• shachah (hebrew) - to bow down.

• proskuneo (greek) - to kiss, to show reverence, to bow down

Worship is an issue of priority, affection, reverence, elevation, honor, submission.

• GENERAL WORSHIP - 1 Corinthians 10:31 (ESV) So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

• INTENTIONAL WORSHIP:  2 Samuel 6:12–15 (ESV) So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom to the city of David with rejoicing. And when those who bore the ark of the Lord had gone six steps, he sacrificed an ox and a fattened animal. And David danced before the Lord with all his might. And David was wearing a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn.

Intentional worship is the combination of words and actions intended to bring praise, honor and glory to God.

• Singing - Psalm 9:2 (ESV) I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High.

• Shouting - Psalm 47:1 (ESV) Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

• Lifting Hands - Psalm 63:4 (ESV) So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands.

• Bowing/Kneeling - Psalm 95:6 (ESV) Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

• Clapping - Psalm 47:1 (ESV) Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy!

• Praising - Psalm 9:11 (ESV) Sing praises to the LORD, who sits enthroned in Zion! Tell among the peoples his deeds!

• Dancing - Psalm 149:3 (ESV) Let them praise his name with dancing, making melody to him with tambourine and lyre!

• Thanksgiving - Psalm 100:4 (ESV) Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

• Music - Psalm 150:3–5 (ESV) Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp!  Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe!  Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals!

Intentional worship is catalytic in nature. 
As we participate, powerful outcomes are unlocked.

Intentional: Declaration

• Declaration: a formal announcement, binding when made by an authoritative representative.

• God declared: Genesis 22:16–18 (ESV) and said, “By myself I have sworn, declares the LORD, because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son,  I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies,  and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.”

• Psalm 51:15 (ESV) O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise.

• Psalm 92:1–3 (ESV) It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High;  to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night,  to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre.

• Your declaration informs:

• God

• Yourself

• Those listening

• Your circumstances

• The spiritual realm around you.

• Your declaration is binding

Intentional: Magnification

• God is already big, but He shrinks in our eyes. Intentional worship brings our focus on God causing everything else to be reduced in His Presence.

• Psalm 34:3 (ESV) Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

• Psalm 69:30 (ESV) I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving.

• Luke 1:46–47 (ESV) And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,  and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

Intentional: Invitation

• Intentional worship is the acceptance of God’s invitation to come close and enjoy the benefits of His Presence. 

• James 4:8 (ESV) Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. 

• Psalm 100:4 (ESV) Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!

• 1 Samuel 16:23 (ESV) And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him.

• Acts 16:25–34 (ESV) About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them,  and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken. And immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were unfastened.  When the jailer woke and saw that the prison doors were open…, he was baptized at once, he and all his family.  Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

Just Because We Call It Worship Doesn’t Mean It Is

• Just because we gather,

• Just because a song is played,

• Just because people sing,

• Just because we sit, stand, bow our heads,

• Just because we raise our hands,

Without INTENTION, it is not worship.  In fact, being around the components of focused worship without actually participating in focused worship can actually immunize you from experiencing.