Worship 101: Revelation

Revelation in Worship: The process by which God chooses to reveal himself to an individual or gathering of individuals; God revealing himself to us in his time and on his terms, not man's. We must not be fooled into thinking that worship has begun because we decided to show up on Sunday morning dressed in our "Sunday best," or because the worship leader or minister of music has just led out in our favorite psalm, hymn, or spiritual song. No, when believers come together as the body of Christ, they are praying, hoping, and believing that God will reveal himself in all of His glory.

If God is going to reveal Himself to us, then we must be acutely aware of what exactly it is that he is showing us. I think for many of us as seekers of the Most High, we want God to reveal to us His presence, that sense of God being with us. It appears to me that this may be an emotional aspect of the revelation process that we are seeking and I find it not to be as tangible as some of the other ways in which God reveals himself.

Let us take for instance God revealing Himself as Creator, showing us something of His PERSON. He could reveal Himself through the reading of the written word of the creation account, or an experience in the outdoors that He uses to remind each of us of all he has done when He spoke the world into existence. He may choose to reveal something about the POWER that he yields, and how He holds all things together.  His PLANS for our lives are certainly a part of the revelation process as we trust in  Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know that plans I have for you."We are always seeking the answer to that question. And then there is the revelation of His PURPOSE or purposes.

We must claim the promise found in Jeremiah 29:13 that says, "you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."  In other words, when we search for God with all our hearts, we will find him! He will reveal himself to us! I pray that God might choose to reveal Himself to you and I as we seek after Him with ALL of our hearts. May he reveal something of His presence, person, power, plans, and purpose to each of us.

Let us approach the throne of grace with confidence… The cross is crucial to our worship of the Almighty. It is not merely one of many possible themes we can touch on as we come to worship God. The cross is central. It is foundational. It is the place at which worship begins and ends. Jesus said of himself, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He is the doorway to the throne-room. It is He who tore the veil that separated us from the living God. A pastor by the name of P.T. Forsyth has said, “Christ is to us just what his cross is. That all Christ was in heaven or on earth was put into what He did there. You do not understand Christ until you understand his cross.” “Nor will we understand worship until we understand his cross,” says Bob Kaulflin. That is why we must constantly lift up the cross. Let worship begin with Jesus, at the cross, and all that He accomplished there not only for you and I, but for the people who have gone before us, and those we have the privilege of leading in worship each week.

I recently came across a newer definition of worship from Mike Harland, Director of Worship for Lifeway Christian Services. In His book “Seven Words of Worship” he describes worship as being our response to God’s revelation of who He is and what He has done. Simple enough, right? I mean, after all, He is creator, sustainer of life. We stand in awe of the complexity with which this world was created and WE PRAISE HIM. We look at our lives and realize what our God has saved us from, saved us to, and WE THANK HIM. We see how wonderful He is in spite of who we are, and WE ADORE HIM. There are, although, times when God is revealing himself to us and we miss Him, either by choice, which can be dangerous, or we’re too blinded by the distractions and burdens of this life to notice what He is doing. The answers would vary for each of us, but let us ask the question, “How can this be?” My prayer for all of us is that our eyes might always be open, that He might reveal more of Himself and who He is, that we might respond and say with all that we are, “Lord, you are indeed worthy of worship. With Praise, Thanksgiving, and Adoration, we humbly bow before you most Holy God”

Be Real

To Be Real or Not to Be Real? That is the question. All across this globe, people are hurting deeply. And I'm not talking about the kind of hurt they're experiencing because of the loss of job or hard economic times, or even the loss of a family member or friend. I'm talking about the kind of hurt and pain that can only be known by someone who feels like they have commited the unpardonable sin and feel like the weight of the world is bearing down on them. (Which it is - It's called the Holy Spirit) and so they struggle.....and they struggle. And then one day.....they show up in a worship service. One can see the Holy Spirit is all over them. One can see that freedom is just a short step away if they'll just take that step. Oh their experience is Very REAL. Authentic. It's the kind of worship experience minister's pray for. Hoping God will just show up and do a "mighty work." And then it happens. Satan begins to do his work through the High and Mighty Church Member. Condemnation begins to set in. "Why did that person go forward?" "The pastor just preached on that topic, he or she must be struggling with that" You can see the stones being throne. Judgement is being cast. Next thing you know, rumor's out. "Better watch out at that church. You can't be REAL there." And if you can't be real at church, where can you be real at. So, if you're struggling with something, just be REAL. Be REAL with yourself. Be REAL with God. And if your blessed enough to have a loving church family whose in touch with their own past faults, failures, and struggles with sin, BE REAL with them. We are the church! WE ARE THE CHURCH! Praise God!

Prayer.....

"I want a life of greater, deeper, truer, prayer." I echo these words of Archbishop Tait who lived during the 19th century. Prayer is a topic that has many questions, and probably just as many answers if not more. In no way do I claim to have an understanding of this complex topic, but I do know this, that prayer, when done right, is the most intimate, fullfilling, and satisfying time spent with our Lord.

This week I have had the desire placed on my heart to begin an in depth study of this topic. Maybe this is the point the disciples had reached in their lives when they asked Jesus himself, "Lord, teach us to pray."

And that shall be my prayer and maybe it can be yours too.

Lord teach "us" how to pray. Help us to know how to commune with you, when to be silent, when to speak, when to praise, when to adore, when to give thanks, when to confess, when to weep. Restore us all: Transform us all: For your glory!

Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs

Is this really still a problem for believers in churches today? Unfortunately, yes. This is still a constant struggle in many churches today. "We want to be more contempoary!" (praise choruses) "We want to be more traditional!"(Hymns) Here's a suggestion; How about, "Let's be BIBLICAL!" One of the biblical standards for worship is through "psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs." This is a no brainer for me, clearly defined by the scriptures in Colossians 3:16.

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, through the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your heart to God."

So why all the controversy in churches today? It is because this controversy is man-centered and not God-Centered. It's either a preference of style or, it's deeply rooted in an experience where the individual encountered the presence of God, usually through salvation in a very real way. The reason our wonderful seniors enjoy the great hymns of the faith is because that is what they were singing when God saved them. Likewise, the younger generations love to worship to the more modern songs because that is what they were singing when God saved them.

The problem with both sides is that they feel as if they cannot, or have not worshipped God unless they've worshipped with their "preferred style." We as believers must put aside our man-centered preferences, seek to experience God in new ways each time we gather for corporate worship, and exalt Him through biblical worship: Psalms, Hymns, & Spiritual Songs.

Our worship is either Biblical - or it's not! It's that simple.

Psalm 15

Some of you reading this know I have had a desire for memorizing the book of John; something that I hope to accomplish in my lifetime. But, recently I felt the Holy Spirit drawing me to the book of Psalms, for what reason I have yet to determine. Some ask, why memorize it? Well, for me, memorizing the scriptures and the process it takes to do so really does allow me to meditate on the word in a way that is not accomplished in simply picking up and just reading a particular passage. In the following Psalm, number 15, the more I process this psalm in my mind, I realize this is what was an entrance rite to be in the presence of God. Today, we operate under grace and the blood of Jesus Christ, but in the old testament there was a standard, which I myself desire to live up to in order that I might continually be in the presence of the Almighty.

David cries out:
Lord, who may abide in your tabernacle
Who may dwell in your holy hill
He who walks upright
And works righteousness
And speaks the truth from his heart
He who does not backbite with his tongue
Nor does evil to his neighbor
Nor does he take a reproach against his friend
In whose eyes a vile person is despised
But he honors those who fear the Lord
He who swears an oath to his own hurt and does not change
He who does not put out money at usury (that's interest)
Nor does he take a bribe against the Innocent
He who does all these things shall never be moved.

I really love the last verse, he who does all these things SHALL NEVER be moved. What an incredible promise! Again, we operate under grace, but in order to experience his presence even today, we must realize and confess the sin in our own lives.

I had a seminary professor one time use the term temporary atheism. Anytime I'm not focused on the things of God or experiencing his presence then I am temporarily without Him. I don't know about you, but I don't ever want to be moved. I want to abide in His tabernacle, dwell in His holy hill, experience HIS presence every moment of my life!

Quote of the day - "As we discover and experience the majesty of God, the reality of His presence, and His availability to us in our times of need, we will be unable to keep from worshipping Him. It's a natural response." - John Wimber

Where Do you Dwell?

Psalm 91: You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." In the verses that follow we learn what the Israelites were protected from; snares, deadly pestilence, arrows. The word shelter here is translated "secret place." It is place where one can run away from their enemies and seek protection. Look back on upon your life and give God thanks and praise for the times He was your refuge and your fortress. If you are running today, run to Him and dwell in that shelter. You will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

What do I Love?

Jesus, when asked by the pharisees which is the greatest commandment responds, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." Have you and I been loving the Lord with all of our hearts? If not, what things have we been loving and an important question, why have we been loving those things. The same battle that raged in the hearts of the Israelites is the same battle that rages in our hearts today: Who or what do we love the most; God or something else?

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" - Jesus Christ

Worship Matters

Worship Matters? Absolutely! To quote Bob Kauflin from his book Worship Matters, "Worship matters because God is ultimately worthy of worship. Secondly, we were created to worship. And third, those of us who are worship leaders have no greater privilege than leading others to God." But what does Jesus say about worship? In John 4, Jesus is talking with the woman at the well and He lets us know - God is seeking worshipers. Not only that, but He is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Worship Matters! Who or what am I worshiping? That's the question I am asking myself each and every day.

QUOTE OF THE DAY - "Worship is communion with God in which believers, by grace, center their mind's attention and their heart's affection upon the Lord, humbly glorifying God in repsonse to His greatness and His Word." -Bruce H. Lefablad