I am a product of a campus fellowship. The University of Liberia Varsity Christian Fellowship. My conversion to Christ buttresses Jesus' statement in John 4 that a time is coming……. I saw a difference…I had worshipped on the mountain and at Jerusalem but I had not known Christ. I saw true worship and recognized it for what it was. I saw love, relationship, brokenness, humility, reverence, respect etc.
Many of us never come to this place…John 5:39…because of lack of knowledge which leads us to decide to not get too close to God becausewe think that,
1. he will not approve of our life styles and therefore he will condemn us or
2. he is not interested in us and in what we do,
3. we don’t need Him etc.
All of these reasons are erroneous. He will not approve but He will not condemn. He is interested, he said “I knew you from your mother’s womb”, We do need Him, “without Him we can do nothing”.
John 4:10,14, 21, 42 He calls us to knowledge, to Intimacy, to worship, only He can satisfy our spiritual thirst
John 5:39-40, the scriptures contain knowledge about God, butwe must still come to Him
Worship is the act of showing reverence and respect for a deity or thing or person.
Essence!! The essence of anything is that quality of a thing that makes it what it is or that gives it its name. which quality when takenaway it ceases to be. There may be many factors that lend to essence but thereis always a core quality. For the dog, it is its bark. For the duck it is itsquack. For worship, it is knowledge. For example, if you say a man worships hiscar then let him be able to tell me everything about that car because it is theknowledge of it that drives his worship. oldness, lack of fear, consistency, giving, sacrifice, unity, freedom, joy, protection, peace etc.
Essence!! The essence of anything is that quality of a thing that makes it what it is or that gives it its name. which quality when taken away it ceases to be. There may be many factors that lend to essence but there is always a core quality. For the dog, it is its bark. For the duck it is its quack. For worship, it is knowledge. For example, if you say a man worships his car then let him be able to tell me everything about that car because it is the knowledge of it that drives his worship.
Simply put, God is looking for someone who is interested in knowing Him and being real with Him! Why because He already knows you! and He chose to love you anyway!
A Glass is called so because of its transparency and ability to break and shatter into tiny pieces and can even be ground into powder form.
A Dog has a certain look and sound. Its looks and abilities are its identification. A dog that meows is no dog to me!!!
A true worshiper is born again of the spirit and must possess knowledge of the truth of Jesus Christ. This is your identification. You shall know the truth and the truth will set you free. Free to worship! Free to serve the Lord!
Worship is a Kingdom culture. A way of life!
In Rev. 4:9-11 we see non-stop worship. Angels and elders who have always existed in that culture carrying out what they know. Bowingdown and casting their crowns before the One who sits on the throne.
Worship during a church service is not and should not be a warm up exercise that happens before the sermon. It is the culture of the kingdom to welcome the presence of God into a place where a believer is or where believers are gathered.
Psalm 100:2 come before his presence with singing
2Chron. 20:21 Jehoshaphat must have known this secret. They sang a song as they prepared for battle and Not only did the song invite God’s presence to go with them, but it prophetically declared victory for themselves in the battle before it was fought.
Hope this brings you edification!
Yours,
Minister Debbie Hare