Worship

“Fruitful and acceptable worship begins before it begins.” ~ Alexander MacLaren A Call to True Worship Psalms 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness. Psalms 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker! Psalms 99:5 Exalt the LORD our God; worship at His footstool! Holy is He! John 4:21-24 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Examples of Worship Exodus 33:9-10 Then when Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent, and the LORD would speak with Moses. And when all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would rise up and worship, each at his tent Romans 12:1-2 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Worship in Song Exodus 15:20-21 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: “Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider He has thrown into the sea.” Psalms 59:16 But I will sing of Your strength; I will sing aloud of Your steadfast love in the morning. For You have been to me a fortress and a refuge in the day of my distress. Psalms 63:3-4 The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims His handiwork. Psalms 150 Praise the LORD! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise Him with lute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; praise Him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

AUDIENCE OF ONE by Greg Fergeson

It's such a strong temptation to live for man's applause But I don't want to buy into the lie 'cause I know that's not a worthy cause So to keep things in perspective I hung a sign upon the wall The sign is nothing special but it really says it all And the sign says… I'll be content to serve an Audience of One. Only His approval counts when all is said and done And this is my prayer when the race is finally run I want to hear well done from the Audience of One. When the drive for recognition starts to get the best of me All I've got to do is look around at the people serving selflessly And they don't serve for glory, and they're not keeping score There's a sign that's written on their hearts A sign I've seen before… I'll be content to serve an Audience of One. In the not too distant future When the crowds all fade away I'll stand alone before my Lord And this is what I long to say… I'm overjoyed to serve an Audience of One. It's what I've been created for ever since day one And this is my song as I bow before Your throne I love to hear well done from the Audience of One. So this will be my prayer 'til the race is finally run I want to hear well done I long to hear well done From the Audience of One. By Greg Furgeson Question from last week: How are you doing passionately loving Jesus, the Word, each other, your neighbors and the world? Remember that if we love Jesus passionately, the other steps should come naturally.

WHAT SHOULD THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD LOOK LIKE?

What Should the Church of the Living God Look Like? I have recently been thinking on what the Church should look like. I look around and see many variations of the way the Church conducts itself. I grew up in a church that I thought was really outward focused. I have served in churches that were inward focused. I have viewed churches that were committed to service. I have also seen churches that were all about Sunday morning and what happens on their church campus. So which one is right? This may shock you but they are all wrong…and right. Yesterday as I sat in staff meeting I heard our Pastor say what he believes the Church should look like. Let me list what he said and where it comes from. First, the Church should be passionately in love with Jesus. Luke 10:27. And He answered, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind…" Second, the Church should be passionately in love with the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12. For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Third, the Church should be passionately in love with each other. John 13:34-35. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Fourth, the Church should be passionately in love with our neighbors. Matthew 22:36-40 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Fifth, the Church should be passionate about sharing our love with the world. Mark 16:15. He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” Matthew 28:19-20. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Let’s pray together that FBC Canton becomes this kind of church. Aaron Hodges