Please listen to the music player on the right hand column or search through the resources and links.

Sunday, January 8, 2017

20 ways to be pleasing and acceptable in your worship

1)  SEEK TO PLEASE GOD

(2 Corinthians 5:9) Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.

2) SEEK TO GLORIFY GOD

(1 Corinthians 10:31) Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

3)  BY HIS ENABLEMENT

(John 15:5) I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
(Eph. 5:18)  And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.
(Heb. 13:15)  By Him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.
(1 Peter 4:11)  If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.

4)  BE SCRIPTURAL

(Col. 3:16)  Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

5) BE SUBMISSIVE/YIELDED/SACRIFICIAL

(Rom. 12:1-2)   I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
2. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
(Heb. 13:15-16) By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. note
16  But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
(2 Sam. 24:24)  ...neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the LORD my God of that which doth cost me nothing...

6)  BE HUMBLE

(1 Peter 5:5)  Likewise, ye younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble.

7)  WITH THANKFULNESS

(Col. 3:15,17)  And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
17. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
(Eph. 5:20)  Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;

8)  WITH GRACE

(Col. 3:16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Compare "grace" in Col. 4:6)
(Heb. 12:28) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear:

9)  IN THE FEAR OF GOD

(Eph. 5:21)  Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.
(Heb. 12:28) Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.

10)  BE COOPERATIVE

(Phil. 2:13-14) For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings and disputings.

11)  BE ENTHUSIASTIC FROM THE HEART

(Col. 3:23) And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men.
(Eph. 6:6) Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.
(Eph. 5:19)  Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord.
(Col. 3:16) Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

12)  NOT MEN-PLEASERS

(Gal. 1:10)  For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.

13)  NOT IN THE FLESH

(Rom. 8:8)  So then, they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

14)  IN THE NAME OF THE LORD

(Col. 3:17)  And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

15)  DECENTLY AND IN ORDER

(1 Cor. 14:33)  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
(1 Cor. 14:40)  Let all things be done decently and in order.

16)  TEXTS AND MUSIC TESTED AND PROVEN

(1 Thess. 5:21)  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
(Eph. 5:10)  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

17)  THOUGHTFULLY/INTELLIGENTLY

(1 Cor. 14:15)  What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding [literally the mind] also.

18)  BY FAITH

(Heb. 11:6) But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

19)  NOT A STUMBLING BLOCK TO OTHERS

(Rom. 14:13)  Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
(1 Cor. 8:9) But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak.

20)  UNTO EDIFICATION OF THE ASSEMBLY

1 Cor. 14:12) Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.
(1 cor. 14:26) How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.

Friday, January 6, 2017

A Compromising Situation

Picture this.  A little 5 year old girl how loves her mom and wants to make her happy. While outside playing on a warm and sunny spring day, sees some beautiful roses and decides to go over and pick them to give to her mom, simply because she wanted to express her love for her mother.   I don't know a mother that wouldn't be pleased that her daughter picked her some flowers just because she loved her.  However, these roses are a beautiful expression from her daughter.......they were not from their own garden.  Although mom is pleased and thankful for these roses, her daughter needs to understand that she stole them from the neighbors garden.  Obviously the mom has no choice but to explain to her daughter that even though these roses are a beautiful expression of love and admiration, it's not the right way to express it.  If things go unexplained, their could be consequences both from the neighbors and the mother, and there will definitely be consequences in that the little girl will continue thinking it's a perfectly acceptable thing to do, when it's not.

There are 2 types of ignorance that result from this.  If the property rules and overall apropiateness of that situation is not addressed by anyone, neither the mother nor the neighbors, and the little girl continues picking roses, then that is true ignorance where she does not know nor understand the wrong she's doing.  On the other hand if the mother or the neighbors explain to her and make sure she understands the wrongful behavior, yet she STILL picks the roses, that is called WILLFUL ignorance and she is choosing to ignore the right only to continue in that wrong.

This is very similar to Christian worship in that the Bible clearly tells the believer how to express their love and devotion in worship to the Lord and also what the improper ways of worship are.  Unfortunately, all are sinners and fall short of our callings in the Christian life.  James 1:5 is one of my favorite verses that encourages a believer to seek wisdom from God and assures the believer that God grants discernment when sincerely sought after.  There are so many examples in Scripture of right worship, wrong worship, and all the different aspects of worship that God has revealed for believers to explore and practice in their personal worship and cooperate worship and it's the responsibility of all believers to "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15. 

Psalm 29:2 "Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness."