...that God seeks

“True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers that Father seeks.” John 4:23

...in Spirit

Jesus says that God is spirit, and desires those who worship Him to worship in spirit. Created in His image, we share a “spirit: nature with God…the only part of His creation to do so. He desires our worship to come from this nature, empowered by His Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit in us that connects us with God, fires our passion, enables our responses and empowers our sacrifice.

...in truth

We must worship God with truth about ourselves and Him, approaching Him as we are and as He has revealed Himself to be. We are to come unencumbered by the games we play, the lies we believe, or who we think He is, but rather with honesty about our faults, agony and needs, and His holiness, justice, goodness, provision and love.

At the Vineyard...we desire to worship God with our whole being. We want Jesus at the center as our Lord. We hunger for the fullness of the Spirit…His glory resting upon us! We want Spirit-enabled worship in a style that is intimate, dynamic, culture current, and life changing.

During our services, worship takes many forms. Sometimes it is structured and other times spontaneous. Sometimes it is loud and other times quiet. Sometimes there is an explosive celebration of praise and other times there is quiet reverence. Our worship involves music, the Word, praise, and both physical and vocal response. We all carry the responsibility of seeking God.

The Bible is our source for pattern and principle. Carefully read the following Bible passages and notice the emotional response to the presence of God:

“I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.” Psalm 63:4

“Clap your hands, all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy.” Psalm 47:1

“Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.” Psalm 95:6-7

Certainly the Bible shows that worship engages deep emotion. In our culture we get emotional over football, baseball, basketball, rock stars and movie stars – why not God? Doesn’t He deserve our highest level of energy and devotion? He alone is worthy to be praised!

On Sunday morning...as we begin to worship you may find that our songs are not traditional. Our worship songs are contemporary and expressive. Many are simple and speak directly to God. We believe our worship blesses God and that it is for Him alone, and as we worship God we are also blessed by His presence. Our worship is a time of intimacy with God. People may respond to God during these times by shouting, clapping, lifting hands, dancing, kneeling, bowing, expressing emotions, weeping, becoming still, loving and encouraging others, and praying for each other.

We very much believe that worship is our life’s response to God, and everything we do should flow from a worshipful heart. We encourage everyone to spend deep times of devotion with God during the week and prepare your heart for corporate worship.

Offering...We also believe that our offerings are an opportunity to thank God for His blessings. It is an extension of our worship. It is also one of the most meaningful expressions of trust in God. We do not pass an offering plate, but ask that you place your offering in the box located by the sound booth. We pray that we would all move beyond faithful giving to extravagant giving.

Expressive worship is not only biblical, but also beneficial for the following reasons:

It challenges the culture.

Even though our society is expressing emotions more openly, Americans tend to value the mind (rationality) over the heart (emotions). While rationality is a gift from God our culture sometimes tempts us to leave the heart behind. Expressive worship challenges this aspect of our culture and highlights the intensity and joy of being committed in both mind and heart. It is a witness to the new, full life we have in Christ.

It nurtures humility.

Many times our emotional reserve is only a fearful attempt to retain control of our lives. We are especially afraid that if we surrender emotional control, we will end up “blithering idiots.” God never makes fools of people but He does expect us to give up the reins of our lives to Him. Expressive worship cultivates a willingness to be taught by and submit to the Holy Spirit.

It creates a climate of warmth and acceptance.

When you develop an expressive atmosphere, you cultivate a greater spirit of fellowship and an increased climate for evangelism. It frees people to greater openness, not only in their response to God, but also with those around them.

It fosters commitment.

Rather than encouraging people to be passive observers who pass judgment on what is said and done, expressive worship demands participation and, therefore, commitment. (See “Mastering Worship” by Jack Hayford, John Killinger, and Howard Stevenson.) “True worship comes from people who are deeply emotional and who love deep and sound doctrine. Strong affections for God rooted in truth are the bone and marrow of biblical worship.” John Piper, Desiring God.