One of my all time favorite passages on worship is found in the book of Luke, Chapter 17. Many don’t see it as a worship passage, but in this passage the Bible reveals one of the most important attitudes of the heart that we as worshipers of Jesus must possess.

In Luke 17, we find Jesus approaching a village on His way to Jerusalem. As He approached, He was met outside the village entrance by 10 men with leprosy. The Bible says the men pleaded with Jesus to have pity on them and heal their bodies. Jesus had compassion and told these men to go show themselves to the priest ……And as they went to see the priest they were cleansed! The Bible goes on to say that one of the 10 men, having seen that he was clean, came back praising God with a LOUD voice (vs 15). He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked Him.

Here is the question; What drove this man back to the feet of Jesus? What fueled his worship? The Bible says in verse 16 that the man was full of gratitude. Thankfulness overflowed from his heart. So much in fact that he made a conscience decision to stop what he was doing, turn around, go back to Jesus and with a loud voice….he praised and worshiped God……..That my friend is extravagant worship. The springboard of our worship of God MUST be gratitude. Thanksgiving is the key that opens the gates to God’s presence. For we enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise!  How wonderful that we can enter in, just as we are, with gratitude in our hearts and thanksgiving on our tongues! Love That!

The truth is, those of us in Christ have all been healed from something far worse than leprosy. Leprosy can destroy one’s body, but can’t touch the soul. It is the wages of sin that destroys the soul. But thanks (there’s that word again) be to God who gives us the victory through Christ Jesus, His son. One act of love, one cruel death on a cross, one drop of Jesus’ blood is enough to cleanse, redeem, restore, heal, and save our souls….in light of this, how could we not respond to God like this man…….” When he saw that he was healed, he came back, praising God with a LOUD VOICE. he threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him…..Luke 17:15……

Jesus’ response?  “Were not all ten cleansed?  Where are the other nine?”

There has been a great debate recently about how we, as followers of Jesus, should worship Him. What is the proper “worship style.” Should we be reverent, should we be demonstrative, should we play drums, should we use the organ, should we stand, should we kneel, should we raise our hands, should we cross our arms, should we play hymns, should we play rock and roll? Everyone has their own opinion about how we should approach the thrown of grace.  How about this; What if true worship (or “worth”ship) has nothing to do with style?  One day Jesus was asked by a Samaritan woman about the proper “style” of worship. Jesus’ response had nothing to do with style or method. Jesus said TRUE worshipers MUST worship in spirit and in truth. (John 4). Two things are required to truly worship God, spirit, and the Truth. We will look at the truth part later, But what does it mean to worship in the spirit? That is a big topic, but in it’s simplest form, worshiping in spirit is all about responding to God with an honest heart. It’s not just going through the motions of church, standing and singing because the bulletin, or the worship leader says it is time to do so. It is about engaging the inner self.  I read somewhere, that worship is a verb. To worship God, we must DO something. We must make a decision to engage……  to love, serve, and bless the Lord with all of our heart. We CHOSE to ENTER His gates (His presence) with thanksgiving. You see, without the heart, worship is just stage play, just a performance (resounding gongs and clanging cymbals). God always looks at the heart. We MUST get good at responding to Him with heart-felt exuberance. If we intend to worship in spirit, the question then is this; do we really mean what we sing? Are we engaging our spirit (our heart)?  True biblical worship is not an outward show. It must originate from within.  Have a blessed week family! Sing often, rejoice always!

Jesus rocks…………and so do You!

Richie

Have you ever thought about the power of praise? 2 Chronicles 20 paints an amazing picture of the power praise has over our life. 2  Chronicles 20 is where our buddy Jehoshaphat (try saying that name 5 times really fast), runs into a bit of trouble. The Bible says that a vast army was coming from every side, to make war with him. Upon hearing the news, Jehoshaphat “resolved to inquire of the Lord (vs.3). So all of Judah came together to seek the Lord. There is amazing power when God’s people come together in unity. While everyone was together, Jehoshaphat prayed to God, acknowledging first that God was the God over all things, over heaven and earth. “Power and might are in Your hand. No one can withstand You, O God. (vs 6).” Secondly, Jehoshaphat acknowledged that he can do nothing without God. But here we are, but a moment away from destruction. “We know not what to do, but our eyes are upon You. (vs 12).” This is where God stepped in. When we are weak, He is strong. “Do not be afraid or discouraged,” says the Lord (vs 15). “For the battle is not yours, but God’s.” Stand firm (love the power in that command….stand your ground!), and see the deliverance of the Lord (vs.17). Can you guess what weapon Jehoshaphat’s army used to defeat their adversary? They did not use artillery loaded camels, souped up sling shots, or flaming arrows. They fought and overcame their battle with praise to God! The Bible says Jehoshaphat appointed singers to march out ahead of the army declaring “Give thanks to the Lord, for His love endures forever. (vs.21)” I often think Jehoshaphat must have appointed His WORST sounding singers to lead the way. Ha! The Bible says AS they sang and praised, the Lord set ambushes and delivered them from destruction. AS they worshipped, God won their victory!
Worshipping God will bring deliverance in your live. Praise has the power to break strongholds. Praise is a declaration of faith. Praise is our victory chant. Praise declares that we will not be moved (stand firm). Worship sets the atmosphere for the miraculous. Fight your battles with praise and faith in God, not with earthly things. “For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds….2 Corinthians 10: 3-4. Trust God to win your battles for You!

Jesus Rocks………..and so do You!