10 Principles for Effective Worship
Dewight & Sharon Riddle
1. Thou shalt not show up in dirty linen (unconfessed sin).
Heb. 10:22 Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
Ps. 96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire; tremble before Him, all the earth.
II Pet. 3:14 Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in
peace, spotless and blameless.
2. Thou shalt not giving to other things and other people the worship only God deserves.
DEU 6:13 “You shall fear only the Lord your God; and you shall worship Him, and swear by His name.
The consequences of worshipping other things…
EXO 20:5 “You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me,
DEU 8:19 “And it shall come about if you ever forget the Lord your God, and go after other gods and serve them and worship them, I testify against you today that you shall surely perish.
3. Thou shalt not worship with something against your brother.
Matt. 5:23-24 If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you. Leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present you’re offering.
Matt. 18:15 And if your brother sins go and reprove him in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother.

4. Thou shalt not offer less than the best you have to God.
Don’t offer no time, no excellence, no care, no cost and no honor and expect God to feel happy about it.
2SA 24:24 However, the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God which cost me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
MAL 1:6 “‘A son honors his father, and a servant his master. Then if I am a father, where is My honor? And if I am a master, where is My respect?’ says the Lord of hosts to you, 0 priests who despise My name. But you say, ‘How have we despised Thy name?’
MAL 1:8 “But when you present the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And when you present the lame and sick, is it not evil? Why not offer it to your governor? Would he be pleased with you? Or would he receive you kindly?” says the Lord of hosts.
5, Thou shalt not kill the work of God by disobedience.
When we hide our disobedience (individual or corporate) things get killed. In the OT it was soldiers who died. But they are a word picture so we can see how the work of God gets killed.
JOS 7:1 But the sons of Israel acted unfaithfully in regard to the things under the ban, for Achan, the son of Carmi, the son of Zabdi, the son of Zerah, from the tribe of Judah, took some of the things under the ban, therefore the anger of the Lord burned against the sons of Israel.
ACT 5:3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit, and to keep back some of the price of the land?
6 .Thou shalt not treat holy things in an unholy manner.
Everything connected with a holy God needs to be treated as holy. The picture of the O.T. Tabernacle/Temple and the way each utensil was treated was a word picture to show us how to treat holy things.

EXO 40:10 “And you shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar; and the altar shall be most holy.
LEV 8:11 And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them.
NUM 4:12 and they shall take all the utensils of service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on the carrying bars.
NUM 7:1 Now it came about on the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it with all its furnishings and the altar and all its utensils; he anointed them and consecrated them also.
DAN 5:2-3 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, in order that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.
DAN 5:23 but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your ways, you have not glorified.
7. Thou shalt not take any glory unto yourself.
Sometimes when we steal a little of God’s glory for ourselves we think no one notices. But the story of King Herod shows us that God doesn’t like to share His glory.
ACT 12:21-23 And on an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on

EXO 40:10 “And you shall anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar; and the altar shall be most holy.
LEV 8:11 And he sprinkled some of it on the altar seven times and anointed the altar and all its utensils, and the basin and its stand, to consecrate them.
NUM 4:12 and they shall take all the utensils of service, with which they serve in the sanctuary, and put them in a blue cloth and cover them with a covering of porpoise skin, and put them on the carrying bars.
NUM 7:1 Now it came about on the day that Moses had finished setting up the tabernacle, he anointed it and consecrated it with all its furnishings and the altar and all its utensils; he anointed them and consecrated them also.
DAN 5:2-3 When Belshazzar tasted the wine, he gave orders to bring the gold and silver vessels which Nebuchadnezzar his father had taken out of the temple which was in Jerusalem, in order that the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them. Then they brought the gold vessels that had been taken out of the temple, the house of God which was in Jerusalem; and the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines drank from them.
DAN 5:23 but you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven; and they have brought the vessels of His house before you, and you and your nobles, your wives and your concubines have been drinking wine from them; and you have praised the gods of silver and gold, of bronze, iron, wood and stone, which do not see, hear or understand. But the God in whose hand are your life-breath and your ways, you have not glorified.
7. Thou shalt not take any glory unto yourself.
Sometimes when we steal a little of God’s glory for ourselves we think no one notices. But the story of King Herod shows us that God doesn’t like to share His glory.
ACT 12:21-23 And on an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on

the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. And the people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.
LUK 17:7-10 “But which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? “But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me until I have eaten and drunk; and afterward you will eat and drink’? “He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he?”So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’
8. Thou shalt allow the Holy Spirit to be the conductor of worship.
ROM 12:4-8 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
1C0 12:8-11 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.
1TH 5:19-22 Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.
9. Thou shalt not sin by failing to pray for your church and its services.
1 SA 12:23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you; but I will instruct you in the good and right way.

1TH 5:16-18 Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
LUK 18:1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart,
EPH 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
10. Thou shalt obey God’s voice when He speaks to you in worship.
1SA 2:26 Now the boy Samuel was growing in stature and in favor both with the Lord and with men.
1SA 3:1-10 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli. And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. And it happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord where the ark of God was, that the Lord called Samuel; and he said, “Here I am.” Then he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he said, “I did not call, lie down again.” So he went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, “Samuel!” So Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” But he answered, “I did not call, my son, lie down again.” Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord yet been revealed to him. So the Lord called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, “Here I am, for you called me.” Then Eli discerned that the Lord was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, “Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Thy servant is listening.'” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. Then the Lord came and stood and called as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for Thy servant is listening.”
DEU 28:1-2 “Now it shall be, if you will diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you will obey the Lord your God.

JER 7:24 “Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in their own counsels and in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward and not forward.
From: www.experiencingworship.corn web site. October 2013.
The above article,”10 Principles for Effective Worship” was written by Dewight & Sharon Riddle. The article was excerpted from www.experiencingworship.com.
The material is copyrighted and should not be reprinted under any other name or author. However, this material may be freely used for personal study or research purposes.
This article may not be written by an Apostolic author, but it contains many excellent principles and concepts that can be adapted to most churches. As the old saying goes, “Eat the meat. Throw away the bones.”