THE UNSTOPPABLE WORSHIPERS - PART 2

Unstoppable worshipers will never quit when it comes to adoring God. Faced with opposition, danger or even death they just keep going. We're told of worshipers in the early church who, more than simply enduring, actually rejoiced "because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" (Acts 5:41).

We continue to share more "UNSTOPPABLE WORSHIPERS" from the Bible:

1) THE THREE HEBREW CHILDREN (Daniel 3)
Shadrach,Meshach and Abednego were sentenced to the fiery furnace when they refused to bow down the the golden image erected by King Nebuchadnezza. In fact they were given a second chance to consider the king's command. They made it absolutely clear that they would not compromise and maintained their covenant relationship with the God of Israel and refused to bow down and worship anyone other than YAWEH. As unquenchable worshipers, their response to the king were consistent even to the point facing death
"Shadrach, Meshach and Abenego replied, 'O Nebuchadnezza, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, your majesty. But even if He doesn't, we want to make it clear to you, your majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.' " (Daniel 3:16-18)

2) DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN (Daniel 6)
Daniel was thrown into the lions' den by jealous people who trapped him by making it illegal for him to worship God. They convinced king Darius to make it mandatory for all his subjects to worship him for the next 30 days and anyone caught worshiping anyone else must be thrown into a den of hungry lions (Daniel 6:6-9)
Daniel of course remained true to his God and since he made no attempt to hide this, he was caught praying and worshiping God and was thrown into the lions'den.

We read in Daniel 6:23, "And when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him because he had trusted in his God." The word "trusted" was translated that the UNSTOPPABLE WORSHIPER "trust continually". The fact thatthelions immediately devoured Daniel's accusers in the morning proves they had been hungry all night long.

3)JOB (Job 1)
When tripped of everything, the first thing he did was to fall down to the ground and worshiped. In Job case it was more unreasonable than the three Hebrew children and Daniel, he did nothing wrong; in fact God consider him righteous!
"Then Job arose, tore his robe, and shaved his head; and fell to the ground and worshiped."(Job 1:20)


Like to share a youtube posted by one of our reader brother Gregory who bought and read the book: The Unquenchable Worshiper by Matt Redman. What will quench your passion and fire to be an unstoppable worshiper? Check it out:

Be a true worshiper! - TPWC

THE UNSTOPPABLE WORSHIPERS - PART 1

Charles Wesley
The year was 1744, and hymn writer Charles Wesley was in Leeds, holding a prayer meeting in an upstairs room. Suddenly there's a creak in the floorboards, followed by a massive crack, and the whole floor collapses. All 100 people crashed right through the ceiling into the room below. The place was in chaos - some were screaming, some were crying, some just sat in shock. But as the dust settled, Wesley, wounded and lying in a heap, cried out, "Fear not! The Lord is with us; our lives are all safe." And then he broke out into the Doxology, "Praise God, from whom all blessings flow." Perhaps a bizarred choice of song, considering what's just happened. But there's the point - while everyone else was still licking their wounds, the heart of this unstoppable worshiper was responding with unshakeable praise.

Unstoppable worshipers will never quit when it comes to adoring God. Faced with opposition, danger or even death they just keep going. We're told of worshipers in the early church who, more than simply enduring, actually rejoiced "because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name" (Acts 5:41).

King David
True worship often meets with opposition. Take the life of king David. His first triump was a powerful public act of unstoppable worship. The giant Goliath had put fear into all Israel, and the whole nation was afraid to stand up against him for the honour of God's name. Then in came David - too small for a suit of armour, and as Saul told him, still only a boy. Yet this passionate lover of God can't stand to see the armies of the Living God made a fool of, and he walked out onto the battlefield so that "the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel" (1 Samuel 17:46). Goliath despised him (verse 42), but, anointed by God and driven by passion for the Lord, king David overcame. The worship of God wins the day!

Rachel Scott
The story of Rachel Scott, a teenage victim of Columbine High School (USA) tragedy. It's another powerful tale of unstoppable worship. On 20 April 1999, two bitter twisted students entered the gounds of the school with guns and explosives, planning to wreak havoc. One of the grudges they were bearing was against Christians, and when they found Rachel Scott that grude was made very clear. The killers shot her twice in the legs and once in the upper body. As she struggled to crawl away to safety, they pulled her up by the hair, and asked, "Do you believe in God?" They thought they'd won the battle; expecting her to back down from her faith with whimpering "no". But this bleeding, unstoppable bravely affirmed, "You know I do." Furious with that answer they yelled, "Then go be with Him" and shot her right through the head."

Imagine the heart of God in that moment, as one of His precious worshipers threw her life on the line for His glory. In a gruesome moment of decision, she chose His honour over her survival. And if it affects us so much, imagine what effect it must have on the heart of Jesus.

Stephen of Acts
The story of Stephen's stoning in Acts 7 sheds some more light on this. He puts his life on the line, proclaiming Jesus to cold hearts that don't want to hear, and rebuked them for their religious pride. But just before they stone him to death, God allows Stephen an amazing depth of revelation - perhaps to help this first Christian martyr stay strong to the end. Stephen was allowed a glimpse of heaven's throne room, and saw Jesus 'standing' at the right hand of God. The odd thing here is that Jesus was standing. every other time in the New Testament we read of Jesus at the right hand of God, He's sitting down. So why is He standing now? Smith Wigglesworth's explanation: though usually seated at the right hand of God, this time Jesus gets to His feet to honour and spur Stephen on in his courageous act of worship!

The unstoppable worshiper lets nothing hinder them in their quest to glorify God. Whatever "goliaths" come their way, they walk out onto that worship battlefield and take their chances. They do not shrink back in times of trouble, but instead raise a spirited psalm of trust, obedient and praise!
(an extract from: The Unquencable Worshiper by Matt Redman)

THE UNQUENCHABLE WORSHIPER

Bible is full of Unquenchable Worshipers - people who refused to be dampened, discouraged or distracted in their quest to glorify God.

1) The Prophet Habakkuk (Habakkuk 3)
His heart attitude was to make a choice to respond to God's worth, no matter how bleak a season he found himself in :
"Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop falls and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

2) Paul & Silas (Acts 16)
Sitting in their jail cell you would have forgiven them if they weren't in the mood for singing. They'd been unjustly arrested, beaten, severely flogged, and thrown into the deepest part of prison, with their feet in stocks. Yet, somehow, refusing to let their souls be dampened, Paul & Silas found it in themselves with everything they had left to sing out praise and worship to God. (We all know the result .... the glory of God fell, there was an earthquake, prisoners were set free and salvation came upon the jailer & his family.)
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken." (Acts 16:24-25)

Most of us don't own a fig trees and haven't been in prison for being a Christian, but the principal is the same for us as it was for Habakkuk and Paul & Silas - we can always find a reason to praise/worship. Situations change for better and for worse, but God's worth never change!

3) Fanny Crosby (www.nyise.org/fanny)
This unquenchable worshiper was borned blind who has written 9,000 hymns of praise. Some of her hymns: To God Be The Glory, Blessed Assurance, Close To Thee and many more ...
When about six weeks old she was taken sick and her eyes grew weaker. The lack of knowledge and skill of the doctor then could not save her eye sight. As she grew older she was told that she would never see the faces of her friends, the flowers of the fields, the blue skies. Soon she learned what other children possessed, but she made up her mind to store away a little jewel in her heart which she called "CONTENT"

Those thousand of songs were simply the result of a fire that burned in her heart for Jesus and could not be put out. Someone once asked her, "Fanny, do you wish you had not been binded?" She replied, in typical style, "Well, the good thing about being blind is that the very face I'll see will be the face of Jesus."

Many might have chosen the path of compliants and bitterness as their response to God, but she chose the path of contentment and praise. The choice between these two paths faces us each day, with every situation that's thrown our way. Complaints and bitterness dampens and eventually destroys love for God. It eats away at the statement "God is love" and tells us He is not faithful. But contentment does the opposite: it fuels the heart with endless reasons to praise God.

An extract from: The Unquenchable Worshiper by Matt redman plus Fanny Crosby's Story.

ARE YOU A WORSHIPER?

Profile Of A Worshiper

If someone ask a teacher what he does for a living, he will reply, "I am a teacher." He says that because he works or spends most of his time teaching. Similarly, you know you are a worshiper when what you do the most is worship.

Worshipers don't just worship on weekends. They don't need a bulletin, or a "call to worship" or a worship leader to encourage them to go vertical. They can worship in any place and at any time because they are worshipers.

Continual worship is central to the life of a worshiper. A worshiper offers the sacrifice of praise to God continually (Hebrews 13:15)."From the rising of the sun to it's going down the Lord's name is to be praised" (Psalm 113:3). Endless eulogy, ceaseless celebration and perpetual praise are the earmarks of a worshiper.

Worshipers don't wait for perfect circumstances to worship, and they don't let current situations keep them from worshiping.

There is a song in the Bible that says, "Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labour of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flock may be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls - yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation" (Habakkuk 3:17-18).

Though I have no money in the savings account and my cheque book is overdrawn, though the fridge and cupboard are empty and I just got laid off, yet I will worship and rejoice in my Lord.

The first step in becoming a worshiper is worshiping in spite of bad circumstances. Be blessed with this song:

An extract from - Exploring the Mysteries of Worship by Larmar Boschman
TPWC