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Worship With Your Life

no@spam.com (Victoria Keen) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:00 CDT

The Bible says in Romans that to present ourselves as a living sacrifice is the true way to worship God (that it is our reasonable service).

I enjoy worshiping God with music. I am learning every day though that not only am I to worship God with music and lyrics, but worship is an every day sacrifice of my ways for His ways, my thoughts for His thoughts. Worship is every action and every word...it is my lifestyle. Everything that comes out of this temple should edify God and bring Him glory. Everything I do should be a form of worship.

So whether I am on the platform, in a pew or at the grocery store, I am going to live a life of total worship.

Psalm 48:9 (NLT) "O God, we meditate on your unfailing love as we worship in your Temple"

Romans 12:1 (NLT) "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him."

1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV) "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own..."

Raise Your Voice

no@spam.com (Victoria Keen) — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 00:00:00 CDT

John 3:14 "And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life."

Did you know that there is no Hebrew word for coincidence?

I think that it is not coincidence or chance that when we worship God in song, we lift our voice, and that the Word of God says that we must lift Him up so that everyone will know Him.

Next time you're singing a song to God, think about how in song and in every day action, you can lift up Jesus Christ for all the world to see. If He can't be seen, how can they be saved?

He Knows My Name (John 20: 10-18)

no@spam.com (Branon Dempsey) — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:00:00 CDT

The song title above has been a favorite of mine for many years. It's not a new song, but the message is timeless. In celebrating the Resurrection Sunday, we find Mary Magdalene and the disciples. They were seeking Jesus in an empty tomb. We read how they were very disturbed to not find the Savior (for He had risen). In Mary's distress, she was questioned by the angel as to why she was crying. In the next moment, the Lord found her. He called to her, "Mary." I imagine that the hearing of her name had to have been one of the most thrilling moments. At the same time, when her name was spoken, she was filled with comfort. Mary responded to the Savior's call as she turned toward him, cried out and held on to Jesus.

What an amazing event! The risen Savior, raised in glory, still with the very people he loved and called them by name. Even in the hour of desperation, our Lord is there. When we are empty, He fills. When we are lost, He finds. When we are lonely, He calls our name. In this holy fellowship with the Father, he initiates and we respond. Just as he called Adam in the Garden and called Abraham to form an everlasting relationship, he calls for us today to respond to His love. God Almighty completed the work of the covenant through Christ. We now have access to the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ. We now have an incredible joy to go and share this love to all mankind. For those of us who are close are far from Christ, we are never too far from His reach. He still calls us by name, knows our every thought and sees each tear that falls. What an awesome, mighty and unbreakable love we have in Christ. It is a true joy and relief for Him to call us by name. He is Risen!

What Is The Most Embarrassing Moment In Worship?

no@spam.com (Branon Dempsey) — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 CST

Whether we lead worship or participate in some form, we all have experienced the unpredictable, the unbelievable and the unreal-are-you-kidding-me circumstances. I have known worship leaders and teams who have really succeeded in becoming the most embarrassing wonders of the world.

Band starts in the wrong key, singers in another, associate pastor dresses up as a sumo wrestler, worship leader backstage left his head-worn mic on, drama actor split his pants and/or misspelled words that were projected during a worship song. You may have better stories.

Tell us: what is your most embarrassing situation you experienced in worship?

Worshiping as a True Team

no@spam.com (John Chisum) — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00 CST

I put together a ladies only praise team this week at my church in Chicago. We had a great service tonight and I was excited about how well they worked together. They are all fine singers, but I saw in them tonight the spark of leadership that can go beyond singing a song. Singing a song is far removed from authentic worship leading. I have spent a fair amount of time trying to get them to embrace their personalities and be free to be who God made them to be. They have embraced that concept to varying degrees.

It is counter-intuitive to think that the more we use our personalities the more we draw people's attention to God in worship leading, but it is true - God gave us our personalities to use them to attract people through us to Him. If we stand there self-conscious and lacking confidence in ourselves we actually distract people and hinder them from entering into worship because they're wondering if we're going to have a coronary before we finish the song. Think about your favorite artist. They are unique, confident, light years ahead of most of us in their ability to capture the attention and imagination of their audience. Then it is up to them whether or not they direct the praise and glory to God. We must learn to use our God-given personalities, including humor, to capture people's attention and imagination in worship leading and then focus them completely on God's redeeming love.

Shalom. Live. Love. Lead.

Paul - The Unending Worshipper

no@spam.com (Matt Redman) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:00 CST

The possibility of death seems to sharpen a person´s priorities, values, and perceptions.
When time is short, ´the unimportant´ begins to fade.
What really matters?
What does it all mean?

And there sat Paul.

In prison. Alone. Rumors of his own execution swirling, if not amongst the guards that watched him twenty-four hours a day, then, at the very least, in his own mind.

With death a very real possibility, he ponders a question that lingers in the back of our minds-

What does it mean to live?
What does it mean to die?

These are the ´big questions´ that we bury underneath grocery lists, car repairs and office deadlines. These are the questions that we never stop - or avoid stopping - to ask.

Paul´s answer?

To live? Christ.
To die? Gain.

Paul, in two short phrases, sums up what it means to live this kind of ´in-between existence´ we call Christianity. We are to live in eager expectation of our heavenly inheritance (Philippians 3 v 20-21) while, at the same time, being firmly fixed on ensuring that ´Your Kingdom comes, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.´ (Matthew 6 v10)

Defining Worship

no@spam.com (Bob Kauflin) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 CST

Dutch humanist Desiderius Erasmus (1466-1536) once said “Every definition is dangerous.” That may explain why when we try to define a word simply and precisely we often end up missing significant aspects of the word we’re defining. Attempts at explaining worship as “love,” or “intimacy,” or “relationship” say something true, but end up leaving out more than they contribute to our understanding of worship.

In spite of Erasmus’ warning, over the years I’ve come across numerous definitions of “worship” that have caused me think about worship more biblically.

Harold Best, in his book Music Through the Eyes of Faith defines worship in the broadest sense as “acknowledging that someone or something else is greater – worth more – and by consequence, to be obeyed, feared, and adored…Worship is the sign that in giving myself completely to someone or something, I want to be mastered by it. (pg. 143)

We want to be mastered the objects of our worship. And indeed we are. We worship whatever rules our time, energy, thoughts, longings, and choices. “Those who make them [idols] become like them; so do all who trust in them.” (Psa. 115:8, ESV)

A definition of worship that I appreciate for its simplicity and clarity is by Warren Wiersbe, who writes:

Worship is the believer’s response of all that they are – mind, emotions, will, body – to what God is and says and does. (Warren Wiersbe, Real Worship, p. 26)

I’ve used that definition, or something similar, when I want to accent that worship can’t be half-hearted, and is all about God’s character, words, and acts.

David Peterson, unpacks what at first blush is a more sterile, but nevertheless insightful, definition:

“Worship of the living and true God is essentially an engagement with him on the terms that he proposes and in the way that he alone makes possible. (Engaging with God, pg. 20)

Peterson’s definition highlights God’s initiative, authority, and enabling power in our worship.

Well, this post is already longer than I anticipated. But, here’s one more from William Temple’s (1881-1944) Readings in St. John’s Gospel.

“Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His Beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose – and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin”.

Amen.

American Idol

no@spam.com (Branon Dempsey) — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 00:00:00 CST

You watch it too. I have come to understand that American Idol is pure cheap entertainment at its finest. We pull for the underdogs and vote for our favorites. The judges banter about the audition process and make comments to the contestants. The beginning auditions are hilarious. We witness the many walks of life, the silly get-ups and the variety of sounds. The ones who nail the audish victoriously go to Hollywood. The ones who don’t go home in tears. Either way, we enjoy the show because it makes us laugh, cry and faint all at the same time. Unfortunately, there are contestant who don’t make the cut and feel that their dreams are crushed. Some kick and scream, while others respectfully walk away. Some unveil their ill feelings to the judges, while others thank them for the opportunity. All in all, this show gives people a chance for the voice to be heard - for better or for worse.

But what about the identity of the person? Our personal identity? We are all talented in many things. However, we can damage ourselves when we put our complete personhood into our gifting. Further damage is caused by allowing others to determine our self-worth - expectations. Our personhood is in Christ. The Bible says who we are, not the world. We are His kid, His child. Real life is found in the fellowship of His Spirit. Because we live in a fallen world, we are subjected to the hurts of life. The difference is, we are not defined by our past or present situation. We are defined by the Authorship of God. Our identify comes from Christ, being hidden in Him. Real life is given by the Spirit as we see our reflection in Christ. He has called us by name. He has drawn us with loving kindness. Even when the world rejects us, He holds us in His hand. We can make an idol out of many things, but these are worthless in comparison to the One who bought you and cherishes you for Himself.

“Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.” - Col.3:3-5

Hope

no@spam.com (Branon Dempsey) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 00:00:00 CST

I was astonished. As of last night, my best friend’s father passed away. After years of health battles with a deteriorating heart, he went to be with the Lord. I’ve met grandpa Lain a few years ago. A sweet man with a soft voice and gentle sparkle in his eyes. You easily knew what he treasured. The simple things. Faith, hope and love. When we got word last night, I quickly called my best friend to extend our sympathy and prayers. As always, my best friend was solid, secure and at peace. I have seen my him go through many other challenges before and I am always surprised by his resolve. He is always calm. Most often, when you offer words of comfort, he begins to comfort you. I can see how his father’s life made such an impact. You can see the hope through his father’s eyes. Hope is an amazing reality. But what is hope? Is hope an expectation that guides us through the fog? Is it something that falls from the sky to bring relief? Is hope really a tangible thing? When I looked up the word hope, I found something different:

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.” Rom 5:1-3.

“while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.” - Titus 2:13

This hope, is not what the world can provide. Hope is defined by the reality, life and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The kind of peace I saw in the eyes of grandpa Lain was the hope of Christ. As Titus says, Christ is our blessed hope. Not found in things, solutions or people. These all have their purpose and position in this earthly life, but they do not guarantee our eternal frame. How do we extend this kind of hope to others? Being filled with this kind of hope flows from Christ. This kind of hope is attractive and fulfilling. Hope is like a water well, overflowing and cannot be contained. This is parallel to the love that Christ offers in those who are thirsty. It is a curious blessing to receive an encouraging word from friends and especially from strangers. Christ - our hope is our guarantee of sanctity and eternal life. We move from faith to faith and from strength to strength, believing in the power of the Resurrection and Return. He is our living hope. While we remain on earth, may each day be spent abiding in the hope and peace of Christ. Spend a moment today sharing this kind of hope to the people around you. This can be done through words or by actions alone. What a surprise it will be when our Hope appears.

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,” - 1 Pet. 1:3

The Mystery

no@spam.com (Paul Baloche) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 00:00:00 CST

To most people music is a mysterious thing and so are musicians. If you’re serious about your ministry as a musician, serious to the point that you sometimes space out or forget to eat, you’ve probably discovered that your friends and folks worry about you. They don’t understand exactly what it is you do. As a Christian songwriter, especially a worship songwriter, what you do is lead people in expressing their love and worship to the Lord—honoring, adoring and venerating Him. You have the holy privilege of putting words into the mouths of God’s people—wonderful words that they might not have thought of saying to the Lord before. Or perhaps saying ancient words in a new way. It’s a precious privilege, to be valued and taken seriously. A songwriter can be a soul doctor, a healer. We’re handling nuclear, life-impacting material. So let’s handle it with awe, with reverence, with care, with thankfulness, with humility, and with joy.

As we write, let’s hope among other things that our songs will:
Magnify the worth of God and bring Him pleasure. Teach the doctrinal truths of scripture. Evoke a whole-hearted response to the revelation of God’s love and character. Inspire others to live their lives for the glory of God. Motivate others to know Him and enjoy Him. Help others become more aware of His presence in their lives. If we’re going to suggest that the church, with its rich heritage of great music, should use our songs in its holy mission, we had better make sure ours are as empowered as those we would have them replace.