Singapore 24 Hours Worship Centre

I received an email from a passionate worshipper in Singapore. He said that the Lord has inspired him and a sister to start a 24 Hours Worship Centre in Singapore.

They are launching their first 24 hours worship and intercession:

ENTHRONE JESUS

(A Prayer & Worship Marathon)

22 September 2006

22/9 - 6pm to 23/9 - 6pm

Location :

Goshen Restaurant

(within The High Point Halfway House)

1 Lorong 23 Geylang

Singapore 388352

They hope that the centre will ultimately become a sanctuary where any believers can come anytime 24/7 to worship the Lord

For more information kindly contact John @ 81271855 or email him at hr24worship@hotmail.com

I have also decided to put up at tag-board to encourage worshippers to participate by giving their feedback and respond. The primary purpose of TPWC is to create a platform for worshippers to share and get connected with other worshippers. Look forward to your input.

Blessings

TPWC

FROM PRAISE TO WORSHIP

The principal definition of the word PRAISE is the Hebrew word "HALAL" which means to be clear in sound, to shine, to make a show, to boast, to be clamourously foolish, to rave, to celebrate. Praise is an expression of the soul. That is, it directly involves our mind, our will and our emotions. The Psalmist David repeatedly stated that our soul is to bless the Lord (Psalm 103:1), boast in the Lord (Psalm 34:2) and praise the Lord (Psalm 146:1). This expression of the soul is to manifest itself in many ways, as is seen in the Word of God. These ways include:

- Singing (Psalm 47:6-7)
- Shouting (Psalm 47:1)
- Clapping of Hands (Psalm 47:1)
- Lifting of Hands (Psalm 134:2)
- Dancing (Psalm 150:4)
- Bowing (Psalm 95:6)
- Musically (Psalm 150)

THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF PRAISE

a) Spontaneous Praise

King David exhorts us in Psalm 103 to praise the Lord because of what He has done. Just think! He:
- Forgives all our iniquities (v3)
- Heals all our diseases (v3)
- Redeems our lives from destruction (v4)
- Crowns us with loving kindness and tender mercies (v4)
- Satisfies our mouth with good things (v5)

DON'T FORGET HIS BENEFITS!

As we realize what a mighty God He is and what He has done for us, we are stirred emotionally and we spontaneously erupt with praise! Spontaneous praise is therefore BIRTHED IN OUR EMOTIONS. Spontaneous praise is enjoyable, emotional, brimming with enthusiasm. And rightly so! We should praise the Lord for all that He has done.

b) Sacrificial Praise

But then there are other times when praise is the last thing we want to do. Unfortunately, by acting, or rather reacting only according to our feeligs, we rob ourselves of real fulfilment in the other aspect of praise - THE SACRIFICE.

Hebrews 13:15 exhorts us to offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually. The word "sacrifice" means the action of slaughtering, killing or slaying. In other words, we are required to kill those emotions, slaughter those feelings that are opposed to praising the Lord. Many times I don't feel like praising the Lord. It is during those times that I can fulfil my obedience to the Scripture and exercise the "Sacrifice of Praise"

Therefore sacrificial praise is BIRTHED IN OUR WILL! The most repeated phrase in the Psalms is "I WILL". (over 200 times)

The results of both spontaneous and sacrificial praise are awesome! God responds to praise! Psalm 22:3 tells us that He inhabits, He dwells in the praises of His people. And as a result of of God's response, something supernatural takes place. we transcend from the dimension of praise into the dimension of worship

THE DIMENSION OF WORSHIP

Whereas PRAISE is an expression of the SOUL, WORSHIP is an expression of the SPIRIT. The word "worship":

- In Hebrew is "shachah" which means to depress, prostrate, bow(self) down, crouch, fall down (flat), humbly beseech, do obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop.
- In Greek the word is "proskuneo", which means to kiss, to fawn or crouch to, to revere, to adore.

By this we can see that in worship there is a divine, intmate communion, a closeness of relationship that occurs between God and man, the Creator and the created. Worship is an expression of the spirit, because "God is Spirit: and they that worship Him MUST worship Him in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24)

As we spontaneously and sacrificially praise the Lord we are lifted into the realm of the spirit, where a pure and holy, love relationship is developed with God. At such moment of transcension, you realize that you are on holy ground. Time is of no importance. Nothing else matters and you are intensely aware of the fact that you are communing with God in spirit.

As you worship the Lord, He reveals Himself to you in a precious, loving way. As the definition, "to kiss" suggests, there results an intimate spiritual union with the Spirit of God. There is a strengthening, a refreshing that occurs in your spirit. Nothing can be compared to that type of communion, which is a result of your spontaneous and sacrificial praise.

An extract from : Restoring Praise & Worship To The Church - by Howard Rachinski

TPWC's Remarks:

For the many previous posts, TPWC has been challenging and inspiring you that the way to His holy presence is through our daily choice to cultivate the spirit of thanksgiving & exercise the practise of private praise (both spontaneously and sacrificially). It is an upward spiritual progression ... by walking into ... standing in His presence and then sitting in the holy of holiest beholding His glory. It is a blessed journey! It is opposite to the often downward path where many believers tend to take in their daily encounters ... to walk in the the counsel of the wicked ... stand in the way of sinners ... and sit in the seat of mockers. These are path of degeneration and there is no blessing!
Whereas if we choose daily the path of progression; yes no matter what our circustances may be, we will stand strong in the Lord like the tree that is planted by the waters. Because in His presence is fullness of Joy and the Joy of the Lord shall be our strength. So come what may - even the storms of life, "we shall be a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers" (Psalm 1:3). Life in the inner courts is stable and victorious!

For the next the coming posts, TPWC will be touching on Life in the inner courts - a series of worship topics. Like to encourage that while we receive the truth & learn the secrets of the inner of courts, that we do not forget that the way to the Father still begins with the spirit of thanksgiving and the daily choice of praise (both spontaneous and sacrificial - God dwells in our praise). This is the way to maintain our lives as disciplined lifestyle worshippers!

copyright (c) TPWC

PRAISE QUOTABLES

"Praise is the greatest work God's children can ever do. It is the loftiest expression the Saints can ever show. The highest manifestation of spiritual life is seen in men praising God." Watchman Nee - Assembling Together

"Praise is not something we experience occasionally, but is a garment which will be worn constantly by the last-day church (Isaiah 61:1-3). The garment of praise is the perfect answer for the depressions which are common to this generation."
E. Charlotte Baker - On Eagles Wings

"The sacrifice of praise is the choice of every believer. You cannot be a successful worshipper without recognising the importance of your will in offering a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving."
Terry Law - The Power of Praise and Worship

"Praise is a door to God's presence."
Warren and Ruth Myers - Praise is a door

"To praise the Lord for something He has done for us is easy, to praise God after we have been emotionally stirred toward Him is not difficult, but to praise the Lord as a sacrifice is a different matter. The way we feel from day to day fluctuates and changes, but God's Word is unchanging. We do not rely upon feelings to be in an attitude of praise but rather we recognise that His unchanging Word and His constant characteristics demand a people with a constant and unchanging attitude to His Word and commandment. We are therefore enjoined to offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is the fruit of our lips (not our feelings), giving thanks to His name."
B. Maureen Gaglardi - The Key of David

"Praise releases the power of God into our lives and circumstances, because praise is faith in action. Praise is a permanent acceptance of what God has brought into our lives. We enter this attitude of praise by an act of our will, by a decision to praise God regardless of how we feel."
Merlin R. Carothers - Power in Praise

Until the practice of praise in private is continuous and free, the practice of corporate praise will be inhibited by fear, self-consciousness and discomfort. The practice in the corporate sense is absolutely indispensable to the maximum worship experience."
Jack R. Taylor - The Hallelujah Factor

"Praise is not a mass function, it is the response of an individual to His God. When a group of individual choose to unite in praising, their individual praises may blend into a group response, but every expression of the praise comes from a separate individual."
Judson Cornwall - Let Us Praise

"Warfare through praise does not dictate to God what He should do ... it praises Him for His wisdom and might, recognising that He is capable of setting the problem in the best possible manner. We do not focus on the battle or the enemy; we look only to the solution - God!" - "But the people taht do know their God sahll be strong and do exploits." (Daniel 11:32)
Bob Sorge - Exploring Worship

"Praise is born in faith, is an instrument of war and a method of creating an atmosphere for the presence of the Lord. Praise requires effort, will power and boldness." - TPWC

Copyright (c) TPWC

SACRIFICE OF PRAISE

Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name. Hebrew 13:15

The Principle Of Sacrifice Of Praise Is In The Bible
- Cain & Abel (Gen 4:3-5)
- Noah (Gen 8:20-21)
- Tabernacle of Moses (God demanded the shedding of innocent blood for the covering of
man’s sin)
- Calvary became the final sacrifice but God continues to require a sacrifice from His children

The principle of sacrifice originated in the heart of God. What is important to notice, however, is that God required a sacrifice. When God asked for a sacrifice He asked the people to bring the very best of their substance and to present it in a very specific manner to the Lord as an offering.

The purpose for each sacrifice was the same. God demanded the shedding of innocent blood for the covering of man's sin. Although the need for blood sacrifce was fulfilled at Calvary, the principle of sacrifice has not been abolished in the New Testament. God continues to require a sacrifice from His children (Heb 13:15)

God is not interested only in the praise that we give Him in times when things are going well. He is after that praise that comes in the midst of great trial, great difficulty, grief, sickness, temptation, relational difficulties, and financial problems. He still requires praise. He still demands it. When we give it to Him in time of difficulty it means all the more to Him. We are operating according to the principle of sacrifice, and God is pleased.

Difference Between Praise And Sacrifice Of Praise

Praise – Praise flows easily when we are in a right relationship with God. It is a spontaneous flow when we think of all that He has done for us

Sacrifice of Praise – The sacrifice of praise is offered to God when things do not seem to be going right. It is:
- Praise offered in spite of the way things are going
- Praise offered in faith and obedience
- Praise offered because of who God is

Sacrifice of praise is continual praise & is audible (Psalm 34:1 – I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth)

Examples In The Bible

1) Paul & Silas (Acts 16:22-34)

Physical Situation - Severely flogged (stripped & beaten) and thrown into prison for their faith. No reason to praise God

Spiritual Situation - At midnight (darkest moment) they started to pray and praise God

Result - A violent earthquake shook the place, prison doors were opened, chains broken and jailer & family received salvation

2) King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20:1-22)

Physical Situation - A vast army invading Israel

Spiritual Condition - Inquired of the Lord and proclaimed a fast. The Spirit of God assured them that the battle belong to the Lord. They obeyed the Lord by sending the choir ahead of the army into the battlefield.

Result - The Lord set an ambush against the enemy and they were defeated.

How To Offer Sacrifice Of Praise?

1) Make A Decision
- Determine beforehand that you are going to praise God at ALL TIMES AND IN EVERY SITUATION.

2) Start Now
- Praise God every day – all day
- Cultivate the habit of praise

3) When Troubles Come
- Remember your decision
- Put on the garment of Praise – An act of your will
- Remember that praise in the difficult times allows God to work on your behalf
- Praise in times of trouble brings glory to the Father

4) Begin By Faith
- The way you begin to offer the sacrifice of praise is by faith. Praise Him for Who He is and what He has done. Then offer thanks to God for the situation even if you do understand it
- Acknowledge that He is in control of your situation and praise Him for making a way of deliverance, even though you can see no way out of the problem. Then set your mind on Him and on the promises of His Word
- Once you have started to make the sacrifice of praise – CONTINUE. Declare aloud the Word of God that proclaims victory and deliverance
- This offering of praise in obedience (& faith) will set your mind on Him and not the circumstances. As you keep proclaiming His power & glory to your circumstances, you will see how small it actually is.
- Soon you will find yourself joyfully entering into the full dimension of His Presence as you continue to release your spirit in the sacrifice of praise. Then start to sing, to dance, to glorify & magnify Him and He will make a way of salvation & deliverance for you!

copyright (c) TPWC

GATES OF PRAISE

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is Good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations"
Psalm 100: 4-5

How important it is for each of us to know the way into God's presence! How do we enter His gates? How do we come into His courts? The psalmist points out the way that God has ordained: We enter His gates with thanksgiving, His courts with praise. It is only as we come to God with thanksgiving and with praise that we have access into His presence.

The prophet Isaiah likens the presence of God among His people to a city, concerning which he says: " You will call your walls SALVATION and your gates PRAISE" (Isaiah 60:18). The only way through those walls of SALVATION is by the gates of PRAISE. Unless we learn to approach God with praise, we have no access into His presence.

Confronted with this requirement, we are sometimes tempted to look around us at our situation and ask: " But what do I have to thank God for? What do I have to praise Him for?"
There may be nothing in our immediate circumstances that appears to give us cause to thank and or praise God. It is just here that the psalmist comes to our help. He gives us three reasons to thank and praise that are not affected by our circumstances: first, the Lord is good; second, His love endures forever; third, His faithfulness continues through all generations. All three reasons are eternal, unchanging facts. If we truly believe them, then we have no alternative but to praise God for them CONTINUALLY!

Like to share with you a song I wrote (hope to upload the music soon) :-

Verse 1

I will enter His gates,

With thanksgiving in my heart

Enter His courts with praise

I will sing of His grace,

For all that He has done

I will rejoice and bless His Name

Chorus

Blessed be Your Name,

My strong and mighty Tower

Blessed be Your Name,

The Rock of my Salvation

Blessed be Your Name,

There is no other name

Jesus the Name above all names

Verse 2

I was glad when they said,

Let us go into His house

There I find peace and joy

The Lord He is good

And His mercies endure

I will rejoice and bless His Name

copyright (c) TPWC

The Joy Of The Lord

There is a great difference between JOY and HAPPINESS. Joy is the realm of the spirit whereas happiness is related to our emotions, feelings and circumstances. When things are going well, we have happiness. It is good to have happiness, but we cannot have it all the time.

To illustrate: If I lost my wallet, I would be very happy when the founder returned it to me. After a few days, I would no longer have the feeling of happiness although my wallet is still with me. What I have actually lost is the feeling of happiness at the time of finding it.

Joy on the other hand, is not dependent on feelings or circumstances. There is only one source of Joy and that is God - God Himself! That is why it is possible to "rejoice in the Lord always!" In Philippians 4:4-7, Paul actually commands the Philippians to "rejoice in the Lord always!" (verse 4) and they are able to do so because "the Lord is near" (verse 5). You will note that while submitting their petitions and prayers, they are also encouraged to include the spirit of thanksgiving. (verse 6) And the resultance is having "the peace of God" (verse 7) in midst of whatever circumstances.

Therefore, when our circumstances cause us nothing but grief, fear, doubt, anger ... we can still rejoice because our joy is not based on fluctuating circumstances, but has it's source in the One Who loves us and is the object of our love. Beloved, if we but exercise our faith and choose to "rejoice in the Lord", in the midst of our adverse circumstances, these negative feelings of grief, fear, doubt and anger will just melt away because we now have the Peace of God.

Therefore, we can "count it all joy even when we fall into divers trials or testings" (James 1:2) because it is "The Joy of the Lord" which is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10) that will carry us through.

copyright (c) TPWC

WORSHIP BELONGS TO GOD

What are God's demands in His Word regarding Worship?

Exodus 20:3-6
v3 - You shall have no other gods before me
v4 - You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on earth beneath or in the water below.
v5 - You shall not bow down to them; for I, the Lord your God am a jealous God

Exodus 34:14
- Do not worship any other god. for the Lord, Whose name is jealous, is a jealous God.

It is from these verses in the scriptures that we learn that WORSHIP BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD DEMANDS IT!

What is worship? In Hebrew, the word SHACHAH means to kneel and worship. In Greek, the word PROSKUNEO means to go forward to kiss His Hand. In other words, to give EVERYTHING to Him. It is confessing Him as God.

What is the work of the devil? From the account in Genesis of the garden of Eden, we really cannot discern the devil's purpose. But in Isaiah 14:12-14 we see tthat the devil wants to be like God. Isn't that's what the devil said to Adam and Eve, that they too could be "as gods" when they partook of the forbidden fruit?

As we look into the New Testament, we read in the Gospel of Matthew:-
Matthew 4:8-10
v8 - Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.
v9 - "All this I will give you," he said, "If you will bow down and worship me."
v10 - Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.' "
It is in the third temptation of Jesus that the ultimate goal of the devil was exposed when the enemy finally came out with the confrontation, "WORSHIP ME!"

When we come to the book of Revelation, we see that God's purpose is worship and Satan's purpose is also worship. From chapter 4 to 19, we learn that the twenty-four elders and four living creatures worship in heaven. But in chapter 13, we see worship of the image of the beast on earth - worship of the beast is the worship of Satan. In chapter 14:7, we see that the eternal Gospel is preached. "Fear God, and give glory to Him, because the hour of his judgement has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water."

WORSHIP GOD - this is the eternal Gospel! In chapter 21 and 22 we have the new heaven and the new earth. Again we are commanded to worship God (Revelation 22:9)

(An excerpt from the book "Worship God" by Watchman Nee)

Believers, do you know that there is a spiritual war going on? It is a war between the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of hell. It is a war as to which kingdom gets worship ... God or Satan? We have seen it from Genesis to Revelation ... every event throughout The Ages of the Patriachs, The Bondage in Egypt, The Conquest of Canaan, The Period of the Judges, The History of Israel, The Gospel, The Acts of the Church and The Revelation ... leads to one question: "Who gets worship?"

Today as we stand in anticipation of His soon return, that same question is being asked: "Who will you worship?" What is our duty as Christians? It is not enough just knowing salvation or serving Him. What is it that will satisfy God? Who will satisfy Him?

We must put worship into everything we do. Do you have difficulites? First worship God, Are you weak and weary? Worship God. we learn in Psalm 8:2 that the praise of a weak child has the power to silence the enemy. Satan fears the worship of God. Worship by the few today is giving God what He will one day have from all. What the world will one day give God, we first give Him. We do not need to wait till the new heaven and new earth to worship. NOW IS THE TIME TO WORSHIP! As the song goes ...

Come now is the time to worship
Come now is the time to give your heart
Come just as you are to worship
Come just as you are before your God
Come

One day every tongue will confess
You are God
One day every knee will bow
Still the greatest treasure remains for those
Who gladly choose You now

Brian Doerksen @ 1998 Vineyard Songs

Today the Father is still seeking (searching, yearning) for true worshippers.(John 4:23-24) What is our duty as Christians? Worship God!

copyright (c) TPWC

PREVAILING THROUGH PRAISE

"From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies to silence the foe and the avenger"
Psalm 8:2

Throughout the book of Psalms David refers continually to his enemies. Few men had more enemies than David. Persistently they pursued him and surrounded him, seeking his destruction. He survived only because he learned the secret of dealing with his enemies. He did not meet them in his own power or wisdom. Rather, he evoked against them the presence and power of God.

One main way that he did was through PRAISE. This was the way God Himself ordained for David says' "From the lips of children and infants You have ordained praise ... to silence the foe and the avenger." In the natural order, children and infants are the weakest of all. But when praise comes from even the weakest, it's effect is powerful to silence the enemy and the avenger.

The Bible reveals that we too, like David, are surrounded by enemies, though ours are primarily in the unseen spiritual realm. The chief of these enemies is "the foe and the avenger" - Satan himself. He is the accuser of the brothers, the one who misrepresents us, who misinterpret everything we do, who even seeks to accuse us before the very throne of God.

How can we silence him? David has shown us the way: by PRAISE. When our praise ascends to God, it silences Satan. It cancels his accusations and shuts his mouth. It leaves us free to live out our lives without the continual condemnation of his accusations. Through praise we invoke the presence and power of God against all forces that oppose us.

(extract from "Through David's Psalms" - by Derek Prince)

For those of you who leads worship, try this ... there are times in the midst of praising the Lord, I would challenge the people of God to make a choice to open their mouth to proclaim the praise of God. I began to say that though they may be in the midst of diverse difficult circumstances to praise God, they could and should " put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness (Isaiah 61:3)." I began to quote Psalm 8:2 and tell the congregation that eventhough their praises may be weak they are powerful to silence the enemies' accusations and intimidations. We begin to lift our voices, raise our hands and give a unanimous victory shout (i.e Hallelujah!) ... very often we could immediately sense a spirit of victory and breakthrough. You could often "see" in the spiritual realm "the walls of Jericho & strongholds" collapse.

* PRAISE is our power weapon to the pulling down of strongholds (Psalm 149: 6-9; 2Corinthians 10:4)

* The enemies cringe when we PRAISE Him (Psalm 66:1-2)

* God inhabits in our PRAISE (Psalm 22:3)

Praise is born in faith, is an instrument of war and a method of creating an atmosphere for the presence of the Lord. Praise requires effort, will power and boldness

copyright (C) TPWC

PRIVATE PRAISE

Thank God for corporate praise when we gather together. It helps us to get among a body of believers as we celebrate and magnify the name of the Lord. There is also a personal private praise which we (lifestyle worshippers) must not neglect. The reason for this is that until we come to the place where we can really enter into that private, personal praise, just between you and the Lord, there are always going to be some hindrances and some holding back when we enter into the corporate praise.

Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty (2 Corinthians 3:17) and God wants us to get so free that when His Spirit starts moving on us at home, in our kitchen, out in your work place, when commuting or driving down the road in your car, we can just let the spirit of praise flow like rivers of living waters in our surrounding.

The Bible says that God inhabits in our praise (Psalms 22:3). The question is, "If He inhabits in our praise, how far does He inhabits it?" The answer is as far as the sound of your voice goes ... "Glory! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Blessed Be the name of Jesus!" As far as our voice sounds, God is living in those words. For example, when we are in our car praising and worshipping Him, our audible praise fills that car. When the devil gets any where near you; do you know what he gets? "Glory!" If he comes through the window of your car, "Hallelujah!" hits him. When he tries to enter by the door, "Jesus!" knocks him off.

PRAISE HAS TO BE VOCALISED. The Bible says, "My lips shall praise Thee "(Psalms 63:3). If you go around with your mouth shut and not praising God, then God is not in your praise and the devil beats on you. Our praise may be as weak as babes, but it is powerful enough to silence the enemy (Psalms 8:2). There is power in the name of Jesus, that means that that power is released when we speak or sing it. When we begin to speak forth or sing our praises in His name, the spirit inside us begins to rise up and the power of darkness outside of us begins to retreat. Let the Devil hit our praise ten or twenty feet out infront of us. Let them stick their fingers in their ears each time they are near us.

(An extract from Private Praise by Elbert Willis)

Psalms 34:1 says, " ... His praise shall CONTINUALLY BE IN MY MOUTH." Most people have to stop what they are doing to try to get into praising God, but we need to have this reverse. We need to praise God so much that we have to stop praising in order to do something else.

Psalms 113:3 says, " From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised." King David was a man after God's own heart. He praised God in the morning, he praised Him at noontime and he praised him in the night-time.

Psalms 119:164 David said, Seven times a day I praise Thee." The number seven is perfect and complete. God is looking for worshippers who will choose to PRAISE HIM CONTINUALLY AND ALL DAY.

PRIVATE PRAISE is a powerful experience to live in. It is the key to a victorious and abundant life with Jesus. Let us the first fruits of our day to the Lord in private praise.

TPWC @ copyright

Replace The Spirit of Grumbling With the Spirit of Thanksgiving

Have you ever stepped outside your door on a beautiful clear sunny day, taken a deep breath of fresh air, and thanked God for His wonderful creation? But what if the next morning is grey and rainy? Does it automatically make you feel a little depressed as you look out of the window? Maybe you don't say it loud, but how do you feel? Are you in the habit of thanking God only for what you want? or are you in the habit of grumbling just a little when things does not go the way you like?

So what is wrong with a little complaining? What difference does it make? It does make all the difference in the world. Everything depends on how we respond to the little things in life. A marriage counselor will tell you that a marriage usually breaks up over little things. A small misunderstanding can start a war. Little things mean a lot, because this is the level where we live, down at the nitty-gritty of our atttude at breakfast table, or in the long checkout line at the supermarket.

GRUMBLING IS THE VERY OPPOSITE OF THANKSGIVING. A complaint is the opposite of trust; a murmur against your wife when she burns your toast is the opposite of a loving acceptance. The dictionary defines a complaint as an accusation. By complaining and grumbling you are actually accusing God of mismanaging the details of your life. The attitute of thanksgiving and praise releases the power of God into our lives, but the attitude of murmuring and complaining blocks that power.

For forty years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness and every time something went wrong, they complained bitterly and wanted to go back to the land of Eygpt. Why did it take them forty years to cover less than two hundred miles? Even with women and children and cattles, they could have covered the distance in a few weeks. They were delayed because they murmured and refuse to trust that God would keep His promise to take care of their every need. In 1 Corinthians 10:10-11, the apostle Paul was speaking about the behaviour of the Israelite in their wanderings from Eygpt to the Promised Land ... "And do not grumble, some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us ..." (Extract from Power In Praise by Merlin R. Carothers)

To be a worshipper, we need to begin DISCIPLINING our lives daily with the spirit of thanksgiving. This is easier said than done because most of us would agree that we are habitual grumblers. We grumble when we miss the bus to work and when we have to work late. We complain when the car would not start or when we hit a red light or are caught in a traffic jam. Even at meal time, we unconsciously complain about the food and the poor service provided by the restaurant. The list is endless ... but let us take heed that unless we overcome this deadly habit of grumbling, complaining and murmuring, it will rob us of the blessings and joy of the Lord.

"IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS FOR THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD" 1 Thessalonian 5:18. The simple application of this biblical truth covers EVERY situation or circumstance in our lives.
The benefits of a thankful heart are many ... by giving thanks:
1) We are in His divine will and itself will lead us out of the wilderness experience and into a victorious walk with the Lord
2) We have immediate access to enter into His gates (His presence) and in His presence is fullness of joy (Psalm 100:4, 16:11)
3) The joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

No wonder the apostle Paul in Philippians 4:4 commanded us to "Rejoice in the Lord always!" and in Colossians 3:17 that "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks ..."

GRUMBLING VS THANKSGIVING
Unbelief - Faith / Trust
Defeat - Victory
Anger - Joy
In The Wilderness - In His Will
Degradation - Transformation

Make a point today to "DISCIPLINE" your life to give thanks and count it all joy even in diverse circumstances (James 1:2) ... for ALL THINGS work together for good (Romans 8:28)

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THE DISCIPLINE OF WORSHIP

To The Degree That You Are Willing To Discipline Your Life, God Will Be Able To Accomplish His Desired Plan For You ... To Bring To Pass Those Desires That He Has Placed In Your Heart, And To Bring About Those Things For Which You Are Believing Him. It Doesn't Happen Merely Because God Said It Was Going To Happen. A Lot Depends On You And Me." - The 2nd Flood by John Stevenson

When God shows us something about our lives, He looks for us to obey Him, and such obedience takes discipline. If it has been sometimes since you received a revelation or a vision and God doesn't seem to have done anything aout it yet; it is not because He is slothful concerning His word, but because there are things we need to understand more before He starts accomplishing His word. Discipline concerns many areas of our lives. And one very important area for all who are in the worship ministry is the Discipline of Worship, which is touching God where He is.

John 4:24 emphasies that we must worship the Father in spirit and in truth. There is no "try". Ever since the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, God has been continually wanting to draw us to Himself. Today one of the ways to His holy presence is through praise & worship (Ps 100:4); but the is no place for sin in His presence! Be it deception or disobedience as it is written in 1 John 4:20, we cannot worship God with anger, bitterness or resentment in our hearts. TRUE WORSHIP DEMANDS THAT WE KEEP OURSELVES SANCTIFIED.

TRUE WORSHIP ALSO TOUCHES ALL and the only recipient of worship must be God. Ezekiel 44:6-14 tells the story of a group of Levites who have gone astray from God by having idols in the lives. Because they did not KEEP THE CHARGE to minister to God, He forbade them from entering into His presence. They could only serve from the outer courts, to their shame. Are there "hidden idols" in our lives? It takes discipline to keep our charge to minister to God.

WORSHIP IS A LIFESTYLE, not a programme. Worship is not something we do, IT IS A LIFESTYLE WE MAINTAIN! (this requires our discipline) A.W.Tozer in his book "Whatever Happened To Our Worship" said that "if you cannot worship God in the midst of your responsibilities on Monday, then it is very unlikely you were worshipping on Sunday!"

Today the Father is still seeking for "true worshippers who MUST worship Him in SPIRIT and in TRUTH". (John 4: 23 -24). If you are willing to subject your life to the Discipline of Worship, it will revolutionize the course of your worship ministry.

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The Harp & Bowl (Revelation 5:8)

And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

The Harp & Bowl (Revelation 5:8)

Finally ... this is my first post.

After obeying the Holy Spirit to start up TPWC Blog I was just sitting on it and pondering what to write. And it was certainly not a coincident when I attended The AG Worship Conference last week that I met Rev. Alfred Yeo, senior pastor of Zion Full Gospel Church. He asked me about TPWC and it blew my mind to learnt that he still kept the newsletters. Wow! It was like the Holy Spirit quickening my spirit ... "there you see it's about time you get going."

So here it is "The Harp & Bowl Ministries" is now revised and the logo shows a man kneeling down holding a harp & a bowl of incense (Revelation 5:8). The harp representing worship and the bowl signifying intercession. The ministry was born after I attended the Kent Henry Ministries Worship Conference in 1991 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA

Beyond the powerful worship and teaching, I saw a people of fire, zeal and passion for the Lord.
My cry to God was, "Lord is this for us?" The answers were spontaneous and obvious; many of us are much blessed with the reality of Biblical corporate worship of free praise, spontaneous songs, dancing and prophetic flow. But there is a lack in the aspect of being a lifestyle worshipper. In fact Dr. Lamar Boschman (Founder of International Worship Institute) the key speaker in the recent AG Worship Conference said that the ministry of praise and worship today has changed so much. In the past there were no such things as worship artists, worship videos and gospel music were the least recognised in the music industry. But today you can find Hillsong & Hosanna Music beyond the Christian book store.

I was so glad that the Dr. Lamar Boschman challenged us to get back to the root of worship ministry. It's all about the heart of worship. I liked what he said, "Worship is in the heart and not in the art" Yes it must comes from our heart. Not in the nice song, good feel or lyric, not in the instrument or the sound system, more so not in the worship artist or the great worship band.

So the objective of this blog is to create a platform for you to share about being a lifestyle worshipper. To respond to the Father's heart and desire to seek worshippers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. (John 4: 23-24)

Please share and forward TPWC Blog to worshippers. I welcome you to submit your articles or experiences and I will post it on this platform to share with readers of TPWC.
God Bless
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