A Look at Luke 14:15-24

The Parable of the Great Banquet offers us a look into the type of teaching that Jesus typically did for those he came into contact with. It also gives us a glimpse into our own lives as we sift through the parable characters and see shadows that may echo our own. This passage begins with the statement of a person being blessed by eating at the feast of the kingdom of God, and then Jesus shares the banquet parable.

There are two Promises to claim in this parable which have to do with being in invited to the banquet. The first is a promise of acceptance. Jesus speaks of a man who invites important people to a banquet, but they create self-important excuses and decline to claim the promise of a seat at the table when they choose not to come. Instead, the man has his servant go into the streets and offer that same invitation to ordinary people. Those people gladly accept the invitation and claimed their seats at the master’s table. In the same way, we are invited to accept Jesus’ invitation to claim the promise of eternal life and sit at the Master’s table in heaven. The second promise is one of rejection. Many times, those who are invited to claim that very promise believe that they have more important things to do. They believe that there is “more life to live”, and therefore, choose to do just that, all the while leaving their eternal reward of heaven behind. God offers His invitation through Christ Jesus to all who will come. Those who accept it will filled with the hope and joy of knowing they will see God. Those who choose not to accept it will never get a taste of heaven, for they will be shut out and cast into eternal darkness.

The master in the parable Expresses the emotions of anger, frustration, and sadness as his invitations are turned down one by one for reason that are not important and are very self serving. His emotions express the intense desire that he had for all those invited to come and share a meal at his table. When they refuse to do so for one reason or another, his anger, frustration, and sadness expose themselves to the point that he decides to have nothing to do with them whatsoever. This is an important lesson to learn, for I believe it is an example of how God reacts when those He invites to be reconciled to Him choose not to accept that invitation for worldly reasons. Although we do not currently see His anger, frustration, and sadness, I am certain that they are authentic. We will see those emotions one day when we are before the throne of judgment. Those who have not accepted His invitation will feel God’s emotions first hand as He sends them into eternal darkness.

There are two Examples in this parable. One to follow and one to avoid. The one to follow is that of the master. He desires to fill his table at the banquet with people who will share in his celebration and happiness. When those he initially invited made the decision not to come for one reason or another, the master chose to fill his table with whomever would come. Instead of cancelling his banquet, he filled the table with the less fortunate and those off the street that gladly accepted the invitation. This is much the same for us when it comes to the invitation that God offers us through Christ. He invites us to come willingly and sit at His table, and we should willingly accept so that we might share in God’s celebration and happiness. The example to avoid is that of those who chose not to come. Rather than accepting the master’s invitation to the banquet, they chose to make excuses about why they could not attend. This incited the anger and frustration of the master to the point that, even if they had changed their mind and come to the banquet, they would not have been allowed to share in the celebration after it had begun. So it is with God, that those whosoever chooses not to accept His invitation of reconciliation through Christ, because they want to do their own thing, will be completely shut out of the celebration in heaven once it begins after the rapture even if they change their mind.

In all of this, I must give Adoration to God for His faithful promise of accepting me when I accept Him. The master in the parable told his servant to go and get the dregs of society and bring them in for the banquet hall to be full. He commanded the servant to bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. When that wasn’t enough to fill the banquet hall, he had the servant travel the roads and lanes of the area so that he might bring in more people to fill the place for the feast. The master didn’t show preferential treatment. He simply wanted people to come and eat with him. He wanted people to accept him by accepting his invitation, and when they did, he accepted them without a second thought. God does the same with us. He invites us to come and accept Him by accepting His invitation of reconciliation through Jesus. When we accept that invitation to believe in God through Christ, He accepts us completely and unconditionally into His family. This acceptance is absolutely priceless, and yet, God gave everything in the person of His Son to give us the opportunity to accept Him and be accepted by Him. For that, I give God praise and adoration for his invitation!

However, in order for me to accept that invitation, there must be a Confession on my behalf. I must confess that I am indeed a sinner that is in need of the power of Jesus in my life to cleanse me of that sin. I must confess that I can’t do life on my own, and am in need of Christ as my Savior. This is a time of confessing wrong thoughts, attitudes, and actions to the Lord, and allowing His grace and mercy to help make restitution for our wrongs. Through the work of God’s servant, the Holy Spirit, I am invited to share in the Master’s happiness at His table. In accepting that invitation, I complete the confession of my sinful nature, and have a place at the table with God to sit and be with Him. One of the great rewards of this confession is the knowledge that, just as I have confessed my sins before God and Jesus has accepted me, Jesus will confess me before God and He will accept me when the time for judgment comes.

I give Thanks to God for his invitation of reconciliation through Christ. I have a feeling that those who accepted the invitation to the banquet gave thanks to the master for opening his home and preparing such an extravagant meal for them. In a similar way, I give thanks to God for opening heaven’s gates to me through the sacrifice of Christ, and for preparing such an extravagant home for me when my days on earth are finished and Christ comes again to establish the new heaven and new earth. This is a task that we must perform more often than not, as giving thanks to God for loving us enough to send Christ to die and rise is an important part of keeping perspective as a Christ follower.

In Supplication for myself, I choose to ask for the Father to keep me mindful of this parable, as I do not wish to treat the invitation God has placed before me with contempt or indifference. I wish to treat it as the beautiful and priceless gift that it is; the opportunity to spend eternity dining at the true Master’s table. In supplication for others, I pray very fervently for those who are lost, hurting and confused. I pray for those who have heard of the saving knowledge of Christ but have chosen to walk away from it. I pray for those who may have been hurt by other Christians at some point, and that has caused them to step away from the Master’s table invitation. It is my prayer for these that they will look again at what exactly it is that God offers them through the sacrifice of Jesus, and that they will see that it far outweighs anything that the world could offer them. I hope and pray that they will accept freely the invitation from God to be with Him for eternity, so that they will not be left out once the heavenly feast has begun. I also pray for those who have accepted the invitation of reconciliation. It is my prayer for these that they will continually remember just how much God paid to be able to deliver that invitation to us, and that we must continually accept that invitation in our lives, sometimes on a moment by moment basis.

The Stoning of Stephen

I've been stewing on Acts 7 for a while now. At first glance, it's a fairly unassuming chapter due to most of it being dedicated to Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin. However, if you look a little deeper, you see some things that may catch your heart a bit.

Now, remember back in Chapter 6 that Stephen had been falsley accused of speaking against the Law and the Temple. Verse 15 said that everyone in the room saw that Stephen's face was like the face of an angel. My best guess is that in that very moment, the Holy Spirit was filling Stephen with the strength he would need to answer the question that followed.

Acts 7:1 - Then the high priest asked him, "Are these charges true?"

An interesting side note here is that the high priest asking the question (according to most scholars and theologians) was Caiaphas, who was the very priest that set the wheels in motion for Jesus to be betrayed and ultimately killed. How ironic that he also presides over the making of the first Christian martyr?!

At this moment, Stephen could have done what you see much of on television these days. He could have gone the tried and true "no these accusations are purely false and I will prove beyond the shadow of a doubt that they are" route, but instead, God had a different plan for him. God had Stephen give the Sanhedrin a history lesson.

Reading through Verses 2-50, you will find a cliff notes version of the happenings between God and His chosen people from the time of Abraham all the way up to Solomon. One would think that this was to remind them of the amazing things God had done for them, but if you read it carefully you notice the common theme: Rejection of God's teachings and persecution of anyone who would bring them back to the forefront. This culminates with Stephen basically going postal on the Sanhedrin in Verses 51-53:

Acts 7:51-53 - "You stiff-necked people, with uncircumcised hearts and ears! You are just like your fathers; You always resist the Holy Spirit! Was there ever a prophet that your fathers did not persecute? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Righteous One. And how you have betrayed and murdered him - you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it."

Those words cost Stephen his life at the hands of the Sanhedrin. They stoned him to death for his beliefs. They stoned him to death for being an activist for his faith. They stoned him to death for stepping on their time honored laws, traditions, doctrines, and theologies. They stoned him to death for making them look bad in public. This event began the persecution of the church that spread and scattered it througout Judea and Samaria.

Now, while we don't see people physically stoned by others for their words and deeds in the church today, we see something very similar going on spiritually, emotionally, and mentally which is almost worse in some ways.

We have become too comfortable with our surroundings, trappings, traditions, methodologies, doctrines, practices, etc... This issue is not just with one certain age group either! It comes from people of ALL ages who don't want to compromise what they want in order to possibly do kingdom work. When someone comes along and challenges our positions on things that we are comfortable with, we lash out at them verbally to their face, and behind their back. We passive-aggressively undermine their position by gossipping about them and turning small things into giant issues. We choose to say "We've NEVER done it that way before", or "We've ALWAYS done it that way" in the hopes that whatever it is will be left alone. The sad part? This is NOT what God sent Jesus here to die for.

A life of Worship is not a life based on the trappings of traditional or modern practices. It is not a life based on the age of a person or their personal doctrines and agendas. It is a life that is totally surrendered to Him all day, every day, in every way. It is a life that reflects the love of Jesus to others just as the moon reflects the sun. It is a life that causes change just by simply being ready to serve God in whatever way He calls us to each and every time.

Instead of organizing petitions to save the Communion table or the carpet, we should be organizing food and clothing drives to help those less fortunate than ourselves.

Instead of complaining to others about musical style, we should be open to the idea that what is being played and sung may bring others to Christ much in the same way that our favorite musical style did for us.

God calls us to have an authentic worship relationship with Him in order that He might use us to bring someone else into that same relationship.

We are to lovingly rebuke, forgive, and educate instead of harshly rejecting, persecuting, and driving away.

We can only do these things if we choose to surrender ourselves completely to the purpose and plan that God has for us as followers of the teachings of Jesus.

Proclaim Christ, Teach of Christ, Serve Christ. Love God, Love People. Live True. Whatever you want to call it, it's a life of Worship!

Gossip, Lies, Deceit, and the Power of Faith

Acts 6:8-14 - Now Stephen, a man full of God's grace and power, did great wonders and miraculous signs among the people. Opposition arose, however, from members of the Synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called) - Jews of Cyrene and Alexandria as well as the provinces of Cilicia and Asia. These men began to argue with Stephen, but they coul dnot stand up against his wisdom or the Spirit by whom he spoke. Then they secretly persuaded some men to say, "We have heard Stephen speak words of blasphemy against Moses and against God." So they stirred up the people and the elders and the teachers of the law. They seized Stephen and brought him before the Sanhedrin. They produced false witnesses, who testified "This fellow never stops speaking against this holy place and against the law. For we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and change the customs Moses handed down to us."

Stephen's story in Acts is a short one, but it brings out very vivid examples of what happens when we choose to follow Christ and allow Him to make us into men and women full of God's grace and power. Satan doesn't want this. In fact, he craves the exact opposite for us. Instead of being men and women full of God's grace and power, he would rather we be men and women full of lies, deceit, and selfish ambition.

When we make the decision to live a life that worships our Lord all day, every day, and in every way, it puts a target on our backs. We might as well call up Hell and declare open season on ourselves! It is NOT EASY, NOT SMOOTH, and NOT ENJOYABLE all the time. It is merely the beginning of a journey to build us into those men and women full of God's grace and power.

Oswald Chambers wrote in My Utmost For His Highest that God beats and pounds us into shape by fire and water, so that we might take a form that more closely resembles His image rather than our own. I can certainly relate to this, can you? His desire is to make us into people that have credibility that is more than skin deep. He desires for us to be in relationship with Him all the way to the core of our being. Stephen seemed to embody this to the point of being able to perform miracles and healings in addition to preaching the Word of Christ.

However, as we all know, one of the quickest and easiest ways to undermine someone's credibility is by destroying their reputation. We see this in Stephen's case. People with different viewpoints and opinions disagree with his teachings, so they seek to discredit him in whatever way possible.

Politicians and their staffers are masters at this. Mudslinging anyone? The Democrats and Republicans differ greatly on issues, so they continually try to discredit each other. Other faiths (and those with no faith at all) don't agree with the stances that followers of Christ take, so they do whatever they can to discredit us.

NOTE: We do a pretty good job of discrediting ourselves with our actions vs our words! The old adage that actions speak louder than words is SOOOO applicable to this!

A life of worship has to "walk the talk" at all times. We are called to a higher purpose, which means we have to put away the childish antics and the constant whining to have it our way. We are called to SERVE, and NOT TO BE SERVED. Stephen served Christ with all he had, and those who did not agree with his view sought to discredit him in front of the world. Now, this is where I really get excited about how authentic Stephen's relationship with and zeal for Christ actually was.

Acts 6:15 - All who were sitting in the Sanhedrin looked intently at Stephen, and they saw that his face was like the face of an angel.

Even in the midst of the false accusations and fake witnesses, Stephen was so in tune with God that his face never changed expression! He maintained a face of truth, dignity, and it shown like an angel in the room. He knew what was real and what was not, regardless of the falsehoods being spewed. It didn't matter what man said about him for his faith was not in man.

We'll talk more about Stephen in Chapter 7 when something that is so unthinkable to us here in America happens to him for his faith in Jesus.

Asking for so little, when there is so much more!

Acts 3:1-16 - One day Peter and John were going up the temple at the time of prayer - at three in the afternoon. Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for some money. Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, "Look at us!" So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. Then Peter said "Silver or gold I do not have, but when I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk." Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man's feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God. When all the people saw him walking and praising God, they recognized him as the same man who used to sit begging at the temple gate called Beautiful, and they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him. While the beggar held onto Peter and John, all the people were astonished and came running to them in the place called Solomon's Colonnade. When Peter saw this, he said to them: "Men of Israel, why does this surprise you? Why do you stare at us as if by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified his servant Jesus. You handed him over to be killed, and you disowned him before Pilate, though he had decided to let him go. You disowned the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this. by faith in the name of Jesus, this man who you see an know was made strong. It is Jesus' name and the faith that comes through him that has given this complete healing to him, as you can all see.

The story we see here is so tragically true for many Christ followers and non-Christ followers alike. It is a story of complacancy, and of asking for so little when there is so much more to be given.

The passage says that the man was being carried carried to the temple gate where he was put every day to beg. That was his life! Carried out in the morning to beg, and carried away at night to who knows where. He knew nothing better, nothing bigger.

The passage also says that he called out to Peter and John, but I'm guessing that he wasn't calling out specifically to them at the start, because we read that Peter yelled for the man to look at them. The beggar was merely going through the motions, not expecting anything. He was calling out to the people walking by because that's what he always did. He hadn't focused his attention anywhere or on anyone. The saddest part is that the only reason he focused on Peter and John was because he thought he was going to receive some money!

This is mirrored in many people's lives today. We walk through life doing the same things we've always done without much regard for the effect it has on our lives. We don't try to make anything different happen because "that's just the way I am, and nothing's gonna change." We don't expect anything of ourselves, our lives, our circumstances, or our God, and only focus on any one part of that if we are going to get something selfishly in return.

However, here's where the passage gets interesting. In verse 6, after Peter has the man's attention, he gives him the most amazing gift one could ask for in his position. In the name of Jesus, Peter healed him and he walked for the first time in his life! The crippled man was crippled no more, and praised God by running and jumping all over the place. He was after money, but instead, God stirred this man's faith through Peter and he was completely healed.

We also have the opportunity to enjoy this kind of miraculous wonder in our hearts, minds, and souls. All we need to do is focus our attention on the One who can give us this gift! We have to stop being short sighted in our ways and allow God to give us a bigger perspective on what the gift of His Son really did for us. It takes getting out of the mundane "God is great, God is good, let us thank Him for our food." prayer life and relationship we had with Him as a child, and focus our eyes on who God is in our lives TODAY.

Only then can we allow our faith in Jesus to grow to the point that we can be spiritually, emotionally, and even physically healed by His awesome and limitless power in our lives! It takes discipline and maturity to develop this mindset.

Ephesians 4:14 speaks to this: Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.

As we practice living Worship as a lifestyle, this is a most important point. We must be disciplined and mature in our relationship with the Father. We must not sell ourselves short by maintaining a "this is just the way I am" attitude. We must always expect more of ourselves in Christ because there IS MORE WHEN WE ARE IN CHRIST!

The Pursuit of Worship - Week 3 FINAL CLASS ENTRY!!

Questions to Ponder from last week:

1. Do I see the music and the preaching portion of worship services as different items, or as two parts of the same collective thought of worship?

2. Is Communion just something I do, or do I believe that it is an important way to obey and continually proclaim Christ's work on the cross?

3. Do I believe that Jesus is deserving of extravagant respect or admiration, and if so, do I actually practice this in my own life?

4. How can I worship God in the beauty of His holiness, and allow Him to pour His "holy" into my "unholy"?


Here we are in the last class entry for the Worship as a Lifestyle class! I hope that you've all found it enjoyable and useful.

As we come to gather together in worship each week, there are 2 major dynamics that we deal with.

The first is the human dynamic. This dynamic has to do with the orders of service, musical style, educational programming, sermon topic, technology usage, etc...

This dynamic in and of itself is not bad, and is a very beneficial part of our daily and weekly forms of communing and fellowshipping with God.

The second is the spiritual dynamic. This has to do with the Holy Spirit having a hand in all that we do when it comes to our worship relationship with God.

Any purely human dynamic is a worthless excercise unless it is touched and guided by the power of the Holy Spirit, directing our paths as we worship personally and corporately.

This week will concentrate mainly on the spiritual dynamic, as it pertains to the elements of worship.


We touched on two human dynamics in worship last week as we spoke of the following elements of worship.

1. The Ministry of the Word - be it through song, teaching, preaching, or reading.

2. The Worship of the Lamb - The proclaiming of His holiness, and of the completed sacrifice that is the cornerstone of the believing church today.


Before we moved onto the third element of Worship, let's take a look at three things that constitute the primary parts of Worship.

1. The Central Person - Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, who has come to bring us to the Father.

John 14:6 [NIV] - Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him."

We magnify the Son of God for His perfect sacrifice that allows us to come into an abiding relationship with the Father, and we magnify the Father for the gift of His Son that allows us to experience that relationship. As the Holy Spirit moves in us, we remember this, and hopefully desire to move into a deeper relationship with God that causes us to share His love with an unbelieving world.


2. The Centerpiece - coming to the Lord's table.

Matthew 26:26-29 [NIV] - While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, "Take and eat; this is my body." Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the convenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom."

In the church, the Lord's table has been a central figure in worship for Ages. many churches have a table from which Communion is served. however we are NOT speaking about furniture here. This centerpiece that we speak of is NOT centering on a physical table, but rather upon the act of receiving the elements of Communion. We focus on worshiping the Lamb for the completed sacrifice.


3. The Centerpoint - The living Word of God, the Scriptures.

Joshua 1:8 [NIV] - do not let the Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.

Psalm 1:1-3 [NIV] - Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.

The most common church furnishing that represents this is the pulpit. It is the focal point from which the Word is brought to the people. Whether in songs, meditations, sermons, or prayer, this is generally the place where those items are presented on any given Sunday. Again, as with the Lord's table, this has NOTHING to do with the physical piece of furniture, but rather with the living Word brought forth as the center of our knowledge of and relationship with God.


The pursuit of worship, and an authentic worship relationship with God has to have these primary parts for our 3rd element to take place.

3. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit - Enabling care and prayer for one another, and drawing people to the Savior.

Wherever Jesus is the Center Person, His completed sacrifice is the Centerpiece, and the Living Word is the Centerpoint, the Holy Spirit will have free reign to minister.


How does the ministry of the Holy Spirit effect our worship today?

The Holy Spirit's one main objective is to magnify Jesus Christ. He will come into any situation, regardless of doctrinal tradition or liturgy, where those who come to worship Him make these three primary points the focus of there efforts in fellowship with God.

If I focus my energies on Jesus (His life, death, resurrection, return, and what that mans in my life as I fellowship with Him), then the Holy Spirit has the ability to come into my life and make great and miraculous transformations in me that can only come from within that right worship relationship.


The Holy Spirit makes the Word of God alive as we read, speak, and sing it, just as it did when it breathed the Word into existence through the lives and quills of the men who wrote it so long ago.

There is an awakening within the body that the Holy Spirit desires to bring forth. It is the realization that there is amazing power within the living Church that can be released when the people come together.


It is pivotal to understand the power of the people of God when they gather, understanding that it's the best opportunity they'll have to experience 2 things.

1. The opportunity to care for and share the love of God with one another - It takes more than just coming and sitting in service, shaking hands during the greeting time, and talking with those that we are comfortable with. It even takes more than inviting a new family out for lunch after church! These things are valid, but they are incomplete without truly sharing our hearts with each other.

We talked in class about how surface-laden our greeting times at church can be. We ask someone "how are you doing?", and they generally shake our hands and nod hello. However, what happens when we ask that same question and someone actually STARTS TELLING US HOW THEY REALLY ARE DOING? We cringe, pull our hands back, and look for the early exit almost every time. This is especially the case with new or unfamiliar people! How different our church experience could be if we would just be authentic and share each other's burdens!

Galatians 6:1-2 [NIV] - Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. but watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

The pursuit of an authentic worship relationship takes allowing the Holy Spirit to remove the timidity and self consciousness that causes us to shy away from opening up to share, and to be shared with. We are instruments or tools to be used by God to care for one another, and to carry each other's burdens.


2. The opportunity to draw people to the Savior - This is commonly referred to in a church service setting as the invitation time. However, it is the work of the Holy spirit from before that person even found themselves int he parking lot that is where the invitation really stared.

There is a thought that "there must be more" that is stirred in their hearts by the Holy Spirit. While this may happen on its own, it is generally caused by someone in their lives who is pursuing an authentic worship relationship being used by the Holy Spirit as a model.

When they are brought into a place of worship where that model is being demonstrated, the Holy Spirit can draw them closer to a place where their need for Christ can be evident to them, and they can have the opprotunity to come into that worship relationship with Him.


Ultimately, having a right worship relationship with God is a culmination of understanding that there is a Price that needs to be paid (a sacrifice), that there is a Purpose for it (intimate fellowship with our Creator), and that we are to continually Pursue that relationship.

Please understand that this is NOT a one time thing. This is NOT a yearly, monthly, or weekly event. This is a daily decision that must be made to continually submit ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and live according to the principles set forth in the Bible as they pertain to a life that worships Him.

Let us work together to live lives that worship God all day, every day, and in every way!

The Pursuit Of Worship - Week 2

Questions to Ponder from last week:

1. Am I at a point that God can bring a new Jubilee in my life?

2. Am I ready for a recover of what was lost and a discovery of what God is doing now?

3. Am I trying to bring back the glory of God in my life by my own plans, or in God's way?

4. What can I change in my life that will allow God to make His presence manifest?


This week, we are going to start taking a look at some of the elements of the pursuit of worship. Our final journey starts in the book of Acts.

Acts 13:1-2 [NIV] - Now in the church that was Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, "Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

this passage speaks of the church at Antioch, which is really the springboard of bringing the ideas of worshiping God to the world. It was the place where Barnabas and Saul (changed to Paul by God on the road to Damascus) were set apart by God because they were pursuing a relationship of worship with Him by ministering to the Lord and fasting.

The idea of ministering to the Lord is an Old Testament terminology, dating back to when the priests would offer animal sacrifices in anticipation of God's salvation. It was, after all, their Bible at the time since the New Testament was being lived and hadn't been written yet. The New Testament form of ministering to the Lord was the idea of worshiping Him and bringing Him a sacrifice of praise (present your bodies as a "living sacrifice"), rather than an animal sacrifice.

This picture of the early church at worship brings us to the questions of how we pursue worship today. Our desire is the same as theirs, which is to have the presence of God move among us. In order to do that, we need to look at the 3 key elements of Worship.


1. The Ministry of the Living Word - with songs, hymns, and spiritual songs, and manifesting His Word through preaching and teaching.

First, let's take a look at the songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. Many scholars believe that God's intention for His Word was that it not only be spoken or preached among the people, but that it be sung as well. The songs that are written in the book of Psalms are evidence to this, because the songs sung by the early church are now in Scripture for us to read.

We talked in class about the difference between these three types of songs. A "Song" can be equated to a modern worship tune. It generally is sung straight through, with the occasional repeat of certain parts. A "Hymn" is a song that tells a story. It usually has more than one verse, and takes us on a journey through each verse to the end, possibly with a refrain or chorus in between. A "Spiritual Song" is a song that is borne "in the moment". It is something that is put on our hearts by the Holy Spirit at a specific moment in time. Harp and Bowl worship is done this way, where a reader takes a passage of scripture and reads part of it, while singers instrumentalists take it and sing/play it as an offering to the Lord.

The reason we come and sing praises to God is not simply then to have an uplifting of our spirit, to feel better about ourselves, or to prepare our hearts for the preaching. It's not simply something we do to "get to the good stuff".

Colossians 3:16 [NIV] - Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

we need to come to the realization that, by singing these songs that are praises to God based in Scripture (though not necessarily word for word), we are not just revitalizing our joy or recharging our batteries. We are also instilling the Word of God in our hearts as we sing.

No matter the style, whether a chorus, a hymn, or something that is birthed by the Holy Spirit at a particular moment during the service, we pursue God's truth by worshiping Him in song.


Now let's look at opening the Bible itself and receiving a message from the Lord through preaching and teaching.

Titus 1:1-3 [NKJV] - Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but ahs in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;

Preaching is not separate from worship, but rather an integral part of the pursuit of worship. Each of us may not be pastors or teachers, but we don't have to be in order to understand this. Listening to the teaching of a pastor or leader so that we may learn and apply to our lives what the Scriptures say is an important part of pursuing an authentic worship relationship with God.

It is in these times when the Word is taught with an understanding of the seriousness of the contents that is tempered with a compassion for the audience to which it is being taught that it comes alive.

We talked in class about how this is played out in the church today. There are those that have all the desire and passion in the world, but no Biblical foundation to temper their actions. Those people tend to get an idea, run in a direction, and ultimately crash and burn while taking a few other people with them. Then there are those that choose to come in and gain all kinds of Biblical knowledge, but have absolutely no desire to impart that wisdom to others. Both are self-destructive for the church as a whole, and neither are healthy. It takes a balance of both to make ministry effective.

There will be times that the Word will cause someone to make a course correction in their lives. There will be times that the Word will bring a revelation or epiphany to someone in need of a word from the Lord. There will be times when the Word will comfort someone who is going through a difficult time, and times when the Word will uplift someone who is seeing the blessings of God in their life. It is only when the Word is taught and preached with that understanding and compassion when the underlying theme is the mercy, grace, and truth of God, that these moments of clarity can be fully realized by those who are pursuing that authentic worship relationship.

Isaiah 40:1-2 [NIV] - Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for, that she has received from the LORD's hand double for all her sins.

We see the ultimate realization of the Word being preached and taught when, through the birth of Christ, the Word became flesh.

John 1:1-2, 14 [NIV] - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning... The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

It is important that the church have a concept of these two, the singing and the preaching of God's Word, coming together as a single expression of pursuing and ministering to the Lord. It is a living ministry that clings to this concept, because it is a true ministry of the Living Word.


2. The Worship of the Lamb - Exalting God's holiness, and proclaiming the completed sacrifice.

The word liturgy is a word that describes worship patterns. It has to do with the elements and rituals that we use when we come before the Lord and welcome His presence among us.

This word has been derided and made to be something of an old-fashioned habit in the postmodern church, but the reality is that every church has one! There are elements, whether your church is "high church" or "modern church" that you practice on a weekly basis. These are your liturgy.

In the pursuit of worship, it is the vitality and acceptance of those elements in a congregational setting that can lead people either toward or away from an authentic relationship with Christ.


There is no more common liturgy in the church than the remembrance of what Christ did for all of humanity at the cross. Some common names are Communion, the Lord's Supper, or the Eucharist. All of these describe the action of taking bread and juice (or wine) as the sacraments to remember the body broken and the blood poured out for many.

I Corinthians 11:23-26 [NIV] is where Paul outlines how we should remember the sacrifice of our Lord - For I received from the lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he borke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.

We follow this liturgy in order to obey what Jesus told the disciples to do in the upper room on the night He was betrayed, as well as to continually proclaim the completed sacrifice that God made for His creation to be reunited with Him.

Regardless of how often this is observed (weekly in the Christian church, monthly in the Baptist church, and on special occasions in the Nazarene church), it is always in appreciation of the sacrifice Christ made for us, and we are all tied together by the common thread of proclaiming glory to Jesus for taking our sin upon Himself.

We see in the book of Revelation the heavenly scene of worship when it comes to this very subject.

Revelation 5:11-12 [NIV] - Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"

We see the word Worthy in this passage, which is derived from the word Worship, or Weorthscipe in the Old English dialect. It means extravagant respect or admiration which we should certainly give to our Lord and Savior.

Psalm 29:1-2 [NIV] - Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones, ascribe the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.

We are to ascribe glory to the Lord, for He is worthy of it.


This exalting of Christ's holiness is a basic principle in worship. We do so for a number of reasons. We exalt Him because He was the pure lamb, sacrificed for our sins and iniquities. We exalt Him because it is through His blood that we are washed clean and made holy in the sight of God. We are made holy because His is holy.

The Bible speaks to how the blood of Christ (and our remembrance of it through the liturgy of Communion) thwarts satan's attempts to turn us toward loving ourselves more than God.

Revelation 12:11 [NKJV] - And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.


We are also called to worship God in the beauty of His holiness, but how many people come to church each week that the last thing they are liable to feel about themselves is beautiful? It can be this way for any reason.

Maybe they have baggage from the way they have been mistreated, brutalized, or devalued by the world. Maybe they were the victim of a scathing comment or an indifferent judgement just that day. People come to gether for worship feeling anything but lovely, and completely aware of the sin in their lives.

If, when they come to worship, all they see and hear is an exposition on the perfection of God in His holiness, and not the direction of God using His holiness to bring us back to Him in an authentic and real worship relationship, then the pursuit of worship has been thwarted in their lives. This is why we exalt God's holiness, and also proclaim the complete sacrifice of Christ on the cross which allows us to shed our sins at the foot of the cross and come into a right worship relationship with Him regardless of how many times we "blow it".


That relationship allows God to give us freedom, and beings a transformation of epic proportions in our lives.

II Corinthians 3:17-19 [NIV] - Now that the Lord is Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is Spirit.

It is through this process that God pours His "holy" into our "unholy". Think of it like a trip to the dentist. Just as they drill out the decay and death in a tooth and then fill it with a new substance that makes the tooth whole again, God drills out the death and decay in our lives and fills it with Himself to make us whole again.


There is not anything that we need more in the battle against powers and principalities of powers, as the Bible puts it, than a resourcing in knowing how to face the weakness of our own flesh, the weight of our own sins, and the viciousness of the evil one. We overcome through the completed sacrifice through the blood of the Lamb, and through worshiping God in the beauty of His holiness.

Jesus has triumphed, and after we receive Him as our Savior, we can come and continually receive Him and pour His truth into our current circumstances through these liturgies in order to face each day head on.

Through the ministry of the living Word in song and in preaching, and the worship of the Lamb through exaltation and Communion, we see and transformation in our lives as we pursue an authentic worship relationship with He who made us and saves us.

Questions to Ponder:

1. Do I see the music and the preaching portion of worship services as different items, or as two parts of the same collective thought of worship?

2. Is Communion just something I do, or do I believe that it is an important way to obey and continually proclaim Christ's work on the cross?

3. Do I believe that Jesus is deserving of extravagant respect or admiration, and if so, do I actually practice this in my own life?

4. How can I worship God in the beauty of His holiness, and allow Him to pour His "holy" into my "unholy"?

The Pursuit Of Worship - Week 1

Questions to Ponder from last time: 1. What steps can I take to remember the two parts of the Purpose of worship we discussed in our last section? 2. How can I use this knowledge to regain dominion over my life, and continue my progression of recovering the original purposes God has for me?


We are moving now, taking our knowledge from the Price and Purpose of worship, onto the last step, which is the Pursuit of worship. We have counted the cost, found the original reasoning behind it, and now are implementing those things in our lives in order to pursue worship with all we are.

II Corinthians 6:2 [NKJV] says - "In an acceptable time I have heard you, and in the day of salvation I have helped you." Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

This passage can be associated with the idea of evangelism. "This is your time to make a decision for Christ." This idea is appropriate, as there is a time in all of our lives where we hopefully make the choice to come and know Christ in our own lives.

However, the meaning of the "acceptable time" here is anytime God is working in the essence of the spirit of a new liberation or advancement; a new jubilee.

The year of Jubilee in the Scriptures was more than fireworks, picnics, and fun. It was essentially about the recovery of what had been lost, and the discovery of what God was doing next. These two concepts are at the heart of the pursuit of worship.

We are called to pursue worship with an appropriate wisdom that comes from being deeply rooted in the Scriptures, and with an appropriate passion, using the gifts, talents, and motivations that drive us.

We discussed in class that there are those who have all the passion and zeal in the world, but no Biblical backing to give them a direction, so they just run and run and run with no real purpose behind their passion. On the flip side, there are those who are content to "get fat" on all the Biblical wisdom received each week by sitting in the pew or in the Sunday School room, but have no passion to go out and share what they know with the world. Both of these can be extremely destructive to the work that God has set before the Church and the individuals that are part of it. Only with a healthy balance of Biblical wisdom and heartfelt passion can one truly pursue authentic worship of God and fellowship With God.

In order to do this, there have to be clear motivators that stir our convictions.

The first of these is "The Time". II Corinthians calls it the "accepted" time or the "appointed" time of God's purpose.

The Greek word kairos refers to the most appropriate occasion, or the opportunity to move at the most desirable moment. It is NOT opportunism, but rather, a sensitive response to the moment God has placed us in.

We are in a "time" as we speak! There has been a huge advance of the spirit of worship inthe 21st century, but we cannot advance blindly. If it does not advance with an understanding by Christians that are gripped with a concept of worship (more than just a style of music, or a programmed service), then the full impact of what God intends for worship will not be realized.


The next item is "The Call". There's a reason why you're coming to the Worship class, or reading this blog. There's a reason why church leaders to go conferences on worship, and have subscriptions to countless magazines on the same subject. We are called to pursue worship; to continue to recover our original purpose, and to discover what God is doing next.

It is NOT a call to success. It is NOT a call to be suddenly contemporary or cool. it is certainly NOT a call to try and have an answer for what the next church is doing down the street.

It is a calling of the Holy Spirit, who has a desire to awaken within the church a new season of spirit-led and spirit-filled worship, and style and programming have NOTHING to do with that move.


The last item is "The Truth". The pursuit of worship will only be served with the kind of passion that is necessary when the central focus is "what does the Bible teach us about worship?"

We've discussed some of the aspects of what the Bible teaches us about worship when dealing with the Price and Purpose of worship. Now we'll look at one of the highlight passages that has to dal with the Pursuit of worship when it is done man's way instead of God's way.

II Samuel 6:1-15 [NIV] - David again brought together out of Israel chosen men, thirty thousand in all. he and all his men set out from Baalah of Judah to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the Name, the name of the LORD Almighty, who is enthroned between the cherubim that are on the ark. they set the ark of God on a new cart and brought it from the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill. Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, were guiding the new cart with the ark of God on it, and Ahio was walking in front of it. David and the whole house of Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with songs and with harps, lyers, tambourines, sistrums, and cymbals.

When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled. The LORD's anger burned against Uzzah because of his irreverent act; therefore God struck him down and he died there beside the ark of God. Then David was angry because the LORD's wrath had broken out against Uzzah, and to this day that place is called Perez Uzzah (The-Explosion-Against-Uzzah).

David was afraid of the LORD that day and said, "How can the ark of the LORD ever come to me?" He was not willing to take the ark of the LORD to be with him in the City of David. Instead he took it aside to the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. The ark of the LORD remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite for three months, and the LORD blessed him and his entire household.

Now King David was told, "The LORD has blessed the household of Obed-Edom and everything he has, because of the ark of God." So David went down and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with rejoicing. When those who were carrying the ark of the LORD had taken six steps, he sacrificed a bull and a fattened calf. David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might, while he and the entire house of Israel brought up the ark of the LORD with shouts and the sound of trumpets.


This story has an element of agony to it, with the death of Uzzah. His death was unfortunate, but happened because the focus of worship (the Ark) was not being handled in the way it should be.

Even though David's desire to bring a change in worship for the Jews was sincere in his heart, he went about it without following the protocols set forth by God, and it had deadly consequences. Not only that, but David's anger and fear toward God erased his desire to bring the center of worship back to Jerusalem for a time.

We can relate to David's story today, because no amount of change within the church, however small, can be done without a certain amount of stretching or demand. There will always be trials when something new is happening. If we choose to make a change, even if our hearts are sincere, without following what the Scriptures say, it will cause catastrophic disease and death within the body of Christ. At the same time, if we choose to be filled with anger because of the change, we create disunity and disharmony, which also leads to disease and death within the body.

Just as David wanted the glory of the Lord (represented by the Ark) brought in and among the people, that is what we desire in the church today. The Ark almost fell off the cart, because it wasn't designed to ride on a cart, but on the poles carried on the shoulders of the priests. Our pursuit of worship today can "fall off the wagon" as well if we do not pursue it with Scriptural wisdom.


Even the names of the sons of Abinadab play into this idea. Ahio means Brotherly, and Uzzah means Strength. God placed them there as a symbol to us that we cannot pursue worship by simply being a good neighbor and glad-handing everyone we meet, nor can we pursue worship by force of might or personality. People will not come into the presence of God in worship by us being a warm and friendly place, or by our strength of musical style and weekly service programming.

The only way David was able to bring the Ark into the city was to bring it on the shoulders of the priests. It had to be done in the way that God had prescribed for it to be done, and when that happened, the city of Jerusalem literally exploded in worship!

For worship to explode in the church today there is something that has to take place on the shoulders of all the people, because today, the priesthood is not a select group of people. It is the people of God, the body of Christ.


This concept is shown in I Peter 2:5-9 [NIV] - You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, "The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone," and, "A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message - which is also what they were destined for.

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.


In the book of Revelation, the people of God are referred to twice as a kingdom of priests. We are a royal priesthood of the redeemed in the kingdom, and the responsibility of welcoming in the Spirit of God by our worship is upon the shoulders of the whole congregation.

When it comes to pursuing worship, it is our challenge to allow God to cultivate us into a peole that learn to respond, not just simply as spectators, regardless of whether it is in favorable evaluation, critical observation, or happy passive participation.

We need to look beyond these human responses and have a recognition in our hearts that this is OUR time and OUR call together as the body of Christ to stand on His truth and welcome His presence into our midst.


Just as David entered Jerusalem with much rejoicing and praise as the presence of the Lord came among the people in the Ark, Jesus wants us to bring His spirit into His church, and God wants to do more than just something sleek and smooth. He wants to do something that causes His presence to be manifest in His people.


Questions to Ponder:
1. Am I at a point that God can bring a new Jubilee in my life?

2. Am I ready for a recovery of what was lost and a discovery of what God is doing now?

3. Am I trying to bring back the glory of God in my life in my own way, or in God's way?

4. What can I change in my life that will allow God to make His presence manifest?

The Purpose of Worship - Week 2

Last week we took a look at what worship should look like by getting back to the original purpose behind the creation of man. We'll continue looking this week at what the purpose of worship is.

Questions to Ponder from last week:

1. How can I do more to know God and enjoy Him forever?

2. What can I do to get back to the original purpose God intended for humankind in my own life?


Let's take a look again at a summary of what the original created order was to look like:

1. Humankind has a relationship with God.

This relationship carried with it a duty, and had a destiny. there was an assignment of responsibility to be fulfilled, and fruitfulness was the destiny that was given to us. We should come together each week in worship with a sense of the continued restoration of the original purpose behind our creation, and with a desire to continually bring ourselves back to that point.

2. Humankind also has a rulership under God.

This reminds us that there is a responsibility to have dominion over what God has entrusted to us, but also that this can only be exercised by a remembrance of and submission to dependency on God.


This moves us to the place of worship.

We worship god because of His goodness, and in recognition of the destiny He has for us. This not only encompasses a destiny of eternal life with Him someday, but also the destiny He has for us here on earth at this present time.

Lamentations 3:22-24 [NIV] - Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself "the LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait on him."

There is a destiny for today, and so we praise Him for His mercies that are made fresh each day and given to us to make it through each day.


We worship God because there is a dependency upon Him for us to make it through each day as well. We desire for God to have His way in us; for Him to come and fill us up every morning so that we can make it through the day. This is no accident, but rather, an intelligent design built into us so that we remember who created us, and on whom we depend.


When we look at mankind in the Garden before sin entered the world, we see that man knew God in several intimate ways.

1. Man knew God's presence. The Bible says that God came to speak with Adam regularly in the cool of the day.

2. Man knew God's voice. Adam says in Genesis that he heard God's voice.

3. Man knew God's power. He realized that it sustained his capacities to function in the role God had given him.

4. Man knew his own place. A place of dependency, responsibility to excercise rule, a place with purpose, and of duty in faithfulness, worship, and a walk with God.


All of this was badly damaged after the entrance of sin in the world due to the fall of Adam and Eve. As we discuss worship, it is that place where, having been forgiven of sin, we come into what amounts to an ongoing recovery program.

It is the work of the Holy Spirit increasingly manifesting itself in our lives, changing us and shaping us from day to day through the spirit and through the word that we make step-by-step, incremental movements back towards God's original purpose for us.

Worship of God is central in the process of that purpose being realized. Therefore, it follows that a purpose of Worship is the recovery of the purpose of God in humankind.

This moves us beyond the very restrictive thought that is pervasive throughout all of the Bible believing world today, that worship is simply a lauding or appreciation of the splendors of heaven and of even God Himself in all His mightiness and glory. However wonderful and appropriate that may be, that is not all that God has in mind for worship.

MAKE NO MISTAKE: It is NOT being said that worship should not be used for that purpose! It is certainly a very effective and enjoyable way to give God glory for who He is and what He has done in our lives. We SHOULD exalt Him at all times, for He deserves that! However, we must realize that God's purpose for worship is more than that, and we must remember this each time we come into His presence.

There is always MORE!!

This is why Scripture is just as relevant to today's world as it was when it was written so long ago. Within every command, every covenant, and every purpose God set forth for us, there is always more than just what you see or experience the first time you read or hear it. This is a good rule of thumb to remember, so that we don't try to put God in a box and expect that His ways will always be the same.


Worship is not just a jubilation, but it is cause for a transformation in us, and an advancement in what God desires to do through us.

II Corinthians 3:18 [NLT] - So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more lik ehim as we are changed into his glorious image.

Some have likened the reflection to the Word of God. The book of James speaks to this thought. As we open and look at the Word, we see the reflection of what God desires for us and aw are changed by that reflection into something that more closely mirrors the life God intends for us. The teaching, training, and instruction that the Bible provides allows us to catch a glimpse of our Savior, and in that glimpse, we are changed. That change has a purpose, and it's purpose is to return us to the original purpose of man's creation.

This change brings us back to the altar; to a place of sacrifice. We've talked about that before, but that's where it starts. God meets man in his brokenness and starts a progression to bring him back to his original purpose.


We can study in the Scriptures that progression, leading to the possibilities of what a life of true living worship in the life of the Spirit can be. In other words, it shows what worship can be like in today's times; the time of the church, where the Spirit is here to minister in and to and through the body of Christ.

Colossians 1:24-27 [NIV] - Now i rejoice in what was suffered for you, and i fill up in my flesh wat is still lacking in regard to Christ's affliction, for the sake of his body, which is the church. I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness - the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.


We live in a time where God's highest purposes for man are reachable, but we had to go through a process of recovery and discovery to get there.

We see the process develop through individuals in the Scriptures.

1. The first instance of sacrificial worship is where God teaches man in the first pathway of recovery, as He Himself sacrifices animals to cover Adam and Eve's newly discovered nakedness and shame. (Genesis 3)

2. One generation teaches another about worship as we see that Abel learned the proper pathway for sacrifice and exercises it. (Genesis 4)

3. Altars become a regular part of worship, and Abraham learns from god the principle of tithing as a worshipful act. This act of worship even preceded the Law! (Genesis 14)

4. Abraham also broke bread and shared wine in worship with Melchizedek, king of Salem, who's name means "King of Peace". Abraham could not have known how far that act of worship would reach, but we see Jesus referring back to it in the New Testament.

John 8:36 [NIV] - Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.

5. In Abraham's son Isaac, there was the building of an altar for sacrifice that tested Abraham's willingness to follow God's commands. (Genesis 26)

6. Jacob also builds an altar, and captures the manifestation of the glory of God in his vision of angels ascending and descending from the heavens that touches his heart so greatly that he can't help but worship God. (Genesis 33)

7. When bringing about the Exodus, God tells Moses that he would use him to bring the Israelites out of bondage and back to Himself. In order to complete that journey, Moses was to bring them to the mountain to serve and to worship (Exodus 3)


In all of these moments, we see that worship is not only to praise God for His attributes, but to follow the higher purpose of complete fellowship with God by submitting to His ways and living in His truths. These were examples, not just of the manner in which the sacrificial order called the Jews to worship, but examples of the principles by which we come to worship in Spirit and in Truth today.

Worship is the key to the pathway of recovery of all God has for us; to the realization of the fullness of His purpose for us, in us, and through us.


Questions to Ponder:

1. What steps can I take to remember the two parts of Worship we've learned so far?
a. Worship is for exalting God and giving Him glory.
b. Worship is a recovery a discovery of the original fellowship man had with God.

2. How can I use this knowledge to regain dominion over my life, and continue my progression of recovering the original purposes God has for me?

The Price Of Worship - Week 3

Reminders for this week:

Worship is a sacrifice of obedience to God that encompasses many aspects of our life, including time, finances, desires, and pride.

Worship is based on grace, and recognizing it as it is given from God daily. We worship in response to God's grace.

We are to shine our light to others so that they will shine theirs back to us.

Starting off this week, there are two words that many confuse with true worship of God.

The first is Religion.

Webster's Unabridged defines it as such: A specific set of fundamental beliefs and practices, usually agreed upon by a sect or group of sects.

The problem is that we don't agree. We don't agree with the guy or gal sitting in the seat next to us, much less any other denomination, or even any other church in our own denomination!

Why? Because we've all come from different circumstances and backgrounds. Each church, while possibly part of the same denomination, was founded by a different set of people.

You've heard the song "Gimme That Old Time Religion", right? It's a nice sentiment, but we can't even agree on who's "Old Time Religion" is the right one from person to person...

See, we tend to get caught up in adding more things to Religion than just the "fundamental beliefs and practices". We add things like dress codes, musical style, and other preferences to the word, and we end up with what I call "Porkfat Religion".

Most in Christian circles would probably not reference Jesse Ventura as a wrestler or as a governer when teaching a class on worship (or anything else for that matter!), but he did something as governer that I really appreciated. He had a big pink pig stamp that he would use when vetoing legislation that was so covered in riders and add-ons that the original bill became the minority part of what they wanted him to sign. The legislature would get it back with the veto notice, and a bright pink pork stamp on everything that he deemed to be "porkfat".

Every church (and every individual in it) has some porkfat when it comes to Religion.

The other word in play here is Tradition. Many traditions in the church are wonderful things to experience!

The tradition of observing Communion so that we remember what Christ did for us on the cross, and his promise to come again.

The tradition of giving our tithes and offerings with a cheerful heart that desires to give because of all that God has given to us.

The tradition of coming together as a body of believers to sing praises to God.

The tradition of hearing the Word of God preached so that we might understand Him better.

These traditions are things that we need to hold onto. However, just like with Religion, there can be "Porkfat Tradition" as well. We create this false form of Tradition in our lives and in our churches when we tie symbols, programs, ways of doing things, and physical items to what Tradition is to us.

Pews, Communion tables, Offering plates, Pulpits, Candlabras, Suits, Ties, etc... these are all symbols and physicial items that we tend to tie to our versions of Tradition.

Service style, Service content, Meditations, Music, Events, Sunday School classes, Service times, etc... These are examples of programs and ways of doing things that we tend to tie to our versions of Tradition.

Our own need for things that are comfortable and familiar keep us bound to what we know, and when that changes, it can cause unrest, division, and fighting for programs and forms of Worship.

While these things in and of themselves are not necessarily bad, they don't require a sacrifice to continue. They become routine and familiar, which is why it's so hard to let them go.

Jesus doesn't speak of Religion or Tradition when He mentions worship in John 4:23-24 [NIV] - But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.

When He mentions the word "spirit", this isn't a state of mind or some out of body experience where our eyes roll back in our heads and we fall on the floor, but rather an experience with the Holy Spirit that comes to melt our hearts and let God warm our hearts to what he has done for us, and toward one another for we are all made in His likeness.


The big issue here is that we cannot approach God on our own terms. We can't expect God to meet us when and how we want Him to meet us. That's what got the Pharisees in trouble, because they chose to create their 200+ Pharisitical laws for themselves and the general public to obey, so that they never had to get even close to God's laws. Problem is, they were trying to use their man-created laws to meet God on their terms, and not on His.

The Bible is very pointed about how we worship. It must be on God's terms.

1.) We come to the Father in one way and one way only, which is through Jesus Christ.

John 14:6 [NIV] - I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

2.) I cannot come to worship and expect God to bless me if I have unforgiveness in my heart.

Matthew 5:23-24 [NIV] - Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First, go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.

I have to acknowledge my issues and my part in the conflict, and then be willing to go and resolve them.

We can so easily push aside our spiritual issues with others, and they become almost non-issues with us. It might look something like this:

"I know I need Christ in my life, but I'm not feeling so hot about sitting next to Fred over here after he disagreed with my opinion in Sunday School... Oh well, I'll just press on through and go to church and worship God."

Isn't it funny how we think we can dictate the terms of how we worship, when the Bible speaks so clearly about how worship is to happen?

Here's a few items that the Bible calls for:

God calls us to sing to Him, which we do without much thought. We usually don't even question that physical act of worship.

God calls us to stand before Him, which we do to a point... Now, I'm not saying that we have to stand all the time. There are those who are physically unable to stand for longer periods, or at all for that matter. The Spirit may lead some to pray, kneel, or even dance before the Lord in worship. The problem comes when we choose to sit because standing (or other forms) cramp our style. "We always stand for 2 songs and sit for a 3rd. Why are we still standing?! I don't want to stand, so I am going to sit down!"

God calls us to assemble together, which we do each week. The Bible says in Hebrews 10:24-25 [NIV] - And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

God calls us to raise our hands in worship... Woah... them's fight'n words! Maybe so, but they're Biblically sound. I Timothy [NIV] - I want men everywhere to lift up holy hands in prayer, without anger or disputing.

It has to do with fully dropping our pride at the door and coming before God in a humble manner. God doesn't gloss over the details, and neither should we. If anything, church should be a place where we are even more resolute to follow the instructions of our leader than any other place on earth. God gave everything for us, so we should give everything for Him.

We have to remember that the Bible never gives us the ability to dictate how we come to God for worship. It's His way or the highway.

It all comes down to how deep our relationship with Christ is going to be. If we choose not to sacrifice our lives to God, there's a death syndrome that we share with Cain. Not that we are going to die physically, but that there is an evaporation of the richness and warmth of the life of God within us.

Instead of a cup that runneth over, we have a dry and empty cup that has nothing to pour out as an offering to God.

Questions to ponder:

Am I stuck in Porkfat Religion or Porkfat Tradition?

Am I willing to let God change me?

Do I come to woship on my own terms, or on God's terms?

Does my cup run over, or is it dry?

The Price Of Worship - Week 2

Looking back at last week's material, we learned that worship is a sacrifice of obedience to God that encompasses many aspects of our life, including time, finances, desires, and pride.

Worship is based on grace, and recognizing it as it is given from God daily. We worship in response to God's grace.

The biggest question of the day is: Is our sacrifice really a sacrifice?

Cain's sacrifice was not brought according to the precedence set forth by the first sacrifice in human history, which was the blood sacrifice to cover Adam and Eve's sin. Cain's sacrifice did not follow the prescribed pathway that God had given for worship, which was to bring a blood sacrifice that was the best he had and was a symbol of his reliance on God, rather than his ability.

The rejection of his offering (even though it was rejected because he didn't bring it correctly) rattled his cage, and he left angry.

We experience this in the church today as well. There are times in services and otherwise that things happen to rattle our cage. In those situations, we tend to respond as Cain did.

Let's look at a few instances:

When was the first time in your church experience that the words of the music were put up on a screen for the congregation to read, rather than using the hymnal? How did that make some people feel?

What about the first time you were asked to sing something besides a hymn in worship?

What about the day that the new Choir Director or Worship Leader put drums or a guitar on stage, or used a cassette or CD for the choir to sing to?

How about when the decor of the Sanctuary or Worship Center changed for the first time?


The bottom line: If something in a worship setting is new, different, or innovative, it tends to call me to excercise some flexibility.


I can either respond to that call selfishly (I want what I want no matter what), or in submission to God's perfect will, which is to worship Him no matter what may change around me.

There are going to be those who respond adversely (selfishly) to these changes.

There are also those who will respond adversely to those who respond adversely, and that causes worship wars.

Old vs. New
Traditional vs. Contemporary or Modern
Organ vs. Guitar and Drums

The list goes on and on!!!


Scripture talks about issues like these, which are caused by an unwillingness to sacrifice the animal known as pride.

This sacrifice is huge, because it removes our security blanket that we use to come to God in the known, the familiar, and on our own terms.

It comes down to doing what it takes to allow that sacrifice to happen, so that we can worship in the way God intended us to.


We all remember the son "This Little Light Of Mine", right?

There is an article written by Professor Michael Gonzales of Biola University called "When Worship Means Something", that speaks to a different perspective on light. Here's an excerpt:

"So, how do we get to that holy of holies? Let me encourage you by reciting John 1:5 - 'The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness cannot comprehend it.' Maybe I should paraphrase it: 'the light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has no power to squash it out.'

This applies to all things. You are having problems with a worship team member? Well, if you're walking in the Spirit, 'the light shines in the darkness.' Even if you are accused of something, 'the light shines in the darkness'.

You don't have to be Darth Vader to be on the dark side. It can be in the way you respond to someone else. I understand what it's like to serve under bad circumstances, but what counts sometimes is how we respond. How we let our light shine cna make all the difference in the world.

Sometimes we can also irritate newcomers when we worship. The other day I sat in church and we had a new worship leader (an intern) take over the worship leading chores. The music went on and on and, after each song, he was really into it; he kept repeating the choruses over and over again. My light wasn't shining too bright that day. I wanted to unplug his amp, not only because we were singing so long (over 30 minutes), but because we were doing it standing on our feet! Bless his heart, for he thought he was doing the right thing. His voice is just right and his playing is excellent, but for him, at that moment, worship meant one thing and for me it meant another.

So, as dim as my light might have been that moring, I surrendered to the Lordship of Christ, and continued to praise God in song."

See, it's all about forgiveness. Professor Gonzales had to surrender to the Lordship of Christ, forgive the young worship leader in his heart, and continue to praise God for what He has done in his life.

In Matthew, the Bible speaks to this as something huge that must happen for our sacrifice to be right.

Matthew 6:14-15[NIV] - For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men in their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

The Message puts it like this:

Matthew 6:14-15[MSG] - In prayer, there is a connection between what God does and what you do. You can't get forgiveness from God, for instance, without also forgiving others. If you refuse to do your part, you cut yourself off from God's part.

Forgiveness and Surrender are sacrifices. Each must happen in order for our worship to be received and accepted by the Lord.

Without making those sacrifices, our worship is worthless to God because it is done with selfishness (This isn't the way I worship...), anger (I can't believe we're doing this!), and malice (I'm witholding my tithe, and writing a comment card about this every week until it changes!) in our hearts.

He will not forgive us if we are not willing to do the same.

As we close, two songs about surrender come to mind. One is a hymn, and one is a contemporary tune:

I Surrender All

All to Jesus I surrender, all to Him I freely give
I will ever love and trust Him, in His presence daily live
I surrender all, I surrender all, all to Thee my blessed Savior, I surrender all

Surrender

I'm giving You my heart, and all that is within
I lay it all down for the sake of You my King
I'm giving You my dreams, I'm laying down my rights
I'm giving up my pride for the promise of new life
And I surrender all to You, all to You
And I surrender all to You, all to You

How many people miss the timeless truth and picture of surrendering to God when they shut out the idea of singing that wonderful hymn?

How many people miss the same thing when they shut out the idea of singing that beautiful contemporary chorus?

Let's work together to find a way to let our collective Light shine together, and allow God to build us up into unity!

Questions To Ponder:

1.) When it comes to worship, do I act selfishly, or in submission?

2.) How is my Light, and how can I make it shine brighter?

3.) Are forgiveness and surrender things I practice daily?

4.) Am I ready to sacrifice pride?

NOTE: If you wish to have the entire article from Professor Gonzales, please Click Here to email Jeremy.