John 4:22-24
22 You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship,
for salvation is of the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now
is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit
and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God
is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and
truth.”
As Christians we can worship and minister in a freedom that the
OT Priest did not have. The Priest's in the Old Testament were
chosen to Minister to the Lord. And trained to do so. It was to
be done with purity and a sincere heart. No sin was to be in
their lives or they could perish. That is how important coming
before God in Spirit and in Truth is.
1 Chronicles 6:31-35
31 Now these are the men whom David appointed over the service
of song in the house of the Lord, after the ark came to rest. 32
They were ministering with music before the dwelling place of
the tabernacle of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of
the Lord in Jerusalem, and they served in their office according
to their order.
1 Chronicles 9:33
33 These are the singers, heads of the fathers’ houses of the
Levites, who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other
duties; for they were employed in that work day and night.
Praise the Lord!
2 Chronicles 29:11
11 My sons, do not be negligent now, for the Lord has chosen you
to stand before Him, to serve Him, and that you should minister
to Him and burn incense.”
Ezekiel 44:16
16 “They shall enter My sanctuary, and they shall come near My
table to minister to Me, and they shall keep My charge.
1 Kings 8:10-12
10 And it came to pass, when the priests came out of the holy
place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord, 11 so that
the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud;
for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the Lord.
But even though we have a personal relationship with God, it
does not mean that we should not come with the same reverence
and respect that the OT priests had.
What is ministering unto the Lord?
To minister to the Lord, means to draw near to God, to worship
Him and to bring Him joy and pleasure.
How do we minister to Him?
Praise, Worship and Communion.
Praise!
Meaning: Thanksgiving, psalm, confession, courage, excellence,
glory, commendation, to bless, declare, blessed, to stretch out
the hand, to speak well of, to boast, praise, hymn.
The Purpose of praise is to thank God for His salvation, Spirit,
Soul and Body!
Proverbs 27:21 Fire is the way to test the purity of silver and
gold, but the character of a man is tested by the things he
praises.
Praise refines us, melts us down, purifies our speech and
produces words worthy to be spoken to God.
Isaiah 6:1-10
The Throne Room
In the year that King Uzziah died, I clearly saw the Lord. He
was seated on his exalted throne, towering high above me. His
long, flowing robe of splendor spread throughout the temple. 2
Standing above him were the angels of flaming fire, each with
six wings: with two wings they covered their faces in reverence,
with two wings they covered their feet, and with two wings they
flew. 3 And one called out to another, saying: “Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God, Commander of Angel Armies! The whole earth is
filled with his glory!” 4 The thunderous voice of the fiery
angels caused the foundations of the thresholds to tremble as
the cloud of glory filled the temple!
5 Then I stammered and said, “Woe is me! I’m destroyed doomed as
a sinful man! For my words are tainted and I live among people
who talk the same way. King Yahweh, Commander of Angel Armies!
My eyes have gazed upon him!” 6 Then out of the smoke, one of
the angels of fire flew to me. He had in his hands a burning
coal he had taken from the altar with tongs. 7 He touched my
lips with it and said, “See? The burning coal from the altar has
touched your lips. Your guilt is taken away; your sin is blotted
out.” 8 Then I heard the Lord saying, “Whom should I send to my
people? Who will go to represent us?” I spoke up and said, “I
will be the one. Send me.”
Isaiah’s Message
9 Then he said, “Go and tell the people: ‘You keep listening but
understand nothing. 10 Go and preach a message that will make
their hearts dull, their ears plugged, and their eyes blind.
Otherwise, their eyes will begin to see, their ears will begin
to hear, their hearts will begin to understand, and they will
return to me for healing and be healed.”
This passage is a symbol of how we must come before God. Whether
this was a vision of Isaiah or it actually happened to him, it
shows that we have to come worthy to worship God. We have to
come with a pure heart and no sin in our lifes, for Him to hear
us.
Mark 11: 20 Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the
fig tree dried up from the roots. 21 And Peter, remembering,
said to Him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has
withered away.” 22 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have
faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to
this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does
not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says
will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say
to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you
receive them, and you will have them.
Forgiveness and Prayer
25 “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against
anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive
you your trespasses. 26 But if you do not forgive, neither will
your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.”
Psalm 100:4
You can pass through his open gates with the password of praise.
Come right into his presence with thanksgiving. Come bring your
thank offering to him and affectionately bless his beautiful
name!
Psalm 150:6
6 Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the
Lord!
Psalm 68:4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Praise Him who
rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him.
Sing praises to God with your mind on the words and their
meaning and put your heart into it. Don't sing to people, sing
to the Lord! Concentrate on ministering to Him!
Hebrews 2:11-12 11 Jesus, the Holy One, makes us holy. And as
sons and daughters, we now belong to his same Father, so he is
not ashamed or embarrassed to introduce us as his brothers and
sisters! 12 For he has said, “I will reveal who you really are
to my brothers and sisters, and I will glorify you with praises
in the midst of the congregation.”
Psalm 149:1-2
Triumphant Praise
149 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! It’s time to sing to God a
brand-new song so that all his holy people will hear how
wonderful he is! 2 May Israel be enthused with joy because of
him, and may the sons of Zion pour out their joyful praises to
their King.
Worship
Meaning: to ascribe worthy, reverence or devotion for a deity;
religious homage or veneration a church service or other rite
showing this extreme devotion or intense love or admiration of
any kind
Worship centers in on who God is and on His person. It is giving
something of value to God. Our time, our love, our life
Genesis 24:52
And it came to pass, when Abraham’s servant heard their words,
that he worshiped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth.
1 Chronicles 16:28-29 Give to the Lord, O families of the
peoples,
Give to the Lord glory and strength. 29 Give to the Lord the
glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come before Him. Give
to the Lord the glory due His name; Bring an offering, and come
before Him. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness!
Matthew 2:11 And when they had come into the house, they saw the
young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped
Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented
gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Psalm 99:5
5 Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at His footstool—He is
holy.
Revalations 4
Worthy Is the Lamb
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures
and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each
having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the
prayers of the saints.
Just worship Him because you love Him and because He is worthy!
Communion
Meaning: The act of sharing one's thoughts and emotions with
another or others; intimate converse an intimate relationship
with deep understanding.
Going into the Holy of Holies where His Presence is and just
talk with Him.
1 John 1:1-3
The Living Expression
1 We saw him with our very own eyes.We gazed upon him and heard
him speak. Our hands actually touched him, the one who was from
the beginning, the Living Expression of God. 2 This Life-Giver
was made visible and we have seen him. We testify to this truth:
the eternal Life-Giver lived face-to-face with the Father and
has now dawned upon us. 3 So we proclaim to you what we have
seen and heard about this Life-Giver so that we may share and
enjoy For truly our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus, the Anointed One.
Isaiah 40:31 But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their
strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall
run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint
1 John 1
What Was Heard, Seen, and Touched
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our
hands have handled, concerning the Word of life— the life was
manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to
you that eternal life which was with the Father and was
manifested to us— that which we have seen and heard we declare
to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our
fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. ...
Just be quiet in His presence and listen to Him. As we wait on
Him we will exchange our weakness for His strength
Psalm 37:7
7 Quiet your heart in his presence and pray;
keep hope alive as you long for God to come through for you.
Psalm 62:1-2, 5-8
Unshakeable Faith
To the Pure and Shining One
King David’s melody of love’s celebration
1 I stand silently to listen for the one I love, waiting as long
as it takes for the Lord to rescue me. For God alone has become
my Saviour. 2 He alone is my safe place; his wrap-around
presence always protects me. For he is my champion defender;
there’s no risk of failure with God. So why would I let worry
paralyze me, even when troubles multiply around me? 5 I am
standing in absolute stillness, silent before the one I love,
waiting as long as it takes for him to rescue me. Only God is my
Saviour, and he will not fail me. 6 For he alone is my safe
place. His wrap-around presence always protects me
as my champion defender. There’s no risk of failure with God! So
why would I let worry paralyze me, even when troubles multiply
around me? 7 God’s glory is all around me! His wrap-around
presence is all I need, for the Lord is my Savior, my hero, and
my life-giving strength. 8 Join me, everyone! Trust only in God
every moment! Tell him all your troubles and pour out your
heart-longings to him. Believe me when I tell you—he will help
you! Pause in his presence
Psalm 64:10
The lovers of God will be glad, rejoicing in the Lord. They will
be found in his glorious wrap-around presence, singing songs of
praise to God!
Psalm 67:1
It’s Time to Praise Him
For the Pure and Shining One A poetic song of praise for guitar
God, keep us near your mercy-fountain and bless us! And when you
look down on us, may your face beam with joy! Pause in his
presence
Psalm 77:13
It’s here in your presence, in your sanctuary, where I learn
more of your ways. For holiness is revealed in everything you
do. Lord, you’re the one and only, the great and glorious God!
As we minister to God, He will minister to us!
Note! All translations in the New Testament
and Psalms are from The Passion Translation. All the rest are
from the New King James version unless otherwise stated
