"In other words, worship is right affections in the heart toward God, rooted in right thoughts in the head about God, becoming visible in right actions of the body reflecting God. These three stages of worship from inner essence to outward display can be seen in three texts:
- "First, Matthew 15:8-9: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me." So if worship is not from the heart, it is vain and empty, meaning it is not worship. That means the essence can’t be outward. The essence of worship is affection, not action.
- "Second, John 4:23: "The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him." Notice, the Father seeks worship in spirit and truth—right affections rising for God, rooted in right thinking about God.
- "Third, Matthew 5:16: "Let your light hsine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." God intends for his gory to be public. He did not create the world so taht his glory would remain incognito. And he does not redeem people so that they will have merely private experiences of his presciousness. His aim is that his glory be openly reflected in the deeds of his people, whose thoughts reflect his truth and whose affections reflect his worth. Worship is seeing, savoring, and showing the glory of all that God is for us in Jesus Christ.
"The first and ultimate goal of missions is that this worship happens among all the nations of the world—that God’s glory and greatness find a fitting reflection
(from John Piper, Let The Nations Be Glad, 2nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. 2003. pg. 207).