idols are internal before external.
• You worship what you serve.
• Misplaced value = misplaced worship.
Discussion/Application:
• What subtle idols exist in modern culture (career, image, relationships)?
• How do idols steal devotion?
• How can we realign our value system?
Week 4 — God’s Worth Revealed in Christ
Key Scriptures: Colossians 1:15–20; John 1:14; Hebrews 1:1–4
Focus:
• Christ is the full revelation of God’s worth.
• Worship grows as revelation of Christ grows.
• The cross is the ultimate demonstration of God’s holiness, love, and glory.
Discussion/Application:
• How does beholding Christ deepen worship?
• What aspect of Jesus do you value most today?
• What revelation of Christ changed your perspective?
MONTH 3 — SURRENDER & SACRIFICE: THE HEART OF TRUE WORSHIP
Theme: Worship is not just honour — it is yielding, offering, giving oneself to God.
Week 1 — Worship as Surrender (Romans 12:1)
Key Scriptures: Romans 12:1–2
Focus:
• “Present your bodies a living sacrifice… this is your reasonable worship.”
• Worship requires yielding — not partial but whole.
• True worship = transformation, not performance.
Discussion/Application:
• What part of my life resists surrender?
• How does surrender open the door to renewal?
• What does a “living sacrifice” look like daily?
Week 2 — Sacrifice in the Old Testament: Foreshadowing True Worship
Key Scriptures: Leviticus 1–7; Hebrews 10:1
Focus:
• OT sacrifices illustrate a progression toward deeper relationship.
• Key principles:
• God requires the best, not leftovers.
• Sacrifice involves intent, cost, purity.
• Worship involves atonement, cleansing, thanksgiving.
Discussion/Application:
• What do the OT sacrifices reveal about God’s character?
• How do they point to Christ?
• How do these themes translate into New Testament living?
Week 3 — Jesus the Perfect Sacrifice & the Model Worshipper
Key Scriptures: John 4:23–24; Hebrews 10:5–10
Focus:
• Jesus embodies perfect obedience and surrender.
• “True worshippers… worship in spirit and truth” = worship shaped by His Spirit and His Word.
• Worship is possible because Jesus surrendered fully.
Discussion/Application:
• How does Jesus redefine worship?
• What is the role of truth in worship?
• How does the Holy Spirit lead us into deeper surrender?
Week 4 — Surrender, Obedience, and Lifestyle Worship
Key Scriptures: 1 Samuel 15:22; Proverbs 3:5–6; Philippians 2:5–8
Focus:
• Obedience > ritual.
• Worship is expressed in decisions, character, purity, and trust.
• Worship is acted, not just sung.
Discussion/Application:
• What decisions this week can become worship?
• Where is God asking for obedience?
• How does humility reflect the mind of Christ in worship?
MONTH 4 — THE POSTURE OF WORSHIP: BODY, HOLINESS, AND LIVING WORSHIP
Theme: Worship involves the whole person — mind, heart, body, and lifestyle.
Week 1 — Physical Postures of Worship in Scripture
Key Scriptures: Psalm 95:6; Nehemiah 8:6; 1 Timothy 2:8
Focus:
• Biblical postures: bowing, lifting hands, kneeling, dancing, shouting, silence.
• Posture expresses inward reality — the body reveals the heart.
• There is no law commanding one posture, but scripture gives patterns.
Discussion/Application:
• Why does physical expression matter?
• What posture best reflects your heart before God now?
• How can physical worship break pride or passivity?
Week 2 — Holiness in the Body: Worship Through Purity
Key Scriptures: 1 Corinthians 6:19–20; 1 Thessalonians 4:3–7; Romans 6:12–14
Focus:
• The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
• Worship = honouring God with your body, choices, purity.
• Holiness is not restriction but alignment with God’s nature.
Discussion/Application:
• What habits either honour or dishonour God?
• What boundaries help protect holiness?
• How does purity strengthen worship?
Week 3 — Lifestyle Posture: Walking Worthy of the Lord
Key Scriptures: Colossians 1:10; Ephesians 4:1–3; Micah 6:8
Focus:
• Worship is not an event but a lifestyle.
• Posture includes humility, love, forgiveness, unity.
• Christian conduct is an offering to God.
Discussion/Application:
• In what areas does my lifestyle reflect worship?
• Where does it not?
• What relational or personal adjustments honour God?
Week 4 — Whole-Life Worship: Sanctification, Service, and Witness
Key Scriptures: Matthew 5:14–16; Hebrews 13:15–16; James 1:27
Focus:
• Worship is expressed in service, generosity, compassion, and witness.
• Sacrifice of praise + sacrifice of doing good.
• True worship shines as a testimony.
Discussion/Application:
• How do good works become acts of worship?
• What area of service is God calling me to?
• What next step will help my whole life become worship?