By Min. Sky
From my workshop:
‘As I teach in my workshop the difference between worship and performance praise, I repeat.
PRAISE
Praise is about our gratitude for what God has done for us. So it's between me and God.
Worship on the other hand has nothing to do with me, but everything to do with God for who He is.
Even if I praise God all the time, that doesn't mean I'm worshiping Him. Because the bible says 'let everything that has breath praise the Lord Psalm 150:6. Even a plant or dog can praise.
However, worshiping God is for those who have His image, His spirit, and understand Who God Is.
So we need to be very careful, especially those who move and dance in praise and worship. the bible says … Therefore, use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. Romans 6:13b
If we feel good after dancing, we may even have done a good thing to ourselves and even to God, but if we don't think about how our movement brought gratitude, thanks to Him we are not praising Him. Any secular movement in aerobics or secular dance makes us feel good too. We praise Him with those movements if we are grateful to Him, thinking about Him on that moment.
WORSHIP
If we don't disconnect from our feelings to just think of Him for who He is, Almighty, Good, Lovable, full of grace etc... we don't worship Him. Because in the context of worship "to do what is right is to worship Him for who He Is." That's the right thing to do.
So let's stop thinking that just because we sing or move or dance in a song we love that makes us feel good, we're bringing glory to God in worship.
In Church
This is also why the time of worship in the church is getting confused today. Leaders are sometimes treating worship time more like a concert, alerting the church during a song all the time as if they were little children. So people don't have any time to really get into worship.
Worship Leaders wouldn't need to do this if they worshiped God themselves when they were leading. And not worry so much about how they are doing. Because if they were sure they were worshiping, the congregation would feel the Holy Spirit and follow them.
In short, I say what I've been saying for a long time.
“ I praise because God Loves me”
“I worship because I love God”
Min. Sky-Ceu Kingshill