Blog
Sep 14, 2011
Life and Light.
In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)
When Jesus came to a world that was in bondage to darkness and dead in its sin, He came as light and life. His light dispelled sin’s darkness wherever He went, for the forces of evil could not withstand Him.
If you are a Christian, Jesus lives in you, and His light is within you.
The fullness of life found in Christ dwells within you as a Christian (Col. 1:27). The life that Jesus offers is available to others though you. Don't discount what you have to give to those who are hurting. Christ's life within you is more than sufficient to meet every human need. When people encounter you, they encounter Christ within you. You do not know all the answers, but you have Someone within you who does! You will not carry the burden of the needs of others. Christ will.
Jul 11, 2011
To Kiss Toward.
It doesn’t say we can worship God anyway we want, but we "must worship Him in spirit and in truth". The word "must" makes it absolute.
Four different Hebrew words are translated “worship” in the Authorized Version, but the one used most often is shachah, which means “to bow down, to do homage.” In the Strong’s Dictionary, shachah is defined as “Prostrate one's self, bow down, the act of bowing down in homage is generally done before a superior ruler”. In the Old Testament, people would bow to their kings and rulers. It is first used in Scripture in Genesis 18:2, where Abraham bowed down to the three visitors, one of whom (he discovered) was the Lord from heaven. “Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground” (Genesis 18:2, NIV). Proskuneo is a key Greek word that is defined in Thayer’s Dictionary as “to kiss toward.” It is also defined in the New Testament by kneeling or prostration to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication; used of homage shown to men and beings of superior rank. It conveys the idea of showing reverence or doing obeisance to God in John 4:21-24.
Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time 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, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. (NIV)
It doesn’t say we can worship God anyway we want, but we "must worship Him in spirit and in truth". The word "must" makes it absolute.
The Bible does not give us many definitions, but it does give demonstrations and descriptions. Through Scripture we are shown different examples of how people worshiped God in their trials and times of joy. When we think of one who endured great trials in Scripture, we think of Job. Job was greatly tested and was stripped of everything he had. His trials included his health, loss of ten children, wealth, and status in the community. Job is an example of a man who had been broken down yet still able to praise the name of the Lord. In Job 1:21, Job cries out, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord” (New American Standard Bible (NASB)). I believe that Job's great victory hinges on the fact that he never lost sight of God in his trial.
Times of joy also demand our worship. In 2 Samuel we have King David’s great public expression of praise when he learned that they were finally bringing the Ark of the Lord back to Jerusalem. David danced, sang songs and exclaimed, “I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this” (2 Samuel 6:21-22 NIV). At this event David was not just a normal guy in the crowd. He was the king. Here he was a man of great stature, power, authority and wealth. Yet he led the way in public, so on fire, worshiping God.
I praise God for the trials I have been through and the great joys I have experienced. Worship is a beautiful and mysterious thing. Worship should cause us to reflect on the majesty and graciousness of God and Christ, contrasted to our own unworthiness. God does not have to have our worship, but we must worship Him to please Him. True worship is designed by God to bring us closer to Him and to cause us to think more like He thinks, thus becoming more like Him. "Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8 (NIV)). Worshiping God is a serious activity. It cost Jesus Christ His life to grant us the privilege of coming into the presence of God with our worship and praise. What a privilege to know and worship a transcendent and immanent God!
The awesome thing about worship is, it does not end. There soon will be that happy day when we will be involved in unending, eternal, everlasting worship (Revelation 19-22). What joy for those whose hope is in the name of the Lord.
www.joeywitham.com
Jul 8, 2011
"worth-ship"
In defining worship it should speak supremely about one’s response to God. Evelyn Underhill has defined worship as “the total adoring response of man to the one Eternal God, self-revealed in time” (Underhill). Therefore our time is now. Our time as we know it is revealed, and with every breath, thought, and action we are to adore our Lord and Savior.
Our English word worship simply means, “worth-ship.” The very purpose of worship and the reason we worship is because our God is worthy. “You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power” (Rev. 4:11, NIV). “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain” (Rev. 5:12, NIV). Warren Wiersbe states, “We aren’t worthy of worship, and certainly the idols that we make are not worthy. Only God is worthy of our worship. What people worship is a good indication of what is really valuable to them” (Wiersbe). William Temple, archbishop of Canterbury (1942-1944), does a great job of putting into words of what worship means to him in his Readings in St. John’s Gospel, first series:
Both for perplexity and for dulled conscience the remedy is the same; sincere and spiritual worship. For worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose - and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is incapable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin. Yes – worship in spirit and truth is the way to the solution of perplexity and to the liberation from sin.
Notice how much Temple’s definition of worship is centered around the revelation of God’s holiness, truth, and beauty. To Temple, worship is the response of all that we are to all that God is and does. We don’t worship God for what we get out of it, rather because He is worthy of worship. We attribute to Him the glory that is due is name. “Ascribe to Yahweh, O families of nations, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength. Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts” (Psalm 96:7-8, NIV). Yahweh is a Hebrew name for God. (Yahweh: The God Who Is, Eternal, Everlasting). Our whole lives need to be poured out in worship.
be grateful.
www.joeywitham.com
Jul 6, 2011
Worship is service......
Worship is service in that it is the obedient response to the revelation of the Lord God. The Psalms are filled with commands for the righteous to enter his courts with singing, or to give praise to him, or to bring the thank offerings to his altar. Worship is also service in that it will inspire spiritual growth and provide encouragement for faithfulness.
In addition to a church service and singing, other examples of worship are obeying, giving, celebrating, trusting, serving, thanking, listening, creating, confessing, praying, singing, and studying Scripture. Worship looks different throughout the day and in different seasons of our lives. There are seasons in my life when I pray more, but there are other seasons in my life where I meditate on God’s Word more. I believe that if the position of my heart is one that adores God, seeks Him, and follows His ways, then worship is taking place.
My life verse is Romans 12:1 which states, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (New International Version (NIV)). Paul says this in his letter to direct us toward the goal of showing that God demands our action as well as our believing and thinking. Faith expresses itself in obedience. I know God has me in a time and place right now to lead others in worship. In these times of leading others I can say there are times when I truly worship, and there are some days when I go home wondering what just happened? Did I worship? Did others worship? In these times, in my faith, I know that God moved and the Holy Spirit interceded.
May the Holy Spirit intercede on your day!
joey witham
Jul 2, 2011
Have you heard this song? Can you sing it this week? What does worship look like to you? Do you worship? How do you define worship?
Worship is a word that is on the forefront of my mind most days, most hours, and most minutes. It’s the response that I try to live out daily to the One who saved me, Jesus. As a Worship Pastor it’s in your title. It’s even on your name badge. I face various questions regarding worship. Have you heard this song? Can you sing it this week? What does worship look like to you? Do you worship? How do you define worship?
I must confess that defining worship isn’t easy. You don’t want to make it too intellectual where you’ve built a wall with no windows or doors and close people out. However, you also don’t want to water down something that is so important in the life we live. Worship is the very essence of why we were created.
There are a lot of times when people ask me to check out certain songs for worship services. There are times when I haven’t heard the song, and I always find it a great joy to be introduced to a new one. There are times when the one song they want you to do is the song you just did last week, or you have done the past ten years.
Balance is always healthy when it comes to leading people in worship through song. Within that balance familiarity is always good. People connect, they reflect, remember, and praise on the first note or so you hope. With hymns and familiar songs, I believe it’s good to do them with different styles and dynamics. There is nothing like singing familiar hymns and songs a cappella in a corporate setting. It’s great to take familiar worship songs and hymns, and rock it out. New songs are always a blessing too. When introducing new songs, you’re asking a person to follow you and sing something that, in most cases, has brought you to praise our Creator. It also breathes freshness. Balance is good.
Thanks for checking out my blog. I'll be posting more stuff very soon...thoughts on worship soon....thoughts on songwriting....family news....and maybe some stories about my beloved dogs : )
Have a good one!
Jul 1, 2011
Worship always begins with God.
I love the way Mat Redman simply says, “Worship always begins with God. Apart from His willingness to share Himself with us we would never see His face, forever stranded from His intimate embrace” (Redman). When I read that and think about being stranded from God's embrace I think about how lonely and empty I would be. We must be in God's Word...we must remember that worship begins with God and is all about God.
Worship is a lifestyle, and in our lives it takes on different forms. It’s our expression of our love to God. Generally, Christians believe worship to be the music portion of a church service - people singing songs to God, eyes closed, and hands raised in the air as they sing. Worship happens when we sing to God, whether in church or alone, in our cars or in the shower. If our desire is to please the heart of God, it is worship, no matter where the location or how many are involved. Worship has no parameters.
True worship is the celebration of being in covenant fellowship with the sovereign and holy God. Describing worship as a celebration does not nullify the fact that it is a service or that there are solemn and serious aspects to it. When we gather for cooperate worship in our local church we are celebrating. We are responding. If you were to open up the roof on any given Sunday you could look and see fellow believers worshipping their Lord. At a closer look you could see those who are seeking and not sure about this God thing. That’s why worshipping God should be the sole focus of the service. From the opening song, to the offertory prayer, through the message, and the invitation – God is to be worshiped.
Jun 29, 2011
Our Thirst
John 4:13-14
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
I love this passage where Jesus lays it down! The Lord is our only thirst quencher. What the world lends us will always leave us dry. If we keep keeping seeking those things we’ll simply be dried up vessels.
I’m reading a book right now by John M. Perkins and he talks a lot about communities and Christian movements within those communities. We as Christians have to continually go back and drink from the cup of our Father. If we as influences our dry and weary then our communities will be barren land.
