The 4th MAN - Part 2

WHO IS THE 4th MAN?

Let me tell you Who He is in every book of the Bible.

In Genesis He is the Seed of the Woman.
In Exodus He is the Passover Lamb.
In Leviticus He is our High Priest.
In Numbers He is the Pillar of Cloud by day and the Pillar of Fire by night.
In Deuteronomy He is the Prophet like unto Moses.
In Joshua He is the Captain of our Salvation.
In Judges He is our Judge and Lawgiver.
In Ruth He is our Kinsman Redeemer.
In I and II Samuel He is our Trusted Prophet.
In Kings and Chronicles He is our Reigning King.
In Ezra He is our Faithful Scribe.
In Nehemiah He is the Rebuilder of the Broken Down Walls of our human life.
In Esther He is our Mordecai.
In Job He is our Dayspring from on high and our Ever-Living Redemmer.
In Psalms He is the Lord our Shepard.
In Proverbs and Ecclesiastes He is our Wisdom.
In the Song of Solomon He is our Lover and the Bridegroom.
In Isaiah He is the Prince of Peace.
In Jeremiah He is the Righteous Branch.
In Lamentations He is the Weeping Prophet.
In Ezekiel He is the Wonderful Four-Faced Man.
In Daniel He is the Fourth Man in the burning fiery furnace.

Who is the Fourth Man?

In Hosea He is the Faithful Husband, forever married to the backslider.
In Joel He is the Baptizer with the Holy Ghost and Fire.
In Amos He is our Burden-Bearer.
In Obadiah He is the Mighty to Save.
In Jonah He is our Great Foreign Missionary.
In Micah He is the Messenger of Beautiful Feet, of carrying the Gospel.
In Nahum He is the Avenger of God's Elect.
In Habakkuk He is God's Evangelist, crying, "Revive thy work in the midst of the years."
In Zephaniah He is the Savior.
In Haggai He is the Restorer of God's Lost Heritage.
In Zechariah He is the Fountain Opened in the House of David for sin and uncleanness.
And in Malachi He is the Son of Righteousness, rising with healing in His wings.

Who is the Fourth Man?

In Matthew He is the Messiah.
In Mark He is the Wonder-worker.
In Luke He is the Son of Man.
In John He is the Son of God.
In Acts He is the Holy spirit.
In Romans He is our Justifier.
In Corinthians He is the Gifts of the Spirit.
In Galatians He is the Redeemer from the curse of the law.
In Ephesians He is the Christ on Unreachable Riches.
In Philippians He is the God Who Supplies All Our Needs.
In Colossians He is the Godhead Bodily.
In ! and II Thessalonians He is our Soon-Coming King.
In I and II Timothy He is our Mediator between God and Man.
In Titus He is our Faithful Pastor.
In Philemon He is a Friend that Sticketh Closer that a Brother.
In Hebrews He is the Blood of the Everlasting Covenant.
In James He is the Great Physician.
In I an II Peter He is the Chief Shepherd who soon shall appear with a crown of unfading glory.
In I, II, and III John He is Everlasting Love.
In Jude He is the Lord Coming with Ten Thousands of his Saints.
And in revelation He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.

Source - Sermon by Oral Roberts (www.orm.cc)

Blessings

TPWC

The 4th MAN

In my last post I shared about the 4th Man

"There is a fiery atmosphere to be found in the Shekinah Glory of God's presence, it is a blazing inferno in which the 4th Man, Jesus Christ, reveals Himself. In this fire, bondages are burned away (the ropes were burned off the hands of the Hebrew men). In this fire, there are manifestations of the Glory of God. There are healings and miracles; there is power to be delivered from demonic snares; there is a holy anointing that causes unbelievers to fall on their face in conviction to confess their sin".

Graphic by Russ Drinkard

" Weren't there three men that we tied up and threw into the fire?" They replied, ' Certainly, O king.' He said, ' Look! I see four men walking around in the fire, unbound and unharmed, and the fourth looks like the Son of God." Daniel 3:24-25

Bob Sorge in his book Following The River, shared that when we speak of worship being an organic entity that finds it's own energy in the dynamism of the river (River of the Lord or the anointing of the Lord); there is also the dynamism of the "unholy river" found in secular music.

One of the most fascinating advents of the rock-n-roll era has been the uncommon legacy of an American band called "The Grateful Dead." The driving force of the band was guitarist Jerry Garcia, who led the band with his innovative chord sequences and colourful harmonics. The group toured regularly from the late 1960's until Garcia's death in 1995.

The band would go through their customary songs during their concerts but then at some point would shift gears. Turning from their prepared repertoire, they would launch out into an improvisational riff, find a groove that was working musically, and then begin to push the envelope. The drummer would throw in unusual syncopations; the guitars would whine and scream creatively; the keyboard would strain for colour and dissonance. Together they would move out to the edge of almost losing one another musically, but yet would follow each other's improvisational iniatives closely enough so that they stayed together. Occasionally, the band would catch a wave of momentum, an emotional energy would ripple through the auditorium, a power would grip both the band members and the audience, and the concert would take off into another dimension - they have found "it."

When this happened - whatever it was - the concert hall became an explosive altar or spiritual encounter. Everybody in the place knew that a line had been crossed, the transition had been made, and now the night became a pulsating celebration of connectedness to a cosmic consciousness. It became unclear whether the band or the audience was leading, as the concert became a participatory dance that included every attendee. It was spirit, and it was palpably real. The spiritual atmosphere that filled the concerts was so powerfully compelling, in fact, that many fans became spiritual followers, actually making the Grateful Dead their religion. They called themselves Dead Heads.

When the band performs, Mickey Hart (one of the band members) coined a term to describe what was happening. He would say, "It's when the 7th man shows up." Bob asked his friends what he meant by that term. Apparently there were six people in the band at the time he coined the phrase. He was recognizing that there was a power present in the concert that went beyond the members of the band. There was a spiritual presence which gave to the band an impact. The Greatful Dead had found the river - "the unholy river." (for more information check it our at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grateful_Dead - The Grateful Dead’s early music was part of the process of establishing what "psychedelic music" was, but theirs was essentially a "street party" form of it. )

Worshippers, the point that Bob Sorge wants to make is that where there is the counterfeit (let's not forget that Satan, the master counertfeit was also once a worship leader in the heavenlies), it is a testimony to the existence of the genuine. The experiences of a secular band only serve to substantiate that there is a reality that is available to us in God - a river of divine glory that can be touched in corporate worship.

When they touched their river, they described it as "when the seventh man shows up." But when we touch our river, let's call it "When the 4th MAN shows up." (Daniel 3:24-25)

An extract from : Following The River - A Vision For Corporate Worship by Bob Sorge

When the worship leader & band by the grace of the Lord is able to let their music flow in the anointing of the River of God or explode in the Fire of His Glory, we can expect the Fourth Man to show up

Blessings / TPWC

THE SHEKINAH GLORY OF GOD - PART 4

How Do We Enter The Glory Realm? What are the keys to unlock the doors and windows of heaven so that we can access into His Glorious Presence? These are not passing questions but are realities which worshippers who have experienced His Shekinah Glory would understand what I am talking about.

In the year 2000 my church experienced an "OPEN HEAVEN". We had a mini-revival for about three years where God's Glorious Presence was often tangible in our mid-week prayer meetings, Saturday worship practices and Sunday worship services (refer to Part 1 - posted on 15 January 2007).

A) THE KEY TO HIS GLORY - Corporately

What do I mean when I speak about an "OPEN HEAVEN"? Tommy Tenny author of the best selling book - The God Chaser explained it as a place of Easy Access to God. He shared that the Word of God tells us that there are five distinct and definite things that open the windows of heavens. This isn't formula; it is a lifestyle of worship and dedication to God first in all things. All of the following are various elements of worship.

1) Tithing - is an ancient key to the heavenlies that predates the giving of the law of Abraham (Genesis 14:18-20). The principle of giving God the "firstfruits" of our income or increase is clearly described in the Book of Malachi:
"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, " says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:10 NKJV).

2) Persecution - also opens the heavens, as demostrated in the Book of Acts when Stephen was martyred:
But he, being full of the Holy Spirit gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" Then they cried out with a loud voice ... and they cast him out of the city and stoned him (Acts 7:55-58a NKJV).

3) Persistence - is an effective tool for "prying open" the gates of Heaven. Elijah prayed seven times and kept sending his servant back to search the skies until, on the seventh time, the servant saw a cloud the size of a man's hand rise from the sea. That tiny cloud from God grew into such a powerful storm that the skies were turned black with rain and wind (1 Kings 18:42-45). Jesus told the disciples that the "door" would be opened to those who persistently ask, seek, and knock on God's door (Matthew 7:7-8).

4) Unity - will open the windows of Heaven; it invites God's presence wherever two or three agree "Concerning anything that they ask." Jesus literally said, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:19-20 NKJV)

5) Worship - is the fifth key to the third heaven. David the psalmist prophesied, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in." (Psalm 24:7 NKJV)

An extract from God's Favourite House - "If You Build It, He will Come" - By Tommy Tenney

B) THE KEY TO HIS GLORY - Worship Leaders/Worshippers

6) Hunger & Desperation - This is what Tommy Tenney is talking about - Chasing after God! Just like Moses asking the Lord to show him His face. During our church revival, there was a was a spirit of hunger, desperation and anticipation to meet the Lord each time we gather for worship service. Worship Leader should choose songs that are simple so that the people can just concentrate on worshipping instead of getting distracted to look at the overhead project to follow the words of the song.

7) Praise until the Spirit of Worship comes. Worship ... until the Glory comes. Then ... stand in the Glory - this secret was shared by Ruth Ward Heflin in her book - Glory, Experiencing the Atmosphere of Heaven. Each time the worship leader is able to lead the people to praise in unity, he creates a platform not only for the Lord's visitation but His inhabitation. As you lead the people in worship, the worship leader should not rush or be concern about the song list; the Lord would often give us certain song to unlock the door into the His glory. The manifestation of His Glory is not forced but it is spontaneous (by His pleasure, grace & favour - you just know it; see some of the expression in the pictures in Part 2 - posted on 5 February 2007). When the Glory of the Lord falls, we just stand in His Glory and let Him lead the service ... a manifestation of the "Fourth Man" - Jesus Christ

8) Expecting the Fourth Man - We are familiar with the story in the Book of Daniel when King Nebuchadnezzar threw the three Hebrew slaves into the fiery furnance, but when he looked into the flame, he saw not only three men walking around, but also the form of a Fourth Man in the fire (Daniel 3:25). And the Fourth looked like the Son of God. There is a fiery atmosphere to be found in His Shekinah Glory, it is a blazing inferno in which the Fourth Man, Jesus Christ, reveals Himself. In this fire, bondages are burned away (the ropes were burned off the hands of the Hebrew men). In this fire, there are manifestations of the Glory of God. There are healings and miracles; there is power to be delivered from demonic snares; there is a holy anointing that causes unbelievers to fall on their face in conviction to confess their sins.
(An extract from the book - Following The River by Bob Sorge)

When the worship leader & band by the grace of the Lord is able to let their music flow in the anointing of the River of God or explode in the Fire of His Glory, we can expect the Fourth Man to show up

I trust that you are able to comprehend my attempt to explain the keys to His Glory. Like I have said in my post in Part 1 - It is the highest goal of worship. Feel free to contact me at thepraiseandworshipconnection@gmail.com if you wish to know more.

Blessings
TPWC

THE SHEKINAH GLORY OF GOD - PART 3

What is the Glory Realm? It is the realm of eternity. It is the revelation of the presence of God. It is the manifestation of His presence. He Is Glory. He is everywhere, but Glory is the manifestation of that reality. Earth has the atmosphere of air, whereas the heavenly atmosphere is Glory, His presence. when Glory comes down, it's a bit of Heaven's atmosphere coming down to us, a taste of His manifest presence.

We don't see the air, do we? But all of us would be dead if we are not breathing it. We are not conscious of the air unless we see the wind blowing the leaves on the trees. Yet, the earth is covered by it. In the same way, not one inch of Heaven lacks glory. Now God is giving us a taste of that Glory, Heaven manifested on earth.

"For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." Habakkuk 2:14

An extract from GLORY - Experiencing The Atmosphere of Heaven by Ruth Ward Heflin


My goal is not simply to enlighten you the reality of God's Glory, but to ignite you with a passion to see His Glory. Moses was one such passionate person who chased after the Glory of God. He prayed, "Please show me Your Glory" (Exodus 33:18). The fact that God answered his prayer is proof that God is willing to hear and answer our cries for His Glory. The backdrop to Moses' prayer is strategically important. A number of significant events preceded this prayer which deserve our attention. Few men in the Bible had encounters with God's Glory like Moses did. It all began the day that Moses saw a bush that was burning in the wilderness but wasn't comsumed.

Let's review his encouters with God's Glory and power:

- At the burning bush encounter, he heard God's audible voice ordering him to take his shoes off because he was standing on holy grond. God proceeded to call him verbally to lead His people from Egypt to the promised land

- He threw his rod down, and it became a serpent; then he picked the serpent up by the tail, and it was a rod again.

- He put his hand into his bosom, pulled it out, and it was leprous; he returned his hand into his bosom, and when he withdrew it again, it was healthy.

- He watched ten fearful plagues invaded Egypt: blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hails, locusts, darkness and death.

- A protective misty cloud clung breathlessly to the ground between Israel and Egypt's army while a fierce gale blew over the adjacent sea, dividng the waters.

- They walked through the sea, on dry ground, with a wall of water on this side and that.

- On the opposite shore they watched as the sea returned upon itself, killing Pharoah's entire army.

- The bitter waters of Marah were made potable by casting a tree into tthe waters.

- Manna from heaven appeared on the ground, and water poured forth from a rock when Moses struck it.

- Then, they came to the mountain where God Himself descended in fire and a thick cloud. Huge plumes of smoke billowed into the sky, there was lightning and thunder, the entire mountain shook ... and they heard the voice of God Himself. Then, He said to Moses, "Come on up!" Moses climbed the mountain at God's command and lived for two sets of forty days in the fire of God's Glory upon the mountain.

- Then Moses asked to be shown God's Glory, and God showed him His back

The above chronology is the general increase of intensity in Moses' encounters with God's Glory. There are varying degrees of intensity of Presence, and there are varying degrees of intensity of Glory. For example, when we praise Him together, the Lord sits enthroned among His people. This dimension of His presence is so palpable that we can often sense His presence with us as we worship Him together. And then we enter that sphere where we move from the Presence Realm to the Glory Realm. When God heals a sick person in the midst of worship, we're talking a Glory manifestation.

What Exactly Is The Glory Realm? when we ask to be shown His Glory, what are we asking for? In Moses' encounters we see two-fold description:

The first aspect of Glory is found in His words "I will make all My goodness pass before you" (Exodus 33:19); where it is perceived by one or more of the five senses. It is an encounter where you literally see, hear, smell, taste, or actually feel spiritual realities. Some people have actually smelled a heavenly aroma during worship services. Others have seen a cloud or angels. Others have heard angels singing or God speaking.

The second aspect of Glory is described in the Lord's next phrase of verse 19, "And I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you." God was saying, "Moses, I am going to proclaim My name before you in such a way that it goes beyond a physical hearing and becomes a true spiritual hearing. It's not just a sensory experience, but it's also an experience whereby the Holy Spirit supernaturally enables us to comprehend spiritual truth in our inner man so that we might know Him better. Wow!

The two-fold definition of Glory is consistent with the apostle John's experience (as well as many others in the Bible). As per his account in Revelation 1, John literally saw the risen Christ with his natural eyes, but the experience didn't stop there. Jesus then proclaimed His name to John: "I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." (Revelation 1:8, 18). John's heart must have nearly exploded with the revelation insight of Christ's words as He spoke these awesome truths straight into John's spirit. John not only saw and heard, he also undesrtood. This Is Glory!

An extract from GLORY - When Heaven Invades Earth by Bob Sorge

I trust that you now have a deeper understanding on the subject of experiencing His GLORY.
In my next post I will attempt to share on how we can touch the GLORY REALM.

Blessings TPWC

THE SHEKINAH GLORY OF GOD - PART 2

In this continuing message on the Shekinah Glory of God, I thought it might be good to share some ideas both in written and pictorial expressions of people who have encountered His glorious presence

1) Ruth Ward Heflin - GLORY Experiencing The Atmosphere Of Heaven

When I was a young girl, I went directly from school to the church on Wednesday afternoons. The faithful of the church were gathered in prayer from one to four. I attended most of those prayer meetings.

During the first two hours they had been making their petitions and interceding before God. During the last hour they would just bask in His presence. Those were the best times. Every petition they could think of had been made. Now the Holy Ghost took over. Sounds of glory, dropped into my spirit from those years, have kept me as I traveled all over the world in ministry.

I have been in thousands of meetings and heard thousands of sermons, but the greatest influence in my life has been those glory sounds that came forth in the latter hours of those prayer meetings where God's people touched the eternal realm.

As air is the atmosphere of the earth, glory is the atmosphere of Heaven. It lifts us up above the earthly, into the very presence of God.

2) Brownsville Revival 1995 -2003

Pictures of people touched by the Glory of God (pictures used with permission from Sister Cathy Wood - official photographer - www.sisterwood.com)

In His Glorious presence!

When The Glory of God Falls!

Brownsville 9-7-01
There was really no way for me to take photos last night! The Glory began to fall and I made a quality decision to worship instead of work! Pastor was going to preach but we never got there. It became a night like when there's no company and we all are in our pajamas just being comfortable with each other. Oh, we had visitors alright, but no guest was brought in to preach. There was freedom to not think about what we needed to do next. It was like the beginning of the revival. Prayer ministry began very early, before 9:00. It was spontaneous and exciting. Lindell (worship pastor) must have been prayed for because he just sat there, unable to play the keyboard for long time. The sounds in the sanctuary came from voices in worship and joy as the Holy Ghost kissed the crowd. No one wanted to leave. There were people sitting on the steps, all over the floor, on the pews, under the pews ..... We are still hungry. We are still desperate for the move of God.

Breathe

This Is The Air I Breathe

Your Holy Presence Living In Me

This Is The Air I Breathe

Your Very Word Spoken To Me

And I Am Desperate For You

And I Am Lost Without You

Marie Barnett @ 1995 Mercy/Vineyard Publishing

TPWC

THE SHEKINAH GLORY OF GOD - The Highest Goal of Worship

In my last post I shared about experiencing the Glory of God in worship? If you love the Presence of God, you will never be satisfied until you see the Glory of God. What is the Glory of God? It is a holy hunger for the manifestation of His tangible Presence (the Bible speaks about The Shekinah Glory of His Presence)

Bob Sorge in his book "GLORY - When Heaven Invades Earth" (a must read) defines the word GLORY as a noun :
(1) Glory - Honour, reputation, dignity, praise
(2) Glory - Endowment of blessing, power and life
(3) Glory - The heavenly dimension where the magnitude of God's personhood irradiates throughout the heavenlies
(4) Glory - The invasion of God's reality into the human sphere

The highest goal of worship deals with point (4) and Bob Sorge defines "GLORY" as used in the Bible to describe the action of God whereby He takes of His Glory which is eternally existent in heaven, pushes through the veil that separates natural and spiritual realities, and reveals within the parameteters of our time and space the spendor of His magnificient beauty and splendor.

There is coming a time when the Glory of the heavenlies is going to invade our natural plane, and mankind is going to be abruptly awakened to the might and power of God's Presence. It is to this revelation of Glory which the following verses point:

- For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,as the waters cover the sea ( Habakkuk 2:14)
- "And I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory," says the Lord of hosts (Haggai 2:7)
- The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken (Isaiah 40:5)

In my personal life I had the encounter of His Shekinah Glory - once in the worship service with brother John Stevenson (as described in my last post on Extravagant Worship) and another earlier time as a young Christian in a prayer meeting when His Glory fell ..... at that time I did not know the meaning of these two experiences but they were such awesome time and encounters when/where you just do not want to leave the place. Time just stood still in His glorious presence!

A few years ago, my church when through a refreshing period of what we called "Revival" and very often we experienced such a glorious presence of God in our worship services. Sometime the worship service would last more than 3 hours and everybody were immersed in His Presence. Often we experienced both heavenly and physical manifestations. Some people have actually smelled heavenly aroma during worship services. Others have seen a cloud or angels. Others have heard angles singing or God speaking. When you have a spiritual experience that is actually perceived at the sensory/physical level, then you are touching the Glory realm.

If you are a worshipper how do you touch this Glory? Or if you are a worship leader how do you lead people into the Glory realm? ..... next post

Blessing - TPWC

EXTRAVAGANT WORSHIP

As I step into the New Year 2007, I was asking the Lord what would be a good resolution that would help me to maintain my desire to be a lifestyle worshipper?

"Extravagant Worship!" - that's what the Lord has challenged me to do. Some of you could immediately identify the book "Extravagant Worship" written by Darlene Zschech ... as you read this book, there is one common ingredient found in most extravagant worshippers and that is - most of them are PASSIONATE about worship.

It is easier said than done because it would takes quite a bit of DISCIPLINE to be a PASSIONATE WORSHIPPER. So the Lord reminded me to get back to what I had posted in my first article in TPWC's blog :

THE DISCIPLINE OF WORSHIP - "To The degree 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 Depend Upon You And Me." (The 2nd Flood - The Discipline of worship by John W. Stevenson)

To this day I can never forget meeting brother John Stevenson (1991 in Kent Henry's Worship Seminar in Missouri USA). There in the midst of one of the worship workshop, John was playing the keyboard and leadng worship singing "I Worship You Almighy God" and the glory of the Lord fell in the room of about 80 believers. We stood for the whole session for about one and half hour just immersed in His holy awesome presence! Later I met John in person; he is such a humble person and you could just sense that sweet spirit of a passionate lifestyle worshipper in him.

Some of the ways we can maintain the Discipline of Worship:

- DAILY replace the spirit of grumblings with the spirit of thanksgiving
- In EVERYTHING give thanks (1 Thess 5:18)
- Rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS! (Phil 4:4)
- CONTINUALLY offer to God a sacrifice of praise (Heb 13:15)
- At ALL TIMES - Bless The Lord and CONTINUALLY - Let His Praise Be In Our Mouth (Psalm 34:1)
- Offer your bodies as a living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God which is your reasonable WORSHIP (Romans 12:1)
- Whenever OPPORTUNITY ARISES, lavish upon the Lord worship because it belongs to God.
- In His dealings, CHOOSE to bow down and worship the ways of God.

"Come Let Us Bow Down In Worship, Let Us Kneel Before The Lord Our maker; For He Is Our God And We are The People Of His Pasture." (Psalm 95:6-7)

BLESSED NEW YEAR!

TPWC

THE SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS - WORSHIP

Christmas is a time of joy and giving. Christians all over the world commemorate this occasion because "God so loved the world He gave His only begotten Son Jesus Christ ..."

In our celebration, we proclaim the Good News with carols on the streets and we expressed the loved of God to the world with our gifts to the needy and the orphans. In the midst of all these activities, do you know that the spirit of Christmas is also WORSHIP? All those who came to meet Jesus at the manger WORSHIPPED ...

The Wisemen
"Where is the one who has been born king of Jews? we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." (Matthew 2:2)
"On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshipped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh " (Matthew 2:11 - note: worship before gifts)

The Angels
"Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appreared with angel praising God saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men ..." (Luke 2:13)

The Shepherds
"The shepherds returned, glorifying God for all the things they had heard and seen ..." (Luke 2:20)

Simeon The Godly Man
"... Simeon, who was a righteous and devout ...took Him in his arms and praised God ..." (Luke 2:25-33)

The Prophetess Anna
" ... she gave thanks to God ..." (Luke 2:36-38)

As we celebrate this year's Christmas, let us reserve the best gift for our Lord - WORSHIP.

HAVE A BLESSED CHRISTMAS!

TPWC

ARE YOU A WORSHIPPER?

Profile Of A Worshipper

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 worshipper when what you do the most is worship.

Worshippers 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 worshippers.

Continual worship is central to the life of a worshipper. A worshipper offers the sacrifice of praise to God continually. "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 worshipper.

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

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 worshipper is worshipping in spite of bad circumstances.

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

TPWC

WORSHIP THOTS - FOR WORSHIP LEADERS

Just the other day, I was asked a point-blank question what I thought was the single most important quality that a success worship leader should possess? "Be a LIFESTYLE WORSHIPPER," I answered.

"Worship Is Not Something We Do, It Is A Lifestyle We MAINTAIN! Worship As A Way Of Life Goes Beyond Formulas And Techniques." - John Stevenson

"If You Cannot Worship God In The Midst Of Your Responsibilities On Monday, Then It Is Very Unlikely You Were Worshipping God On Sunday!" - A.W. Tozer

" You Cannot Be Doing On Sunday What You Have Not Been Doing All Week Long." - Kent Henry

"A Worshipping Church Is Not A Church That Incorporates Certain Worship Expressions, But It Is A Group Of Worshipping Hearts. To Have A Worshipping Church, You Have To Have Worshippers. Unless There Are Worshippers In A Worship Service, There's Isn't Going To Be True Worship, Only Worship Mechanics! - Greg Mira

To Be A Lifestyle Worshipper It Begins With A Daily Disciplined Attitute Of A Thankful Heart (The Outer Court) - "In Everything Give Thanks For This Is The Will Of God." (1 Thessalonian 5:18). Secondly, We Must Exercise And Practise Personal Private Praise (The Inner Court) - We Must Learn How To "Put On The Garment Of Praise" (Isaiah 61:3) And Also Offer Sacrifice Of Praise (Hebrews 13:15). Only Then Can We Experience Continual Communion And Anointing Worshipping The Father (In The Holy Of Holies) In Spirit And In Truth (John 4:24) - TPWC

As A Worship Leader, You Cannot Lead Where You Have Never Been. Today, The Lord Is Seeking For The Heart Of Worship Rather Than The Art Of Worship.

TPWC

WORSHIP THOTS

Have You ever wondered, what does God think of our worship?

"The revelation of God is the fuel for the fire of our worship." - Matt Redman

"Worship has a purpose. We don't worship for worship's sake. We don't sing, clap, pray and rejoice for our enjoyment or fulfillment but for the Lord. The Holy Father, the Holy Son and the Holy Spirit are the objects of our worship." - LaMar Boschman

"Worship is our reason for being." - Tom Kraeuter

"Worship is the believer's utmost priority and highest occupation." - LaMar Boschman

"Worship is a verb." - Robert Webber

"Worship is an attitude expressed." - Judson Cornwall

"Worship is always a now activity." - Judson Cornwall

"Worship is an exercise of the Holy Spirit directed primarily to God." - Ralph Martin

"Where feelings for God are dead worship is dead." - John Piper

"Regardless of how magnificent the musical moments are, unless your heart is fully engaged in the worship being expressed ... it is still only music." - Darlene Zschech

"Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth." - Jesus

TPWC

THE UNQUENCHABLE WORSHIPPERS

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

1) The Prophet Habakkuk

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 producr 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 & 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.)

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, Paul & Silas - we can always find a reason to praise. Situations change for better and for worse, but God's worth never change!

3) Fanny Crosby (www.nyise.org/fanny)

This contented worshipper was borned blind has written 9,000 hymns of praise has this say : (Some of her hymns ... To God Be The Glory ... Blessed Assurance ... Close To Thee)

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 fileds, 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 bitterness and complaint 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. 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.

Extract from - The Unquenchable Worshippers by Matt Redman
TPWC

WHAT IS WORSHIP?

Would you be able to give an immediate on the spot answer to this question? Found this interesting lighter side of worship about people's spontaneous respond to this question

I would like to invite you to give your personal input and comments.

Blessings

TPWC

thepraisenandworshipconnection@gmail.com

WORSHIPPING THE WAYS OF GOD - PART 8

PART 8 - WORSHIPPING GOD WHEN DEPRIVED OF EVERYTHING

Greetings readers, this will be the final part (Part 8 is one of my favourite) on the subject on worshipping the ways of God. I trust that you have be challenged and trust that the lessons on God's sovereign rights will not be just mere knowledge. I pray that Holy Spirit will impart it into your spirit as a "revelation" so that from now on your worship will be for Him and and all of His perfect ways!

WORSHIP IS BOWING DOWN TO THE WAYS OF GOD

TPWC

Unlike the case of King David where God's holiness demanded His vindication of His sin (see Part 7); the case of Job was upon a righteous man. God in the mystery of His ways permitted him to be deprived of everything he possessed thought He Himself declared that "There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shun evil" (Job 1:8 NIV).

How did Job react to the sudden calamities and disasters that stripped off all of his wealth? " At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised" (Job 1:22-21). Job first's first act was to worship God. In Job's case there was no question of God having to vindicate Himself because of sin in his life. It was purely a question of God acting as He deemed well. Though Job in a matter of hours had been stripped of all his possessions, he could instantly fall down and worship God. Here was a man so utterly subjected to God that he could unhesitatingly bow to all of God's ways. Where there is true worship, there is no complaint. Whatever God's dealings with you maybe, whether they seem reasonable or unreasonable, they are invariably good (Roman 8:28). In David's case they were reasonable for he had sinned. But at times, as in the case of Job, they seemed unreasonable.

May He grant us grace from this day forth to offer Him not only worship that is as a result of revelation, but worship that expresses itself in an unreserved acceptance of His ways. May we learn these two aspects of worship: those who worship Him for what He has by revelation made known of Himself, and those who dare worship Him by their willing submission to His ways with them. Let us cease questioning God's dealings with us and let us cease asking any explanation of His dealings, however baffling they may be. Let us in simplicity of heart accept it as a settled fact that all His ways are higer than our ways and all His ways are perfect. Amen!

Twelve Basket Full Vol 2 - Watchman Nee
Copyright (c) TPWC

WORSHIPPING THE WAYS OF GOD - PART 7

PART 7 - WORSHIPPING GOD FOR HIS VINDICATION OF HIMSELF

God's way does not always involve His answer to prayers. The reverse is often experienced. What should be our attitude in such circumstances?

In 2 Samuel chapter 12 we have the record of King David's sin in connection with Bathsheba. God sent the prophet Nathan to him with the message that the child would surely die. David had sinned, but he loved his son though the child was the fruit of his sin. He had a father's heart and he pleaded with God for his son's life. But God said, "Because by doing this you have made the enemies of the Lord show utter contempt, the son born to you will die" (verse 14 NIV). But David continued to seek the Lord and he sure knew how to pray. We see in verse 16 that he fasted and all night long he laid prostrate on the ground before God, but the child died! Anyone who has not learnt how to be subjected to God's way would have charged Him with harshness when his request was not granted. Many Christians have controversies with God when His ways conflict with their ways. Other might rebel or loose heart but not David. When the child died, his servants feared to break the news to him. They reasoned among themselves that if David was almost overwhelmed with anxiety when the child fell sick, his grief would be unbearable if he should learnt of his child death.

What actually happened? "Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, he put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and WORSHIPPED. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food and he ate" (2 Samuel 12:20 NIV).

What is worship? It Is bowing to the ways of God. It is not a dull kind of submission. It is not lapsing into hopelessness or passivity. It is a positive recognition of the sovereignty of God's ways.

It is often necessary for God to vindicate Himself in relation to us. It means that if we sin He has to justify Himself by making it clear to the angels, to the devil, to the world and to all His children that He has no part in our sin. He has to make it plain to the principalities and powers, to the world and to the church that He cannot be involved in our iniquity. When we are found guilty before Him, His govermental hand comes upon us and we are tried in fires of affliction. How do we react at such a time? Worshippers who know His ways will say: "If my affliction can vindicate Thy holiness, then I say, amen! If You can make known Your righteousness by my suffering, then I acknowledge that You do all things well and I gladly accept Your dealings upon me."

May God deliver us from our controversies with Him. When we meet with disappointments and frustrations we shall choose to worship Him if we see His ways.

Watchman Nee - Twelve Basket Full - Vol 2
Copyright (c) - TPWC

WORSHIPPING THE WAYS OF GOD - PART 6

PART 6 - WORSHIPPING GOD FOR THE GIFT OF A CHILD

In Samuel chapter 1 we truly meet the spirit of worship in the story of Hannah. Peninnah had children but Hannah was barren, and "her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her" (verse 6 KJV). Hannah in her distress sought the Lord for a son, and her request was granted. As soon as the child was weaned she brought him to the temple in Shiloh and presented him therewith these words: "I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord" (verse 27-28 KJV).

Let us note two phrases here: "The Lord has granted me ... I give him to the Lord." The Lord gave her the child and she gave the child back to the Lord. The sum total of her request was for this child and when she had received all she had craved for, she gave ALL back to the Giver!

Hannah's offering can be truly written that she "WORSHIPPED THE LORD." It is not the person who wants God's grace, but the person who wants God Himself, who can worship Him wholeheartedly! Hannah shows us what was supremely precious to her ... not the answer to prayer, not the grace given but God's way with her in the giving of His gift. God gave Samuel to her and she gave Samuel back to God; and as Samuel passed out of her hands into God's hands, worship emerged from her heart to God's heart.

A similar classic example can be seen in the life of Abraham. Note his remarks to his servants when he was on his way to offer up Issac: "I and the boy go over there. WE WILL WORSHIP ..." (Genesis 22:5 KJV). To Abraham the offering up of his son was not a matter of sacrifice, but it was a matter of worship. For him to worship God was to give his son to God. Abraham recognized this as God's way of receiving worship, so he offered worship in the way that God desired.

To worship God, we need to consecrate our all on His altar. True worship is found in one place - at the altar. When our hands are emptied of all we hold dear, the focus shifts from self to God, and that is worship. It is necessary that "Samuel" pass out of our hands.

WORSHIP IS BOWING TO THE WAYS OF GOD

Watchman Nee - Twelve Basket Full - Vol 2

Copyright (c) TPWC

WORSHIPPING THE WAYS OF GOD - PART 5

PART 5 - WORSHIPPING GOD AS THE LORD OF HOST

The book of Joshua opens with God's commission to Joshua to lead His people into the land of Canaan. God's aged servants Moses and Aaron has died. Now Joshua, a young man, was faced with this enormous task. If Moses, with all his years of experience was unable to bring the people into the land, what hope was there for him? How would he be able to cope with the seven tribes that inhabited the land, all of them formidable foes? And how could he lead people like the children of Israel, with their fear of death and constant complaints? Faced with such a challenge, Joshua must have felt overwhelmed.

At that point he saw a vision. A man with a drawn sword appeared before him. Not recognizing the Man, he asked."Are you for us or for our enemies?" (Joshua 5:13 KJV). The Man answer was, "Neither." He was neither for one side nor for the other, He has come for one purpose, "As Commander of the army of the Lord I have come." (verse 14). Praise God, this is the purpose of our Lord Jesus! He has not come to help us, not our enemies, but to take His place as Cpatain of the Lord of host. If you belong to the Lord's host, then He is your Captain. The question here is not one of receiving help, but of accepting leadership. He has not come to offer assistance, but to demand SUBJECTION.

How did Joshua react when he heard that this Man has come as Commander of the Lord's army? "Joshua fell on his face down to the ground in reverence (worship)" (Joshua 5:14). Do you see the ways of God? The issue is one of submission to His leadership. God does not stand in the midst of the conflict giving a little help here or there. When He is in command all is well! You do not know God if you think He can occupy a subordinate position in your battle. It is His place to lead and it is your place to submit. It is only when you are in your right place under His command that you will know what it means to worship and what it means to have the drawn sword wielded on your behalf.

Twelve Basket Full Vol 2 - Watchman Nee
Copyright (c) TPWC

WORSHIPPING THE WAYS OF GOD - PART 4

PART 4 - WORSHIPPING GOD FOR HIS SOVEREIGN WAYS

In Exodus 32 to 34 we read of a difficult situation Moses encountered. Alone on Mount Sinai with God, the ten commandments written on two tablets were committed to Him. Meanwhile, trouble had broken out on the plain. The people had made a golden calf and worshipped it. This provoked God to great displeasure and He said to Moses: "Go down, because your people, which you brought up out of Egypt, have become corrupted. They have made themselves an idol cast in the shape of a calf. They have bowed down to it and sacrificed to it and have said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.' I have seen these people," the Lord said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave Me alone so that My anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them." (Exodus 32:7-10 KJV)

When Moses saw that God's wrath was stirred against His people he entreated God for them, then went down to deal with the situation on the plain. Thereafter he ascended the mount again and in obedience to God's command hewed two stone tablets like the first which he had broken, and with these in his hand he went to the top of Mount Sinai where God made a solemn proclamation, "The Lord, the compassionate God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness and our sin." (Exodus 34:6-7 KJV) At this point, it would have been most appropriate for Moses to bow down and worshipped God: but it was after the second part of the proclamation that he did so, and the second part was totally different from the first. The earlier part spoke of God's compassion, and grace, and mercy and forgiveness; but the latter was this: "Yet He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation." (Exodus 34:7 KJV) It was when God had proclaimed His awesome majesty and holiness that "Moses bowed to the ground at once and worshipped." (verse 8). It is not merely grace that stirs worship; if we are to be worshippers of God we need to know His holiness.

Comparing verse 8 and 9 of Exodus chapter 34, Moses first worship, then prayed. He first acknowledged the sovereignty of God's ways, then he seeks God's grace. He does not beseech God on the ground of His compassion, and grace, and plenteous mercies, and readiness to forgive to reverse His decision. Our prayer would be like that. We are always trying to persuade God not to do what He has said He would do. Moses was different. He took his right place before God and bowed to His ways.

Beloved, have we been guilty of asking God to do what we knew was contary to His ways of working? Have we sought Him to forgive a certain brother and cease to chasten him even when we knew that His dealings with that brother were right? That is not worshipping God. How often our prayers amount to requesting God to change His ways! Without considering His ways we just open our lips and ask Him to remove the pressure here, the sickness there and the domestic problems elsewhere. To pray after this fashion is seeking grace and ignoring the ways of God. Prayer is the expression of our will but worship is the acceptance of God's will.

How we need to learn from Moses! God made His ways known to him and seeing His majesty and holiness, he fell down before God and worshipped. He did not reason with God about the consequences of God visiting their iniquity to the third and fourth generation. Let us not only learn to accept God's will and do His work, we must also learn to acknowledge His sovereign ways and accept all that He does are for His own good pleasure.

Twelve Basket Full Vol 2 - WWatchman Nee
Copyright (c) TPWC

WORSHIPPING THE WAYS OF GOD - PART 3

PART 3 - WORSHIPPING GOD FOR HIS SALVATION

In Exodus 12:27 (KJV) God instructed His people regarding the Passover - "It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our home when He struck down the Egyptians. Then the people bowed and worshipped." When God's people saw how God would destroy the firstborn in all the houses of the Egyptians and He would passed over all the houses of the children of Israel; the Passover became a memorable event which invariably provoked worship

Similarly, the Breaking of Bread, like the Passover, is a memorable feast to recall God's mighy works in separating us from the world and it should cause us to worship Him. Each time we partake of the bread and the wine, we should be arrested by His amazing grace and His wondrous ways by which He has brought us out of darkness into His marvellous light.

Note that the Israelities' action was not the result of Moses' instruction. It was their spontaneous reaction when Moses mentioned the significance of the Passover. Worship is not the fruit of mental exercise; it is a spontaneous expression as we behold the ways of God.

Twelve Basket Full Vol 2 - Watchman Nee

In my last post I received a comment from a reader pointing out that it is not easy to put into practice to worship the ways of God; to which I agreed. He asked if there are tips to help us prepare for such a lifestyle of worship to which I answered that the key is in our CHOICE. Yes we choose to worship Him and silent the enemy with our praise.

Actually with regards to the ways of God, to be more precise we have NO CHOICE ... because Worship Belongs To God (see post dated July 7, 2006) .... and because God is God, He will do what deems is right ... His ways & thoughts are higher than ours (see Part 1 dated September 7, 2006 on What are the ways of God?). If our hearts are set to worship God, He will give us unique opportunities (i.e circumstances & situations) to glorify Him. I must say that this level of worship if of a different league because we will not be able see His ways unless we have learn to discipline our life (see Discipline of Worship - posted on June 2, 2006) to live as a lifestyle worshipper. In other words in your daily walk, are you a thankful person? Do you praise God in all circumstances? Do you dare to offer Sacrifice of Praise in adverse circumstances?

We will see in later Part 8 how the righteous man, Job choose to worship God's Way when he was suddenly stripped off of everything. But for now I would like to encourage you to go back to all my past posts to digest on the area of Thanksgiving (posted on June 9, 2006), Private Praise (posted on June 16. 2006) and Sacrifice of Praise (posted on Aug 5, 2006)

Blessings (c) TPWC

WORSHIPPING THE WAYS OF GOD - PART 2

WHAT ARE GOD'S WAYS?
WHAT DOES IT MEANS TO WORSHIP THE WAYS OF GOD?

Kindly read the answers posted on 7 September 2006

PART 2 - WORSHIPPING GOD FOR HIS CEASELESS CARE

In Exodus chapter 4 we read about the story of the Israelites in bondage in the Land of Egypt. When God sent Moses and Aaron to tell the children of Israel that He had seen their affliction and was about to deliver them from the bondage of the Egyptians, "they believed. And when they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped." (Exodus 4:29 KJV)

Do you see the people of God worshipping Him for His ways? But the situation recorded here is very different from the first example (read Part 1 posted on 7 September 2006). No change had actually taken place in the condition of God's people when they bowed their heads in worship. They had only been assured that God had seen their affliction and was going to deliver them. They were told by Moses and Aaron that God had not forgotten them those four hundred thirty years and it was this assurance that provoked worship.

We are often unable to worship God because in our trials we think He has forgotten us. We are cast down because of prolonged domestic difficulties; but whose domestic difficulties have lasted four hundred thirty years? We have been sick and have long hoped for healing; we have been out of employment for months and still cannot find a job; the same old harrassing circumstances remain. So we come to the conclusion that God has not taken note of all our trials and has left us to our own resources. How can we worship Him? Our lips are silenced.

But a day comes when we see God and understand His ways, and immediately we know that He has never forgotten us. In that day our silenced lips are opened and with bowed head we acknowledge that all that we have gone through has been working for our good. (Romans 8:28) We see God's grace in everything and we worship His ways!

Extract From Twelve Basket Full Vol 2 - Watchman Nee

It is an easy thing to worship God in a mass gathering because there is no cost attached. What if one day, our circumstances are against us? Can we still give thanks and offer sacrifice of praise?

God is still seeking for worshippers who dare to worship Him in all His ways upon their lives. We must come to a point where all our entire future hinges on the matter of our worshipful acceptance of all His dealings with us. We must come to a stage where we worship Him for everthing it pleases Him to give and for everything it pleases Him to take away.

When we have really seen Who God is, we will fall before Him and acknowledge that all His ways with us are right ways, and we will worship Him because He has done all things well.

Copyright (c) TPWC