"Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He has inaugurated for us, through the curtain (that is His flesh); and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Hebrews 10:19-25
I often think of how amazing it is that we as imperfect sinful beings, have the right to come before a holy and just God to worship Him. We can also come with boldness due to the sacrifice and the shed blood of Jesus Christ. That alone makes me want to shout with joy unspeakable. There are two things listed here that are requirements for coming to worship. Our hearts must be sprinkled clean and bodies washed in pure water. Because God is holy, we must prepare ourselves by prayer and through the work of the Holy Spirit to come before a Holy God.
We must also be concerned for one another in love and good works. What an awesome time to come together in love, encourage one another to be prepared for worship, and to experience the presence of a Holy and loving God. Through that worship we are empowered and strengthened to do the good works that we are set apart to do. It is an amazing cycle created by a Sovereign God.
I believe that day is drawing near that either Christ will return or it will become more and more difficult to assemble together. Let us not forsake this privilege, this honor of gathering before God’s throne. As a result we will see Psalm 40:3 come to life, “He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the Lord." Psalm 40:3
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Another king has died
This past week a king of sorts died. Every channel on the TV played pictures of people crying and weeping. Vigils were held, danced began, concerts were planned. A memorial was held where thousands and thousands of people packed a stadium to see the gold casket of this king and to sing his praises. Many more lined up outside just to be near this mortal man who had passed. The news will continue to document the death and aftermath of this man, however, he will remain dead. Yet in his death he will be immortalized and worshipped for years to come as a king of his craft despite his sinful and troubled life.
2000 years ago another king died. Not many praised Him, in fact this King was hated and mocked. He died a public death. and ever since then people have tried in vain to snuff out His work and His memory. This king though did not stay dead. He is alive and preparing a home for me and working today in my life.
What would happen if the children of the world would get into a spiritual frenzy of the same proportions for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That they would weep in remembering His deeds. That they would line up for hours just to be in His presence. God for give the passions and priorities of a lost and dying world. God forgive the Christians who no longer seem to care.
O Come let us sing for joy to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with Thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our God, our maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah. As in the day of massah in the wilderness, When your fathers tested Me, they tried me, though they had seen My work. For forty years I loathed that generation, and said they are a people who err in their heart, and they do not know My ways. Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest." Psalm 95
2000 years ago another king died. Not many praised Him, in fact this King was hated and mocked. He died a public death. and ever since then people have tried in vain to snuff out His work and His memory. This king though did not stay dead. He is alive and preparing a home for me and working today in my life.
What would happen if the children of the world would get into a spiritual frenzy of the same proportions for the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. That they would weep in remembering His deeds. That they would line up for hours just to be in His presence. God for give the passions and priorities of a lost and dying world. God forgive the Christians who no longer seem to care.
O Come let us sing for joy to the Lord, Let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before His presence with Thanksgiving, Let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods, In whose hand are the depths of the earth, the peaks of the mountains are His also. The sea is His, for it was He who made it, and His hands formed the dry land. Come let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the Lord our God, our maker. For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Do not harden your hearts, as at Meribah. As in the day of massah in the wilderness, When your fathers tested Me, they tried me, though they had seen My work. For forty years I loathed that generation, and said they are a people who err in their heart, and they do not know My ways. Therefore I swore in My anger, Truly they shall not enter into My rest." Psalm 95
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Getting ready for the big game.
I have a friend from my days in Seminary that when you ask him about worship he would say, “I am just practicing for when I get to heaven”. I have heard another person say when speaking of worship services, “were just practicing for the big game”. He was a big sports nut. This got me thinking. Our role on earth is to carry out the gospel and to prepare ourselves for the day that we meet Jesus in heaven and spend eternity worshipping Him.
Think about it. When an athlete prepares for a big game does he just go in unprepared, not concentrating, or not focused on the task at hand? The answer is, I hope not. He or she spends countless hours practicing and honing their skills so that during the game the sport will come naturally. Many athletes have a routine that they carry out or certain music that they play to get them “in the zone”. This is true in the Christian life when it comes to worship. We must practice and prepare so that worship will come naturally when it really counts. We must be so prepared that in the heat of spiritual battle worship will flow without thinking, so that it becomes who we are. 1 Corinthians 9:24 tells us to run in such a way that we will obtain the prize set before us.
There is one way that the Christian walk is different than the sports figure. We do not have the liberty of knowing when the big game will start for us. The sports figure can have down time because he knows when the next game will start. Only God knows how much practice time we have here on earth. Job 14:5 reads that “the number of his months is left with You, and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.” We don’t have the luxury to be relaxed in our preparation for and living of this Christian life in preparation for the eternal life to come. I don’t want to walk into the big game unprepared or having fewer skills to use or rewards to give in the presence of the God who created me. So the next time you go to worship, think about the big game and let’s work on the fundamentals of the game to prepare ourselves for the day we go home!
Think about it. When an athlete prepares for a big game does he just go in unprepared, not concentrating, or not focused on the task at hand? The answer is, I hope not. He or she spends countless hours practicing and honing their skills so that during the game the sport will come naturally. Many athletes have a routine that they carry out or certain music that they play to get them “in the zone”. This is true in the Christian life when it comes to worship. We must practice and prepare so that worship will come naturally when it really counts. We must be so prepared that in the heat of spiritual battle worship will flow without thinking, so that it becomes who we are. 1 Corinthians 9:24 tells us to run in such a way that we will obtain the prize set before us.
There is one way that the Christian walk is different than the sports figure. We do not have the liberty of knowing when the big game will start for us. The sports figure can have down time because he knows when the next game will start. Only God knows how much practice time we have here on earth. Job 14:5 reads that “the number of his months is left with You, and his limits You have set so that he cannot pass.” We don’t have the luxury to be relaxed in our preparation for and living of this Christian life in preparation for the eternal life to come. I don’t want to walk into the big game unprepared or having fewer skills to use or rewards to give in the presence of the God who created me. So the next time you go to worship, think about the big game and let’s work on the fundamentals of the game to prepare ourselves for the day we go home!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Let it rain
“So let us know, let us press on to know the Lord. His going forth is as certain as the dawn; and He will come to us like the rain, like the spring watering the earth.” Hosea 6:3
It is rare that a week will go by that I do not hear a prayer for revival. I know that these prayers are lifted up from Godly people with a sincere heart. However, many times we Christians pray this prayer and then sit and wait or go about our daily living of life and wait as if revival is going to come to our front porch by way of Fed Ex or UPS.
God has promised that he would come to us like the rain. Like a steady downpour that slowly and completely saturates all that we are. Are we to sit around and just wait for it? I think not. Recently there was a storm approaching that promised a lot of rain. I noticed as I was driving to work something interesting about the trees. I am no scientist or botanist so I am just going to give you the layman’s description of how it looked to me. It seemed as though the leaves of the trees were turned upward. It seemed as though the leaves were positioning themselves in such a way to be in the best place to receive the rain.
The verse above states that we must press on to know the Lord. We need to be active at doing His work, studying His Word, and positioning ourselves in the best place to meet the downpour. The Lord will come, we can count on it, but will we be in the right place to reap the joys and benefits of revival on His terms.
Let me put it this way. When I was in Brazil for a mission trip I notice rather quickly that in the jungle, a rain shower would come at around 2 to 4 in the afternoon just about every day. You could see the rain in the horizon and get ready for it pass over. It was the most refreshing time of the day because it gave us a break from the heat and dry wind. One day I felt it was more important to go inside and have a coke. I knew that the time for rain was approaching but I decided that I would go outside when I was ready. The previous few days the rain came late so I could get ready for it later. When I made it outside I realized that the rain had passed early and I had missed it because I wanted it to be on my terms. I missed out on being refreshed that day. We must always be ready, always preparing ourselves, or positioning ourselves to be ready for revival. We must also accept it on God’s terms and in His timing. If we are in this way obedient, He promised that we will be refreshed and renewed by a saturating downpour of His presence.
It is rare that a week will go by that I do not hear a prayer for revival. I know that these prayers are lifted up from Godly people with a sincere heart. However, many times we Christians pray this prayer and then sit and wait or go about our daily living of life and wait as if revival is going to come to our front porch by way of Fed Ex or UPS.
God has promised that he would come to us like the rain. Like a steady downpour that slowly and completely saturates all that we are. Are we to sit around and just wait for it? I think not. Recently there was a storm approaching that promised a lot of rain. I noticed as I was driving to work something interesting about the trees. I am no scientist or botanist so I am just going to give you the layman’s description of how it looked to me. It seemed as though the leaves of the trees were turned upward. It seemed as though the leaves were positioning themselves in such a way to be in the best place to receive the rain.
The verse above states that we must press on to know the Lord. We need to be active at doing His work, studying His Word, and positioning ourselves in the best place to meet the downpour. The Lord will come, we can count on it, but will we be in the right place to reap the joys and benefits of revival on His terms.
Let me put it this way. When I was in Brazil for a mission trip I notice rather quickly that in the jungle, a rain shower would come at around 2 to 4 in the afternoon just about every day. You could see the rain in the horizon and get ready for it pass over. It was the most refreshing time of the day because it gave us a break from the heat and dry wind. One day I felt it was more important to go inside and have a coke. I knew that the time for rain was approaching but I decided that I would go outside when I was ready. The previous few days the rain came late so I could get ready for it later. When I made it outside I realized that the rain had passed early and I had missed it because I wanted it to be on my terms. I missed out on being refreshed that day. We must always be ready, always preparing ourselves, or positioning ourselves to be ready for revival. We must also accept it on God’s terms and in His timing. If we are in this way obedient, He promised that we will be refreshed and renewed by a saturating downpour of His presence.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Acceptable Worship
Picture This. .. The crowd has gone…. Just a few remain ...Suddenly the religious leaders throw a woman to the ground before Jesus. Clearly this woman also has a reputation. They demand she be stoned according to the law. Jesus leans down and begins to write in the sand. Everyone is confused. Jesus then stands and says, “He who is without sin cast the first stone.” Your mind races to all the sin in your life. What authority to forgive the sins of man! What compassion and love to come to earth for this purpose! Jesus commands her to leave her life of sin. (John 8:11) Surely He is the Son of God!
This story has always intrigued me. I know that the Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus. Yet Jesus knew their heart and he knew the heart of the woman. For her to be forgiven she must have been repentant. He told her to go and sin no more. What an awesome charge from a loving God. One song that the ladies are singing this Easter is when I fall down. Not if I fall. When I fall down. Jesus knows that we will fail and still He forgives. How then should be worship?
To answer this, let’s look at another encounter Jesus had with a woman. In Luke 7:36-39 Jesus is in one of the Pharisees house. His name is Simon and he has invited Jesus in to entrap him. A woman comes with some very costly perfume and pours it over Jesus' feet and wipes them with her hair. Verse 37 tells us that this woman from the city was known as a sinner. Jesus accepts her worship and rebukes those who do not. Jesus knows her heart and accepts her worship. She gives as an awesome picture of what our worship should be. She comes humbly and with great love because she knew what she was saved from. Simon came with motives. Simon did not offer anything to God. He was not repentant. The woman realized her need to worship the Savior because of His holiness. Therefore, her praise was accepted. Simon's was rejected.
This story has always intrigued me. I know that the Pharisees were trying to trick Jesus. Yet Jesus knew their heart and he knew the heart of the woman. For her to be forgiven she must have been repentant. He told her to go and sin no more. What an awesome charge from a loving God. One song that the ladies are singing this Easter is when I fall down. Not if I fall. When I fall down. Jesus knows that we will fail and still He forgives. How then should be worship?
To answer this, let’s look at another encounter Jesus had with a woman. In Luke 7:36-39 Jesus is in one of the Pharisees house. His name is Simon and he has invited Jesus in to entrap him. A woman comes with some very costly perfume and pours it over Jesus' feet and wipes them with her hair. Verse 37 tells us that this woman from the city was known as a sinner. Jesus accepts her worship and rebukes those who do not. Jesus knows her heart and accepts her worship. She gives as an awesome picture of what our worship should be. She comes humbly and with great love because she knew what she was saved from. Simon came with motives. Simon did not offer anything to God. He was not repentant. The woman realized her need to worship the Savior because of His holiness. Therefore, her praise was accepted. Simon's was rejected.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Living Your Lyrics
Does your life provide a clear reflection of the godly lyrics that you sing when you worship? What do you think about when you are singing those lyrics? Are you thinking about your voice, how good you sound or how bad you sound? Are you thinking about your neighbor or your surroundings? Better yet, what does your daily life reflect? Does it play out the Godly lyrics that you sing on Sunday?
If Christ is in your heart, you must reflect Him and the new life you have received. This is especially true in worship, however, too often what is seen is a reflection of earth, life, struggles, and or sin. When a non-believer sees this reflection they will not desire the freedom of Salvation. Let's go to the Word.
"I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing." Galatians 2:19b - 21. Many of us that have been crucified with Christ are trying to carry around the dead body of our former selves for many reasons most of which are personal to the believer.
Music is the least important part of worship. The most important part of worship is the life of the one worshipping. Is it in order? Is it reflecting the Father? Keith Green said it best, " The only minister to whom the Lord will say, 'Well done thy good and faithful servant,' is the one whose life proves what their lyrics are saying, and to whom the music is the least important part of their life. Glorifying the only worthy One has to be a minister's most important goal"
What is your most important goal when it comes to worship?
If Christ is in your heart, you must reflect Him and the new life you have received. This is especially true in worship, however, too often what is seen is a reflection of earth, life, struggles, and or sin. When a non-believer sees this reflection they will not desire the freedom of Salvation. Let's go to the Word.
"I have been crucified with Christ; and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing." Galatians 2:19b - 21. Many of us that have been crucified with Christ are trying to carry around the dead body of our former selves for many reasons most of which are personal to the believer.
Music is the least important part of worship. The most important part of worship is the life of the one worshipping. Is it in order? Is it reflecting the Father? Keith Green said it best, " The only minister to whom the Lord will say, 'Well done thy good and faithful servant,' is the one whose life proves what their lyrics are saying, and to whom the music is the least important part of their life. Glorifying the only worthy One has to be a minister's most important goal"
What is your most important goal when it comes to worship?
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
I Am A Prisoner
This week I was reading in Ephesians 4 verse 1 which reads as follows, "I, therefore a prisoner in the Lord, urge you to walk worthy of the calling you have received." The first sentence of this chapter caught my attention. The version that I was reading stated that Paul is a prisoner for the Lord. I find it interesting that it does not say that he is a prisoner by or of the Lord. We must choose to be a slave of Christ. A prisoner bound by the truths and life that makes up a true life of following Christ.
We have a choice of whether or not to become a prisoner for the Lord. We have a choice of whether or not we will stay in that state. This means that we give up certain rights and privileges. We give up the right to determine where our path will take us. We give up the right to certain styles and personal preferences in the realm of what ushers us into the presence of the Lord in worship. If we are a true prisoner for the Lord all things ( and Music) that is of the Lord should spur us to Isaiah 6 worship of bowing before His throne and begging Him to forgive us and send us out.
Some of us have the mindset that we are prisoners on work release. We do our own thing during the week but report in on Sundays to check in with our parole officer that is getting us out of eternal separation. I pray that i am locked into the presence of the Lord, the will of the Lord and that no key will be made that will release me from this holy bondage.
We have a choice of whether or not to become a prisoner for the Lord. We have a choice of whether or not we will stay in that state. This means that we give up certain rights and privileges. We give up the right to determine where our path will take us. We give up the right to certain styles and personal preferences in the realm of what ushers us into the presence of the Lord in worship. If we are a true prisoner for the Lord all things ( and Music) that is of the Lord should spur us to Isaiah 6 worship of bowing before His throne and begging Him to forgive us and send us out.
Some of us have the mindset that we are prisoners on work release. We do our own thing during the week but report in on Sundays to check in with our parole officer that is getting us out of eternal separation. I pray that i am locked into the presence of the Lord, the will of the Lord and that no key will be made that will release me from this holy bondage.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)