A Face of Worship

As Cities Burn is one of my personal favorite bands.  Some people struggle to see past music and to dissect lyrics, but although their musical style may not be your taste, these guys are really creating some quality music with lyrics that bring glory to God.  Yes, I said it.  Although the lead singer in this video looks different and even takes a moment to rock out, as he sings these heartfelt lyrics, there is worship in there.  I love this band because they are fusing great music with lyrics centered around God, while challenging Christianity.  The music may not necessarily mean that to everyone either, but I certainly hear it.  I hope you watch this entire video and realize that worship and great music comes with many different faces. 

Classic cliche’: “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”  And yes.. That is the song “I Love You Lord” fused into their own song.

re:painting worship pt.3

Ok.  This certainly isn’t everyones cup of tea (may I just say I think it is genius), but this is truly a great way of involving creativity and worship.  I hope this sparks someones mind into doing something different at their church.

 

re:Painting Worship

Hallo all. This post might be for the church worship leader or anyone who claims to be a Christ follower. This isn’t a part of the “praise vs. worship” debate, but it is a personal revelation of what worship is.  I know it is long, but it has taken awhile to write, so I hope you read and enjoy it.

Worship for many is something that you experience during some sort of Sunday service or midweek service. For some it includes keyboards and guitars with a contemporary worship leader, for others it might be a seven person choir that sings hymns, and for some it might be a 30-60 person choir that is belting out Gospel tunes while the organists has a hay day. All the while, for some, might have a church full of people lifting their hands, shouting and dancing, while others might be a part of a more conservative group of people that might lift a hand or sit silently in reverence. But for all worship is something that can be easily misconstrued. People can easily get caught up in the response, or lack of response, in a church during times of singing and worship, or even get totally upset at those who don’t “get it.” You know. Those that talk during the time of worship, or just totally ignore everything that God is doing around them as the Church worships God for all he has done and who He is. As he heals, blesses, and mends lives, but they totally miss out on what God is doing right next to them. Some get mad. Some get angry, bitter, and some feel a kind of sadness for those who don’t even realize the opportunity that they have in worship. And I didn’t even realize it until while ago.

Worship is something that is so large we can’t even comprehend it and sadly many of us have dumbed it down to a 30 min or 20 min session before someone preaches. Or others have thought it to be something that is only successful when everyone in their congregation takes part in the songs, lifting their hands, and etc, and yes that is successful and one of the most beautiful things that can be seen in a church service. But honestly worship isn’t and will never be a X number of person choir singing for any person’s entertainment, or even if an entire church is lifting their hands during a song.  Here is what I came to understand worship as.

Worship is like a painting (dont turn me off just yet, I know it sounds funny).  And in this painting there are three elements.  One of the parts of this painting are what the Bible calls “the Heavenly Host.”  (Rev 4:8) “And the four living creatures, having each one of them six wings, are full of eyes round about and within: and they have no rest day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”  These angels are continually before God worshipping him, around his throne, in heaven somewhere.  So in order to re-paint worship, add these guys in your picture.  Four angels, always praising God, in Heaven, around a big seat where God sits.  Next.

The second thing you can add to this re-painting of worship is all of God’s creation.  In Psalms 150 David says “let everything that has breath praise God.”  So that means, while those four angels way up in Heaven somewhere are crying out and worshipping God, that every creation that God has made, and breathes, is worshipping him.  This is all minus us humans (even though we are part of the creation that breathes, even if we weren’t here, God would still be being praised regardless).  So the breathing animals and organisms of the earth are in continual worship unto God.  Can’t explain it, but they are.  Next.

The third element to this repainting of worship is us.  Humans.  God’s most important creation.  As we stand in our congregations, small meeting places, bedrooms, or mega churches, and worship, there are other people somewhere else in the world taking part in the same experience.  Someone else is singing a song or playing music in reverence to our Almighty God in another part of the country, continent, and world,  just as we are…  So what does this all mean?

This means that whenever and wherever we decide to pick up and sing a tune, lift a hand, sit in silence, and just worship God for who He is.  Weither everyone is, or you are the only one, you are really taking part in something that is constantly moving and happening.  As you lift your hands, so do those in Africa, those in the underground churches in China, and those living in remote villages touched by missionaries with the Gospel of Jesus.  And while the people around the world at that particular moment  are lifting their hands and you are lifting your hands, all the trees, grass, flowers, breathing creatures are praising God also.   AND EVEN AFTER all that.  You begin to realize that while you sing your song, people around the world sing their songs, the birds sing their songs, all to which are to God, those heavenly angels sing their song of  “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD God Almighty!”  And everyone, and everything sings, dances, worships, and reverences God together at the same time.  It is a huge picture that I can barely comprehend but it’s true.  So whenever you, worship leader, pastor, youth pastor, Christian, out-casted believer, or passionate worshipper; don’t see your congregation worship, see no one around you worship, or you get ridiculed for praising God, don’t worry.  The picture is much bigger than your church, your meeting place, where you are at in that moment in time,  and you, it is a painting that encompasses the entire universe.  And it is all breathing, reverencing, and praising God.  You are never in the minority worshipping believer, you are always in the majority.  You are just adding to the painting of an entire creation that worships its Creator.

>>One.thing.God.doesn’t.know

>>Hallo. 

Isaiah 44:⁸Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my witnesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.

Now if you are a follower of Christ then you know that God is all knowing.  God knows the beginning from the end, he knows our future, and our thoughts before we even think them.  But there is one thing God doesn’t know.  He doesn’t know of any other gods; because there aren’t any other gods. Throughout the scripture one of the main weak points or fallacies of the Israelites (God’s people) was the fact they began to worship other gods.   Story after story we find God’s people somewhere, somehow, worshipping gods made of stone, wood, and their own personal gods.  No America isn’t really a culture full of images-tic gods, but is just as full of false gods as many eastern religious cultures.  America is made up of monetary gods, gods of popularity, gods of social status, gods of self absorption.  No one is exempt from separating themselves from their own “personal gods” to follow the one true God.  God help me not to worship idols.  Not just in word, but in time, finances, thoughts, and deed.

Isaiah 44:¹⁹And none considereth in his heart, neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say, I have burned part of it in the fire; yea, also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof; I have roasted flesh, and eaten it: and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination? shall I fall down to the stock of a tree?