Category Archives: Refelctions on a Worshipful Lifestyle

Worship 101 – The Who, What, When, Where, Why and How — Part III

In Part III of Worship 101, we finish off the series with the final point: “How Do We Worship”. If you missed Part I, click here, or for Part II click here.

VI. HOW DO WE WORSHIP?

Well, going back to the first part of this message, we worship God by proclaiming his worth and acknowledging that he is worthy of our praise. We worship Him in spirit and in truth, both emotionally and intellectually. And we worship Him in all circumstances.

But let’s look farther back than the beginning of this message. Let’s look back to the first recorded acts of worship. In the Old Testament, people worship God… Continue reading

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Worship 101 – The Who, What, When, Where, Why, and How –- PART II

In Part II of Worship 101, we pick up with point number 3: “Why Do We Worship”. If you missed Part I, click here.

III. WHY DO WE WORSHIP?

1. First and foremost: Because He is worthy! (1 Chronicles 16:25)

2. The Bible says to! (Too many references! Here are just a few)

Heb. 13:15,16 – “through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise – the fruit of the lips that confess His name. And do not forget to do good as you share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.” Continue reading

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Worship 101 – The Who, What, When, Where, Why and How — Part I

I just realized that this is a great forum for reviewing my first sermon I ever preached – my philosophy of worship! It’s pretty long, so I’m gonna break it into three parts. And if you’d like to listen along, here’s the mp3 audio of the whole sermon as well:


 

So there are a few people’s thoughts on worship… I’d like to share my thoughts on the subject!

We’re going to take a look at the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of Worship. Let’s start with the “who.” No, not “who do we worship”, but “who worships.” Continue reading

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Indescribable

Personally I think it’s kind of funny to title a blog post “Indescribable”. If our God is indescribable, then how can I possibly attempt to post a blog full of words about how indescribable He is? But in my opinion, that is what worship is all about! – Trying to describe the indescribable God. We know we won’t ever succeed in compiling a list of words, or phrases, or melodies and harmonies, or actions that will accurately and completely describe the God of the universe. But He is glorified by our attempts.

I believe it is within the search for words that we are actually glorifying God
, not just when we find some good words. Just as it is in the search for holiness and in the striving for righteousness that God is pleased. He’s not sitting there with a furrowed brow and disappointment on his mind until the very moment when we achieve righteousness – I know this because the Bible says that “no one is righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10) and yet it also says “(the Lord) will take great delight in you with gladness…He will rejoice over you with joyful songs” (Zephaniah 3:17). Paul says that not even he has attained righteousness; he has not yet “arrived.” But still I am confident that God was delighted in Paul. Continue reading

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Jesus Wept

John 11:35. It’s the shortest verse in the Bible. When I was a kid in Sunday School, it was kind of a joke verse. Our teachers of course wanted to make sure we were memorizing scripture, so this was the “go to” verse. “Of course I have some scripture memorized, Mrs. Davis; Let me recite it for you: John 11:35 says ‘Jesus Wept’.” (snicker snicker) I don’t think I’m the only kid who ever tried to get credit for doing the least possible amount of work. I probably spent more time and energy trying to find the easiest way of doing things, more time and energy than if I had just done the thing the right way from the beginning, but it was a game for me. And I was pretty good at it.

I don’t think of John 11:35 as a joke any more, and I don’t think of it as a simple way to do the least amount of work in memorizing scripture. I think of it as one of the most beautiful and powerful verses in the Bible (granted there sure are a lot of beautiful and powerful verses in the Bible). Continue reading

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