There are churches who advertise, "Come join us for worship and the Word", or people who invite others to worship saying the same thing. It is a misunderstanding of worship to state it as separate things.
Some think that worship is when we sing and experience God's nearness or presence, express our adoration and love, and allow His Spirit to move in our midst. (right-brain) On the other hand, hearing God's Word is food for the mind. (left brain) Its purpose is to stimulate our intellect - designed to make us think rather than feel.
There are some believers who have separated worship and the Word so much that they will attend only the part of the service that is important to them. Or some have gone so far as to attend one church for the "worship" portion of the service and another church for the teaching. This is not a Biblical understanding of worship. Singing and preaching are not in opposition one to the other. Both are intended to exalt the glory of the Lord in our hearts, our minds, and our wills. The whole gathering is worship; all of it.
Our church can not be Spirit-led apart from being Word-fed. The moving of the Spirit of the Lord and the Word of God go together. God's Spirit inspired the Word and illuminates the Word (2 Tim. 3:16). Worship should be Word-centered. All through Scripture the people of God gather to worship, with God's Word and Will seeking the obedience of His people. True worship is always our response to God's revelation of Himself through His Word. He has to speak to us before we have the liberty to speak to Him. He must reveal Himself to us before we can offer Him who and what we are in worship.
In our worship we need to treasure God's Word, preach and teach God's Word, sing God's Word, pray God's Word, and obey God's Word. All of it integrated together is our act of worship. mjm
