Devoted to Christ

Here’s a video I captured and edited. Not so much editing… I wanted to avoid it as much as I can. Just raw praise and worship! It was Sarah’s first time up there on a Sunday morning. Bless her!

Sarah Joy leads the praise and worship band with singing, “Come Now is the Time to Worship.” (C) 2001 Sparrow Records

“By Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.” – Hebrews 13:15-16

Don’t you know that when you engage your heart and lift up your voice to praise the name of the Lord, it pleases Him? Notice that this verse says it is the “sacrifice of praise.” Sometimes offering our praise to God is indeed a sacrifice. We may not be in the mood because we are having trouble of some kind. But that is the best time to worship God-not because we necessarily feel like it, but because He is worthy. The Bible also states in Romans 12:1 - “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

The Bible says “Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.” (1 Chronicles 16:34) That verse does not say, “Give thanks unto the Lord when you feel good, but rather because He is good!

I picked up this quote from a friend of mine and I’m all for what it says. Praise and worship cannot be taken as a routine thing but must be done in a way that provokes the heart. It is then your arms and hands are lifted up on high.

“You cant program worship. Just because you say your meeting is going to begin with some songs doesn’t mean worship is going to take place. True worship is the spontaneous provoking of the human heart to respond to something that is beyond their understanding that leads them to a response; tears, song, laughter, shouting, dancing, falling. Praise requires presence and presence cant be faked.”

This is an introduction of my outline for my involvement for the music ministry workshop tomorrow.

Intro: Praise and worship is probably the most important aspect of the Christian walk. It is through praise and worship that we as Christians draw near to God. Psalm 100:4 says that we enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise. Psalms 22 says he that He inhabits the praises of His people.

Colossians 3:17
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. KJV

Hebrews 13:15
15 By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. KJV

Praise God in the good times, praise God in the bad times. Whether you feel like doing it is one thing, but when you praise when you don’t feel like doing it is another. God sees us praising Him all the time. Even if you have a “Don’t feel like doing it” attitude, don’t take it for grant it. Do it. Verbally offer praise unto the Lord. Loudly, verbally, sacrificially offer you praise to God no matter what is going on in your life.

Why we should Praise God
#1 God is in control of all our circumstances. God is in control, we are not.
#2 God is looking out for our eternal benefit. II Corinthians 4:18 – 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. KJV
#3 God is wiser than us. He is good and His mercies endures forever.

“Praise the Lord”