Vibrant Worship 5

Series looking at our first mission statement, V, Vibrant in Worship, Pentecostal.  Autumn 12, Life Church.

So far we have looked at

W: worship God [on His terms]

O: overflow with God’s praise

R: recognise God’s position

S: Submit to God as His possession

H: Hear God’s Voice

I: Implement God’s Plan.

We have been looking through Psalm 95 to trigger our thoughts.

Today we will conclude this series, but hopefully our worship will become more vibrant!  Today our letter is P...

 P – Preserving  God’s Presence

Ultimately the problem behind all of the Israelites’ others problems was that they had a heart condition.

Psalm 95:10-11: “For forty years I was angry with that generation; I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray, and they have not known my ways.’ So I declared on oath in my anger, ‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

“Their ‘hearts,’ a metaphor for their inner being, were corrupt; and the people repeatedly proved that they did not love the ways of God.  The problem was that their hearts had gone astray – their hearts had not been properly prepared.

There are really three P’s this morning.  So we are really talking about worship-p-p.

P – Pursue His Presence

You may think that this is all we talk about as a Pentecostal church.  But the truth is the pursuit of God’s presence is one of the things we do.  This is why we have a reminder on Lifelines every week  that we are here to SERVE through Sacrificial Living, Extending the Kingdom, Relationships, Vibrant Worship and Empowering People.

On the face of it these things, apart from Vibrant Worship, all have a relevance outside of the four walls of the church.  But in fact, all of these are rooted in the worship of God.

We cannot claim that these things are the whole council of God!  But we can say that they bring a balance to us.

However, everything we do and action must be rooted in the presence of God.

In Exodus 33 we have the account where God first refuses to accompany the Israelites and then promises His presence.  Here’s a few quick thoughts from that chapter.

• Don’t accept an angel!

Ex. 33:2-3:I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 3 Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff-necked people and I might destroy you on the way.

There is a spirituality that has permeated the culture in which angels are sought.  That’s New Age and dangerous because there are deceiving spirits about. 

At Christmas we hear lots about the angel who met with Mary and shepherds.  Throughout the Bible we hear about them and they are called ministering spirits sent to serve Christians (Heb 1:14).

But here’s a thought.  As far as I can recall all those who encountered angels in the Bible were either terrified, were not seeking an encounter and or often unaware of what was happening.

Now an angel will do many things.  And in Exodus 33 we read that an angel could have led them into the promised land.  But whatever an angel is and angel is not God.

Don’t settle for less than Him!

• Don’t rely on others spirituality.

Exodus 33:7-11: we read about the Tent of Meeting.  Moses would go outside of the camp and the people would look on.  The cloud would descend and Moses would commune with God; Joshua would linger.

This little passage is rich with meaning and I could spend a whole series here.  But the simple thing I want to highlight is this:

Don’t; settle for someone else’s spirituality.  Joshua didn’t, but everyone else did.

That is not seeking the presence of God.  That is seeking passivity and comfort, but often His presence will disturb our status quo and equilibrium.

• Don’t move without God!

Ex. 33: 15-16: Then Moses said to him, “If your Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.  How will anyone know that you are pleased with me and with your people unless you go with us? What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?”

The reason we hear about the Tent of Meeting is because the next conversation between Moses and God is held there. 

Moses won’t go forward with God’s presence.  He won’t go with an angel, he won’t go with a promise and he won’t go with a sign.  He loves the presence!

Why?  Because that was the distinguishing feature that set apart the people of God from everyone else.

16b: What else will distinguish me and your people from all the other people on the face of the earth?

I think that’s a great question.  What sets a people apart is the presence.  The presence of God means that His people are holy.  Holy means “separated ones” – that does not mean we don’t engage with our community.  We do, because of His presence.

Out of His presence, His Spirit, comes love [by which we should be known – John 13:34-35], the fruit of the Spirit [Galatians 5: 22-13], and obedience to Christ [John 6: 66-68].

• Request His presence

Ex. 33:18: Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.

What is Moses saying?  He is saying I’d rather die than god on without you.  What he is saying is that he wants to be right in the centre of the place where God is.

Do you know it is okay to seek reassurance in stressful times?  Sometimes we think it is a denial of faith or who God is if we ask for more of Him.

But the truth is Moses needed the glory of God.  God did not have to show him as much of Himself as He did.  But when people are hungry God satisfies.

P – Prepare for Worship

I’ve been told on occasion that you don’t need to go to church to worship God. 

Now, I would say that that is true; I am also certain that if you say you believe that, you really need to say the whole sentence, which is: “You don’t have to go to church to worship, but if you don’t you probably won’t.”

Why?  Because if worship is not prepared for, if it is not regularly made into a habit, it will not happen.

God wants you for Himself.  He has no intention of sharing you.  Jesus’s blood was is too precious for that.

Exodus 34: 14: Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God.

The demand of the covenant being made in this chapter is for single-minded worship of God alone.  Exodus 34 is the second time the commandments have been given to the people.  The first time Moses smashed them in anguish [Ex 32:19] because the people had worshipped an idol of their own making.

"Jealous" is the picture of a lover or a husband who gets angry when someone else competes for the heart of his wife or when her heart goes away after other lovers.

This picture is confirmed by Exodus 34: 15- 16 which warn Israel against playing the harlot with other gods. The demand of the covenant is: don't be a harlot. Don't commit adultery against God.  Don't let your heart turn from him and go after other things. For your God, your husband, whose name is Jealous is a jealous God.

So when come to worship we have to be prepared.   But often our preparation is a quick two-second prayer on the way into church.  I know life is busy, there are family demands and pressures, and, once upon a time, I had a real job with real pressures so I know that when a preacher says we should prepare for worship we feel like we’re about to be beaten up.

God is jealous over you. This is not a sinful jealousy, but it is a desire to have you for Himself.  When we come together to worship it is a corporate experience – we sing together.  But it is also an individual experience – we meet with him individually.

That’s why some will laugh, some cry, some shake, some seem unmoved.  When we pursue His presence and prepare ourselves He manifests Himself individually to each one, yet corporately we feel His presence.

We have to prioritise this time and these moments for us to be energised for our mission.

P- Participate in Worship

When we are corporately engaged in worship we all sing [or make a joyful noise].

But here’s the tension in church life:

1 Corinthians 14: 26: What then shall we say, brothers and sisters? When you come together, each of you has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. Everything must be done so that the church may be built up.

We know Paul is speaking about order in worship so that all may be built up.  What was happening in Corinth was that everyone would clamour to be heard, people were shouting out scriptures, singing songs, and prophesying at the same time.  Nothing could be heard and therefore understood.

The key to preparation is to be in our own Tent of Meeting with the Lord during the week, not a rushed prayer on a Sunday morning.

We have the opposite problem in church sometimes. 

• No one appears to come prepared with something God has revealed. 
• If we don’t come prepared we don’t have anticipation. 
• If we don’t have anticipation then there is no expectation. 
• If there is no expectation than we will never ask God to reveal His glory.

Just a reminder:  if you want to share something that is for the whole church to be built up, come and share with Gareth or I and we will either let you share it with the microphone or we’ll share it on your behalf if appropriate.  Why?  If it’s for us everyone must hear it!

Now some of the more spiritual will say: that’s quenching the Spirit [1 Thess. 5:19] or that you are too shy to share it with us or through a microphone. 

Three things:

ü  How can we quench the Spirit if the biblical norm is to hear God in the week and come prepared to share.?  You could write it down for us (not anonymously).

ü  We might think well I cannot contain this and it bursts out of me!  That may be true of praise but The spirits of prophets are subject to the control of prophets [1 Corinthians 14:32]. 

As we develop in our relationship with God it becomes more apparent that He is less concerned about seizing us in a moment of prophetic ecstasy and more concerned with a daily walk with us! 

Pease don’t accuse us of quenching the Spirit when we ask things be shared in a way that is understandable to all when God has been trying to commune with you all week.

ü  If you feel too shy to share through the microphone then let us share it for you.  But it amazes me that “shy” people still try and should out a word so that everyone can hear it in the balcony and extensions.  You might think you’re loud but to most is sounds like a whisper – and those with hearing aids listening on the loop system have no chance.

The point of preparing for worship is to meet with God and to bless those around us. 

Wrapping it Up:

Worship God – on His terms

Overflow with God’s Praise

Recognise God’s Position

Submit to God as His possession

Hear God’s Proclamation

Implement God’s Plan

Preserve His presence