"For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
'Death is swallowed up in victory.
O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?'
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 15:53-57 ESV)
Do you ever sit the guilt of your own sin wondering if you are really saved at all? Does the fear of death and guilt of your sin weigh you down like 100 pounds of bricks on your back because you know that you will never measure up to God's standards? I've been there. It's a depressing, scary place to be. Death is a scary reality. Death is a result of the sin of Adam and all the generations after him have inherited it. The statistics don't lie: 10 out of 10 people die. It's just a matter of time before death comes knocking at your door. When death knocks, you better have ready for God the payment for your sin, and that payment is righteousness, perfection, perfect obedience to God's Law. The only problem is our righteousness, our goodness, is worth nothing to God because everything we do is tainted with sin. Isaiah 64:4 says all of our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. If your good deeds aren't good enough to cancel out your sin, death will come to sweep you away into hell where you will endure the eternal consequences for you sin. Many will say "That's not fair! I did my best!" Well, God is not subject to fallen notions of fairness. Death has power to take you to hell because you have committed treason against God with your sin. God gives this power to death through the Law. Everyone who has ever lied, stolen, looked with lust, hated, committed sexual immorality, murdered, coveted, or put God in a lower position than where He ought to be has committed treason against God. After God, death is your worst enemy. When you die you will be declared guilty and be cast forever into hell where you will never stop paying for your sin. Sin is infinite treason that deserves infinite payment because it offends the infinite God. There is no escape that we can provide for ourselves. In ourselves we are doomed to the fate of our filthy, disgusting, putrid unrighteousness.
But the story doesn't end here...
There is a way of escape from this pitiful end. God knew from eternity past that man would fall, and He has always had a plan to pay for the sins of men. God became flesh in the person of Jesus who lived a perfect life. He had no sin and was therefore not under the power of death. He willingly laid His life down as a sacrifice for sin. Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. He died to take the wrath of God in our place. Three days later, when there was no possible way to say that He was only unconscious or sleeping, Jesus rose from the dead proving He has power over death. On that day death was swallowed up in victory by God Himself. Anyone who places their hope and trust in Christ alone for His righteousness alone apart from any good deed of their own will have their sin pardoned and its record destroyed.
Do you understand what this means if you put your hope and trust in Christ to pay for your sin? There is no more sin record against you! Death no longer has power over you! Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to all who believe! Christian, wake up and believe this glorious truth! God no longer holds your sin against you. He will never hold it against you anymore! No matter how hard Satan presses you about how bad you are, you can eternally say "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impure sin! I am blessed!"
So when death comes knocking on your door, greet him with a smile and great joy for you are not subject to him anymore. Your sin has been forgiven. Your debt is paid. Christ now dwells in you and He is the hope of glory. Live on this truth!
O death, where is your sting?
O death, where is your victory?
If this does not stir up joy and praise in your heart desiring to worship God, I don't know what will. Praise Him with me today as we rejoice in this glorious truth that God delivered us from the power of death into the eternal hope of His glory.
Blessings,
Nick
Here is a 24 minute video of Victor Watters' conversation with death which was read at his funeral. Victor was a brave you Christian man who just recently died of cancer.
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Reasons To Worship
Over the next few days I would like to expound a little on a few reasons why we should worship God. I pray that these reasons will spark life into your hearts and give you the burning desire to enjoy God and worship Him. I have already discussed who God is so I want to focus more upon what He has done specifically in the life of us believers. I hope you stick around and draw from the well of God's marvelous joy with me!
Blessings,
Nick
Blessings,
Nick
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Is Jesus Worth It?
"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us." (Romans 8:18 ESV)
"What's in it for me?" and "Is it worth being a Christian?" are two questions that run through the minds of those to whom we present the Gospel to. Our answer is "Of course it is!", but that answer only masks and and deceives the person to whom we answer unless we explain what the Bible says. The Christian life is not easy. Look at the disciples life after the Great Commission (which is the command to go out and preach the Gospel to every part of the world, making people disciples of Jesus, and teaching them all the things that Jesus commanded). They were mocked, beaten, tortured, and martyred. Guess what.. Jesus said that we are guarantees these things if we become followers of Him. In America we may think we're safe from these things, but we're not. The Columbine High School massacre resulted in students murdered because they wouldn't denounce the God of the Bible. We may not experience this all the time here in America, but we are mocked and scoffed at daily. It is only a matter of time before Christianity is repressed in America. So what do we say to people when that occurs in the "land of the free"? Being a Christian is more "worth it" in the terms of today's way of life as Americans than it will be when it's illegal to side with Christ.
Hundreds of Christians die every day throughout the world because they won't deny Jesus as Lord. When a Muslim in the Middle East or an Hindu in India become a Christian, they basically sign their death warrant because their families and culture view that as committing treason to their gods. They can be thrown in jail, dismembered, burned with fire or acid, tortured, shot, hacked with machetes, decapitated, etc., but Jesus is still worth it to them. They understand the verse at the top of this entry. They understand that the Gospel rings through eternity beyond anything that happens here on earth.
So what's in it for me and you in this life on earth? That's a simple answer: persecution (mocking, scoffing, beatings, torture, and sometimes death). Is it worth being a Christian? That's up to you what you're willing to go through for being a Christian. If you're willing to be assaulted with words and fists or be killed for what you believe, then yes. If you aren't willing to go be persecuted but want to have a comfortable life, it won't be worth it to you, but let me try to convince you otherwise.
If you have been following my blog, you will understand that this life is about giving all glory to God because it's all about Him. You also know that even though it's all about God, He became a man and died for sin on a cross so that if you have faith alone in Christ alone for His righteousness alone apart from any good works of your own (all for the glory of God), you will be forgiven and made righteous before God. So is Christ worth it? Are the trials and persecutions of this life worth it? You can bet your life on it (and you will)! Because in the end we will be with our God and King for eternity. Every hardship in this life is worth enduring because we will one day be in God's glorious presence with Him for eternity. Jesus said if you want to be His disciple, you must pick up your cross daily and follow Him. That means you must die to your fleshly desires every day and seek to serve Him. When you realize that serving Him is a great privilege (whether in hard times or good times) and you enjoy Him for who He is and what He's done, you will live a life of worship. You will begin to realize what it is to be a slave of worship because you can't help but do everything for the glory of God with a heart that desires to glorify God and enjoy Him.
Blessings,
Nick
"What's in it for me?" and "Is it worth being a Christian?" are two questions that run through the minds of those to whom we present the Gospel to. Our answer is "Of course it is!", but that answer only masks and and deceives the person to whom we answer unless we explain what the Bible says. The Christian life is not easy. Look at the disciples life after the Great Commission (which is the command to go out and preach the Gospel to every part of the world, making people disciples of Jesus, and teaching them all the things that Jesus commanded). They were mocked, beaten, tortured, and martyred. Guess what.. Jesus said that we are guarantees these things if we become followers of Him. In America we may think we're safe from these things, but we're not. The Columbine High School massacre resulted in students murdered because they wouldn't denounce the God of the Bible. We may not experience this all the time here in America, but we are mocked and scoffed at daily. It is only a matter of time before Christianity is repressed in America. So what do we say to people when that occurs in the "land of the free"? Being a Christian is more "worth it" in the terms of today's way of life as Americans than it will be when it's illegal to side with Christ.
Hundreds of Christians die every day throughout the world because they won't deny Jesus as Lord. When a Muslim in the Middle East or an Hindu in India become a Christian, they basically sign their death warrant because their families and culture view that as committing treason to their gods. They can be thrown in jail, dismembered, burned with fire or acid, tortured, shot, hacked with machetes, decapitated, etc., but Jesus is still worth it to them. They understand the verse at the top of this entry. They understand that the Gospel rings through eternity beyond anything that happens here on earth.
So what's in it for me and you in this life on earth? That's a simple answer: persecution (mocking, scoffing, beatings, torture, and sometimes death). Is it worth being a Christian? That's up to you what you're willing to go through for being a Christian. If you're willing to be assaulted with words and fists or be killed for what you believe, then yes. If you aren't willing to go be persecuted but want to have a comfortable life, it won't be worth it to you, but let me try to convince you otherwise.
If you have been following my blog, you will understand that this life is about giving all glory to God because it's all about Him. You also know that even though it's all about God, He became a man and died for sin on a cross so that if you have faith alone in Christ alone for His righteousness alone apart from any good works of your own (all for the glory of God), you will be forgiven and made righteous before God. So is Christ worth it? Are the trials and persecutions of this life worth it? You can bet your life on it (and you will)! Because in the end we will be with our God and King for eternity. Every hardship in this life is worth enduring because we will one day be in God's glorious presence with Him for eternity. Jesus said if you want to be His disciple, you must pick up your cross daily and follow Him. That means you must die to your fleshly desires every day and seek to serve Him. When you realize that serving Him is a great privilege (whether in hard times or good times) and you enjoy Him for who He is and what He's done, you will live a life of worship. You will begin to realize what it is to be a slave of worship because you can't help but do everything for the glory of God with a heart that desires to glorify God and enjoy Him.
Blessings,
Nick
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Clarification About Worship
English is an interesting language being that it can be very vague and words can carry more than one meaning. For this reason I'd like to help clear up any misunderstandings as to what "slave of worship" means. "Worship" in the phrase "slave of worship" is used as a verb, not a noun. We are not slaves to worship in the sense that worship is our master. We are slaves to worship in that we can't help but worship to the appearance that we answer to the beck and call of worship. I will try to explain this the beat I can. A slave/servant does everything his master tells him to do. In the same way we should do everything the Jesus commands us to do. This is just being an obedient slave. But when enjoyment in and adoration of the master is present in the heart of the slave, service to the master is no longer a burden. When we enjoy Christ and adore Him above all things, it is no longer a burden for us to obey Him. Our obedience becomes worship. So when I say we are to be slaves of worship, our lives should be so full of love for God, enjoyment in Him, and adoration of Him that everything we think, speak, or act comes from a heart of worship. So we aren't directly slaves of worship (that is, worship being our master) but slaves of God who can't help but worship Him. I hope this helps clear up some miscommunications.
Blessings,
Nick
Blessings,
Nick
Monday, September 19, 2011
Earthly Model of a Heavenly Truth
"Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure'- for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, 'Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.' And he said to me, 'These are the true words of God.'" (Revelation 19:6-9)
My wife and I attended a wedding this weekend so I thought it would be appropriate to make this next entry about how the truths of earthly marriage are essential in understanding how to be a slave of worship. I can't stress enough the importance of understanding earthly marriage as a picture/model of eternal life with Christ. I hope you walk away from reading this entry with a new knowledge and understanding of how your walk with God should be. There are a lot of truths and principles of marriage, but I'll only look at a few of them as this is a blog and not a book.
Marriage first and foremost is a picture of Christ and the Church (God's people, Christians). Secondly, it is the way for a man and woman to enjoy each other exclusively as one flesh and glorify God through that relationship. On the other hand, our culture defines marriage as a mutual, legal contract between two people to be spouses. There are legal benefits to having a legal marriage contract, but it does not recognize a couple being spiritually united as one. You can't take a secular view of marriage and apply it to your walk with God. It fails miserably and I will show you how.
Marriage is a covenant, a promise, between a man and a woman to remain faithful to each other throughout all of life's difficulties and blessings no matter what for the glory of God until the day comes when one of them dies. Those are the vows you took (or one day will take), correct? In very simple terms, God took these vows when He made a covenant with Abraham to make Abraham's descendants a chosen people. He also took these vows in the proclamation through the Gospel: "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved", "My (Jesus) Father has given them (those who believe) to Me and no one is able to snatch them out of My hand", "nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord", "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." What you will find most interesting is that God began and will complete these covenants by His own power. When God made this covenant with Abraham He cut an animal in half and walked between the two halves by Himself. Abraham and God were supposed to walk between them together (as was the custom), but God made it to where He would take on responsibility to keep His people for Himself. It is the same with the New Testament covenant through the Gospel: Jesus took on the punishment of God in our place for sin and rose again to prove He has the power over death so that anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. God made that promise to keep for Himself His people. His love never fails. Look at the history of Abraham's descendants, the children of Israel. They were always rebelling against God and God judged them for it, but He remained faithful to them, He didn't cut them off from the earth, He provided for them, He called them His own, and He made a way for them to be saved from their sin. Even though God has opened up the Gospel to the rest of the world He still remains faithful to Israel and will fulfill His promise to save them. It's the same truth for the Church: God remains faithful to us even though we turn our backs Him every single day. He is the epitome of faithfulness. What a great God we have! Why wouldn't we remain faithful to Him?
The world would have you to believe if your spouse wrongs you in any way, if he, or if he or she no longer happy or finds another to love, it's pretty much okay to get a divorce and seek new love. This is a slap in the face to God. It is the complete opposite of how He designed marriage to be. We must follow His example: He will never leave us nor forsake us. So the next time you hear about some Christian friends who are getting married, ask them if they think divorce is okay. If they say yes, they are absolutely not ready to get married. Why? Because they don't have a biblical understanding of marriage. They think there is a way out if things go wrong. Remember Jesus remains faithful to His bride when She is not faithful to Him. Read Ephesians 5:22-33 and tell me if there is any room for divorce in marriage. As Christians, we are to be an example of Christ and the Church. Remain faithful to your spouse just as Christ has remained faithful to you.
Marriage is more than just about remaining faithful. It's about forgiving your spouse when he or she has wronged you. It's about letting go of grudges and choosing to faithfully love the other person. You might have a problem with forgiveness or holding grudges. A lot of people do. It's in our nature. Ask God for help in the area. Ask Him for strength to forgive and let go. Of course, you'll never be able to forget what happened, but forgiveness is about not holding anything against your spouse when they've done wrong and never bringing it up again. It's about picking up the pieces and moving on. Trust may be violated and might need to be regained. Take the time to work things out, but you must be willing to work things out. If you aren't willing, you need put your walk with God in check. You might not understand the forgiveness that has been given to you if you have even received forgiveness at all. That is another scary thought..
As you (both of you, that is) apply these principles in your earthly marriage, you will see how much more love you have for your spouse. You will grow closer to each other and have a stronger bond that is hard to break. If you believe these truths about God and His character, you will enjoy Him more as you draw closer to Him, and vice versa. As you grow in these truths you will have a greater desire to serve your God and spouse with love, honor, dignity, and selflessness. These aren't all of the principles and truths in marriage, but they are definitely some of the greatest. If you aren't married, you are kind out of the loop and that's okay. Why? Because if you believe God's promises and trust that He will always remain faithful to you no matter what, and if you will practice these principles with God, you will understand what marriage is all about and you will practice them with your spouse. It will be a learning process, no doubt, but you will be a step ahead of many marriages in this day and age.
Treasure Christ above all things. Treasure your spouse as Christ treasures you.
Blessings,
Nick
My wife and I attended a wedding this weekend so I thought it would be appropriate to make this next entry about how the truths of earthly marriage are essential in understanding how to be a slave of worship. I can't stress enough the importance of understanding earthly marriage as a picture/model of eternal life with Christ. I hope you walk away from reading this entry with a new knowledge and understanding of how your walk with God should be. There are a lot of truths and principles of marriage, but I'll only look at a few of them as this is a blog and not a book.
Marriage first and foremost is a picture of Christ and the Church (God's people, Christians). Secondly, it is the way for a man and woman to enjoy each other exclusively as one flesh and glorify God through that relationship. On the other hand, our culture defines marriage as a mutual, legal contract between two people to be spouses. There are legal benefits to having a legal marriage contract, but it does not recognize a couple being spiritually united as one. You can't take a secular view of marriage and apply it to your walk with God. It fails miserably and I will show you how.
Marriage is a covenant, a promise, between a man and a woman to remain faithful to each other throughout all of life's difficulties and blessings no matter what for the glory of God until the day comes when one of them dies. Those are the vows you took (or one day will take), correct? In very simple terms, God took these vows when He made a covenant with Abraham to make Abraham's descendants a chosen people. He also took these vows in the proclamation through the Gospel: "Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved", "My (Jesus) Father has given them (those who believe) to Me and no one is able to snatch them out of My hand", "nothing shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord", "He who began a good work in you will be faithful to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus." What you will find most interesting is that God began and will complete these covenants by His own power. When God made this covenant with Abraham He cut an animal in half and walked between the two halves by Himself. Abraham and God were supposed to walk between them together (as was the custom), but God made it to where He would take on responsibility to keep His people for Himself. It is the same with the New Testament covenant through the Gospel: Jesus took on the punishment of God in our place for sin and rose again to prove He has the power over death so that anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved. God made that promise to keep for Himself His people. His love never fails. Look at the history of Abraham's descendants, the children of Israel. They were always rebelling against God and God judged them for it, but He remained faithful to them, He didn't cut them off from the earth, He provided for them, He called them His own, and He made a way for them to be saved from their sin. Even though God has opened up the Gospel to the rest of the world He still remains faithful to Israel and will fulfill His promise to save them. It's the same truth for the Church: God remains faithful to us even though we turn our backs Him every single day. He is the epitome of faithfulness. What a great God we have! Why wouldn't we remain faithful to Him?
The world would have you to believe if your spouse wrongs you in any way, if he, or if he or she no longer happy or finds another to love, it's pretty much okay to get a divorce and seek new love. This is a slap in the face to God. It is the complete opposite of how He designed marriage to be. We must follow His example: He will never leave us nor forsake us. So the next time you hear about some Christian friends who are getting married, ask them if they think divorce is okay. If they say yes, they are absolutely not ready to get married. Why? Because they don't have a biblical understanding of marriage. They think there is a way out if things go wrong. Remember Jesus remains faithful to His bride when She is not faithful to Him. Read Ephesians 5:22-33 and tell me if there is any room for divorce in marriage. As Christians, we are to be an example of Christ and the Church. Remain faithful to your spouse just as Christ has remained faithful to you.
Marriage is more than just about remaining faithful. It's about forgiving your spouse when he or she has wronged you. It's about letting go of grudges and choosing to faithfully love the other person. You might have a problem with forgiveness or holding grudges. A lot of people do. It's in our nature. Ask God for help in the area. Ask Him for strength to forgive and let go. Of course, you'll never be able to forget what happened, but forgiveness is about not holding anything against your spouse when they've done wrong and never bringing it up again. It's about picking up the pieces and moving on. Trust may be violated and might need to be regained. Take the time to work things out, but you must be willing to work things out. If you aren't willing, you need put your walk with God in check. You might not understand the forgiveness that has been given to you if you have even received forgiveness at all. That is another scary thought..
As you (both of you, that is) apply these principles in your earthly marriage, you will see how much more love you have for your spouse. You will grow closer to each other and have a stronger bond that is hard to break. If you believe these truths about God and His character, you will enjoy Him more as you draw closer to Him, and vice versa. As you grow in these truths you will have a greater desire to serve your God and spouse with love, honor, dignity, and selflessness. These aren't all of the principles and truths in marriage, but they are definitely some of the greatest. If you aren't married, you are kind out of the loop and that's okay. Why? Because if you believe God's promises and trust that He will always remain faithful to you no matter what, and if you will practice these principles with God, you will understand what marriage is all about and you will practice them with your spouse. It will be a learning process, no doubt, but you will be a step ahead of many marriages in this day and age.
Treasure Christ above all things. Treasure your spouse as Christ treasures you.
Blessings,
Nick
Friday, September 16, 2011
Biblical Purpose of Enjoyment: God or this World?
"Let those who delight in my righteousness shout for joy and be glad and say evermore, 'Great is the LORD, who delights in the welfare of his servant!' Then my tongue shall tell of your righteousness and of your praise all the day long." (Psalm 35:27-28 ESV)
The purpose of being a Christian isn't about being a good person, going to church every Sunday, or praying before you eat. It's not to read your Bible every day, pray before you eat, or sing songs to God in church. It's not to serve the community, the Church, or your family. Yes, these are all great things to do, but they only revolve around the main purpose. The purpose of being a Christian is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I've been talking a lot about enjoying God for who He is so I thought I'd take some time and expound on it. What about Him would make me want to enjoy Him? What has He done to make me want to enjoy Him?
The ability to enjoy God comes from an understanding of who He is and what He has done. Shai Linne (a Christian rap artist) describes God in one of his songs: "God is the universe's Creator and Sustainer, plus the only Savior, there is no one greater/ He's triune, holy, omnipotent, omniscient, absolute/ Loving, sovereign, righteous are a few of His attributes." God has ultimate authority over everyone and everything in creation: from the smallest part of the atom to the largest galaxy; from the lowest, poorest, weakest person to the highest, richest, most powerful person. He is perfectly righteous and perfect in justice: He can do no wrong and whatever He does is right. He loves mercy and is slow to anger, but He hates evil and His judgements are swift. He is the most fearful being to behold, yet He is most beautiful and magnificent. The list goes on and on..
God has done and is doing great things. He created the world in six literal 24-hour days, He gave Israel victory over the Canaanites in the Promised Land, He kept for Himself a remnant of believing people while the rest of Israel turned away from Him, He has kept the people of Israel alive and well without a homeland for almost 2,000 years, He became a man to take on the wrath of God for sins, He rose again the third day defeating death, He fills His people with His power to be bold for Him in the spreading of His Gospel, before time He had a plan to save sinners from their wretchedness, He lets His people come before Him without intervening priests, He made us His friends... Again, the list goes on and on and on... We should enjoy God for who He is because He is the most enjoyable Person in the universe. We should enjoy Him because of what He has done in history and for what He has done in our lives as believers.
The world promises enjoyment through many things: money, television, movies, food, sports, cars, sex, etc. But what the world doesn't tell you is that these things will never satisfy that desire of enjoyment because those things don't last forever. That's why people always have to have the "latest and greatest" stuff. It seems like the stuff we buy are out of style or old within a year of buying them. The world tells us "The next iPhone will be so much better than the last one!" or "The new [insert car here] has so many more features to offer than last year's model!" Wefeed feast on these words and act upon our impulses because we need the best, the latest, and the most expensive stuff like everyone else. When we see someone with the newest gadget or car we think to ourselves "I wish I had that..." or "Why can't I have that car like him?" When we take advantage of all the world has to offer to satisfy the desires of our hearts we end up replacing God with the temporary things of this world. Instead, take full advantage of enjoying God who will last forever. Remember that verse at the beginning of this post? God wants us to satisfy that desire for enjoyment with Him.
If you are a Christian, you've experienced the great love of God in your life through Him saving your soul from eternal damnation, you've experienced the grace and mercy of God, and you've experienced a changed life from your old ways of sin. Bask in the rays of who God is and what He does! Enjoy the love of God! Over and over again Psalms talks about how the steadfast love of God endures forever. That's something the things of this world can never compete with. So why entangle yourself with the things of this world? Why try to get pleasure out of something that won't last forever? Why try to enjoy something that you can't take with you when you die? It doesn't make sense. Now am I saying that you shouldn't enjoy the things of this world? Absolutely not. We can enjoy the things of this world as long as the things we enjoy aren't sin and prohibited by God. Remember whatever you enjoy more than God is an idol. Keep yourself in check when it comes to enjoying stuff. Remember that whatever you enjoy most will be reflected most in your life: God or the world.
With all that being said, just remember that God should be our ultimate source of enjoyment. There are two purposes for being a Christian. The first is to glorify God for who He is and what He's done. The second is to enjoy Him forever. Pray with me today that we will enjoy God more today than yesterday and more tomorrow than today.
Blessings,
Nick
The purpose of being a Christian isn't about being a good person, going to church every Sunday, or praying before you eat. It's not to read your Bible every day, pray before you eat, or sing songs to God in church. It's not to serve the community, the Church, or your family. Yes, these are all great things to do, but they only revolve around the main purpose. The purpose of being a Christian is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. I've been talking a lot about enjoying God for who He is so I thought I'd take some time and expound on it. What about Him would make me want to enjoy Him? What has He done to make me want to enjoy Him?
The ability to enjoy God comes from an understanding of who He is and what He has done. Shai Linne (a Christian rap artist) describes God in one of his songs: "God is the universe's Creator and Sustainer, plus the only Savior, there is no one greater/ He's triune, holy, omnipotent, omniscient, absolute/ Loving, sovereign, righteous are a few of His attributes." God has ultimate authority over everyone and everything in creation: from the smallest part of the atom to the largest galaxy; from the lowest, poorest, weakest person to the highest, richest, most powerful person. He is perfectly righteous and perfect in justice: He can do no wrong and whatever He does is right. He loves mercy and is slow to anger, but He hates evil and His judgements are swift. He is the most fearful being to behold, yet He is most beautiful and magnificent. The list goes on and on..
God has done and is doing great things. He created the world in six literal 24-hour days, He gave Israel victory over the Canaanites in the Promised Land, He kept for Himself a remnant of believing people while the rest of Israel turned away from Him, He has kept the people of Israel alive and well without a homeland for almost 2,000 years, He became a man to take on the wrath of God for sins, He rose again the third day defeating death, He fills His people with His power to be bold for Him in the spreading of His Gospel, before time He had a plan to save sinners from their wretchedness, He lets His people come before Him without intervening priests, He made us His friends... Again, the list goes on and on and on... We should enjoy God for who He is because He is the most enjoyable Person in the universe. We should enjoy Him because of what He has done in history and for what He has done in our lives as believers.
The world promises enjoyment through many things: money, television, movies, food, sports, cars, sex, etc. But what the world doesn't tell you is that these things will never satisfy that desire of enjoyment because those things don't last forever. That's why people always have to have the "latest and greatest" stuff. It seems like the stuff we buy are out of style or old within a year of buying them. The world tells us "The next iPhone will be so much better than the last one!" or "The new [insert car here] has so many more features to offer than last year's model!" We
If you are a Christian, you've experienced the great love of God in your life through Him saving your soul from eternal damnation, you've experienced the grace and mercy of God, and you've experienced a changed life from your old ways of sin. Bask in the rays of who God is and what He does! Enjoy the love of God! Over and over again Psalms talks about how the steadfast love of God endures forever. That's something the things of this world can never compete with. So why entangle yourself with the things of this world? Why try to get pleasure out of something that won't last forever? Why try to enjoy something that you can't take with you when you die? It doesn't make sense. Now am I saying that you shouldn't enjoy the things of this world? Absolutely not. We can enjoy the things of this world as long as the things we enjoy aren't sin and prohibited by God. Remember whatever you enjoy more than God is an idol. Keep yourself in check when it comes to enjoying stuff. Remember that whatever you enjoy most will be reflected most in your life: God or the world.
With all that being said, just remember that God should be our ultimate source of enjoyment. There are two purposes for being a Christian. The first is to glorify God for who He is and what He's done. The second is to enjoy Him forever. Pray with me today that we will enjoy God more today than yesterday and more tomorrow than today.
Blessings,
Nick
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Praise and Worship: Is There a Difference?
"Be exalted, O LORD, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power." (Psalm 21:13 ESV)
What's the difference between praise and worship? Is there a difference? Does it even matter? I can tell you that it is very important and it does matter. Understanding these two words will help you glorify God and enjoy Him even more!
Praise is an expression of how great someone or something is. When we see God in all His majesty and glory, in all His greatness and power, in all His grace and justice, in all His love and mercy, we should want to express how wonderful He is. Praise can be expressed in a thought, a prayer, a cheer, a proclamation, or a song. When we speak about how great God is, that's praise. How often do we praise God throughout the day? Do we even praise Him at all? Make great the greatness of God today!
Now what is worship? It's a bummer how the English language is so tied down and vague. Look at the Spanish word for worship: adoracion. doesn't that look like the English word adoration? How awesome is that! Worship is an act of adoration. It's an expression from the heart towards someone or something that you value greatly. What do you treasure most in this life? God? A person? Earthly things? Anything that you treasure more than God is an idol. That person or thing is an instrument to steal God's glory. Be careful about who or what you treasure most in this life. God is to be treasured and enjoyed above everything and everyone else in this lifetime. Worship is expressed when we stand in awe of God for who He is. When we enjoy God we are worshipping Him. When we treasure God we are worshipping Him. John Piper, said "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him". Being satisfied with God for who He is is worshipping Him.
May praise and worship of our great and living God fill your your hearts today, may the grace of our Lord Jesus transform your ways to His, and may the Holy Spirit fill you with power to do great things for the glory and pleasure of God!
Blessings,
Nick
What's the difference between praise and worship? Is there a difference? Does it even matter? I can tell you that it is very important and it does matter. Understanding these two words will help you glorify God and enjoy Him even more!
Praise is an expression of how great someone or something is. When we see God in all His majesty and glory, in all His greatness and power, in all His grace and justice, in all His love and mercy, we should want to express how wonderful He is. Praise can be expressed in a thought, a prayer, a cheer, a proclamation, or a song. When we speak about how great God is, that's praise. How often do we praise God throughout the day? Do we even praise Him at all? Make great the greatness of God today!
Now what is worship? It's a bummer how the English language is so tied down and vague. Look at the Spanish word for worship: adoracion. doesn't that look like the English word adoration? How awesome is that! Worship is an act of adoration. It's an expression from the heart towards someone or something that you value greatly. What do you treasure most in this life? God? A person? Earthly things? Anything that you treasure more than God is an idol. That person or thing is an instrument to steal God's glory. Be careful about who or what you treasure most in this life. God is to be treasured and enjoyed above everything and everyone else in this lifetime. Worship is expressed when we stand in awe of God for who He is. When we enjoy God we are worshipping Him. When we treasure God we are worshipping Him. John Piper, said "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him". Being satisfied with God for who He is is worshipping Him.
May praise and worship of our great and living God fill your your hearts today, may the grace of our Lord Jesus transform your ways to His, and may the Holy Spirit fill you with power to do great things for the glory and pleasure of God!
Blessings,
Nick
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Worship Music: Its Purpose and Misconceptions
"Praise the LORD! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant, and a song of praise is fitting." (Psalm 147:1 ESV)
I've been leading worship for almost half of my life, and I've come across and held many different viewpoints and experiences of worship during this time. This entry is going to be mainly from my point of view as a worship leader, but I hope you will still read this and grow in your relationship with the Lord.
I think there are many misconceptions when it comes to musical praise and worship. We have a problem with pride and selfishness, and our culture doesn't help us restrain that part of our lives.
Misconception #1-The culture of American Christianity tells me as a worship leader to choose songs for a worship set that will give the congregation a worshipful experience. Now there are two types of worship experiences: worshipping God and worshipping the experience. The latter of the two is what this culture wants me to engage in because it usually brings forth a larger response, but the Bible gives a different instruction. Hopefully you read the verse at the beginning of this entry. You will notice that is says it is good to sing songs to the Lord because it is pleasant. In other words, it's a great experience to sing songs to God, but there's another piece of this puzzle we need to connect. The last part of that verse says "a song of praise is fitting." It is a pleasant thing to sing praises to God because it is the right thing to do. It is a right response for us to sing praises to God, and when we are enjoying Him for who He is, it is pleasant for us. We are blessed by blessing God! What a concept! Don't sing worship songs to be blessed. Sing to worship God and you will be blessed!
Misconception #2- With that being said, another misconception of worship music is the idea that singing man-centered songs to God is actually worshipping God. After all, we are singing to God, right? Let's look at this closer. This somewhat stems from the previous misconception. Are we worshipping God to worship His excellent greatness or to make us feel warm and fluffy on the inside? Let me make sure I'm making myself clear. You can sing to God and feel good because you are enjoying Him, but you can also sing to God and feel good because you are enjoying the song or experience. There is a huge difference between these two. What glory does God get out of the latter? God is glorified through songs of praise, adoration, of telling of His works in our lives, and of prayer. But when we start worshipping God with songs about us to get something out of it, that is when actually stop worshipping God and start worshipping ourselves. We are stealing God's glory. That is a scary thought...
Misconception #3- I think one of the worst mistakes a worship leader and Christian can make is sing songs without understanding the meaning of the lyrics. Yeah, it might have a cool chorus, melody, or beat, but if you don't understand what you're singing, why on earth are you singing it!? Take time to understand what you are singing. Make sure it lines up with Scripture.
To my worship leader friends, if you can't explain the meaning of a song and back it up with Scripture, biblical principles, theology, or doctrine, you have no business leading that song. Period. I've wondered if God will group us in with pastors and teachers for a stricter judgement. After all, we are teaching theology and doctrine to the Church, right? That's another scary thought...
Misconception #4- Have you ever picked up a hymnal and read some of the hymns? Compare those hymns to songs today. It's as if we thought we needed to dumb down theology and doctrine in our worship songs today. Those hymns of old are filled with deep theology and doctrine! Look at these next few lyrics from almost any hymnal you can pick up, "A mighty fortress is our God. A bulwark never failing" and "What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer." How beautiful and deep are those words! Sing songs of deep theology and doctrine to your God, Christian! Now there are songs that are very simple and speak great truth that bring just as much glory to God as the deep theological hymns. All I'm saying is please don't neglect great songs of theology and doctrine, old or contemporary. They are such a blessing to sing!
Misconception #5- So many people and denominations argue about how their style of music is the only way worship music should be played. Worship music doesn't have to be of a particular genre to be worship. People have different preferences when it comes to music. Get over it and just accept the fact that people worship to different styles of music all around the world, and as long as people are glorifying God, enjoying Him for who He is, and not stealing attention from God, then God is pleased with that. I have my preferences of style when it comes to worship music and yours may be different, but we are still brothers and sisters in Christ. We are one body united by faith in Christ. One day when we stand before the throne of God it won't matter what our musical preferences were because the worship music in heaven will be so wonderful and awesome we will say that that music is the best genre for worship. What a day that will be!
Finally, I want to leave my worship leader friends a thought to chew on. The next time you lead the Church into worship ask yourself this, "Do I want people walking away saying 'the music was really cool today. I was really blessed by it...' or 'I'm so glad God has blessed me and I am able to express my gratitude and bless Him...'?"
Blessings,
Nick
I've been leading worship for almost half of my life, and I've come across and held many different viewpoints and experiences of worship during this time. This entry is going to be mainly from my point of view as a worship leader, but I hope you will still read this and grow in your relationship with the Lord.
I think there are many misconceptions when it comes to musical praise and worship. We have a problem with pride and selfishness, and our culture doesn't help us restrain that part of our lives.
Misconception #1-The culture of American Christianity tells me as a worship leader to choose songs for a worship set that will give the congregation a worshipful experience. Now there are two types of worship experiences: worshipping God and worshipping the experience. The latter of the two is what this culture wants me to engage in because it usually brings forth a larger response, but the Bible gives a different instruction. Hopefully you read the verse at the beginning of this entry. You will notice that is says it is good to sing songs to the Lord because it is pleasant. In other words, it's a great experience to sing songs to God, but there's another piece of this puzzle we need to connect. The last part of that verse says "a song of praise is fitting." It is a pleasant thing to sing praises to God because it is the right thing to do. It is a right response for us to sing praises to God, and when we are enjoying Him for who He is, it is pleasant for us. We are blessed by blessing God! What a concept! Don't sing worship songs to be blessed. Sing to worship God and you will be blessed!
Misconception #2- With that being said, another misconception of worship music is the idea that singing man-centered songs to God is actually worshipping God. After all, we are singing to God, right? Let's look at this closer. This somewhat stems from the previous misconception. Are we worshipping God to worship His excellent greatness or to make us feel warm and fluffy on the inside? Let me make sure I'm making myself clear. You can sing to God and feel good because you are enjoying Him, but you can also sing to God and feel good because you are enjoying the song or experience. There is a huge difference between these two. What glory does God get out of the latter? God is glorified through songs of praise, adoration, of telling of His works in our lives, and of prayer. But when we start worshipping God with songs about us to get something out of it, that is when actually stop worshipping God and start worshipping ourselves. We are stealing God's glory. That is a scary thought...
Misconception #3- I think one of the worst mistakes a worship leader and Christian can make is sing songs without understanding the meaning of the lyrics. Yeah, it might have a cool chorus, melody, or beat, but if you don't understand what you're singing, why on earth are you singing it!? Take time to understand what you are singing. Make sure it lines up with Scripture.
To my worship leader friends, if you can't explain the meaning of a song and back it up with Scripture, biblical principles, theology, or doctrine, you have no business leading that song. Period. I've wondered if God will group us in with pastors and teachers for a stricter judgement. After all, we are teaching theology and doctrine to the Church, right? That's another scary thought...
Misconception #4- Have you ever picked up a hymnal and read some of the hymns? Compare those hymns to songs today. It's as if we thought we needed to dumb down theology and doctrine in our worship songs today. Those hymns of old are filled with deep theology and doctrine! Look at these next few lyrics from almost any hymnal you can pick up, "A mighty fortress is our God. A bulwark never failing" and "What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer." How beautiful and deep are those words! Sing songs of deep theology and doctrine to your God, Christian! Now there are songs that are very simple and speak great truth that bring just as much glory to God as the deep theological hymns. All I'm saying is please don't neglect great songs of theology and doctrine, old or contemporary. They are such a blessing to sing!
Misconception #5- So many people and denominations argue about how their style of music is the only way worship music should be played. Worship music doesn't have to be of a particular genre to be worship. People have different preferences when it comes to music. Get over it and just accept the fact that people worship to different styles of music all around the world, and as long as people are glorifying God, enjoying Him for who He is, and not stealing attention from God, then God is pleased with that. I have my preferences of style when it comes to worship music and yours may be different, but we are still brothers and sisters in Christ. We are one body united by faith in Christ. One day when we stand before the throne of God it won't matter what our musical preferences were because the worship music in heaven will be so wonderful and awesome we will say that that music is the best genre for worship. What a day that will be!
Finally, I want to leave my worship leader friends a thought to chew on. The next time you lead the Church into worship ask yourself this, "Do I want people walking away saying 'the music was really cool today. I was really blessed by it...' or 'I'm so glad God has blessed me and I am able to express my gratitude and bless Him...'?"
Blessings,
Nick
Monday, September 12, 2011
Diversity: Actions
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:16, 24 ESV)
As Christians our actions show a lot about who we are. Do we show love towards each other or contempt? Do we help our brothers and sisters in need or leave them in the dust? Do our actions to show we love God or are our actions giving God and other Christians a bad reputation? Over and over throughout the New Testament God tells us that our actions are to be different from the rest of the world. If we act contrary to how Scripture says we are to act, how then can we say we are Christians? We are Christians, the Church, the called-out ones. A good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. The fruit you, Christian, should be bearing are of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Practice these things for the glory and pleasure of God as you enjoy Him for who He is! Now on the other side of the coin is the fruit of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. Do not practice these things, but suppress them with righteousness. If you practice these things, that is, make them a part of your lifestyle, you should be very afraid. Galatians 5 says that you will not inherit the kingdom of God if you practice these things. God is very serious about His children being set apart from sin. If you are reading this blog and are finding you haven't been a true Christian or maybe you've never even claimed to be a Christian, it's not too late to be forgiven and have a changed life, a life that glorifies God. Christ died for ungodly sinners even before we could come to Him. He rose from the dead three days later proving He has power over death and authority to forgive sinners. Take part in His gracious forgiveness today! Cry out to God for forgiveness. Put your faith alone in Christ alone for His righteousness alone apart from any good works of your own. The Bible says whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved!
Christian, do not grow weary of doing good. Remember what 1 Corinthians 6 says, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Because of what God has done in us, because of His work in us through the Gospel, we are no longer slaves to sin and the flesh! We are slaves to God! We are His workmanship, His masterpieces, creates for good works! Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. Read that again... Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. All things, all things have become new! You are a new person in Christ when you are born again! This should produce so much thankfulness to God and a desire to do what is right out of a heart of gratitude and enjoyment of God! That is worship. Live a lifestyle of worship. Are you guys beginning to see a clearer picture of what it means to be a slave of worship? Are you beginning to have a deeper enjoyment of God for who He is? I pray that your desire is to be a slave of worship.
Finally, The Bible talks about a few other ways we can worship God: rejoicing, singing, clapping, raising hands, and dancing. When worship is understood as a lifestyle it produces these many different expressions of praise and adoration. So the next time you are in a Bible study where there's a time of musical worship to God, take that time to enjoy God. Praise and adore Him. He likes to hear you sing to Him out of a heart enjoying Him.
Blessings,
Nick
And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." (Galatians 5:16, 24 ESV)
As Christians our actions show a lot about who we are. Do we show love towards each other or contempt? Do we help our brothers and sisters in need or leave them in the dust? Do our actions to show we love God or are our actions giving God and other Christians a bad reputation? Over and over throughout the New Testament God tells us that our actions are to be different from the rest of the world. If we act contrary to how Scripture says we are to act, how then can we say we are Christians? We are Christians, the Church, the called-out ones. A good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. The fruit you, Christian, should be bearing are of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Practice these things for the glory and pleasure of God as you enjoy Him for who He is! Now on the other side of the coin is the fruit of the flesh: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. Do not practice these things, but suppress them with righteousness. If you practice these things, that is, make them a part of your lifestyle, you should be very afraid. Galatians 5 says that you will not inherit the kingdom of God if you practice these things. God is very serious about His children being set apart from sin. If you are reading this blog and are finding you haven't been a true Christian or maybe you've never even claimed to be a Christian, it's not too late to be forgiven and have a changed life, a life that glorifies God. Christ died for ungodly sinners even before we could come to Him. He rose from the dead three days later proving He has power over death and authority to forgive sinners. Take part in His gracious forgiveness today! Cry out to God for forgiveness. Put your faith alone in Christ alone for His righteousness alone apart from any good works of your own. The Bible says whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved!
Christian, do not grow weary of doing good. Remember what 1 Corinthians 6 says, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God." Because of what God has done in us, because of His work in us through the Gospel, we are no longer slaves to sin and the flesh! We are slaves to God! We are His workmanship, His masterpieces, creates for good works! Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. Read that again... Anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. All things, all things have become new! You are a new person in Christ when you are born again! This should produce so much thankfulness to God and a desire to do what is right out of a heart of gratitude and enjoyment of God! That is worship. Live a lifestyle of worship. Are you guys beginning to see a clearer picture of what it means to be a slave of worship? Are you beginning to have a deeper enjoyment of God for who He is? I pray that your desire is to be a slave of worship.
Finally, The Bible talks about a few other ways we can worship God: rejoicing, singing, clapping, raising hands, and dancing. When worship is understood as a lifestyle it produces these many different expressions of praise and adoration. So the next time you are in a Bible study where there's a time of musical worship to God, take that time to enjoy God. Praise and adore Him. He likes to hear you sing to Him out of a heart enjoying Him.
Blessings,
Nick
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Diversity: Thoughts and Speech
Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. (Proverbs 4:23-27 ESV)
Thoughts are where all things we talk about and act out begin. It is so important that our thoughts remain pure if we want to maintain a lifestyle of worship. I'm not talking about having a "positive state of mind" that will bring about good things in your life as some of these TV preachers want you to believe. It's so much deeper and spiritual than that! Your mind is where you start filtering everything that you say and do. If you use the filter of Scripture in your thought processes, I believe you will begin to walk closer and closer with the Lord. But the filtering isn't just about watching what you think, it's also what you allow to be put in you. If you are constantly bombarding yourself with things of this world, your relationship with the Lord will be hindered greatly. Think about how vulnerable we are when it comes to our influences. When we hang around certain people we take on their characteristics and begin to act like they do. Its the same with other influences like TV, movies, music, and who we listen to on the radio. Your mind is like your digestive system: it needs food to digest. If you eat bad food, your health will be hindered. If you eat good food, your health will be increased. In the case of your mind, food is what you allow into your thought processes. If you are letting your mind feast on sex, profane speech, violence, etc., those are the thoughts your mind is going to dwell on. From there it's only a matter of time before you in some way start talking like and acting like those influences. Keep your mind guarded from things of the world that will hinder your walk with God, and filter your thoughts through Scripture to keep your walk with God pure. Take every thought captive to obey Christ. If you want to step up your relationship with God, make Him your enjoyment and dwell on His Word. But if you want to remain stagnant, keep influencing yourself with sinful things. If you prefer to do the latter, you should be very fearful. It could be that you have never understood the grace of God and haven't been saved from your sin... That is a scary thought.
I decided to keep thoughts and speech in one entry because they are so closely related. It takes so much more self-control to guard what you think and say than it does to have self-control over your body. James 3:2 says "For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body." I encourage you to read the rest of James 3. It's an amazing chapter. Jesus said in Matthew 15, "Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; that defiles a person." The over-religious Pharisees of Jesus day were so caught up in traditions that they would consider themselves defiled if they ate food without washing their hands. What they didn't understand was that their problem wasn't a physical problem but a spiritual problem. We have to remember that our main problems aren't physical but spiritual. Jesus said later in that chapter, "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone." Speech is an important component to a lifestyle of worship because it is a mirror of what is going on in our hearts. We use our speech for many things. It is our main form of communicating. It is the outlet of our thoughts. We should be using our speech to praise God, sing to Him, share the Gospel, and edify each other. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." As I mentioned before in an earlier post, we aren't perfect. We won't always be perfect, but if we are striving to be a slave of worship and enjoy God for who He is, the chances of us sinning will diminish drastically. This is a bittersweet thought: we will never be perfect until we get to heaven, but the thought of sinning less is a great motivator to try to filter our words!
Pray with me today that we will capture and filter our thoughts through Scripture. Pray that our speech will be glorifying to God and uplifting to others. May God be glorified as we strive to be slaves of worship.
Enjoying Him,
Nick
Thoughts are where all things we talk about and act out begin. It is so important that our thoughts remain pure if we want to maintain a lifestyle of worship. I'm not talking about having a "positive state of mind" that will bring about good things in your life as some of these TV preachers want you to believe. It's so much deeper and spiritual than that! Your mind is where you start filtering everything that you say and do. If you use the filter of Scripture in your thought processes, I believe you will begin to walk closer and closer with the Lord. But the filtering isn't just about watching what you think, it's also what you allow to be put in you. If you are constantly bombarding yourself with things of this world, your relationship with the Lord will be hindered greatly. Think about how vulnerable we are when it comes to our influences. When we hang around certain people we take on their characteristics and begin to act like they do. Its the same with other influences like TV, movies, music, and who we listen to on the radio. Your mind is like your digestive system: it needs food to digest. If you eat bad food, your health will be hindered. If you eat good food, your health will be increased. In the case of your mind, food is what you allow into your thought processes. If you are letting your mind feast on sex, profane speech, violence, etc., those are the thoughts your mind is going to dwell on. From there it's only a matter of time before you in some way start talking like and acting like those influences. Keep your mind guarded from things of the world that will hinder your walk with God, and filter your thoughts through Scripture to keep your walk with God pure. Take every thought captive to obey Christ. If you want to step up your relationship with God, make Him your enjoyment and dwell on His Word. But if you want to remain stagnant, keep influencing yourself with sinful things. If you prefer to do the latter, you should be very fearful. It could be that you have never understood the grace of God and haven't been saved from your sin... That is a scary thought.
I decided to keep thoughts and speech in one entry because they are so closely related. It takes so much more self-control to guard what you think and say than it does to have self-control over your body. James 3:2 says "For we all stumble in many ways. And if anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle his whole body." I encourage you to read the rest of James 3. It's an amazing chapter. Jesus said in Matthew 15, "Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; that defiles a person." The over-religious Pharisees of Jesus day were so caught up in traditions that they would consider themselves defiled if they ate food without washing their hands. What they didn't understand was that their problem wasn't a physical problem but a spiritual problem. We have to remember that our main problems aren't physical but spiritual. Jesus said later in that chapter, "But what comes out of the mouth proceeds from the heart, and this defiles a person. For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. These are what defile a person. But to eat with unwashed hands does not defile anyone." Speech is an important component to a lifestyle of worship because it is a mirror of what is going on in our hearts. We use our speech for many things. It is our main form of communicating. It is the outlet of our thoughts. We should be using our speech to praise God, sing to Him, share the Gospel, and edify each other. Ephesians 4:29 says, "Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear." As I mentioned before in an earlier post, we aren't perfect. We won't always be perfect, but if we are striving to be a slave of worship and enjoy God for who He is, the chances of us sinning will diminish drastically. This is a bittersweet thought: we will never be perfect until we get to heaven, but the thought of sinning less is a great motivator to try to filter our words!
Pray with me today that we will capture and filter our thoughts through Scripture. Pray that our speech will be glorifying to God and uplifting to others. May God be glorified as we strive to be slaves of worship.
Enjoying Him,
Nick
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Diversity of Worship...
I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart; I will recount all of your wonderful deeds. I will be glad and exult in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. (Psalm 9:1-2 ESV)
A worshipful lifestyle is very diverse. As we have already established, any act that we do for the purpose of glorifying God through a heart that is enjoying God is an act of worship.. This encompasses our thoughts, speech, and actions. Over the next few days I want to take these apart to show just how important they are in the life of a slave of worship..
Part 1: Thoughts and Speech
Part 2: Actions
Blessings,
Nick
A worshipful lifestyle is very diverse. As we have already established, any act that we do for the purpose of glorifying God through a heart that is enjoying God is an act of worship.. This encompasses our thoughts, speech, and actions. Over the next few days I want to take these apart to show just how important they are in the life of a slave of worship..
Part 1: Thoughts and Speech
Part 2: Actions
Blessings,
Nick
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Why a "slave"?...
"Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness." (Romans 6:16-18 ESV)
Why on earth would I want to subject myself to being a slave of something? Truth be told, we are all slaves to something. The world is a slave to sin: money, lust, greed, pride, etc. But Christians are slaves to righteousness: love, mercy, justice, compassion, and good deeds. In the passage above, Paul is trying to tell us that being a slave doesn't mean that you are unwillfully subjected to be under sin or righteousness. He is saying that you are willfully under one or the other. He uses the phrase "present yourselves" to point this out. You have the choice to present yourself to God for righteousness or to the flesh for sin. As Christians we should be presenting ourselves to God as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him. Romans 12:1 says that this is our spiritual worship. Our worship stems not from being conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. You see, Christian, being a slave isn't a bad thing because in this context you are willfully subjecting yourself to your Master. When salvation took place in your life, when you were born again, God changed your convictions and desires of your heart. He placed the Holy Spirit in your being to help you do the things that please God. When you do those things that please God and glorify Him for the purpose of glorifying Him, that is worship.
The epistle of James says faith without works is dead. If you say you are a Christian and you don't have good works that glorify God backing up what you profess to believe, you need to make sure your heart is right with God. If you are a Christian, you are a slave to righteousness. Your thoughts, speech, and actions should be glorifying God. This isn't to say that Christians are perfect. The Bible says "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Christians don't let themselves make sin a routine in their lives... We don't practice sin. So again, if you claim to be a Christian, you better make sure your life lines up with a lifestyle that is evident of being a slave to righteousness. As you grow in faith and in the knowledge of the Word of God, you should see yourself growing more and more into a lifestyle of thoughts, speech, and actions that glorify God.
Not only should God-glorifying thoughts, speech, and deeds be evident in your life but also an enjoyment of God for who He is. Willfully subjecting yourself to God to be a slave of righteousness and enjoying Him for who He is produces a lifestyle of worship that flows out of you. You can subject yourself to be a "good person" all you want, but you won't have a life of enjoying God. You will only be burdened with legalism. Until you live for the glory of God alone through an enjoyment of Him for who He is, every effort to glorify God will be burdensome (immediately or eventually). Being a slave of worship is a joyful experience because there is no one more enjoyable than God.
Pray with me today that God will give us the ability to be slaves of righteousness and enjoy Him for who He is. Pray also that we will see God as more enjoyable than sin. May God glorify Himself in us and may we enjoy our Maker today.
Blessings,
Nick
Why on earth would I want to subject myself to being a slave of something? Truth be told, we are all slaves to something. The world is a slave to sin: money, lust, greed, pride, etc. But Christians are slaves to righteousness: love, mercy, justice, compassion, and good deeds. In the passage above, Paul is trying to tell us that being a slave doesn't mean that you are unwillfully subjected to be under sin or righteousness. He is saying that you are willfully under one or the other. He uses the phrase "present yourselves" to point this out. You have the choice to present yourself to God for righteousness or to the flesh for sin. As Christians we should be presenting ourselves to God as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to Him. Romans 12:1 says that this is our spiritual worship. Our worship stems not from being conformed to this world but being transformed by the renewing of our minds. You see, Christian, being a slave isn't a bad thing because in this context you are willfully subjecting yourself to your Master. When salvation took place in your life, when you were born again, God changed your convictions and desires of your heart. He placed the Holy Spirit in your being to help you do the things that please God. When you do those things that please God and glorify Him for the purpose of glorifying Him, that is worship.
The epistle of James says faith without works is dead. If you say you are a Christian and you don't have good works that glorify God backing up what you profess to believe, you need to make sure your heart is right with God. If you are a Christian, you are a slave to righteousness. Your thoughts, speech, and actions should be glorifying God. This isn't to say that Christians are perfect. The Bible says "if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us." Christians don't let themselves make sin a routine in their lives... We don't practice sin. So again, if you claim to be a Christian, you better make sure your life lines up with a lifestyle that is evident of being a slave to righteousness. As you grow in faith and in the knowledge of the Word of God, you should see yourself growing more and more into a lifestyle of thoughts, speech, and actions that glorify God.
Not only should God-glorifying thoughts, speech, and deeds be evident in your life but also an enjoyment of God for who He is. Willfully subjecting yourself to God to be a slave of righteousness and enjoying Him for who He is produces a lifestyle of worship that flows out of you. You can subject yourself to be a "good person" all you want, but you won't have a life of enjoying God. You will only be burdened with legalism. Until you live for the glory of God alone through an enjoyment of Him for who He is, every effort to glorify God will be burdensome (immediately or eventually). Being a slave of worship is a joyful experience because there is no one more enjoyable than God.
Pray with me today that God will give us the ability to be slaves of righteousness and enjoy Him for who He is. Pray also that we will see God as more enjoyable than sin. May God glorify Himself in us and may we enjoy our Maker today.
Blessings,
Nick
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
It's all about God...
"For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen." (Romans 11:36 ESV)
The purpose for life is to glorify God.. That's it... Nothing more. The purpose for God creating the world wasn't so that God could make humanity the center of attention. The world was created so that God would be the center of attention. In our sinful minds and desires we have made our lives about worshipping ourselves and satisfying the desires of our own hearts, and this has permeated into our walks with God. We have come to think of God as a giant genie in the sky who answers our every beckoning as if He were supposed to be answering wishes. Wake up, Christian! This isn't a Disney movie. God is not a genie in the sky on stand-by ready to wait on you hand and foot. He is the holy God! He is righteous, just, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-magnificent! It is because of Him you draw breath as you read this blog. We need to rethink our priorities and focuses away from ourselves and onto God.
I realize this is a bit harsh, but we need harsh words in a dead generation. We need to wake up from our ignorant and our purposeful stagnation. Christ didn't call us to sit around and live for ourselves in the shelter of our own comforts. He has called us unto good works for the glory of His name! He has called us to serve Him and His mission to spread the good news of His Gospel: God became flesh, lived a perfect life, died an innocent Man under the wrath of God for sin, rose again three days later, and has claimed victory over death so that anyone who comes to Him by faith alone for His righteousness alone in place of their wretched unrighteousness will be brought out of death and into eternal life, born again to a new life for the glory of God! The God of the universe has caused all of His grace and mercy to fall on everyone who believes and acts upon this Gospel. What great and wonderful Gospel of grace! What a great God! This is the base of our worship. This is where we begin to live a life of worship in our thoughts, speech, and actions.
Pray with me today that God would help us glorify His name in our thoughts, speech, and actions. All things are from Him, to Him, and through Him. Let us live this verse for the glory of His name and proclamation of His Gospel. May we begin to catch a glimpse of what it means to be a slave of worship.
Blessings,
Nick
The purpose for life is to glorify God.. That's it... Nothing more. The purpose for God creating the world wasn't so that God could make humanity the center of attention. The world was created so that God would be the center of attention. In our sinful minds and desires we have made our lives about worshipping ourselves and satisfying the desires of our own hearts, and this has permeated into our walks with God. We have come to think of God as a giant genie in the sky who answers our every beckoning as if He were supposed to be answering wishes. Wake up, Christian! This isn't a Disney movie. God is not a genie in the sky on stand-by ready to wait on you hand and foot. He is the holy God! He is righteous, just, all-powerful, all-knowing, and all-magnificent! It is because of Him you draw breath as you read this blog. We need to rethink our priorities and focuses away from ourselves and onto God.
I realize this is a bit harsh, but we need harsh words in a dead generation. We need to wake up from our ignorant and our purposeful stagnation. Christ didn't call us to sit around and live for ourselves in the shelter of our own comforts. He has called us unto good works for the glory of His name! He has called us to serve Him and His mission to spread the good news of His Gospel: God became flesh, lived a perfect life, died an innocent Man under the wrath of God for sin, rose again three days later, and has claimed victory over death so that anyone who comes to Him by faith alone for His righteousness alone in place of their wretched unrighteousness will be brought out of death and into eternal life, born again to a new life for the glory of God! The God of the universe has caused all of His grace and mercy to fall on everyone who believes and acts upon this Gospel. What great and wonderful Gospel of grace! What a great God! This is the base of our worship. This is where we begin to live a life of worship in our thoughts, speech, and actions.
Pray with me today that God would help us glorify His name in our thoughts, speech, and actions. All things are from Him, to Him, and through Him. Let us live this verse for the glory of His name and proclamation of His Gospel. May we begin to catch a glimpse of what it means to be a slave of worship.
Blessings,
Nick
Monday, September 5, 2011
Why be a slave of worship?
Why would I decide to call this blog "Slave of Worship"? Isn't worship that 30 minutes of music before a pastor preaches his sermon? Why would anyone want to be a slave of that? You have to understand that worship is so much more than music. It's a lifestyle that defines who you are. More specifically, it defines who you are in Christ.
The purpose of this blog is to help us understand the importance of worship in our daily lives, how worship should be evident in all we do, and how a lifestyle of worship glorifies God.
May God be glorified,
Nick
The purpose of this blog is to help us understand the importance of worship in our daily lives, how worship should be evident in all we do, and how a lifestyle of worship glorifies God.
May God be glorified,
Nick
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