Devoted to Christ

Did you know that if your lifestyle contradicts what you believe, your worship can actually be offensive to God? Amos 5:23-24 (NLT) says, “Away with your hymns of praise! They are only noise to my hears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, a river of righteous living that will never run dry.”

One day people can talk about how much Christ means to them. The next day they’re engaged in something that is clearly sinful. What happened? A week later they’re back in church, singing louder than anyone else. A week after that, they’re back in sin again.

This is why David prayed in Psalm 51, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and Renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.”

The word David used for steadfast means to be consistent.

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!

Biblical worship should begin with transcendence, (which means that God is uniquely and wholly “other” than everything else, far above his creation in his being and in his activity) affirming that the Lord is above us and in control. Then we should move to immanence, thanking the Lord that he is with us as we leave his sanctuary.

The first line of this song always proclaims something that Christians must live by.

“Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
- Psalm 118:1 NLT

The title of the song is Forever.

If we had the choice to worship the Lord when we feel like it, there wouldn’t be a lot of hands clapping and singing. Now there are people who will give their worship out of their hands, but if we put off worship as a 2nd or last resort because we have “other” things to do, the Christian life we live today wouldn’t be so exciting and appealing. We must worship the Lord not because we feel good about it, but because HE is good. I find that this establishes a good open connection to God before a preaching of a gospel. Whether I give the message or not, it is the heart of worship that opens us up to listening to the word of God. After all, it’s not just for our ears to hear the message but also for our hearts and soul. Be glad of your worship! And be blessed!

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.”

Just picked up a copy of “When We Meet” CD last Thursday at Greg Laurie’s bible study. I support their band very much coming out to praise and worship 3 times over on a Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening bible studies. They dedicate so much time with praise and worship their credit is overdue. Their live music is awesome and if you ever can come out in Irvine or Riverside it’s something to experience them sing along with the touch of the Lord’s presence!

“Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”
— Matthew 2:2 NLT

The primary message of Christmas is this: God is with us. Isaiah 7:14 tells us, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.” Immanuel means, “God is with us.”

So the message of the season is not, “Let it snow” or even, “Let us shop.” The real message of Christmas is, “Let us Worship.” That is what the wise men came to do. And that is what we should be doing as well.

Currently Listening to: How Great Is Our God (Live From Austin Music Hall)

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.

Right now I’m watching “An Evening of Hope.” [Saturday 11 pm.] The music is very touching and provides a message to those who have lost a loved one or have suffered through tough times. To view the concert click here.

I’d recommend his new album, Beauty Will Rise. Check it out at your local Christian store or on Amazon or iTunes!