Words of Worship
Monday, July 14, 2014
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
WHAT EXACTLY IS SPIRIT AND TRUTH WORSHIP? David Ritter
The Bible is replete with Scriptures about worship. I have been searching the Word for years now, trying to discover what God expects from us as worshippers. In my research, I have found the three key verses that cover all aspects of worship along with their Greek meaning:
1) What does the Lord require of you? Micah 6:8 says, “Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly
with God.” In other words, do what
is right, be merciful to others (even when they don’t deserve it), and live in humility with God and towards
others.
2) Jesus said that, “Those
who worship God, must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). What is spirit? Spirit in Greek means “pneuma” meaning
“breath” or “the evidence of life.” Our spirit communing with God’s Spirit, and
prompted by the Spirit of the Lord. Our spirits are made alive by God’s Spirit
when we are born again, allowing us to interact with God at all times. This would eliminate non-believers from
worshipping God unless they have a relationship with God and are born again by
God’s Spirit.
3) What is truth? The Greek work for truth is “alétheia,” which means divine truth revealed to man.
To worship in truth would mean we must approach God without blemish, deceit, or
improper attitude.
4) Finally, Jesus said that the two greatest commandments are to
“Love God with all of your heart, soul,
mind, and strength,” and to, “love
your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37). In other words, worship God with ALL that you have been given!
The Bible tells us that no one is without sin (Prov. 20:9).
Even when we confess our sins and repent, it’s not too long before evil
thoughts and actions come back into our lives.
We all need continual cleansing, moment by moment; and God is willing to
forgive us. We must make confession and repentance a daily part of our life
with God…especially before we enter into worship. Being right with the Lord and walking in repentance before you worship is what we call worshipping God in Spirit and in truth!
Before entering into worship,
let’s consider what the Lord requires of us. Jesus said that if we have not
made things right with others and with God, then our sacrifices are
unacceptable. The Lord is calling us to search our hearts and see if there are
any wicked ways in us, and once we’ve repented, He will wash us, cleanse us,
and make us whiter than snow. In Psalm 50:23, the Lord says, “He who offers
acceptable thank offerings, honors me, and prepares the way so that I may show
them the salvation of God!” When you
worship God in Spirit and Truth, He promises that He will reveal His salvation
to you, and guide you in HIS path!
AMEN!
Saturday, May 10, 2014
GRATEFUL
By David Ritter
“Oh, that men would give thanks
to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of
men! For He satisfies the longing soul,
and fills the hungry soul with goodness.”
(Psalm 107:8-9)
We are the most blessed nation on the planet, yet probably the most
ungrateful. There’s only one name for
those who continually take without giving thanks...a spoiled brat! How disillusioned we are to think that we are
blessed because we deserve it...what arrogance!
However, being grateful not only promotes God’s Glory, but develops
faith and humility in us as well.
Then there’s this concept of praising God during tribulation. God is not asking us to pretend that nothing
is wrong. He’s not asking us to believe
that adversity in itself is good, but rather, HE is good! King David was known as a man after God’s own
heart, yet he would never have earned that reputation had it not been for his
thankful heart in the midst of afflictions. It was during some of the darkest
times of his life that the Psalms were composed, giving us the impetus,
inspiration, and content for much of today’s Christian music. Even the apostle
Paul suffered from “a thorn in the flesh” and although he prayed to be released
from it, the Lord responded by saying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My
strength is made perfect in weakness, therefore, I will boast all the more
about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me!” (II Corinthians
12:9)
It seems difficult to hear the voice of God when “all is well” in our
lives, particularly because we become complacent, and we often take credit for
the good we experience. Yet, I can tell
you that having had five back surgeries and living in chronic pain daily, that
it’s through the fire of adversity and pain that God speaks to me with a
megaphone! I have learned more about the
Lord and His heart for my life in the last 8 years than in the previous
40...the suffering I have endured has only served as a catalyst for drawing me
closer to the Lord, making me a “God Chaser.”
Malcom Muggeridge, a godly, famous journalist and author once said,
“Indeed I can say with complete truthfulness that everything I have learned in
my 75 years in this world, everything that has enhanced and enlightened my
experience, has been through affliction and not through happiness.” And so it is for all of us if we seek God in
the midst of trouble.
The Lord never promised us that we would escape all misery; rather, He
would be with us “through adversity,” just as He was with the three men in the
fiery furnace, and even in the “Shadow of Death,” comforting and guiding us
with His “Rod and Staff.”
It is not easy task to be thankful for trials and difficulties, yet the
Word encourages us in
I Thessalonians 5:18 to give thanks in all circumstances,
because this is God’s will for our lives.
The Lord desires that we have grateful hearts in spite of our situation,
because He is literally zealous to reveal Himself to us in the midst of “ill
winds.” Another great serendipity or
“bonus” about giving thanks is that it causes the enemy to flee from us.
A paraphrase of Ephesians 5:4 says that a heart of thanksgiving will
dispel evil thoughts. What a great
promise! I implore you to offer praise
and thanks for your afflictions...not only will it defeat evil, but God will
reveal Himself to you as well! Be
grateful!
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
WHOM GOD APPOINTS, HE ANOINTS!
Talent...use it or lose it. Hey, we’re taught that
principle from the time we first started Sunday School, or just from reading
the Bible. What we often miss, however, is that God is never impressed with our
talent. Unfortunately, there is a lot of “talent” worship, but what really
impresses God is when the attitude of our hearts is pure. It’s that simple. You
don’t need a degree in theology to understand that this is probably the most
critical element of the Music Ministry. On the flip side, when we exalt talent
over attitude, we compromise the integrity of that Music Ministry. How many times have we
fallen into the perfectionist mode, often forgetting our first obligation...to
worship God in Spirit and in Truth? Because God expects the very best from us,
we must sacrifice everything else to provide Him with nothing less than our
highest level of musicality.
I have yet to meet a minister of music who has not fallen into this "perfectionism trap" at some point in their ministry. In fact, I fell for it recently while I
was teaching the choir the correct rhythms for the song “Change My Heart O
God”. I got so caught up with fixing their mistakes that I totally missed the
writer’s intent, and the scriptural premise behind it; not once did I even
mention that this was the kind of prayer that captures God’s attention. Big
mistake! In the wee hours of that same night, I literally felt the anguish of
the Holy Spirit as He reminded me that my priorities were not in sync with His.
He also revealed the Truth behind my inordinate demand for flawless
presentation...I wanted to make sure that the choir was singing perfectly so
that I would look good!
That following Sunday
morning, I asked for the choir’s forgiveness for “missing the mark.” What I
didn’t realize was that this was Communion Sunday and that God was going to use
this as an opportunity for all of us to “check our hearts, so that we would not
partake of the elements unworthily.” Attitude trumps talent any day!
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