WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU VISIT
Here at COTN worship is a big part of what we do. From babies through adults, we make worshipping God a priority. Now, of course, we know that worship is not just when we express our hearts to the Lord through music. Worship is the way we express our hearts to Him in everything we do. However, music is one of the greatest tools the Lord has given us to help us express our worship. And express it we do! In any given service you could see people dancing, singing, shouting, raising their hands, kneeling, laughing, crying, clapping, playing instruments, etc., all of which could be preplanned or spontaneous. The Bible is full of all kinds of examples of how to worship God and we believe He is worthy of them all! But worship is not just about being raucous or somber or emotional so that at the end of the day we feel “blessed.” Worship is about letting out what happens inside of us when we hear about, think about, and even come in contact with Jesus. And this brings Him glory, honor, and praise! But for this to happen, it requires one very important piece to the puzzle – a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
RELATIONSHIP
In Genesis we are told that Adam walked with God in the cool of the day. Adam had a deeply fulfilling, intimate relationship with his creator. This was what he was created for. Yet, when he and Eve sinned, this relationship was ripped asunder, forever separating God from man until Jesus Christ paid the final price for sin. This is why Matthew, Mark, and Luke recorded the veil of the temple being ripped in half in their gospels. This cloth that separated all of man from the presence of God was ripped down by God Himself: the very God who created us for relationship with Him, the very God who died on the cross to restore that relationship, the very God that wants to get close to you.
WORSHIP AND RELATIONSHIP?
But what does this relationship have to do with worship? To be in relationship with God is to be a worshipper of God. Almost every picture of heaven that the Bible gives us is filled with people, angels, and creatures worshipping God. From Genesis to Revelation we see time after time hosts of creation worshipping God and Jesus Christ. Those who know God the most, who see Him unhindered, who dwell with Him in His presence in heaven, who walk with Him in the cool of the day cannot help but be overwhelmed with the need to worship Him.
THE WOMAN AT THE WELL
When Jesus is talking to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4, He gives us several great insights into worship. He tells the woman that she and her people worship a God they do not know. We can worship God without relationship, but our actions are quite feeble and misguided at best. He then tells her that the Jews worship what they do know, for salvation is from the Jews. God actually revealed Himself to the Jewish people, so they actually do have a knowledge of the God they worship. And this God gave mankind, through the Jews, the Law which revealed our sins and the Christ who paid the price for our sins. However, Jesus didn’t lift up the Jews as the model worshippers. Jesus speaks to the woman of a third level of worship that is above the level of the seeker and above the level of the believer. Jesus tells her, “An hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers” (John 4:23 NASB). This is not worship that sort of hopes it’s being done right to appease whatever God or karma or whatever is out there. This is not worship that is offered just out of a head knowledge that there is a God and he probably deserves worship. This is worship that is in response to coming in contact with the real God and Creator of all things and Savior who died for us.
AN ILLUSTRATION:
To illustrate this better, lets take 3 people. The first one has never heard of or seen a waterfall; the second one has seen pictures of waterfalls and read all about them; and the third person has been to 
source references, and facts that would give you a decent idea of what a waterfall is. But where’s the personal experience? Where’s the emotion? There’s a difference between knowing about waterfalls and actually knowing a waterfall. Because of this, the third person’s response would be very different from the first two. He might describe to you the awesome majesty as the water raged over the edge in all it’s glory, or the smell of water,the feel of the mist on his face as he drew near, or the deafening roar of bone crushing water slamming into the pool below. As he spoke his arms might move wildly about and he might have trouble putting into words the overwhelming feelings inside. At some point he might even grow tired of trying to quantify its awe inspiring greatness and just invite you to come with him to experience it for yourself. This is how it is to worship God in spirit and truth. It’s not just creatively throwing praise into the unknown; it’s not just wanting to do good for a God you know about but have never really felt or seen; the worship the Father is looking for is worship that happens in response to actually coming into contact with God, seeing Him for who He is, and wanting to give all that you are completely to Him.
CONCLUSION
This is the kind of worship we at COTN believe in giving to our Lord every time we get the chance. We invite you to come and experience the awesome majesty of God’s glory, the deafening roar and gentle whisper of God’s voice, and the warm touch of God’s love and grace. And we pray that when you do, you will offer up unhindered worship in freedom to Him that is in spirit and in truth.
WAM! Our Worship Teams