Helbert Gutierrez

Worship is a fundamental concept and practice within Christian doctrine and life. Worship is the
supreme priority of life. God created man to worship and praise Him for who He is and what He does. To
worship is to get closer to God, it is to be in His presence, it is to silence the soul before the Creator of all
things. Through worship we allow God to fill us with his grace.There is no human experience more
sublime than worshiping God . God always invites us to worship him. He seeks true worshipers, who
worship him in spirit and truth.

The Christian minister has the important task of leading the believer to express his worship in a deeper
way, even to the point of touching the heart of God. Christianity can be expressed in any cultural aspect.
Therefore, true worship must take into account the particular context of the worshiper. In this way, we
will allow the Christian to express spontaneously, properly and deeply, according to the language of his
heart and culture, the way of approaching God to worship him.

Worship is not only the musical segment of worship but is present in all moments of daily life. Authentic
worship is not a religious act and is not limited to rituals or ceremonies. Worship does not only occur
within the temple, it does not depend on a place, but worship must permeate everything that the
Christian thinks, says, does and feels. Worship includes an attitude of gratitude to God for his blessing in
giving life and health.

Worship alongside God's people is also of utmost importance. One of the greatest events in the life of a
human being is to experience the presence of God manifest in church services. It is an experience
difficult to describe in words; It is a divine-human encounter that transcends any other experience of
daily life. King David understood this, and that is why he expressed his desire to be in the temple: “I
rejoice when they say to me, Let us go to the house of the LORD” (Psalm 122:1).

Nelly de Gutierrez

WAYS IN WHICH THE MINISTER OF THE ALTAR SHOULD ENCOURAGE WORSHIP

1. Worship through prayer The best-known prayer in the Bible is the Lord's Prayer and it is the model
that Jesus taught us to address the Father. This prayer often expresses worship and helps us think more
about the Lord instead of making prayer just a list of requests (Matthew 6:9-14, Colossians 4:2).

2. Worship through Bible reading There are endless biblical passages that express worship whose words
we can use in our worship such as Psalms 117 and 121 or Revelation 4 and 5, among others.

3. Worship through obedience When a person obeys the commandments of the Lord, he is giving Him
honor and reverence. Obedience in our daily lives pleases God more than any ritual: “But it pleases the
Lord to be obeyed, and not to be offered sacrifices and burnt offerings; It is better to obey him and pay
attention to him than to offer him sacrifices and the fat of rams” (1 Samuel 15:22 DHH). It is necessary
that the minister of the altar emphasize this point.
4. Worship through tithes and offerings The believers' tithes and offerings indicate the recognition of
His Lordship and show an attitude of willingness and dedication to the Lord. It is clearly a way of
worshiping Him (Genesis 28:22, Matthew 21:1-4).

5. Worship through fellowship Love between Christian brothers is a sign to the world that there is a
people who worship God. Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have
love for one another” (John 13:35). Therefore, it is relevant to motivate reconciliation among believers.

6. Worship through an attitude of gratitude Gratitude to the Lord is also a way of worshiping him
because it is the recognition of his greatness and love. It can be expressed publicly as thanksgiving, but
what is really important is the attitude (Psalms 103:1-5, 34:1-3).

7. Worship through submission to the Lord Completely surrendering to the Lord is the key to being a
genuine worshiper. This submission allows God to work freely in us by purifying our hearts: “May God
Himself, the God of peace, sanctify you completely and preserve your whole being, spirit, soul and body
blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23 NIV).

8. Worship through consecration. God wants his children to be involved in the expansion of his
Kingdom, impacting others, through a life of dedication and service. Many make the mistake of wanting
to serve in a church ministry without first learning to be good worshipers. For example, those who lead
times of praise in services must be good musicians, but, even more important, they must be genuine
worshipers (Deuteronomy 10:8, John 4:21-24).

Rafael Grissolia Cepeda

As we see, true worship resides deep in the heart of the Christian. It flows naturally when there is an
attitude of humble submission before our Creator and Lord, an attitude of gratitude for having rescued
us from sin, a deep love for having loved us with his eternal love, and a passionate desire to serve him
with our entire lives in obedience to his calling. . True worship naturally results in a life of holiness and
service.

WORSHIP SHOULD BE GUIDED FIRST BY THE HOLY SPIRIT IN CONSONANCE WITH THE TEACHINGS OF
JESUS

In the Gospel of John we can read the story of Jesus when he explained to the Samaritan woman what
true worship was (John 4:19-24). First of all, Jesus makes it clear that for God the place where the
worshiper is is not the most important thing. Jesus knew very well that worship does not depend on
where we are because the Spirit of God is everywhere. In this passage Jesus reveals that true worship
begins with the knowledge of the truth. Knowing who our God is is key to providing worship that is
pleasing to Him. In John 4:23, Jesus also teaches the Samaritan woman how true worshipers worship
and points out two very important aspects:

The first is that true worshipers worship God “in spirit and truth.” This means showing oneself to Him in
all honesty, without hiding anything, without any kind of deception, and without pretense (Psalm 51:6).
The second aspect of this teaching is that Jesus taught that God himself is the one who seeks this type of
worshiper. God does not accept sacrifices and offerings if the worshiped Lord does not have a right spirit
before Him (John 4:23).

Lastly, Jesus said that “God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must do so in spirit and truth” (John
4:24). The phrase “those who adore him” makes us think that there are those who do not adore him.

God has given us free will; God does not force anyone to worship Him although there will come a day
when every knee will bow to Him (Isaiah 45:23, Philippians 2:10). However, it is necessary that the
worship of the Lord be guided by the Spirit of God who dwells in our hearts and that it be sincere.

Teachings of Jesus on Public and Private Worship.

In Matthew 6:1, Jesus teaches about the harmony that must exist between the public and private
worship we offer to God. The proof of the genuineness of our worship is declared in the worship we do
when no one sees us, that is, the worship that flows naturally in our daily lives. Jesus referred, for
example, to offerings, alms, prayer and fasting, which are forms of worship both in public and private
(Matthew 6:2-3 and 16-17). Jesus' purpose in each case was to encourage his listeners to maintain a
quality devotional life both in public and private.

This is why the minister of the altar must allow himself to be guided by the Holy Spirit, be clear in the
teachings of Jesus and appropriately transmit this knowledge to motivate the people to offer
sacrifices pleasing to God.

Rafael Grissolia Agrinzone

THE MINISTER OF THE ALTAR MUST LEARN AND TEACH HOW TO WORSHIP IN SPIRIT

Saint John 4:24 says: “God is a Spirit; and those who worship in spirit and in truth must worship” (VRV
1995). Worshiping in spirit means that worship is an activity that is carried out from the spiritual
realm of our being. However, our body, our mind and our emotions also participate in this act.

The Bible teaches that human beings were created in the image and likeness of God, therefore they
have the ability to enter into communion with their Creator through their spirit, which allows them to
respond to God. Mary, the mother of the Lord, expressed: “My soul glorifies the Lord, and my spirit
rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46-47).

This means that true worship involves all our spiritual, mental and emotional faculties, and that the
act of worship involves our entire being.

Worship “in spirit” requires sincerity of heart, mind, attitudes and a genuine way of expressing
reverence for God. Worship in spirit is more than just an external ritual; It is the spirit of man that
communicates with the Spirit of God.

THE MINISTER OF THE ALTAR MUST LEARN AND TEACH HOW TO WORSHIP GOD IN TRUTH
Truly worshiping refers to the quality of worship. Quality worship is distinguished by the following:

It is based on the knowledge of who God is (Luke 24:17-48; Ephesians 3:14-19)

True worship involves the mind. This means the understanding of who God is in terms of his nature,
his work and his character. Jesus came so that people would know God through his life, his teachings,
and his work of salvation on the cross.

Jesus knew that there is no true worship if there is no meaningful understanding of what is believed
and worshiped. We cannot truly worship what we do not know. That's why Jesus took time to teach
his disciples that He had come to fulfill the Scriptures. He opened their eyes and their understanding
so that they understood who he was and what was the why and wherefore of everything he did.

Winston Morales

PRIORITIES OF THE MINISTER OF THE ALTAR

Altar ministers must be clear about their priorities:

-Pleasing God in spirit and in truth, that is, being a genuine worshiper, with correct attitudes and
motives.

-Be sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit and be submissive to the leadership of the church.

-Lead in such a way that Christ is exalted, emphasizing His person, showing Himself humble and
subject to His lordship.

-Set the objective that the church be ministered, that is, that it receive blessing according to its needs.

DUTIES OF THE MINISTER OF THE ALTAR

This is why the minister of the altar, in obedience to his calling and passion, understanding what his
responsibility is before God and men, must:

_ Consciously and reasonedly plan each aspect of public worship to honor the God of order and be an
instrument of blessing for the entire membership.

_ Train yourself and those under your coverage so that they know everything about true worship.

_ Motivate and be an example of a true worshiper.

_ Know, practice and proclaim the theological truths that underpin its exercise.

_ Be sincere and coherent, clearly demonstrating that your dedication and willingness to worship
encompasses everything you think, say, do and feel.

Luci de Morales
CONGREGATIONAL WORSHIP

Among the many forms of expression of worship, it is worth highlighting one in particular: the
worship of the ecclesial community, where the unanimous and harmonious congregation celebrates
the greatness of God. An excellent service does not happen by itself, it is the product of the effort,
willingness and concern of the pastor, the leaders and the entire congregation, without prejudice to
the wonderful work of the Holy Spirit.

This is why the minister of the altar, in obedience to his calling and passion, understanding what his
responsibility is before God and men, must:

_ Consciously and reasonedly plan each aspect of public worship to honor the God of order and be an
instrument of blessing for the entire membership.

_ Train yourself and those under your coverage so that they know everything about true worship.

_ Motivate and be an example of a true worshiper.

_ Know, practice and proclaim the theological truths that underpin its exercise.

_ Your dedication in worship must permeate everything you think, say, do and feel.

Now, with respect to the cult itself, it must be taken into account that each one in particular must
have a general purpose or objective and that it must be integral, that is, all its moments must be
related to a thematic axis. In a funeral service, for example, the elements of the service must be
arranged in such a way that believers can receive a message of comfort and hope.

Worship should have a logical progression in its different elements organized in such a way as to lead
the congregation to concentrate on the central objective.

It is beneficial for the altar minister or worship ministry to periodically evaluate the development,
evolution and use of each element of worship, in order to identify the weaknesses and strengths of
the programs and thus improve them.