Worship Until You Go

Business

If our church is a business, our slogan would be...

Experience God, Find Hope, Share Christ.

Where we could say, life happens, let it happen here.

Vision

The vision we have set out to do ties in with this slogan and it is to Worship, Connect, Grow, Serve and Go (in that order).

Worship (Experience God, Find Hope)

Because...

"God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” John 4:24

Connect (Experience God, Find Hope)

Scriptures admonish us...

"Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:25

Grow (Experience God, Find Hope)

"asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God." Ephesians 1:17

to...

"grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen." 2 Peter 3:18

Serve (Experience God, Share Christ)

Serving others because...

"You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love." Galatian 5:13

And we serve our God, because...

"how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God." Hebrew 9:14

Go (Experience God, Share Christ)

And lastly to go and share Christ...

"Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

But not without..

"you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” Acts 1:8

Acts 2 Journey

"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved." Acts 2:46-47

Our Vision Summed Up in the Last Supper

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

"Jesus knew that he had come from God and would go back to God. He also knew that the Father had given him complete power. So during the meal Jesus got up, removed his outer garment, and wrapped a towel around his waist. He put some water into a large bowl. Then he began washing his disciples' feet and drying them with the towel he was wearing.

But when he came to Simon Peter, that disciple asked, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

Jesus answered, “You don’t really know what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

“You will never wash my feet!” Peter replied.

“If I don’t wash you,” Jesus told him, “you don’t really belong to me.”

Peter said, “Lord, don’t wash just my feet. Wash my hands and my head.”

Jesus answered, “People who have bathed and are clean all over need to wash just their feet. And you, my disciples, are clean, except for one of you.” Jesus knew who would betray him. That is why he said, “except for one of you.”

After Jesus had washed his disciples' feet and had put his outer garment back on, he sat down again. Then he said:

Do you understand what I have done? You call me your teacher and Lord, and you should, because that is who I am. And if your Lord and teacher has washed your feet, you should do the same for each other. I have set the example, and you should do for each other exactly what I have done for you. I tell you for certain that servants are not greater than their master, and messengers are not greater than the one who sent them. You know these things, and God will bless you, if you do them." John 13:3-17 (CEV)

Today these verses gave me a ton of new insight but I'll have to share those another day.

Instead for today, let us see at how beautifully this passage sums up our vision: Worship - Connect - Grow - Serve - Go.

Worship

Jesus, knowing where He came from and more importantly where He is going; knows His standing and is not only secure in His relationship with His Father but He also knows how much He is loved, resulting in true worship, one that is real and genuine, a life of dependency, humility, trust and obedience -- the first step.

Connect

Jesus fellowshipped with His disciples. His disciples followed Him, not through a "forced to attend" or a "ritualistic" (one hour a week) meeting. Instead, Jesus created an environment where people came to Him not out of obligation, or because of tradition or a set of rules and regulations. People just followed Him where ever He went, they wanted to stay with Him, and they spent time together and they shared meals, creating loving relationships.

Grow

The result is that the disciples grew in knowledge and wisdom as they spend time with Jesus as He ministered to people and as they sat at His feet, and as they listened to His teachings and His ability to show them both the simple truths and the deep things of life.

Serve

Jesus showed His disciples that no task was beneath Him. He showed real love and geniune service by doing the lowliest of tasks, even washing their feet, showing them and generations to come, how to be a servant-leader.

Go

Jesus said the messengers are not above the One who sent them. Jesus is the One who is sending us, and not empty-handed but rather with the backing of His army of angels and the power of the Holy Spirit. And thus we Go -- to our families, to our neighborhoods, to the market place, to our schools, places of work, cities far and wide and to the ends of the earth until we are called to our supper and home-coming with the One who sent us.

Worship Him

When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples!”

“I tell you,” he replied, “if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.” Luke 19:37-40

Doctor Luke's narrative of the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, which believers still commemorate as Palm Sunday includes this verse where some of the Pharisees told Jesus to put a stop to the people's loud shouts of praise for Him.

But it was the response of Jesus which really was the head scratcher. He told those who wanted to stop the joyful shouts of praise that if they would keep quiet, the stones would cry out.

One can study this phrase and can get really deep into theology by referencing Old Testament parallels or interpret this comment as literal, rhetorical or proverbial or all of the above.

But to me, we can readily surmise a few things because some of the facts are really quite obvious. One, "some" of the Pharisees didn't really like the idea of people shouting praises, especially directed towards this man called Jesus. Two, some if not most of them really did not recognize who was actually walking among them, even with all of their diligent studying of their scriptures and of prophecy -- and I could dare say, because of, because they were studying the scriptures for the wrong reasons. And three, some were most probably upset, even envious of the fact that the people were shouting praises to Jesus, instead of to them. Yes, how dare them.

True, most of the jews (God's chosen people) did not recognize Jesus for who He really is, and they have stopped shouting out praises to Him. But what happened? Us, gentiles who are nothing but stones, dust even, to them, are the ones who are shouting out praises to Him who suffered and died in our place. He grafted us in, to become His people and He turned our once heart of stone, into a heart of flesh, which has become attuned with the heartbeat of our Lord and Savior. Now, we are the ones (the stones) who are crying out to Him who is worthy of all praise and glory. And this is not to say that God could not literally make stones cry out praises to Him. In fact, a heart who is really in tuned with Christ, can literally see Him in His magnificent creation, in nature, in rocks and rock formations, and these creations cry out that there is a Creator, a loving one, a patient one and He is our Father, waiting patiently for us, His prodigal child. And when one really is able to grasp this concept, one can see with their spiritual eyes that the rocks and all of creaton are singing to their Maker.

Indeed, "Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”
Hosanna in the highest!”

How can we not cry out as well?

Worship

"Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
    Worship the Lord with gladness.
    Come before him, singing with joy.
Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
    He made us, and we are his.
    We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
    go into his courts with praise.
    Give thanks to him and praise his name.
For the Lord is good.
    His unfailing love continues forever,
    and his faithfulness continues to each generation."  Psalm 100

The people of promise (the seed of Abraham) sang this psalm and all the other psalms, and in fact they sang their jewish scriptures as well, either privately or collectively in their places of worship.

Us, the grafted children of promise do the same thing as we sing songs of praise and worship using the same words from these psalms and our scriptures, or new songs that we sing spontaneously.

And the reason we can do so is because of one thing. It is because we know who we are worshiping and we know who our God is. He is the One True God. And we are His children. He is our ever loving  Abba Father.

I don't know of any other thing for which we should praise Him, in fact I do not know of any other reason to do so. And if you need to know, we really cannot worship Him who we do not know. And this is precisely why first time visitors or those who have yet to know Him, could not and would not be able to understand why we sing in church like we do, and if they do, they feel uncomfortable or awkward. 

Now if we think worship is that "slow" song we sing at church during that part of the worship service typically called as "praise and worship" then we are also missing the point of worship. Worship is not a particular type of song, as it is not a once a week thing either.

Worship is precisely that as written in our scriptures, which tells us to "worship in Spirit and truth". Now one of the more common external manifestations of worship is when we come together and pour out our love for him through playing musical instruments, dancing and singing to Him songs of praise and adoration. And gathering together at least once a week gives us that opportunity to do so, collectively. If you have not really poured yourself out by being totally immersed in the spirit of worship during these "worship services" then you are either missing out of one of the most important events of your week, or that you totally have yet to understand the real meaning of worship, or worse you do not really know who you are worshiping.

Today, I exhort you brothers and sisters in Christ, to really know who He is that we are worshiping and to totally get lost in the spirit of worship, either in the privacy of your home, while driving to and from place A to place B, while walking, while doing your daily tasks and also collectively, when we come together in a safe place where we gather together week in and week out.

Worship, get it down right. And be right with the One True God, not for show, not to actively ask for a favor or any other reason we may have, but to really open up your heart and worship Him who is worthy of our praise and adoration.

Praise

Our Message For Today is “Praise and Worship”

Psalm 100:1-5

1. Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.
2. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
3. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
4. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.

Let us Pray...


Praise and Worship

When people hear of the word PRAISE, it is generally connected to or given to someone or something worthy of admiration, acclaim, commendation, honor…

When people hear of the word WORSHIP, it is generally in connection with someone or something worthy of adoration, veneration, respect, reverence…

In a common church setting it is normally that part of the “program” where people are asked to stand, or kneel, or bow down, or clap, or raise their hands, sing and all that.

BUT WHAT IS PRAISE AND WORSHIP.

Yes, it is all that… and more.

Do you know that we are probably the only creatures on earth who praise or worship something?
Do you think insects do that? Do monkeys do that? Tiny one celled organisms?

No, in fact we were created for that very purpose -- to worship. Mere animals weren’t. If it was, then those who do not believe in GOD is correct in their assumption that we are all merely products of sheer luck and chance and were created by accident. Like, tossing metal spare parts into a drum and spinning it for thousands of years and out comes smart phones, smart tvs, smart alecks.

Only, it’s a thousand times harder because out something inorganic, out came something organic, something living, something precious, something with an intellect.

No, we are here not accident. But by the hand of a Creator God.

In fact, we were made in the image and likeness of God.

We were created to Praise and Worship the True and Living God.

Can we say amen?

Last week, Pastor talked about how the Lord Jesus was born and how the wise men from the east came to worship Jesus in the book of Matthew.

Now Pastor also talked about the birth of Jesus where he was born where it was shepherds who came and worshipped Jesus in the book of Luke.

Okay, I just want to say that the account of Matthew and the account of Luke are not one the same. Also I want to say that there were no three kings who visited Jesus. Nowhere in the bible did it say that there were three or that there were kings. No, some traditions also have given names to the three Kings – namely, Melchor, Baltazar and Gaspar – often saying they were Kings from Persia, Arabia and India.

No none of those are in the bible. And no the magi weren’t even in Bethlehem when Jesus was born. If you read the narrative in Matthew it says they came to Jerusalem first and not to Bethlehem where Jesus was born. And also that they came to a house and not in a cave where we now know is the most likely place that Jesus was born, because Jesus was place in a manger. A manger is a carved stone where animals eat out of.
Yes, Jesus the Son of God, the King of Kings was not born in John Hopkins Hospital, no he wasn’t born in the Four Seasons Hotel.

He was born in Bethlehem and laid in a manger surrounded by animals and shepherds.


Romans 12:1

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship

Colossians 3:16

Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

1 Peter 2:9-10

But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.  Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

John 4:23-24

Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”


Words

Psalm 9:1-2 (David)

1 I will give thanks to you, LORD, with all my heart; I will tell of all your wonderful deeds.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High.

Shout

Psalm 95:1-2

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.

Bow Down

Psalm 95:6

Come, let us bow down in worship,let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;

Sing

Psalm 33:1-3

1 Sing joyfully to the LORD, you righteous; it is fitting for the upright to praise him.
2 Praise the LORD with the harp; make music to him on the ten-stringed lyre.
3 Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy.

Dance  /  Praise with instruments

Psalm 150:1-6

1 Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
2 Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness.
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre,
4 praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe,
5 praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD.

Raise Your Hands

Psalm 34

1 Praise the LORD, all you servants of the LORD who minister by night in the house of the LORD.
2 Lift up your hands in the sanctuary and praise the LORD.


Sing with your Spirit

1 Corinthians 14:15

 I will sing with my spirit, Sing and Make Music From the heart

Ephesians 5:19

Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord,


1 Corinthians 1:26-28

26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth.27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are,


This is the outline for the message I preached on 10:30 am Sunday Service, December 28, 2014