Praise and Worship: What’s the difference?

Praise and Worship: What’s the difference?

The terms ‘praise team’, ‘worship team’, ‘praise and worship team’, ‘music and worship band’ or ‘singspiration team’, usually refer to the same thing: a team/band/group who leads the congregation to honor and glorify our Heavenly father with music. However, if all of them refer to the same thing, why are they accredited with different names? Moreover, if all of them do refer to the same thing, then does it signify that is praise equivalent to worship?

What is Praise?

Praise can be an act of worship, but in most circumstances, it is an act of thanksgiving. Praise is offered to the King because of who He is and for what He’s done. Taking account of David’s songs of praise, he would praise God for deliverance (2 Samuel 22), for bringing the Ark of Covenant to Zion (1 Chronicles 16:8-36), for being his rock and fortress (Psalm 18) etc. Other accounts of praise, such as Miriam’s Song of Praise (Exodus 15:21), Hannah’s prayer (1 Samuel 2:1-10), or the songs of praise written by the Sons of Korah or Asaph, all share the same features; that is, exalting and praising God for who He is and what He’s done.

When one praises another, the focal point is the one who receives praise. In the same way, praise is about God. However, one can praise God without knowing God in a personal, intimate level. One can praise God without obeying Him and submitting himself or herself to His Word. The of Queen Sheba praised God in 1 Kings 10:9 by saying “Blessed be the Lord your God …” when she witnessed the God-given wisdom and knowledge of King Solomon.

King Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon praised El Olam – the Everlasting God – by saying to Daniel “Surely your God is a God of gods and a Lord of kings and a revealer of mysteries, since you have been able to reveal this mystery (Daniel 2:47)” when Daniel interpreted his dream; “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants….  (Daniel 3:29) when God delivered them from the furnace; “How great are His signs, and how mighty are His wonders! His Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation” (Daniel 4:3) and “blessed the Most High, and praised and honored Him who lives forever, for His dominion is an everlasting dominion, and his kingdom endures from generation to generation…”(Daniel 4:34-36) even though he did not truly keep the Lord God of Hosts’s decrees and ways – such as worshiping pagan gods and idols.

King Darius, or Cyrus the Great of Persia, said “I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, for He is the living God, enduring forever; for he is the living God, enduring forever; His kingdom shall never be destroyed, and His dominion shall be to the end… ” (Daniel 6:26-27)

If you take account of the underlined phrases, all of the mighty rulers praised the Lord God of Heaven but did not recognize Him as their God. They certainly praised and acknowledged Him, but they certainly did not worship Him. Adonai Yahweh was not their God. In fact, if you compare the red lines of King Darius and King Nebuchadnezzar’s praise with David’s song of praise in Psalm 145:13 “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures throughout all generations” and to what Apostle Paul says in 1 Timothy 1:17 “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever”; you’d probably realize there isn’t too much of a difference. However, the red lines were said by people who were not worshipers or followers of God. They did not love the Lord with all their heart, mind, soul, and strength. This is why what one says may not have much significance. 

Praise is a form worship where one expresses – usually through prayer, exhortation, and songs – admiration, appreciation, thanksgiving, and gratitude to who God is and for what He’s done. Many Psalms are praises. However, as illustrated above, anyone can praise God. (Similar to my “know vs believe” article) Anyone via observation can acknowledge who He is and the wonders of what He’s done. Furthermore, one who praises God could have absolutely nothing to do with having a personal and intimate relationship with the Creator and Saviour Jesus Christ – which fosters one to grow in the grace and knowledge of Him through the Power of the Holy Spirit.

What is Worship?

Worship, unlike praise, is more than an act, and cannot be incarnated into a specific form. One who is praising God may not necessarily be worshiping God; one who is worshiping God will worship in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24) – epitomizing how worship cannot be confined to a specific act or a certain form.

By taking account of the Messiah talking to the Samaritan woman (John 4:1-45), the Samaritan woman initially thought worship was confined to a place (verse 20), resulting in Christ revealing the true essence of worship – which is not confined to a place (verse 21) – but in Spirit and in Truth (verse 24). Christ refers to Himself when He Says “For salvation is from the Jews (verse 22)”, predicting His death and foretelling the wonderful aftermath of the Ultimate Sacrifice (Hebrews 10:1-18); that because the veil of the temple will be torn into two (Matthew 27:51), we can access God freely via the Holy Spirit. Thus, because the Holy Spirit lives in us, and we have put our flesh to death, we are now living sacrifices (Romans 12:1), and honorable vessels (2 Timothy 2:21) who lives to worship and glorify God. Worship has been integrated into our lives, and we worship God with our lives – aiming to be perfect like our Father in Heaven (Matthew 5:48), and glorifying Him in all that we do (1 Corinthians 10:31).

As Apostle Paul says in Romans 6:13, “Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness” worship is presenting ourselves to God as lives worthy of the gospel (Philippians 1:27), surrendering our all to Him, saying “May You increase, as I decrease”.

                     

Therefore, because worship is the surrendering of our lives to our Creator and Saviour, worshiping God concerns all aspects of our lives. If we only 'worship' God in most aspects, but not in the way we talk or treat others, we may have no difference than those who are praising God, but not worshiping Him in Spirit and in Truth, for there are bits of the flesh and its desires in us. One with the mentality of a worshiper in Spirit and in Truth will constantly and consistently be sober-minded and watchful (like what Apostle Peter said in 1 Peter 5:8) over his or her words, deeds, and gestures – via the continual abiding and convicting presence of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of conviction (John 16:8) – discerning whether or not it is worshiping – glorifying – God.

Praise to Worship

As repeatedly mentioned above, praise may not necessarily be an act of worship, but it can surely lead to worship. Worship cannot take place without praise, and one cannot live a life for Christ without acknowledging who He is and what He’s done. Similar to the problem of knowledge, one with the knowledge of God may not necessarily be a follower of Christ. One who teaches theology may have absolutely nothing in correlation to living a life worthy of the gospel. However, one without the knowledge of God and His Word will not – unless He Divinely intervenes – be able to know how to put His Word into practice.

Therefore, one cannot worship without praise. One who doesn’t firstly acknowledge who He is and what He’s done, cannot strive for a life of sanctification. Via taking account of Colossians 3, Apostle Paul instructs us to “do everything – whether in word or deed – in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him”, displaying praise (giving thanks to God) in worship (doing everything in Christ – who lives in us).

We are to ‘let praise be ever on our lips’, so that we may acknowledge more about Him in every aspect throughout our lives – enabling us to worship Him in a more detailed, precise fashion as people worthy of the Gospel!

(and if you want to worship God with greater intimacy, precision, and wholeheartedness, you must integrate praise into your life - praising Him [giving thanks] in everything)

Praise and Worship Songs

Some people may classify all contemporary worship songs as ‘praise songs’ or ‘worship songs’. However, because praise is not worship, and being rather theological, a praise band is not a worship band, a praise song is not a worship song, and ‘singspiration’ – whatever it may mean – doesn’t appear in the Bible whatsoever.

Some churches, bands, or congregations that separate their songs into ‘praise’ and ‘worship’, they may classify a praise song as one that is rather uplifting, usually more fast-paced and loud. I believe it is a trend to firstly put fast-paced, upbeat songs, followed by heavier, ‘powerful’ songs. However, being biblical and using the definition above, a praise song or worship song has nothing to do with music. Upon reading this, some find end up finding many praise songs as worship songs, while others may find the exact opposite.

A praise song is a song that uplifts God with thanksgiving, gratitude, admiration, and appreciation; sometimes combined with shouting (Psalm 33:1) and dancing (Psalm 150:4) – which is why it’s so generically ‘loud’. And of course, there’s singing (Psalm 9:11, 108:3) and instrumental music (1 Chronicles 13:8). The underlying significance about praise is that its focal point, which is based on the lyrics, is placed on God – for who He is and what He’s done. Notable examples include: Our God (Chris Tomlin), Blessed be Your Name, 10000 Reasons (Matt Redman), To our God (Bethel), You’re Beautiful (Phil Wickham), This is Amazing Grace (Phil Wickham/Jeremy Riddle), Did you feel the mountains tremble (Delirious), Acquitted (Jeremy Riddle), You are Good (both Israel Houghton’s and Jeremy Riddle’s), Worthy is the Lamb, Shout to the Lord, Forever reign, O Praise the Name (Hillsong), Forever (Bethel/Kari Jobe), How Wonderful (Leeland), Make a Way (Desperation Band), Jesus You’re Beautiful (Jon Thurlow), Almighty God (One Sonic Society), and King of My Heart (John Mark McMillan).

Hence, worship – which is firstly and obviously about God – is more dynamic, for it’s more about the surrendering of our lives to Him, a mutual relationship. Just as how the infallible Word of God has shown that anyone can praise God, worship is distinctively different for its about both sides of the relationship between God and each individual coheir of Christ. Worship songs should include lyrics themes correlated with worship: surrender, humility, and self-denial. Notable examples include: Here for You (Matt Redman), Be with You (City Harvest Church), From the inside out, None but Jesus, One Thing, The Stand, I Surrender (Hillsong United), Jesus at the Center (Darlene Zschech), Lay Me Down (One Sonic Society), Lord I need You (Matt Maher), Here's my heart (David Crowder Band), and Where You are (Leeland).

The Essence of Worship (in church) 

I personally think most worship sessions – unless specified as a ‘time of praise’ or ‘time of worship’ - should have a 2-to-3 ratio between praise and worship respectively. Praise is certainly important, for praise leads to worship; but worship – the surrendering of one’s life at the foot of the Cross – should be the ultimate goal of each praise and worship section. A common phrase related to worship is: ‘leading people into the presence of God’.  Taking account of 2 Chronicles 5:1-14, the Presence of God (Divine Presence), - which is glorious, came upon the Israelites as they were praising Him. And when the glory of God was in one place, the people caught in it couldn't do anything but surrender wholeheartedly to El Shaddai. Leading people into the glory of God is to lead people into emptying themselves so that they are filled with the Holy Spirit, denying themselves to follow Christ, and adhering to the Will of the Father.

-Barnabas