The 5. W's of Worship

The 5's of worship?

Who do you worship?
What do you worship
When do you worship
Where do you worship
Why do you worship
And how do you worship.

Worship is not reserved for Sunday mornings, worship is not exclusive to music, worship is meant to be intimate, personal, private, public, exclusive, and everlasting.

So why do you worship? To honor God, and praise Him for all He has done already?

What do you worship? The idea of God as Creator, Father, Savior and friend? Or the great big genie you come to when problems arise?

When do you worship? On Sundays with everyone else? Or in all things are you worshipping God?

Where do you worship? Only in the sanctuary, or wherever you are?

Why do worship? Because everyone else is, or are you drawing close to God?

How do you worship? By singing only or do you put your mind, body and soul into all of who Jesus really is and has done?

Worship for a child of God should be a lifestyle, the things we say, the things we do, the places we go, the way we work, the way we live, should all be acts of worship to Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we should do this with all our hearts, minds, body and souls, exclusively reserved for Him.

“Jesus told her, “Believe Me, woman, an hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth. Yes, the Father wants such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ ). “When He comes, He will explain everything to us.” “I am He,” Jesus told her, “the One speaking to you.””
‭‭John‬ ‭4:21-26‬ ‭HCSB‬

“Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said: These people honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. They worship Me in vain, teaching as doctrines the commands of men.” Summoning the crowd, He told them, “Listen and understand: It’s not what goes into the mouth that defiles a man, but what comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man.””
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭15:7-11‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

“Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.”
‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:1-2‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

“Let the message about the Messiah dwell richly among you, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, and singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

“He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭22:37-39‬ ‭HCSB‬‬

Surrender or Search on , you choose.

Jesus says, if you’re looking for friendship, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for acceptance, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for meaning in life, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for healing, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for significance, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for security, I know where that is. 

Jesus says, if you’re looking for satisfaction, I know where that is. 

If these are all things your searching for , maybe you stop searching and start surrendering.

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. “I assure you: The one who believes in Me will also do the works that I do. And he will do even greater works than these, because I am going to the Father.  Whatever you ask in My name, I will do it so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask Me   anything in My name, I will do it.   “If you love Me, you will keep   My commands.   And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn’t see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be   in you.  I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. “In a little while the world will see Me no longer, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live too. In that day you will know that I am in My Father, you are in Me, and I am in you. The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”

John 14:6, 12-21

Lingering in sin.

Sin, a word we are all familiar with. But it is more than a word it is a heart condition. It is a silent killer that daily destroys lives, marriages, and families

It dwells in each of us, we are born with it by nature and there is only one cure. Jesus Christ and His atonement, redemption and reconciliation with God the Father through Faith and Grace.

But we are resistant and we are stubborn and hooked on our sins. Like Lot in the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, we want to stay where we are we linger when God says run, we negotiate with sinful desires when God says to stay away, we are blinded by our desire to please our selfish ways.

Read Genesis 19 today look at the entire picture here of how far sin will take a person, at some point people go beyond response and God turns them over to their gods, themselves.

Are you lingering around a certain sin today that God has told you to flee from? No matter how big or small it is , sin will hold you back from what God is doing, it will take you further than you ever thought you would go, and it will leave you for dead once it has used you as it's slave.

Then the men said to Lot, “Have you anyone else here? Sons-in-law, sons, daughters, or anyone you have in the city, bring them out of the place. For we are about to destroy this place, because the outcry against its people has become great before the Lord , and the Lord has sent us to destroy it.” As morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he lingered. So the men seized him and his wife and his two daughters by the hand, the Lord being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. And as they brought them out, one said, “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” And Lot said to them, “Oh, no, my Lords. Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die.

Genesis 19:12-13, 15-19

A higher calling!

As Christians we are called out of the world, we are soldiers in the army of the Lord, our weapons are used not to kill but to set free those held captive.

We must engage our culture on the issues that they do not want to engage God on, for they know right from wrong.

Poverty, same sex marriage, racism, sex slavery, immigration, persecution, abortion, orphans, pornography, these are issues the world embraces but we as Christians can not be in line with the world.

We are called to to be steadfast and immovable speaking the truth out of love, showing them the way.

Do not disengage in the heat of battle, engage armed with the word of God and in His Spirit.

Here is a great quote.

If I profess with the loudest voice and the clearest exposition, every portion of the truth of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I AM NOT confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Christianity,

Where the battle rages the loyalty of the soldier is proved ; and to be steady on ALL the battle-field besides is mere flight and disgrace to him if he flinches at that point.

Elizabeth Rundle Charles

“And I say to you, My friends, don’t fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. But I will show you the One to fear: Fear Him who has authority to throw people into hell after death. Yes, I say to you, this is the One to fear! Aren’t five sparrows sold for two pennies?   Yet not one of them is forgotten in God’s sight.   Indeed, the hairs of your head are all counted. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows! “And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God,   but whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.  Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Whenever they bring you before synagogues and rulers and authorities, don’t worry about how you should defend yourselves or what you should say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what must be said.”

Luke 12:4-12

Do not be decieved

In our America deception has become the norm, very few seek the truth. We feel by denying the truth we are somehow not going to be held accountable for knowing it. 

Those who call themselves Christians are by far living by this standard, it comes down to spiritual pride. The same thing that Judah and Israel suffered from believing God would not punish them like the world for they are His chosen people.

Be not deceived God is not mocked whatever a man sows he shall reap.
Is what God says.

The hardest to reach sometimes is those who are spiritual prideful who go to church and think they are good. But like Israel and Judah God knows our hearts. He is giving warnings to the church first in America, before judgment.

Jeremiah 9:1-6 HCSB

If my head were a spring of water, my eyes a fountain of tears, I would weep day and night over the slain of my dear people. If only I had a traveler’s lodging place in the wilderness, I would abandon my people and depart from them, for they are all adulterers, a solemn assembly of treacherous people. They bent their tongues like their bows; lies and not faithfulness prevail in the land, for they proceed from one evil to another, and they do not take Me into account. This is the Lord ’s declaration. Everyone has to be on guard against his friend. Don’t trust any brother, for every brother will certainly deceive, and every friend spread slander. Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to speak lies; they wear themselves out doing wrong. You live in a world of deception. In their deception they refuse to know Me. This is the Lord ’s declaration.

Conquerors

So many times we live our lives in defeat, believing we are trapped in a routine we can not get out of. We do things we wish not to do, and don’t do the things we wish we to do.

The choice to live this way, and make no ,mistake it is a choice is the wrong course of action we need to be on. Do you know what God says.

1st John 5: 1Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Messiah has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves the one born of Him. 2This is how we know that we love God’s children when we love God and obey His commands. 3For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. Now His commands are not a burden, 4because whatever has been born of God conquers the world. This is the victory that has conquered the world: our faith. 5And who is the one who conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.

If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God, you’re a conqueror, and conquerors are not defeated, they are champions. Our enemy is a defeated enemy, we are no longer slaves to sin or death, but we are freed from that bondage.

Romans 8:There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.

And as free children of God, we walk by the Spirit of God, He walks with us, talks to us gives us freedom that the world will never know. He calls us to live in victory, turn your life around and use it to defeat the enemy, you and I have that power to do so, if we will surrender to the power of God in our lives.

 Romans 8: 26Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groaning which cannot be uttered. 27Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.28And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Are you willing to surrender? Are you willing to let God conquer the world through your life,? Are you willing to let God take all the enemy has done to defeat you and turn it around and use it against him and his minions?

If not your in for a defeated life, if  so you have to surrender to the will of God, and then your in for a life of a conqueror, and  God will use you in a mighty way, remember the battle is already won, don’t fight against a defeated enemy.

God has given us His word to instruct us on how to live the life of a conqueror it is truly simple for us to follow, we just can not give into the flesh, we must surrender to the Spirit of God.

Romans 12: 9Love must be without hypocrisy. Detest evil; cling to what is good. 10Show family affection to one another with brotherly love. Outdo one another in showing honor. 11Do not lack diligence; be fervent in spirit; serve the Lord. 12Rejoice in hope; be patient in affliction; be persistent in prayer. 13Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality. 14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. 16Be in agreement with one another. Do not be proud; instead, associate with the humble. Do not be wise in your own estimation. 17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Try to do what is honorable in everyone’s eyes. 18If possible, on your part, live at peace with everyone. 19Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord. 20ButIf your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. 21Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.

Stand up today, look in the mirror and say to yourself, you are a conqueror, repeat the word of God, that Jesus has conquered the world, I am not of this world, but of my Heavenly Father. My life is not mine to live, but Christ’s to live through me, I surrender to His power, and will for my life. Then follow what God has said above, and live your life to His fullest.

John 16:31Jesus responded to them, “Do you now believe? 32Look: An hour is coming, and has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own home, and you will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me. 33I have told you these things so that in Me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. Be courageous! I have conquered the world.”

And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him. Colossians 3:17

In Christ

brian