We have been discussing the nature of the discipline of worship over the last few days. If you have missed any of the discussion you can find it here and in the other links connected in that piece.

Pastor Wrinkles: Complete Worship Pt. 3

We have already mentioned that…

Those who say they can go and worship God alone in the forest show their ignorance of what true worship is because true worship must at some point involve the community.  Further though, those who come to public worship and who do not sing or shout or speak or raise their hands also show that they do not understand what worship is about. Yet those who come to public worship are still only doing half the act of worship. Praising God in the sanctuary is part of worship but it is not all of worship.

The second half of Psalm 150:1 says “praise Him in His mighty heavens.”

Worship ends up in the sanctuary, but that is not where it starts. The people who go out in the woods to privately worship God but who refuse to join themselves to a church do have it half right .They are just refusing to participate in complete worship.On the other hand people who come to the sanctuary every week and worship with in a church body, but who never spend any private time in praising God also fail to completely worship.In fact, you can have a daily devotional and go to church weekly and still not have a vibrant complete worship life. Let me ask you is praise and worship a part of your private prayer life? Or is private prayer for you just a recitation of a prayer list?

Do you spend time during the week thanking God for His work in your life? Do you spend time singing love songs to God at home like you do in church? Do you put on the Christian station at home and dance before Jesus? Do you lift your hands in praise to Him at home like you do in church? If not try it. Praise will revolutionize and empower your prayer life.

What does your private worship life look like?

We have been discussing the discipline of worship as a method of deeper connection to God. If you missed either of the previous conversation you can find them at

Pastor Wrinkles: Complete Worship Pt. 1

Pastor Wrinkles: Complete Worship Pt. 2

Here are our thoughts for the day:

The Bible teaches us that the nature of worship is two-fold but that the heart of worship is singular.

Worship can be expressed through music but it is not just music. It is about the heart changed in private and expressed publicly.

Some people say worship is everything we do, and I suppose in one sense that is true.

Romans 12:1, 2 does say, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship or service rendered unto God.”

The word used for worship in verse two  is the word “latreia” and it is usually translated as “sacred service.”

The worship we are speaking of here is the discipline of worship. It is the word “proskuneo”- and it means to  kneel or prostrate to do homage (to one) or make obeisance, whether in order to express respect or to make supplication

Worship is a very specific discipline and for it to be complete in our lives it must express itself in two ways out of one particular attitude. Psalm 150 talks to us about the ways we need to express worship.

First, worship must be public. Psalm 150 1 calls us tp ” Praise God in the sanctuary.”

In other words, half of worship is something you do with other people. It is a community activity. You can no more completely worship alone than you can play basketball alone. Further, worship is like a sport in that It is not enough to show up at the game. You aren’t worshipping if you come to church and watch any more than you can say you have played basketball by going to a game and watching from the bleachers. You must participate in the worship.

To participate you must:

Halal (from which we get the word hallelujah. It means to boast loudly about something.

Now, there is a place for quiet introspective worship, but at some point if you are going to praise God you are going to have to make some noise. Some of us have trouble getting into the presence of God simply because we won’t make any noise. We are so dignified in our manner of worship we’ve starched the presence of God right out of our lives. If you want access you are going to have to

“sound  the trumpet,”

“play the harp and lyre,”

“shake the tambourine and dance”

You’ve got to pluck a string or toot a flute or crash a cymbal or at least sing the songs!! Or thank Him audibly for something!

Psalm 150 says, “Let everything that has breath praise the Lord.” Are you breathing? Then you ought to be making some noise for Jesus.

You say, “I’m too shy Pastor J.”

Then you need a healing.

You say, ” It’s not dignified.”

You are right. It’s not. Praise is not dignified. It’s humbling. Worship involves putting aside your pride and it is admitting you are desperate for God, and frankly sometimes the act of doing that is downright indecorous.

Those who say they can go and worship God alone in the forest show their ignorance of what true worship is because true worship involves public community worship. Those who come to public worship and who do not sing, or shout, or speak, or raise their hands also show that they do not understand what worship is about.

So what does worship look like to you?

We are currently in a series considering ways to connect with and deepen our relationship with God. Last week you will remember Pastor Risto spoke to us about how we have access to God through the blood of Jesus. This week we are talking about connecting to God through the act of worship.

 C.S. Lewis said, “It is in the process of being worshipped that God communicates His presence to men.”

King David wrote in Psalm 100, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”

Christian this morning I am here to tell you if you want to come into the presence of God you will do it through the avenue of praise and worship.

 I think many have come to understand worship and praise in a very limited sense. I think many of us have a wrong or at least a limited definition of praise and worship.

Temi Peters, Author of Instruments of Praise & Acts of Worship said- “Worship is not about having a fantastic voice.”

 AND

 “God is not looking for incredibly high notes, intricate riffs or award-winning ad-libbing. God is looking at the heart.”

 AND

 “Vocals do not make a worshipper.”

 IF WORSHIP GETS US THROUGH THE GATES INTO THE COURTS… INTO THE PRESENCE OF GOD THEN AS CHRISTIANS WE NEED TO HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT IT IS SO THAT WE CAN DO IT!

SO LET ME ASK YOU WHAT DO YOU THINK WORSHIP IS?