A NEW SONG

Sing To The Lord A New Song;

Sing To The Lord, All The Earth.

Psalm 96:1

The Psalms are full of exhortations to praise God in song. The one here quoted contains a special challenge. The Lord asks from us a new song. He never wants our praise of Him to become old and stale, or to degenerate into ritual and routine. How can we always be ready with a new song?

In Ephesians 5:18-19 Paul shows us the way: "Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord" (NASB). Praise of the kind that the Lord requires and that Paul describes can come only from a heart supernaturally filled with the Holy Spirit. The infilling of the Holy Spirit is an indispensable prerequisite.

Out of the Spirit's fullness proceed three kinds of praise: psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.

Psalms - are those already recorded for us in the inspired words of Scripture.

Hymns - belongs to the grand, familiar songs of the Church that express our common faith

Spiritual Songs - are not composed in advance. They are given spontaneously by the Holy Spirit. They are truly "New Songs".

Each time we enter God's presence in worship and catch a glimpse of His grace or glory that we have never seen before, the Holy Spirit gives us a new song appropriate to the new revelation. It may be in our own language or in one given by the Spirit. In either case, it is spontaneous response to a fresh revelation of God. Thus our worship always continues to be fresh as God's unfolding revlation of Himself

An extracts from - Through Davi's Psalms by Derek Prince

Have a blessed & victorious week

TPWC

WORSHIP OUR JEALOUS GOD - PART 3

"My people have exchanged their Glory for worthless

idols. Be appalled at this, O heavens and shudder with

great horror,"declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 2:11-12

It's perhaps the strangest of ironies. The nations who worship false gods wouldn't think of adopting another nation's god (verse 11). But Israel, the only nation in that era worshiping the true God, did!

That's what idolatry is: the exchange of God's Glory for something worthless. Whatever takes God's place in out hearts is a travesty of unspeakable proportions. In any kind of worship other than the God-exalting, Christ-honouring kind of passion, we substituted the profane for the holy, the cheap for the priceless, the finite for the infinite, a curse for a blessing, and like Esau of old, our birthright for a bowl of soup. It's a foolish exchange, but we do it all the time.

We worship gadgets, cars, sports, styles, clothes, entertainment, and other wothless junk. We're not sure why. We just know that in the absence of God, we need something else. The problem is that we miscalculated. Our JEALOUS GOD isn't absent. Forsake foolish exchanges. Embrace your Glory.

Destroy all their carved images and their cast idols,

and demolish all their high places.

Numbers 33:52

The high places pointed to one forbidden, nauseating activity: IDOLATRY. They were shrines and altars on hills and mountain-tops designed exclusively for worship of a Canaanite god like the Baals and the Asherim. The high places in Scripture are usually written with contempt, because they were forms of IDOLATRY that was detestable and forbidden by our JEALOUS GOD!

We build high places in our hearts. You can probably identify right away which ones are some of your most persistent. What are your high places? We fall for the seduction of other altars: careers, income, relationships, misused sexuality, highly adored possessions, a purpose and a plan that are not of God's prompting. Our opportunities for high places on which to kneel are nearly limitless. Learn to recognize them. As god instructs, demolish them and turn to Him alone

An extract from Worhip The King - Chris Tiegreen

One of two things is going to happen in the life of a believer: either he is going to be conformed into the image of Jesus by allowing the Word of God that is spoken in the presence of the Lord (worship) to change him, or he is going to conform Jesus into the image of what his heart dictates.
If you go to the MOUNTAIN (worship in spirit & in truth), YOU CHANGE. If you stay at the FOOT (false worship - idolatry), as Aaron did, God's image in you changes - John Bevere (A Heart Ablaze)

WORSHIP GOD!
TPWC

WORSHIP OUR JEALOUS GOD - PART 2

They have been quick to turn away from what I

commanded them and have made themselves

an idol cast in the shape of a calf.

Exodus 32:8

What will distract us from God's demand to worship only Him and provoke His jealousy? IDOLATRY! What is an IDOL? Anything that replaces our worship from our Creator. An idol gives it's creator what they want - the dictates of their own hearts, since they are the ones who create it. It is a very convenient form of worship.

When Moses led the Israelite out of the bondage from Egypt, we saw how God demostrated His Glory through the ten plagues, the parting of the Red Sea, protecting His people with a Pillar of Cloud by day and a Pillar of Fire by night. He even sustained and provided His people with the miracles of manna & quails from heaven.

When they arrived at Mount Sinai, while Moses was on the mountain receiving the law - which began with commandments against worshiping false gods - the recent redeemed people of the covenant were at the foot of God's mountain makng a false god. A tragic story unfold. Aaron and the children of Israel made a molded calf, pointed to it, and said, "Behold Yahweh, the one, true God, brought us out of the land of Egypt." They called this calf the name of the Lord, reducing His glory to the level of the image of a golden calf. They acknowledged that Yahweh saved and delivered them from Egypt; they did not deny His power, however they had reduced His glory

Now, where did the Israelite get the idea of the golden calf from? For 4oo years most of them were exposed to and surrounded by the Egyptian's culture, and Egypt had many objects of worship. The Israelites were delivered from Egypt, which was a type of being born again, but did not know God intimately. They "played church" at the foot of the mountain, which resulted in God's image being reduced to what she had absorbed from his surroundings. Israel was surrounded by society that worshiped golden images of animals and insects. The modern-day church is surounded by a worldly culture that worship SELF, MATERIALISM, SEXUAL PLEASURES .... if we still desire a worldly lifestyle, which is against the flow of God's authority; we can have it by subconsciously serving and worshiping "our jesus" whose will is in accordance with our own desires.

Moses saw that the people were running wild ...

and so become a laughingstock to their enemies.

Exodus 32:25

What does God think when His worshipers "run wild" in disobedience and devotion to materialism, greed, religiousity, lust, status and prestige? If worship is first and foremost about His reputation, and we fall away from it so easily - allowing all sorts of rivals to compete with His reputation in our lives - do not His enemies have a right to laugh? ARE WE NOT PROVOKING GOD'S JEALOUSY!

You shall have no other gods before me

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. You shall not bow down to them;

for I, the Lord your God am a jealous God

Exodus 20:3-6

Do not worship any other god. For the Lord,

Whose name is jealous, is a jealous God.

Exodus 34:14

From these verses in the scriptures that we learn that WORSHIP BELONGS TO GOD AND GOD DEMANDS IT! DO NOT PROVOKE HIS JEALOUSY! (See also May 17, 2009 post).

Blessings

TPWC

WORSHIP OUR JEALOUS GOD

For you shall worship no other gods,

for the Lord, whose name is JEALOUS,

is a JEALOUS God.

Exodus 34:14

Our God has many names and titles. One of them, however, isn't discussed theses days. You don't hear of it being made into songs, written in calligraphy on wall plaques, or engraved on jewelry. It is "JEALOUSY" But Exodus 34:14 said that's His name!

A few days after his marriage, a gregarious young husband decided to demostrate his love for his bride by taking her out to an elegant restaurant. When they were at the restaurant, a bright, attractive young waitress greeted them. The husband smiled up at the waitress with obvious delight. He noticed her name on her uniform, and used it to engage her in a few moments of spirited coversation before giving her their order for dinner.

As the waitress walked away, the husband turned his eyes back to his wife ...and was startled by the change in her countenance. She looked hurt and grieved.

"Honey," he said, "what's wrong?"

"I saw your eyes lit up when you looked at the waitress. That hurt me!"

He was confused. "Hurt you? Why should that hurt you? I was only trying to be friendly. Hey, that's my nature I'm outgoing. I enjoy people."

What's your take on the above story? To most people - the lady was obviously overly sensitive and probably has a problem with jealousy. JEALOUSY was an issue with the one who had it - and she needed to work it through! But the coupled was in a COVENANT RELATIONSHIP, and in such a union there can be no tolerance of any competing affection. In a wedding ceremony, they both vowed before God that they would cherish each other and love each other with all their hearts.Therefore in the above case, the jealousy was warranted. She was right to be jealous. She wanted his eyes. She wanted his heart - his whole heart. And because of their vows, she had every right to expect these things.

For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.

Exodis 20:5

In order to explore this further we need carefully define what we mean by jealousy? According to J.I. Packer, we see two sorts of jealousy among humans and only one is a vice. The one sense of jealousy which is perhaps most common is expressed in the attitude "I want what you have and I hate you because I haven't got it." This is essentially envy/covetousness and is a violation of the 10th Commandment. Clearly God does not exhibit jealousy in this way. Yet, according to Packer there is another kind of jealousy which he defines as "zeal to protect a love relationship or avenge it when broken." A helpful example of this is the passion a husband exhibits for his wife in order to preserve the faithfulness of this relationship in the midst of a depraved and adulterous world. This is a relationship that is by rights his and he jealousy guards this by taking actions in order to protect it.

If we really understood the jealousy of God - and how pure a jealousy it is - we would avoid sin like a plague. We don't understand it because it's hard to imagine the perfect, pure, radiant God having a burning passion for peole like us. But people like us were designed specifically to house His holy presence, to commune with Him in the intimate depths of our hearts. That's the fundamental purpose of being made in the image of God.

That's why God gives us such graphic images of His jealous love - so we can grasp it. A woman who doesn't know her suitor's love is apt to violate it. So God gives us ample opportunity to know it. We are to be a bride deeply in love, a bride who so adores her Husband that she cannot get enough of His presence.

The key to overcoming a wandering eye is to know how deeply and how purely we are loved by our God. If we truly know His jealousy, we'll never truly provoke it. Our hearts will burn as passionately as His.

Is it any wonder throughout the scriptures God often describes himself as the faithful husband pursuing a love relationship with his wife (i.e., the people of God). Unfortunately, God's people are not always faithful, but our COVENANT keeping Lord is always faithful.

"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love for a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments." (Deut. 7:9)
"He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever— holy and awesome is his name." Psalms 111:9

What a privilege to know that we are His bride. Let us worship with our whole heart this holy, loving, faithfully jealous, covenant keeping God!

Blessings - TPWC

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 Apostle John W. 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 about 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.

TRUE WORSHIP DEMANDS THAT WE KEEP OURSELVES SANCTIFIED!
John 4:24 emphasizes 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 (James 4:8). Today one of the ways to His holy presence is through praise and worship (Psalm 100:4); but there 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 ALSO TOUCHES ALL!
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 WE MAINTAIN!
Worship as a way of life goes beyond formulas and techniques. It is not a programme or something we do. To maintain a Lifestyle of Worship requires our discipline.

WORSHIP IS IN THE HEART AND NOT IN THE ART!
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!"

If you are a worship leader, you cannot lead where you have never been. You cannot be doing on Sunday what you have not been doing all week long - Kent Henry

LIFESTYLE WORSHIPERS
- 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).
- Exercise And Practise Personal Private Praise (The Inner Court) - We Must Learn How To "Put On The Garment Of Praise" (Isaiah 61:3) And To Continually 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

There is a call - no, a cry - coming from the heart of God and with each passing day it's intensity increases: "Why are you satisfied without My presence; why do you remain distant when you could have intimacy with Me?" - John Bevere

Today the Father is still seeking (yearning, longing) for "true worshipers - who are willing to discipline their lives - to 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 life!

A blessed and victorious week!
TPWC

PRIVATE PRAISE

"I will bless the LORD at all times;

His praise shall continually be in my mouth"

Psalm 34:1

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 lifestyle worshipers 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.

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 worshipers 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 (An extract from Private Praise by Elbert Willis)

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

WORSHIP BELONGS TO GOD

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

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 can see 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?"

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)

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!

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

Have a victorious week!
TPWC

PRAISE & WORSHIP - A HIGHER PERSPECTIVE

Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns.

Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory!

Revelation 19:6-7

Are you beaten down by circumstances? The best antidote to our depression and anxiety is surprising to many. But those who have put into practice the prescription of Scripture have found an amazing truth: Praising God lifts us above our trials and reminds us how He overcomes them.

Why does that works? It's a matter of perspective. When we focus on the turmoil of life and the weakness of our flesh, we get discouraged. When we focus on the problems of the day and the people who seems to oppress us, we get intimidated. Our praise reminds us of who God is. As we worship Him, the threats and burdens that weigh us down grow smaller and He grows bigger - at least in our own eyes. The thought of an exalted God who is entirely on our side is an awesome inspiration

We don't find that perspective very often. We have subtly but persistently trained our minds to think negatively. We don't feel like praising God when the bills are overdue or our loved one is lying sick in the hospital. we don't even feel like praising Him when our lives have gotten mundane and we've become restless. Pehaps we mistakenly think our praise is based on how much power and love we've seen today. It isn't - or shouldn't be, at least. IT IS BASED ON WHO HE IS. AND HE IS WHO HE IS ALL THE TIME. For that we can praise Him. ALL THE TIME!

The more we worship, the more we see WHO HE IS and the more sincere our worship becomes. And our perspective jumps from one lowly, impossible place to the side of the God who reigns, both now and forever. Our praise opens our eyes to the truth of the situation: GOD RULES!

An extract from : Worship The King by Chris Tiegreen
Have a blessed & victorious week!
TPWC

WORSHIP AND THE SCHOOL OF FAITH

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen."

- Hebrews 11:1 -

Faith has it's anchor in the unseen realm. It lives from the invisible towards the visible. Faith actualizes what it realizes. The Scriptures contrast the life of faith with the limitations of natural sight. Faith provides eyes for the heart.

Faith sees. It brings His Kingdom into focus. All of the Father's resources, all of His benefits, are accessible through faith.

God is very committed to teaching us how to see. To make this possible He gave us the Holy Spirit as a tutor. The curriculum that He uses is quite varied. But the one class we all qualify for is the greatest of all Christian privileges - WORSHIP. Learning how to see is not the purpose for our worship, but it is a wonderful by-product.

Those who worship in spirit and in truth, as mentioned in John 4:23-24, learn to follow the Holy Spirit's lead. His realm is called the Kingdom of God. The throne of God, which becomes established upon the praises of His people, is the center of that Kingdom. It's in the environment of worship that we learn things that go way beyond what our intellect can grasp - and the greatest of these lessons is the value of His presence. David was so affected by this that all his other exploits pale in comparison to his abandoned heart for God. We know that he learned to see into God's realm because of statements like, "I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved." The presence of God affected his seeing. He would constanly practice recognizing the presence of God. He saw God daily, not with the natural, but with the eyes of faith That priceless revelation was given to a worshiper.

The privlege of worship is a good beginning place for those unaccustomed to addressing some of these kinds of themes found in Scripture. It's in that wonderful ministry that we can learn to pay attention to this God-given gift: the ability to see with the heart. As we learn to worship with purity of heart, our eyes will continue to open. And we can expect to see what He wants us to see.

An extract from : When Heaven Invades Earth by Bill Johnson
Blessings - TPWC

Holy Spirit - Present In Worship

While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,"Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." - Acts 13:2

A lot can happen when people worship God. Many disciples were gathered together in Acts 2, presumably for worship, when the Holy Spirit came upon them in wind and fire. The church was born, the first sermon was preached, and amazing things began to happen in Jerusalem and beyond. In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit spoke with instructions: Send out Barnabas and Saul.

There seems to be a connection. When people worship God - really worship Him with love in their hearts and truth in their minds - the Holy Spirit is there. That's no coincidence. He inspires our worship, and the more we worship, the more deeply He dwells with us. The God who is enthroned on the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3) is mightily and manifestly present when we worship Him. If we want Jesus to be in our midst, all we need to do is to follow His instructions: Gather two or more in His name. Worship brings the throne room of heaven into the company of our fellowship.

But He does more than just show up. He also fills us and give us direction. God may hesitate to instruct people who aren't serious about following Him. But a group of worshipers who have made it clear that He is their desire will hear Him. The volume of His voice grows louder when we worship. At this point of genuine worship in the early church, a mission to a lost world was launched.

The gathering of the Antioch leaders to worship and fast is too infrequently repeated in our age. But if we will spend our lives in worship, He will direct us in how to spend our lives.

An extract from: Worship The King - by Chris Tiegreen
Blessed week!
TPWC

WORSHIP - A REDEFINING PERSPECTIVE ...

WORSHIP

I think of worship as a love affair between the spirit of man and the spirit of His God.
Worship is intimate relationship beyond human comprehension; only lovers worship!
Worship is intercourse of the highest proportions; the absolute and ultimate fusion of man and God; of the creature with his creator.

Worship is the transfiguration of body, soul and spirit to the place where nothing else matters and time ceases to exist.It is the point where the spirit prevails over the flesh and all moulds are broken!
Worship is the complete negligence of self as man connects in total submission to God.

Worship is the very essence of creation; it is the highest expectation of the creator.
Worship is the only thing God cannot do for Himself; hence it is our highest obligation to Him!

Worship is the peak of no return; the point where man in his totality presses through to the immediate presence of the King of kings!

Worship is the recognition of the awesomeness of God; it is the celebration of his beauty and the appreciation of His might.
Worship is the expression of His love and the stimulation of His power at work within us!

Worship is a lifestyle, a mind-set, a mentality, a radical paradigm shift from the realms of the natural into the realms of the divine.

Worship is giving your best to God, holding nothing back, disregarding all protocol and nullifying all man-made doctrines.

Worship is the spot at which God is vulnerable and His sceptre of favour is stretched out to fix all that pertains to the worshiper
Worship is the most potent form of warfare; the point where the might of God is provoked to step in on behalf of the worshiper, thwarting the enemy and putting him to flight!

Worship is the safest place to be; it is the sweetest thing to do. It is the most gratifying of feelings both carnal and divine.

Worship is man caught up in God’s presence all by himself!

Worship- the highest calling, the only eternal ministry- the essence of creation- the heart of the creator!

Note : this post is contributed by Alexander Victor - http://www.myspace.com/officialaltarsound (TPWC Facebook Group's member).

TPWC welcome all readers' contribution if you have an article on Lifestyle Worship.

Have a blessed week

TPWC - Ricky

WHAT IS YOUR WORSHIP LIKE? - PART 3

WORSHIP IS NOT ABOUT US BUT HIM

WORSHIP IS ALL ABOUT GIVING OUR LIVES (AGAIN) TO HIM

Take 3 minutes to view this video and be inspired .... TPWC also invites you to share or comment on your what you think

Have a blessed and victorious Easter Sunday
TPWC - Ricky

WHAT IS YOUR WORSHIP LIKE? - PART 2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. (Romans 12:1 NIV)

Let us continue Paul's message about being "A Living Sacrifice". What does it mean to lay our lives on God's altar?

Since the days of the Exodus, wherever a tabernacle or temple stood, faithful Jews would bring the best of their flocks and herds to a priest standing at the altar of God. It was an act of devotion , a command: The offering would, at times, serve as
- a symbol of sin and it's ugly consequences;
- as a sacrifice of gratitude, acknowledging that every good gift comes from God; or
- as an act of devotion and worship, a gift from a loving heart.
Regardless of the reason, the origin of the sacrifice was always God - human beings clearly never created a ram or a bull - and sacrifice was always a reminder of the horrible gap between the Creator and the created.

As believers saved by grace, there is, however, an appropriate response. It has nothing to do with merit or guilt, but only with the thankfulness that should naturally flow from a redeemed heart. IT IS OUR SPIRITUAL ACT OF WORSHIP!

The response is for us to walk to that tabernacle or temple as the Israelites did in days of old, approach the Priest, and hand Him the sacrifice that we brought out of our gratitute: OURSELVES. We are to envision our High Priest (Jesus) doing His duty by taking the sacrifice, placing it on the altar of God, and accepting it in His Name. But unlike the old sacrifices, this sacrifice LIVES. It lives a dedicated life, an altar life. It now belongs to the Priest. We are in His hands.

Being a living sacrifice is more than a holy obligation; it is a holy passion. Living sacrifices don't live for themselves. They live for ANOTHER. That's their service of WORSHIP!

What is your take? Like to inspire you with this song "WE ARE AN OFFERING" by Chris Christian ... the chorus : All that we have, All that we are, All that we hope to be, We give to you.

Blessings - TPWC

WHAT IS YOUR WORSHIP LIKE?

God is spirit, and His worshipers must

worship in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24

What is your worship like? Is it a Sunday ritual or frenzied emotion that you can put on and take off? Is it limited to one style of music or a particular church? Most important, is it more than skin-deep?

God seeks those whose worship emanates from deep within. He desires legitimate praise and integrity between HEART and MOUTH. He wants to be the ONE we treasure most. Most of all, He wants ALL OF YOU! Paul in Romans 12:1 urged us to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is our spiritual (reasonable) act of worship.

What does it means to present ourself as "a living sacrifice"? Is there a set time and place for it, or does it encompass all our lives? Considering the priority the Bible places on true worship - and Jesus' declaration that real worship is what God is after - these are enormously important questions. If we want to fulfill the purpose God has for us, and in fact to be fulfilled, we need to know how to love and adore Him.

In my earlier (February 2009) post "Are you a worshiper?" I shared that the first time you find worship in the Bible is in Genesis 22. It reads: "And Abraham said to his servants, Settle down and stay here with the donkey, and I and the young man will go yonder and worship and come again to you." - Genesis 22:5 (Amplified Bible). Abraham was not going up yonder to sing a slow song with Isaac. He was going up there to put the most treasured possession in his life to death, simply because God asked him to do it! So can you see, to Abraham WORSHIP means a life of OBEDIENCE!

Like to share with you one of my favourite song entitled "Living Sacrifice" by Chris Christan. Take 3 minutues to be inspired about offering your life as "a living sacrifice" to Him. What is God speaking to you about your worship to Him?

Have A Blessed Week! - TPWC - Ricky

THE POWER OF PRAISE - PART 3

For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4 (Amplified Bible)

We shall continue on our final instalment on The Power of Praise :-

4) GOD INHABITS OUR PRAISE

Psalm 22:3 declares, " But You are holy, O You Who dwell in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered]" (Amplified Bible).


The word "dwell or inhabit" in the Hebrew means to actually sit or reside in a place. God is always King whether we praise Him or not. He is always worthy of praise whether we praise Him or not. But when we praise Him we offer Him a throne to sit upon in our presence. That is why our praise is so necessary in order to bring the power of the presence of God into our church services.


In other words, our praise become a throne for our King. All the authority and majesty of the King is present in our humble offerings. When you stop to think about that, it is awesome! He could choose to to sit on some glorious planet somewhere that He created just for Himself. Instead, He is seated with us as we minister praises before Him.


As we worship, we can sing praises over nations, cities and governments. We have royal authority to proclaim God's dominion and kingdom in places far and near simply by lifting our voice and glory and honour to our King. He who is enthroned in our praise will make Himself known through us. His glory will fill the earth as His glory fills and flows through the proclaiming praisers.


5) PRAISE PREPARES US FOR MIRACLES


Psalm 50:23 "He who brings an offering of praise and thanksgiving honors and glorifies Me; and he who orders his way aright [who prepares the way that I may show him], to him I will demonstrate the salvation of God" (Amplified Bible).


When the devil comes against us, praise will always point a way out. This verse indicates that when we sacrifice praise and glorify God, He will show us His salvation. The word salvation refers to more than just the salvation of soul. It refers to divine healing, deliverance and divine ways in which God helps us.


Two classic examples :


1) Paul and Silas in the Philippian Jail (Acts 16:25)


After great persecution by the inhabitants of Philipi and after being beaten, they were cast into prison. Acts 16:25 declares what they did, "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God." Imagine what they could have been saying to God that night. They could have complained and listed all the problems that had come about because of their missionary journeys. But the prayed and sang praises to God!


They didn't do it quietly. The Bible records, "and prisoners heard them." They were singing out loud. The Greek in that phrase implies that the prisoners were listening keenly. Acts 16:26 states, "And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed." This illustrates the fact that God responds to praise.
- Praise is a way to bring God into your situation.
- Praise is a way to bring the miracle working power of God into your life.

- Praise opens prison doors (Acts 16:25-26)
- Praise set the captives free (Psalm 149:6-9)


But notice again that it has to be a sacrifice. It is the abnormal thing to do. If things are going well, it is never a sacrifice to praise the Lord. But God delights when you offer a sacrifice of praise to Him. It is a tremendous step of faith and God honours that faith with miracles.


2) King Jehoshaphat (2 Chronicles 20)


We are all familiar with the story of King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20. Remember, Jehoshaphat and the kingdom of Judah are teetering on the brink of destruction - they are about to be attacked by horde far outnumbering them. You might compare their plight to a situation of your own in which everything seems to go wrong, or when the force of Satan's opposition threaten to overpower you. King Jehoshaphat's experience offers a way to do battle in such situations. He begins by simply confessing, "We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us" (2 Chronicles 20:12).

This confession of weakness doesn't mean that Judah is passive and does nothing - nor should we. A prophet of Judah delivers a word from the Lord. God tells them that the battle is His, not theirs. For their response, the people " (stand) up to praise the Lord God of Israel with voices loud and high:" (2 Chronicles 20:19). Then instead of hurling spears or boulders, the army marches out boldly hurling phrases of praises, singing, "Praise the LORD, for His mercy endures forever" (2 Chronicles 20:21). The result? The Lord Himself sets ambushes for the enemy, causing confusion and fighting to break out among their ranks.

So what attack should believers mount against Satan and his hordes? We are to take up the weapons we wield best - the weapons of praise. As the apostle Paul teaches us, "the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds" (2 Corinthians 10:4).

Faced with the forces of evil, God's people are not to fear. Our greatest resource for resistance doesn't arise from any arsenal known to human wisdom or device. It comes from knowing that the battle is the Lord's. We are never to react from a position of weakness, but from one of strength. That strength is found in faithfully remaining at our post of praise. Our best defense is to do what we should know how to do best: offer praise and glory to the Living God, whose enemies, ultimately, will always flee before His might and power

PRAISE THE LORD !
TPWC

THE POWER OF PRAISE - PART 2

Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised.

In the city of our God, in His holy mountain

Psalm 48:1

Our PRAISE, in other words, should be in proportion to God's greatness - which means it has to be measureless. We can never exhaust the POWER and the possibility of PRAISE. The more we PRAISE God, the more we acknowledge His greatness.


Let's continue to expand on the POWER OF PRAISE - What happen when we choose to PRAISE our great God?


1) PRAISE SILENCES THE ENEMY


O LORD, our Lord, how excellent (majestic and glorious) is Your Name in all the earth! You have set Your glory on [or above] the heavens.
Out of the mouths of babes and unweaned infants You have established strength because of Your foes, that You might silence the enemy and the avenger.Psalm 8:1-2 (Amplified Bible)


- Notice the weapon that king David is using here is the NAME of the Lord. PRAISE is the way to silence the enemy. A practical translation of that would be, "that you might make the devil shut up!"
- PRAISE is also the ordained strength of God. Our PRAISE may be weak as a child but it is powerful to shut up the enemies
- Notice also the use of the word "mouth" in this verse. All spiritual weapons have only one launching pad, and that is our mouth


2) PRAISE IS A GARMENT OF THE SPIRIT


Isaiah 61:3, speaks of "the garment of PRAISE for the spirit of heaviness."


- Isaiah 61 was quoted by Jesus in His home synagogue in Nazareth immediately after His temptation in the wilderness to launch the preaching of the Good News (beauty for their sadness/ashes, oil of joy for a mourning spirit and a garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness)
- In contemporary language we would call it a spirit of depression which is a stronghold of the enemy. In other words when we choose to PRAISE GOD there is deliverence from the spirit of depression.
- PRAISE is a spiritual garment and every believer must wear this garment at all times. We have to make a choice to "PUT ON" the garment of PRAISE daily.


3) PRAISE LEADS THE BELIEVER INTO THE TRIUMP OF CHRIST


Psalm 106:47, "Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us from among the Gentiles, to give thanks to Your holy name, to triumph in Your praise.


- We are to triump in the PRAISE of God. This verse applies not only to Israel as a nation, but also to every believers.
- There is a great difference between victory and triump. Victory is the accomplishment of the defeat of the enemy, whereas a triump is a celebration of the victory already won!
- See also Colossians 2:15 & 2 Corinthians 2:14



Have a blessed & victorious week as you continuingly let PRAISE be in your mouth!
Psalm 34:1 - I WILL bless the Lord at all times; His PRAISE shall continually be in my mouth.

TPWC

THE POWER OF PRAISE

Like to share with you a classic 80's praise song entitled "PRAISE THE LORD"
Whatever circumstances or situations you may be in right now, just take 3 to 5 mins to listen this power song and make a choice to Praise The Lord

PRAISE THE LORD (Lyric)

When you’re up against struggle, that shatters all your dreams
And you hopes have been cruelly crushed by Satan’s manifested schemes
And you feel the urge within you to submit to earthly fear
Don’t let the faith you’re standing in seems to disappear

Praise the Lord, He will work through those who praise Him
Praise the Lord, for our God inhabits praise
Praise the Lord, for the chains that seems to bind you
Serve only to remind you, that they drop powerless behind you when you praise Him

Now, Satan is a liar and he wants to make us thinks
That we are paupers, when he knows himself that we are children of the King
So lift up the mighty shield of faith, for the battle must be won
We know that Jesus Christ is risen and the works already done

Words & Music by Brown Bannister & Mike Hudson

Artistes - Russ Taff, The Imperials (Original artiste by Chris Christian)

Copyright - WORD Music LLC

WHEN YOU PRAISE THE LORD

- the enemies cringed! (Psalm 66:1-3)

- you silence the enemies even though your praise may be weak as a child (Psalm 8:2)

- you open prison doors (Acts 16:25-26)

- the enemies will be ambushed & defeated (2 Chronicles 20:22)

- you set the captives free (Psalm 149:6-9)

2 Corinthians 10:4 (Amplified Bible)
For the weapons of our warfare are not physical [weapons of flesh and blood], but they are mighty before God for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds

Blessings

TPWC

YOU CAN BE HIS TEMPLE !

"And in His temple everything says, 'GLORY!' "
Psalm 29:9

"Within your temple, O God, we meditate on YOUR UNFAILING LOVE."
Psalm 48:9 (NIV)

What sets God's temple apart from every other place in the universe? It is a place where there is only one theme: God and His GLORY. Everything in the temple says, "GLORY!" Not just the living worshipers - the angelic beings, the cherubim and seraphim - but even the furniture and the structure itself join in the cry: "GLORY TO GOD!" Together they make up a single unit of worship.

However, the worship in God's temple is not limited to outward verbal expression. It is carried on simultaneously in the inner, unvoiced meditation of the soul. The theme of this inner meditation is GOD'S UNFAILING LOVE. The beautiful Hebrew word thus translated has been rendered in many ways: mercy, lovingkindness, goodness .... Each of these conveys part of the meaning, but taken together they do not fully express the whole. It constitutes an inexhaustible theme for the meditation of the true worshiper.

These are the two distinctive marks of God's temple: verbal worship proclaiming His GLORY and inner meditation focused on HIS UNFAILING LOVE. Whenever we meet these conditions and whenever our whole being cries, "GLORY TO GOD!" and all our thoughts are focussed on HIS UNFAILING LOVE, then we become God's temple. It may be in an automobile, or an office, or a kitchen, the physical location is not important.

Right where you are just now, you can become a temple of God! Focus your heart and mind on HIS UNFAILING LOVE. Then open your lips and praise Him. Let your whole being unite in a single cry: "GLORY!"

Blessings
TPWC

ARE YOU A WORSHIPER - PART 2

WHAT IS TRUE WORSHIP?

"A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true (genuine) worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth (reality); for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers.
God is a Spirit (a spiritual Being) and those who worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth (reality)." - John 4:23-24 (Amplified Bible)

There is so much within these verses. First, notice the Father is seeking (yearning, longing) such to worship. Secondly, He is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Let's consider a typical corporate worship service. We come into a service and the worship leader leads us some fast praise songs followed by some slow worship songs, then we begin to flow into the "river of worship" with some chord progressions. So when you say worship, to most believers the first thing that comes to mind is slow songs sung in a service.

WHAT THEN IS TRUE WORSHIP?

The first time you find worship in the Bible is in Genesis 22. It reads:

And Abraham said to his servants, Settle down and stay here with the donkey, and I and the young man will go yonder and worship and come again to you. - Genesis 22:5 (Amplified Bible)

Abraham was not going up yonder to sing a slow song with Isaac. He was going up there to put the most treasured possession in his life to death, simply because God asked him to do it! So you can see worship is a life of obedience. This explains why God passionately says to His own people who were singing songs to Him:

Away with your noisy hymns of praise! I will not listen to the music of your harps. Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. Amos 5:23-24 (New Living Translation)

WORSHIP IS A LIFESTYLE WE MAINTAIN!

Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual (reasonable) act of worship. Romans 12:1 (New Internation Version)

"Worship is an act of obedience of the heart. It is a response that requires the very core of who you are, to love the Lord for who He is, not just for what He does." - Darlene Zschech

Worship is not a matter of skill and technique. It is not confined to just singing some songs during a weekend church service. It is a LIFESTYLE and daily experience. True worship flows from the life of one who has an intimate relationship with God.

Blessings
TPWC