Attitude
Food for thought:
Five or six
years ago I visited a church in Connecticut. In the middle of the eucharistic
liturgy, when the whole congregation was kneeling and singing the "Alleluia," I
saw a woman near me with her hands lifted in praise. The thing was, those hands
were terribly twisted and gnarled, and she had a pair of crutches near her. Dear
Christ, I thought, what makes Christians sing "Alleluia"? Clearly there was
something besides self-interest welling up from that woman in the act of praise.
James S. Hewett, Illustrations
Unlimited (Wheaton: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc, 1988) p. 17.
John R. W. Stott once admitted
the truth that many of us have felt but failed to confess: "The thing I know
will give me the deepest joy -- namely, to be alone and unhurried in the
presence of God, aware of His presence, my heart open to worship Him -- is often
the thing I least want to do."
Self evaluation - How do you feel about praise & worship?
1. Long to express my devotion and gratitude to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ especially in accord with the other members of my Christian family.
2. Enjoy the reminders of God’s love, the opportunity to express love to Him, and sense of connection to other believers.
3. Feel sense of healing of my soul from the truth of God’s word.
4. Good if I like the music or song.
5. Take it or leave it.
6. Don’t like it.
Read the following verses and consider what mindset about praise & worship you would like to develop as a disciple of Christ.
Hebrews 12:28 So let us be thankful, because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken.
Ephesians 1:11-12 Because of what Christ has done, we have become gifts to God that he delights in, for as part of God's sovereign plan we were chosen from the beginning to be his, and all things happen just as he decided long ago. God's purpose in this was that we should praise God and give glory to him for doing these mighty things for us, who were the first to trust in Christ.
What is your goal concerning the mindset you have towards praise & worship?
On what truth(s) do you need to focus?
How will you keep track of how you are doing?
What obstacles will you need to overcome and how will you face them?
Motivation
Food for thought:
Praise is the honey of life which a devout heart extracts
from every bloom of providence and grace.
Charles H. Spurgeon
"Would you know who is the
greatest saint in the world? It is not he who prays most or fasts most; it is
not he who gives most alms, or is most eminent for temperance, chastity, or
justice, but it is he who is always thankful to God, who wills everything that
God willeth, who received everything as an instance of God's goodness, and has a
heart always ready to praise God for it."
William Law,
Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life
This true story is from the life of Louis XIV of France: One Sunday when he arrived at church, no one was there except Archbishop Fenelon, the court preacher. Surprised to see all the vacant seats, the King inquired, "Where is everybody?" Why isn't anyone else present this morning?" Fenelon answered "I announced that Your Majesty would not be here today, so you could see who came to the service just to flatter you and who came to worship God."
Most people do not have opportunities to be in meetings where such dignitaries are in attendance. Yet many of them go to church for reasons other than communing with the Lord, enjoying Christian fellowship, and being instructed from the Word. They may not be there to impress royalty, but their motives for coming are just as vain and selfish.
Self evaluation - Why do I praise & worship God?
1. Need to express openly and fervently my love, admiration, respect and awe for God and Christ.
2. Desire to know God more and make myself transparent before Him.
3. Attempt to please God.
4. Feel moved by the words or music.
5. Sense of duty.
6. Want others to think of me as “spiritual”.
Read the following verses and consider what motivations for praise & worship you would like to form as a disciple of Christ.
Romans 12:1 …In view of God's mercy… offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
Hebrews 12:29
We should worship God in a way that pleases him with respect and awe, because
our God is like a fire that burns things up.
What is your goal concerning the motives you have for praise & worship?
On what truth(s) do you need to focus?
How will you keep track of how you are doing?
What obstacles will you need to overcome and how will you face them?
Practice
Food for thought:
At the turn of the century, James Burns wrote the book
Revivals: The Laws and Leaders. "The first tendency," he writes, "Is for the
doctrine of the church to lose its power of convicting the conscience,
convincing the mind, or moving the heart." He goes on to point out that
spiritual decay brings with it a formality of worship in which the "ritual" is
so exalted that it crushes the spirit.
Ever wonder what new hymns will be old hymns in 100 years?
A young boy complained to his father that most of the church hymns were boring and old-fashioned, with tiresome tunes and words that meant little to his generation. His father challenged him with these words: "If you think you can write better hymns, why don't you?"
The boy accepted the challenge, went to his room and wrote his first hymn. The year was 1690, and the young man was Isaac Watts. Among his 350 hymns are When I survey the Wondrous Cross and Joy to the World.
Self evaluation -
How do I praise & worship God and Jesus Christ?
1. Developed a heart of faithful praise & worship devoted only to Christ without a secondary longing for worldly things too.
2. Consciously praise & worship God for many things, not just for self gratification.
3. Tendency to really praise & worship only when song or music is especially moving personally.
4. Attempt to “sing along” if possible.
5. Mostly observe, not participate.
6. Don’t praise or worship.
Read the following verses and consider what focus during praise & worship you would like to have as a disciple of Christ.
Matthew 4:10 Jesus said to the devil, "Go away from me, Satan! It is written in the Scriptures, 'You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'"
John 4:23-24 The time is coming when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, and that time is here already. You see, the Father too is actively seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
What is your goal concerning the manner of praise & worship you would like to offer Christ?
What 2 facets of worship does God demand in our worship?
How will you keep track of how you are doing?
What obstacles will you need to overcome and how will you face them?
Consistency
Food for thought:
Wrapping up Johnny Carson's
Tonight Show 27th anniversary program was the Doxology, as sung by L.A. Dodger
Orel Hershiser. Following last year's World Series, the pitching ace delighted
the late night host with a sample of songs he sang to calm himself between
innings. Carson recalled that Hershiser, an outspoken Christian, caught him a
bit off guard by actually singing the song on the live program, but added that
he was "moved" by it. Apparently, Carson chose the taped segment to conclude
his prime-time television special.
Ted Malone, whose radio show
came on early in the morning, told of the Idaho shepherd who wrote: "Will you,
on your broadcast, strike the note 'A'? I'm a sheepherder way out here on a
ranch, far away from a piano. The only comfort I have is my old violin. It's
all out of tune. Would you strike 'A' so that I might get in tune?"
Malone honored the request. Later he received a "thank you" note from the
distant shepherd saying, "Now I'm in tune."
One of the purposes and responsibilities of personal and public worship is to enable the aspirant to keep tuned to the Great Shepherd. One of the joys of the Christian life is to help others recapture the missing note!
"We are called to an
everlasting preoccupation with God."
A. W. Tozer
Self evaluation - How often do you praise & worship God through His Son Jesus Christ?
1. Daily with songs and hymns known as well as with other sources of accompaniment such as tapes and CDs.
2. At church and when other places provide the environment for me to join others who initiate or lead.
3. At church every Sunday.
4. At church on the Sundays that I go to church.
5. Sometimes when the song is especially moving.
6. Not at all.
Read the following verses and consider what Consistency for praise and worship you would like to develop as a disciple of Christ.
Hebrews 13:15 Through Jesus let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name.
Romans 15:11 The Scripture says, …" praise the Lord. All you people, sing praises to him."
What is your goal concerning the Consistency of your praise & worship?
When and where will your praise & worship take place?
How will you keep track of how you are doing?
What obstacles will you need to overcome and how will you face them?