Pastors Inbox (Across the Creek, 16th March) “Worship is by no means a weekly or a monthly event. It is a lifestyle. Romans 12:1 says: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship (NIV). Set aside time for personal worship: Prayer and worship can feel like a waste of time when items of business are pressing. Making worship a priority in your schedule will not only ensure there is time for worship; it will also begin to transform you as you guard your time with the Lord. If your own personal worship lacks depth and significance in your life, you will be unable to lead others into the presence of God. Eight factors to rate your personal worship: • Do I praise God continually? • Do I rejoice in negative circumstances? • Am I able to experience God even during trials? • Do I continually seek the Lord? • Do I experience the miraculous hand of God? • Do I have a deep need for the Lord? • Do I confess my sins immediately? • Do I thoroughly enjoy the Lord? Follow Davids leadership: His psalms are some of the most personal and prayerful words in the Bible. Though he was a great king and warrior, he was also a harpist, and he managed to spend a significant amount of time praising and lamenting to His Lord. The essence of worship is acknowledging the Lordship of Christ in our lives. • Jesus commanded: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. - Matthew 22:37-38 • Worship is first and foremost a heart condition. If this is true, the biggest deterrent to worship is personal kingdoms we refuse to give over to Christ. The work and person of God must be the source of life-giving inspiration in worship. • Worship can be experienced in a corporate service or in personal quiet times, but our whole lives should reflect worship. Techniques and structures can aid in the transmission of inspiration, but they cannot be a substitute for it. Worship must happen on the personal level before it can happen on the corporate level. • As you experience the presence of God and allow Him to transform your life on a personal level, you will find that as you come together, God touches you corporately and invites you into an intimate relationship with Him as His Bride. • When God is glorified in worship, the result is unity, vision, maturity, blessing and empowerment for ministry.” acts29network.org/acts-29-blog/model-a-lifestyle-of-worship/
Posted on: Fri, 14 Mar 2014 05:31:06 +0000
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