He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, "Yes, I am coming soon!" Amen! Come, Lord Jesus! (Revelation 22:20) NLT
This worship profile of John is from the Praise and Worship Study Bible published by Tyndale House. It is a wonderful study tool for all who want to learn more about Biblical worship.
Tradition holds that William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, did not become passionate about evangelism until the day he had a gripping vision of hell. If that is true, is it possible that we may never become serious about worship until we first catch a glimpse of heaven? Consider the life of John, son of Zebedee. An uneducated fisherman, John was one of Christ's hand-picked disciples. For three years John saw Jesus perform mracles, heard his powerful sermons, and received brilliant (though brief) peeks at Christ's divinity. John had seen things that most of us cannot even begin to imagine. Even so, it was his vision of heaven that moved him to write of the importance of worship.
John the Worshiper
Our first glimpses of John in the Bible show us an impetious, brash, and sometimes self-centered man. Jesus had named John and his brother, James, "Sons of Thunder," and it was they who urged Jesus to call down fire from heaven to unish a Samaritan village. However, the experience of being in the presence of Jesus for three years transformed John into a humble, loving shepherd of God's people.
Learning from John
John was a master of conveying inexpressible truths and heavenly realities in symbolic language. John told us that God is light, truth, the way, the gate, the shepherd, the beginning and the end--finite concepts that give us a glimpse of the infinite God. Such symbols can spark our thoughts about the God we worship, and the church has made rich use of such symbolism to this day.
More than any other writer, John showed us that worship is the language of heaven. In the book of Revelation (see chapters 4, 5, 7, 11, 19), John struggled to find words to describe the scene around the throne of God: heavenly beings and redeemed people chanting and singing. The praise of this countless multitude is described as thunderous, not to mention continuous. The worship is neither mandated nor coerced; it is spontaneous and freely given. It is marked by wild exuberance and unabashed devotion.
John has been called the "apostle of love," not only for his teaching about the love of God, but also for his own deep compassion for other Christians. John told one congregation, "I write this [letter] to you who believe in the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life" (1 John 5:13). Love should motivate everything we do for God.
Following the Example
As you read through the book of Revelation, take careful note of the characteristics of the heavenly throng that proclaims God's praise. They pray vigilantly (5:8), they have suffered tribulation (7:14); they fear God's name (11:18); they are spiritually undefiled (14:4) and blameless (14:5); their good deeds follow them (14:13); they are victorious over the enemy (15:2); they do not practice idolatry or dishonesty (21:27). John reminds us that worship that is pleasing to God comes from a pure heart. We must live a blameless life, always reads, as John was, to welcome the return of the Lord: "Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!"