Why We Worship (Part 3)

Why We Worship 

The purpose of our worship is to glorify, honor, praise, exalt, and please God. Our worship must show our adoration and loyalty to God for His grace in providing us with the way to escape the bondage of sin, so we can have the salvation He so much wants to give us. The nature of the worship God demands is the prostration of our souls before Him in humble and contrite submission. Our worship to God is a very humble and reverent action.

James 4:6, 10 "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up". 

Jesus said in John 4:23, 24, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is a spirit and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth." 

It doesn't say we can worship God anyway we want, but we "must worship Him in spirit and in truth". The word "must" makes it absolute. There is no other way we can worship God and be acceptable to Him. The word "must", according to Webster, expresses "an obligation, a requirement, a necessity, a certainty, and something that must be done". When "must" is used it means that it is not optional.  Here the word "must" is expressing that in spirit and in truth is the only way to acceptably worship God. God seeks true worshippers, and He identifies them as those who "worship Him in spirit and in truth". Worshipping God in spirit and in truth is a serious matter which must not be taken lightly. If we have any regard for our own souls, we will want to make sure we are worshipping God in spirit and in truth.

Since God is the object of our worship, He and He alone has the right to determine how we are to worship Him. We are not granted the option of directing our own ways in religion. God is the One who we look to for guidance and direction in our lives.
Our very best in worship is due God and is prescribed by Him in the Bible. The worship God has prescribed is the only way we can be pleasing to Him in this life and finally attain everlasting life with Him in eternity. The Christian's worship is of the greatest importance.

Worship is a time when we pay deep, sincere, awesome respect, love, and fear to the one who created us. 

Acts 17:24, 25 "God who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives life, breath, and all things."

Why We Worship (Part 2)

Why We Worship 

Psalm 47:1, 2 “Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! For the LORD Most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth.”

Every now and then we need to ask ourselves this question:

“Why do we worship the Lord in the manner that we do?”

We gather with God's people to offer songs, hymns, prayers, gifts, and other expressions of worship on Sundays and Wednesday nights. I worship regularly because it's the right thing to do and because it's a habit of my life.

I don't believe there's anything wrong with showing up for a worship service because of a conviction that it's the right thing to do. Nor do I apologize for worshiping as a matter of habit. Duty and habit rightly help to guide our actions in life. Yet, sometimes, as I'm singing worship songs in church, I realize that I'm just going through the motions. I'm singing words, perhaps even thinking about their meaning, but forgetting the fundamental reason why I'm doing what I'm doing.

What is this reason? First, let me say what it is not.

-We do not worship to feel moved, though warm emotions frequently arise when we worship God.

-We do not worship to "get something out of the service," though we often benefit from what happens when we gather with God's people for worship.

-We do not worship for anything having to do with ourselves, though worship is one of the most meaningful and transformational things we do in life.

Why do we worship?

Psalm 47:1, 2 makes this clear:

"Come, everyone! Clap your hands! Shout to God with joyful praise! For the LORD most High is awesome. He is the great King of all the earth."

Did you catch that? It's easily missed. The primary reason for our worship is centered in one simple word: "For." The Hebrew word is even shorter: ki, meaning "for."

-We worship God for God is who God is.

-We worship because of who God is and what God has done.

-We worship in response to God, to God's nature, and activity.

As Christians, our worship is centered in the Gospel, in the good news of what God has done in Jesus Christ. That's why we continually remember the Gospel in our worship, in praying, singing, silence or celebration. We worship and praise God. For the unique, all-powerful, sovereign, holy, just God has reached out to us in love through Jesus Christ, saving us from sin and death, drawing us into fellowship with him and with his people, enlisting us as partners in his work to redeem and restore the world. Now there's a reason to worship!

Why We Worship (Part 1)

Worship 

Guy Ames wrote this article about worship in 2012:

"The fastest growing area of Christian music today is in the contemporary arena. Many churches are shifting to a blended or contemporary style of music. Choirs have given way to praise teams, while organs have given way to keyboards. Some worry that our church music is being lost. We long to pass on our heritage. Yet, just as children may not inherit our faith, neither can new generations necessarily inherit our worship.

Many preachers and churches deal regularly with complaints about worship being dull or boring, or the number one complaint, “I’m not being fed.” More emphasis seems to be on the quality of the worship experience. Realizing that this is the priority for many twenty-first-century U.S. churchgoers, one leading church has changed the name of their worship services to “experiences.” They tell us that the word worship implies dull and boring.

Another major complaint from long-time churchgoers is that worship seems more like entertainment. The changes seem to some more like a concert than a service of worship. Even some among the younger generations agree.

The Samaritan woman at the well tried to draw Jesus into the question of worship styles. “You believe that traditional worship is best done in the temple and that only the Hebrew priests can properly lead worship, but our Samaritan leaders have another view.” What led to this division between Samaritans and Jews was the long period of exile in Babylon. Jews who had been taken into captivity tried to remain racially and religiously pure, not allowing any intermarriage. The Jews who were left behind intermarried and developed new religious practices as a part of their survival. When those in captivity finally returned under Nehemiah and Ezra, those who had remained behind were declared “unclean” and their worship on Mount Gerizim was termed sacrilegious. The debate had continued for centuries as Jews and Samaritans remained enemies.

Jesus cut to the heart of the woman’s need. Worship does not require either temple or sacred mountain; true worship focuses upon God and not upon the worshiper. What does that say about our contemporary-versus-traditional debates? Jesus’ words call us to question our worship. Why does God call us to worship? Why do we sing? Leaf through most hymnals and notice few hymns written in the manner of the psalms. The language of the psalms points attention toward God. Our hymns, contemporary and traditional, often point toward us: our calling, our experience, the testimony of the church.

John Wesley provided directions for congregational singing, which read, in part: “sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing him more than yourself. . . . [A]ttend strictly to the sense of what you sing, and see that your heart is not carried away with the sound, but offered to God continually.”

Our favorite church songs assist our worship. Some bring praise, and others call to pray. Some hymns declare God’s faithfulness, while others call us to serve. Some relay the gospel, and others tell the story of the church. We need hymns that call us to know God, not merely to know about God. When the Samaritan woman tries to divert conversation away from herself by saying that one day the Messiah will come, Jesus simply says, “I Am—the one who speaks with you.”

In his revelation, Jesus portrays a picture of heavenly choirs. Throughout the pages, he paints a graphic scene of the heavenly congregation continually in relationship with God, engaging in worship, and bringing praise to the Lamb of God. These worshipers and choristers are in the presence of the Messiah; they need hope no more, for the Messiah has come. Toward the end of Revelation, God completes the redemption of all creation, and God and humanity dwell together. John writes that a loud voice from the throne shouts, “Look! God’s dwelling is here with humankind. He will dwell with them, and they will be his peoples. God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more. There will be no mourning, crying, or pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (vv. 3- 4). Finally, there are no barriers to our worship, no distractions, no more confusing our need with worship. Finally, all worshipers give full attention to God, our creator. Can you imagine what that will be like?

“I Can Only Imagine” by the award-winning Christian singers Mercy Me, wonders aloud about John’s picture of Revelation. What will life be when our complete focus is on the one who is present among us? Written in first person, this is a song sung as a prayer to God. “Surrounded by Your Glory, what will my heart feel? . . . I can only imagine!”

What will you do? Perhaps the question Jesus poses for us today is, what are you doing? If the Christ, our Messiah, has come, if Christ, our Lord, is present today, then how is our worship? Someone says, “But Lord, the music was just not of the quality that you deserve?”

Christ replies, “But my friends in the ghetto sing passionately without any accompaniment.” Another complains, “I just couldn’t worship today, Lord, because I just wasn’t fed.” Christ answers, “By whom are you expecting to be fed? I was with you. Did I not satisfy you?”

Can you imagine what it might be like when we finally know that Christ is present?"

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 7)

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 7)

Here are some natural parallels of spiritual truth that illustrate the importance of dissemination of information in battle.
 

-Enemy nations always spread false information about each other. 

Satan injects false propaganda into your mind if you allow him to. This is a major tactic he uses and the reason why you must win the battle for your mind by allowing Christ to dwell within it..

-One of the strategies of a nation at war is to weaken the enemy by diplomatic proposals. 

These are usually suggestions to compromise. Through such proposals each nation tries to gain an advantage over the other. In spiritual warfare, Satan attempts to make believers compromise with sin. He knows such "diplomacy" will result in spiritual weakness.

-When nations are at war, there is always an intricate organization of intelligence. 

Each side has intelligence forces dedicated to gathering information about the other. These forces collect and analyze information about the enemy and then they communicate what they have learned to the soldiers engaged in combat.

In spiritual warfare your knowledge of the enemy and his tactics are vital to victory. The Bible is your "intelligence manual" which reveals all you need to know about the enemy. As you learn of Satan's strategies and scriptural counter-strategies to defeat him, you should communicate these facts to other Christian soldiers. Be aware-Satan gathers information on you too. He learns your points of weakness and targets them with offensive attacks.

-Communication is vitally important in natural warfare. 

Good soldiers must be able to  receive instructions and encouragement from their commander. The enemy will try to sever communication between the front line troops and their leader, knowing this will result in failure on the battlefield.  

In spiritual warfare, Satan wants to destroy your lines of communication with the Lord. He will try to prevent you from praying and reading God's Word, as these provide instructions and encouragement for spiritual warfare. If you are so busy in battle that you neglect communication with the Commander, you will be easily defeated. 

Your victory on the front lines of spiritual warfare comes through sustained communication with the battle Commander. You must constantly receive His instructions and encouragement through prayer and study of His Word.

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 6)

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 6)

In the spiritual world, many believers are totally unaware of the warfare raging around them so they have not adopted a wartime lifestyle. Churches plan programs and parties, but they do not have a battle plan for reaching their city, nation, or the world.  Believers live in luxury and ease while the enemy is claiming the souls of multitudes without Jesus Christ.

We invest millions of dollars into beautiful buildings with stained glass windows and gorgeous statues and art.  But what about investing millions in the slums and villages where there are people who have not yet heard of Jesus?  That is where the battle is raging for the souls of men and women.  Funds are always needed for Bible translation, support of Christian workers, Bible schools, orphanages, and church planting. and revitalization.

Many believers are so caught up in the circumstances of their everyday lives that they don't even think about spiritual battles. Their time is consumed by the cares of the world, pleasures, and recreation.  Yet they wonder why they are depressed and discouraged.  They question why they have no joy or purpose in life.  It is because they are victims of a war they do not even know exists. 

You must understand that you are at war and you must adopt a wartime life-style.  Spiritual warfare should become a priority in your life. You should spend time in preparation and training. You should learn how to use your spiritual weapons.

You should designate material wealth to extend the Gospel to the unreached.  You should be alert to invasions from the enemy and post extra guards at the borders of your heart, mind, tongue, soul, spirit, home, community, and church fellowship. 

You should be raising your children as ambassadors for God rather than to become corporate presidents, bankers, and stock-brokers.  You are at war, and your life-style in the spirit world should reflect it.

Take time to review your own life.  Are you living a war-time lifestyle?

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 5)

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 5)

The early Church viewed their spiritual experience in terms of warfare.  The Apostle Paul told Timothy 1 Timothy 1:18:  

"This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them might war a good warfare." 

Protection is described as the "armor of God."  The Word of God is compared to a "sword." Satan's attacks are fiery darts and faith is the "good fight." Believers are told to "war a good warfare."

Why did God choose the example of natural warfare to describe what is happening in the spirit world between the forces of good and evil?  God uses natural principles to explain what is happening in the spirit world.  You are able to understand what you see in the natural world.  So when parallels are drawn between something in the natural world and the spiritual world, you can understand the spiritual because of your understanding of the natural.

Jesus often used this principle of natural and spiritual parallels to illustrate important truths. For example, He used  a natural harvest field to illustrate the great spiritual harvest to which He was calling laborers. There are many parallels between natural and spiritual harvesting.

The same is true in relation to spiritual warfare. There are many principles of natural warfare which have been studied and applied by military experts. These principles are also applicable in the spiritual world.  So let's look at some principles of natural warfare and apply them in the spiritual realm. 

A simple definition of warfare in the natural world is "an act of force intended to compel an opponent to fulfill your will." This definition is applicable also in the spiritual world. Satan is constantly using the forces of evil to compel you to fulfill his will.

The objective of warfare in the natural world is victory over the enemy. This is also the main objective in the spiritual world. To achieve victory in natural warfare, there are many short-range objectives that must be accomplished. Individual battles must be won and separate territories claimed.  Each of these individual battles contribute to the final goal of victory.

The same is true in the spirit world. Your long-range goal is victory over the enemy, but you must break down this long-range goal into more specific objectives. You must know the objectives God has for you in spiritual warfare in your family, your church fellowship, your community, and your nation. You must identify the specific territory assigned to you for conquest and continuously battle for your destiny.


 

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 4)

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 4)

Spiritually speaking, "giants" stand for the difficulties you face in life.  You will meet "giant" problems in your family, church, social life, ministry, job, and in your own heart.  Your giant may be an addiction,  negative emotions like anger or unforgiveness, or an enemy that is coming against you.  

It is in the way of duty that you find giants.  When Israel was going forward they met giants.  When they turned back into the wilderness, they found none.  If you are meeting "giant" problems in your life and ministry, the good news is that you are progressing in God.  You are advancing to claim territory that affects your destiny.  

God  told Israel to totally destroy the inhabitants of Canaan, including the giants. But Israel did not heed God's warning: 

Judges 2:1-3 "...but ye have not obeyed my voice...wherefore...they shall be as thorns in your sides and their gods shall be an snare unto you." 

Israel conquered much of Canaan, but they left just a few giants in three cities:  Gaza, Gath, and Ashdod.  The giants allowed to remain became "snares and thorns" for Israel in these cities.  Giants breed giants both in the natural and spiritual worlds.  If the giants of your life are not eliminated, they will become "snares and thorns" in your spiritual journey to destiny. 

It is from these three locations where giants remained--Gaza, Ashdod, and Gath--that trouble erupted in later years.

Judges 16-It is in Gaza that we find God's man, Samson, in trouble.  In a city where the giants were spared, Samson finds Delilah, is deceived, stripped of his spiritual strength, and taken into captivity.  No matter how strong you are in the Lord, if giants are allowed to remain unconquered they have the capacity to destroy your life and ministry.

1 Samuel 4-5 tells about the departure of the Ark from Israel.  Ashdod was one of the cities where the evil Philistines took the Ark they had captured and degraded this most holy symbol of God's glory.  This is the same Ashdod where Israel left "a few giants.”  Unconquered giants will rob you of the glory of God's presence.

1 Samuel 17-One bad thing about leaving giants in the land is that giants give birth to giants.  God's people are being held hostage by a giant named Goliath.  This man was from the city of Gath, where Israel left a few giants.  There would have been no Goliath if the giants had been eliminated as God had commanded.

Unconquered giants in your life breed more giants.  These giants will return to taunt you and eventually you will be held hostage by them.  You can have your spiritual armor on and be trained in spiritual warfare, but you will be rendered immobile unless you get down on the battlefield and face the giant.  Are there "giants" in your life that you need to eliminate?

 

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 3)

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 3)

Remember these four things:

-Satan will constantly try to wear you down physically, mentally, and spiritually until you are so tired, discouraged, and depressed that you are ready to throw your hands up in defeat. 

-Satan will try to create havoc in the circumstances in your life by bringing affliction and disease upon your body, attacking your children and loved ones, causing strife in your marriage, binding your finances, and creating problems on your job. 

-Satan will hold your mind in a vise-like grip through fear, worry, and doubt, and try to keep you in a constant state of turmoil.  His strategy is to get you caught up in a vicious cycle that hinders you from living and acting in faith. 

-Satan’s objective in attacking you through your circumstances is to steal your health, tear apart your family, destroy your marriage, take your children captive to sin, and keep you in financial bondage:

Don't be confused by the devil's attacks, but take ahold of the Word of God: 

John 10:10 "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

2 Corinthians 4:8. 9 NAS "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed."

Paul faced problems that were beyond his strength to endure, even to the point of despairing for his own life.  But Paul knew exactly what to do.  He expressed his confidence, faith, and hope despite the negative circumstances.

2 Corinthians 1:8-10 NIV "We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us."

You probably won't face the same situations that Paul faced, but you very well may face difficult problems today.  You can conquer every negative circumstance through the power of the Lord.  Paul understood this, and because of this knowledge he was able to achieve victory in every battle of life.  So can you.

 

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 2)

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 2)

You allow Satan to take advantage when you constantly attribute every bad thing that happens as though he controls every circumstance in your life.
 

 -You give Satan power when you choose to sin and blame Satan for it.  

-You give Satan power when you constantly give him undue attention.  

-You give Satan power through false perceptions concerning his power in your life.  

-You give Satan power when you doubt the truth of God's Word.

You must recognize the devil as the pathological liar that he really is. He has no new tricks!  He is still using the same lies and deceptions that he used in the garden of Eden in the first temptation. 

In order to be effective in spiritual warfare you must get it clear in your mind, your heart, and your spirit that the devil does not operate in unlimited power. The only power he has is rooted in lies and he operates through deception.

-The devil wants you to believe he has unlimited power.  

-The devil wants you to believe you are his victim.  

-The devil wants you to believe he can do whatever he desires to you.

Many Christians honestly believe they are weak and powerless against the enemy. If Satan can keep you believing that he has more power than you do as a Christian, then you will retreat, wander aimlessly spiritually, fearful to face him down in any confrontation.  The enemy will become a greatly feared foe, and you will live each day wondering from where the next attack will come and how you can defend yourself against a force that is so much stronger than you.

Get this deep in your spirit:  Satan has no power in your life unless you give it to him by either sinning or believing his lies.  When you are free from sin and acting upon the truth of the Word of God regarding the enemy, then you can win the spiritual battles of life every time.  Reject Satan's lies.  You are a victor, not a victim!

 

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 1)

Spiritual Ignorance (Part 1)

Ignorance of Satan's tactics provides an opportunity for the enemy to take advantage of you as recorded in 2 Corinthians 2:11.  Many believers ignore Satan, hoping if they do so he will leave them alone. Others are fearful of him, believing that he has tremendous power for which they are no match.  If you are to achieve victory in life, you must know your enemy and how to overcome him..
 

Jesus was able to live His life in one-hundred percent victory over the enemy because He faced Satan from a position of knowing.   Jesus never wavered, faltered, or retreated.   Jesus knew that He had power and authority to defeat Satan in every circumstance!

1 John 3:8 “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”  

Satan desperately tries to keep his defeat by Jesus a secret. He does not want you to know that through the death of Christ on the cross he has been defeated.  Jesus declared in Luke 10:19: 

“Behold, I give unto you power...over all the power of the enemy.”

Satan does not want you to know the truth that you have power over all of his diabolical powers!

Jesus has authority over the devil. The Bible declares the enemy is under His feet:

Ephesians 1:19-23 "...the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all."

Since the enemy is under Christ's feet and since Jesus is the Head of the Church, then this means the enemy is under your feet as well because you are part of the Body of Christ.

God’s Word declares that, through Christ, you have been given dominion over this world, the flesh, the devil, and every enemy you may encounter. This power has been delegated to you as part of your spiritual inheritance. Do not let Satan keep you ignorant of these powerful truths. Arm yourself with this knowledge as you enter the battlefield of life as a true believer in Christ.

When The Going Gets REALLY Tough Remind Yourself

When The Going Gets REALLY Tough, Remind Yourself  

Paul was in jail when he wrote most of his Epistles. Those had to be some tough times that I'm sure made him question his own sanity at some point. He was a human being and faced trials and temptations just like we do. Yet, in spite of some of the toughest times of his life he never gave up. In fact to the rather he made this statement in 2 Corinthians 11:24-30:

"Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;  In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness. Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities."

That's why when the going gets really tough you need to remind yourself of who's in control of your situation. Jesus wants you to know that you're not in this alone. So remind yourself:

(1) In between “I’ll try again” and “I give up” there’s a lifetime.  

-It’s the difference between the path you walk and the one you leave behind. 

-It’s the gap between who you are capable of being and who you have become. 

-It’s the legroom for the fairy tales you’ll tell yourself in the future about what could have been.

(2) Love is the foundation of human progress.  

-Don’t give up on it.  

-Love what you do, until you can do what you love.  

-Love where you are, until you can be where you love.  

-Love the people you are with, until you can be with the people you love most.

(3) Putting in extra love and effort when doing the hard things is always worth it.  

-Because those are the things that ultimately define you.  

-Those are the things that make the difference between existing and living, knowing the path and walking the path, and a life of mediocrity and a life filled with progress and fulfillment.

(4) The most powerful weapon against immediate stress is our ability to choose one thought over another.  

-Train your mind to see the silver linings.  

-Positivity is a choice.  

-The happiness and effectiveness of your life in the long run depends on the quality of your thoughts today.

(5) Being positive doesn’t mean ignoring the negative.

-It means overcoming the negative.  There’s a big difference between the two, and it all starts with your thinking.