Bible verses

And they were on their knees, worshiping him. They returned to Jerusalem bursting with joy. They spent all their time in the Temple praising God Luk24.52-53

Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of man!
For he satisfies the longing soul,
and the hungry soul he fills with good things. Ps107.8-9

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them Acts16.25

Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise! Ps84.4

Of David. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy Ps103.1-4

In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God Luk6.12

All these things my hand has made, and so all these things came to be, declares the Lord. But this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word. Is66.2

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2Cor3.18

At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split
... Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God ... Matt27.51 & Heb10.19-22

The man brought me back to the entrance to the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). ... As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits ... He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in – a river that no one could cross. He asked me, “Son of man, do you see this?”
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. ... Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” Ez47.1-12

We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. Ps48.9

We should be thankful because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. And because we are thankful, we should worship God in a way that will please him. We should do this with respect and fear Heb12.28

Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord has said, “Among those who are near me I will be sanctified, and before all the people I will be glorified.”” And Aaron held his peace Lev10.3

A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you;
my flesh faints for you,
as in a dry and weary land where there is no water
So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary,
beholding your power and glory
Because your steadfast love is better than life,
my lips will praise you
So I will bless you as long as I live;
in your name I will lift up my hands
My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food,
and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips,
when I remember you upon my bed,
and meditate on you in the watches of the night;
for you have been my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. Ps63.1-7

Those who blew the trumpets and those who sang were like one person. They made one sound when they praised and thanked the Lord. They made a loud noise with the trumpets, cymbals, and instruments of music. They praised the Lord, singing,
“The Lord is good
His faithful love will last forever”
Then the Lord’s Temple was filled with a cloud. The priests could not continue to serve because of the cloud, because the Glory of the Lord filled the Temple. 2Chron5.13-14

You shall have no other gods before me Ex20.3

Then the priests and the Levites arose and blessed the people, and their voice was heard, and their prayer came to his holy habitation in heaven 2Chron30.27

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint Isa40.31

It will be said on that day, “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation.” Isa25.9

They were all under the direction of their father in the music in the house of the Lord with cymbals, harps, and lyres for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun, and Heman were under the order of the king. The number of them along with their brothers, who were trained in singing to the Lord, all who were skillful, was 288. And they cast lots for their duties, small and great, teacher and pupil alike. 1Chron25.6-8

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever! ...
Let those who fear the Lord say,
“His steadfast love endures forever”
Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me free. ...
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in man
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in princes. ...
The Lord is my strength and my song;
he has become my salvation
Glad songs of salvation
are in the tents of the righteous: ...
I shall not die, but I shall live,
and recount the deeds of the Lord. ...
I thank you that you have answered me
and have become my salvation. ...
You are my God, and I will give thanks to you;
you are my God; I will extol you
Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
for his steadfast love endures forever! Ps118v1,4-5,8-9,14-15,17,21,28-29

Take away from me the noise of your songs;
to the melody of your harps I will not listen
But let justice roll down like waters,
and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Amos5.23-24

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him Col3.17

Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” Matt22.37

More verses

God is spirit, those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth John4v24

... and that you may so revere the Lord your God that you will keep all his statutes and commandments Deut5

Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship Rom12v1

Sing praises to the Lord, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth Is12v5

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness Ps29.2

My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day. Ps71.8

Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name Heb13.15

You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ 1Pet2.5

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory”

At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke

“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for”

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”” Isa6.1-8

How lovely is your dwelling place,
O Lord of hosts!
My soul longs, yes, faints
for the courts of the Lord;
my heart and flesh sing for joy
to the living God
Even the sparrow finds a home,
and the swallow a nest for herself,
where she may lay her young,
at your altars, O Lord of hosts,
my King and my God
Blessed are those who dwell in your house,
ever singing your praise! ...
For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness Ps84.1-410

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into his courts! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; tremble before him, all the earth! Ps96.8-9

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him! Worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness; 1Chron16.29

One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple Ps27.4

The inhabitants of one city shall go to another, saying, “Let us go at once to entreat the favor of the Lord and to seek the Lord of hosts; I myself am going.” Zech8v21

Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly! Ps149.1

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light 1Pet2.9

Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.”” Matt4.10

I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word Psalm138:2

I was glad when they said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord!” Ps122.1

And the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron your brother not to come at any time into the Holy Place inside the veil, before the mercy seat that is on the ark, so that he may not die. For I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat.” Lev16.2

For thus says the Lord:
“Sing aloud with gladness for Jacob,
and raise shouts for the chief of the nations;
proclaim, give praise, and say,
“O Lord, save your people,
the remnant of Israel.”” Jer13.7

You shall keep my Sabbaths and revere my sanctuary: I am the Lord Lev19.30

For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings Hos6.6

I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you Ps66.13

I wash my hands in innocence and go around your altar, O Lord, proclaiming thanksgiving aloud, and telling all your wondrous deeds. O Lord, I love the habitation of your house and the place where your glory dwells Ps26.6-8

The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him Ex15.2

Which the Lord commanded Moses on Mount Sinai, on the day that he commanded the people of Israel to bring their offerings to the Lord, in the wilderness of Sinai Lev7.38

He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, and he will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, and they will bring offerings in righteousness to the Lord Malachi3.3

Break forth together into singing, you waste places of Jerusalem, for the Lord has comforted his people; he has redeemed Jerusalem Isa52v6

I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on the name of the Lord Ps116.17

And the commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, “Take off your sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so Josh5.15

Then you shall deposit them in the tent of meeting before the testimony, where I meet with you. Num17.4

So Moses declared to the people of Israel the appointed feasts of the Lord Lev23.44

Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and all that is within me,
bless his holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits,
who forgives all your iniquity,
who heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit,
who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy Ps103.1-4

Oh come, let us sing to the Lord;
let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
For the Lord is a great God,
and a great King above all gods
In his hand are the depths of the earth;
the heights of the mountains are his also
The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land
Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! For he is our God,
and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand. Ps95.1-7

It is good to give thanks to the Lord,
to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
and your faithfulness by night,
to the music of the lute and the harp,
to the melody of the lyre
For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work;
at the works of your hands I sing for joy. ...
The righteous flourish like the palm tree
and grow like a cedar in Lebanon
They are planted in the house of the Lord;
they flourish in the courts of our God. Ps92v1-4,12-13

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness!
Come into his presence with singing! ...
Enter his gates with thanksgiving,
and his courts with praise!
Give thanks to him; bless his name! Ps100v1-2,4

Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. Gen12.7

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise James5.13

And the Lord said:
“Because these people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,” ...
You turn things upside down!
Shall the potter be regarded as the clay,
that the thing made should say of its maker,
“He did not make me”;
or the thing formed say of him who formed it,
“He has no understanding”? ...
The meek shall obtain fresh joy in the Lord,
and the poor among mankind shall exult in the Holy One of Israel. Is29.13,16,19

Consecrate a fast;
call a solemn assembly
Gather the elders
and all the inhabitants of the land
to the house of the Lord your God,
and cry out to the Lord. Joel1.14

Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully
He will receive blessing from the Lord
and righteousness from the God of his salvation
Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Ps24.3-6

I will tell of your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the congregation I will praise you:
You who fear the Lord, praise him!
All you offspring of Jacob, glorify him,
and stand in awe of him, all you offspring of Israel!
For he has not despised or abhorred
the affliction of the afflicted,
and he has not hidden his face from him,
but has heard, when he cried to him
From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will perform before those who fear him
The afflicted shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the Lord!
May your hearts live forever!
All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before you
For kingship belongs to the Lord,
and he rules over the nations. Ps22.22
How can I show my love to Jesus?
How can I know his love more?
How can I live from the place of the beloved?
How can I do this:?
Jesus answered, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.” Matt22.37

Questions arising

Thoughts

Joy is this essence of worship (the Joy of the LORD is my strength Neh8.10). Joy says: ‘I am taking delight in you; what you do is wonderful.’ If we don't take full and complete joy in God, then we're not accepting him as he truly is

Obedience is the outpouring of worship...

These are deeper acts of worship than music and dance 29.1.14

Worship does not control God's blessing. Worshipping doesn't release him more, or bring more of his presence. Worship is a right response to his presence and blessing
I was treating worship as a bargain – if I worship properly then God... – but God's gifts are always free gifts!!

In the end (and always) it's about what you do Daddy God. But you've given us authority — and somehow using that to release you, makes me free also... Somehow this is a big step

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart Jer29.13
God really measures the heart. Are we seeking him to appear good, appease friends, because we think it's right, or to fulfil our goals? – If only so, I think we will not find him. We must seek him, because we value him

Oi away in China. 3:40am. Resolved to be a new man – one whose guiding principle is always his heart's nourishment from closeness to Jesus 30^th March 2014

Till I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling place for the Mighty One of Jacob #.by Ps132

a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do #.by Acts13

#.by Luke10

There is an Old Testament pattern of worship as:
sacrifice (returning to HIM the best that he provided)
sin (offending God, not being obedient, being attracted by other things)
God's requests (for holiness, justice, humility, caring for oppressed, returning to HIM ...?)
singing and feasting are also also used to worship

Examples:
Started with consecration for God: Samson was consecrated from before birth. He did repeated acts, to show he was set apart for God. Samuel was given to the LORDs temple from weaning. Gideon's first task was to destroy his townspeople's idols

Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Isaiah and others started from meeting with God

We are living for the LORD, not for ourselves

God was angry with the Israelites when one family took plunder from Jericho. He requires them to be completely holy, utterly set apart for Him. After this the next tiny army defeats and kills some of them – Daddy is prepared to do anything(?) to present us as a holy offering to himself

Speak out God's words in worship. Be his mouth piece, for what he wants to say to the people. With IM group preparing for outreach; they're singing to each person in turn; “You are special in your Father's eyes, no one can take your place.” Then afterwards, they're saying to each other “God did not make you as a mistake.” and “He formed your face with detail and care”
Their method of preparation: worship, prophetic words; outreach plan falls out of this

Violin leading worship: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzHClyX2LLU

Had breakthrough today! 27Jul13. I invited Jesus to come and listen to my worship. Previously I had been telling him in my heart “Please don't come, this isn't good enough for you.” Then had time of worship with friend later in the day; I spontaneously sang a new song, leading the worship for the first time!

3Aug2013 Had great success praying in the morning [note and saw it's effect all the rest of the day], so afterwards prayed a little for God to make me a worshiper. New song came based on Deut5:
“I can see the flames of fire
I can smell the incense burning
I can see the angels flying
And with one voice they're crying

You are Holy
You are Holy
You are Holy
You are Holy”

#.by 21.4.2014 Transformers did revival meeting for Chinese camp. It was very powerful. I arrived late (Oi persuaded me to still go). Even the worship team had started, but they still plugged me in. Afterwards, people came up to me, more than 10 times, to say how amazing my part was – that I'd played so well, flowing (even I'd missed the practice), with confidence, and spiritually in tune
This is close to my final time of public worship in HK. I've improved a lot in a year here

Be like little children, because children live as deeply beloved, even though there's NOTHING the can do to earn it

#.by Courageous film Daughter dies: will you be angry for all the years you didn't have with her, or thankful for all the ones you did?

What is the next step for you in your growth as a personal worshipper?

Plan to grow in worship

Every 15/30mins; focus on Him
Oversight
Study – writeup learing
Timetable
Corporate worship
Private worship
Seek Spirit's leading / Daddy's direction

Winson drums
Violin from ear
IHOP teaching / Online Uni teaching
Middle East prayer
Transformer's practice
Y on street; Thurs 8:30, Lockhart rd playground
Tues-Fri, 12-2; harp&bowl in YauMa Day

Comes from the heart; needs discipline

People

Dick Eastman

Praise and worship is the expression of admiration and devotion to God. Only praise puts God in His rightful position at the outset of our praying. In praising God, we declare His sovereignty and recognize His nature and power

John MacArthur

God prayer is fundamentally an act of worship. It is an expression of our praise, our unworthiness, our desire to see God's will fulfilled, and our utter dependence on Him for all our needs

Daniel Henderson

Worship-based prayer seeks the face of God before the hand of God. God's face is the essence of who He is. God's hand is the blessing of what he does. God's face represents His person and presence. God's hand expresses His provision for needs in our lives. I have learned that if all we ever do is seek God's hand, we may miss his face: but if we seek His face, He will be glad to open His hand and satisfy the deepest desires of our hearts

Prayer prompter app

A.C.T.S
Adore – worship and praise
Confess – Repentance and forgiveness
Thanks – Gratitude
Supplicate – Petition, intersession and requests

Stephan

Give your best to your studies, so you can come out the best. Don't allow anything to distract you

Eva

(Doctor said would be paraliyzed, found it very difficult to walk. Now is fine)

I share this as moved by spirit

Worship is losing or abandoning yourself in him to the extent you see only him. That is what focus means. Too many things on your heart will only distract you, including over attention to musical arrangement & skill & daily concern

To walk a worshipper's journey is a lifestyle. You practice & try your best to live everyday focusing on him. When you do that your mind will be transformed because he becomes your thoughts in the spirit. You know him as he knows you

When you come to that stage you are in prophetic worship. Revelation comes naturally because you have intimate relationship with him

Add oil to draw close to him

When praying for me:
Worship is wider than you've been seeing it: he's calling you to release his words during worship; not just singing, but speaking out his revelation. In an atmosphere of worship, it's natural that the Spirit of Revelation comes

God wants you to review your past with joy

God wants to affirm you. When you receive that into yourself, there will be a shift. It's like you're at a transition point

(You become what the most important person in your life thinks you are. If the most important person is God, then you become who God thinks you are John Maxwell)

##first_go_to_Him ##go_toHim I cannot release what I do not have. If worship is for ppl to encounter God, then I must first encounter Him in secret place March 2014

Lay down your vision. He will re-order your life. Your dreams are not like his dreams

Eva and Jo

When Transformers church started, they would roll on the floor laughing. One person came to preach twice, but both times couldn't because of the Spirit of Laughter. 3rd time declined, saying maybe I'm not meant to preach to you. Joy was really healing for them

Jo didn't recieve some of the spiritual gifts for a while because she had bitterness inside her

But we are like grapefruit skin and duck webs (Chinese dish), the skin needs to be rinsed for a long time to remove the bitterness, then breifly deep fried, to seal in the goodness

I had prayed with Esther in the morning “I don't know how to worship, please show me”

Brother Lawrence

##24.7 ##adore
For about 30 years his soul has been filled with joys so continual, and sometimes so great that he is forced to use means to moderate them, and to hinder their appearing outwardly

Let him think of Him as often as he can... a little lifting up of the heart suffices. A little rememberance of God, one act of inward worship... nothing is easier than to repeat often in the day these little internal adorations

And I make it my business only to persevere in His holy presence, wherein I keep myself by a simple attention, and fond regard to God... an actual presence of God... a secret conversation of the soul with God, which often causes me joys and raptures inwardly

Others

##holy We are his walking holy temple. We are his dwelling place Esther

##passion It's pouring out your passion to Him into each note. Yes there are musical techniques – but they will run dry. In popular music they imitate this – bringing out people's passion and emotion; to attract you – but for sex, sorrow, or romance. In the end the driving force in the music, and everything, needs to be seeing his throne, his rainbow; the son of man. Then letting the passion for Him pour out Esther 3^rd April 2014

Let your instrument speak. Your audience of Daddy and angels are enjoying it – you're playing with them Winson

Not working for the Lord, but loving Jesus
Worship and prayer for hour before each session in China
Look into their eyes and say they're beautiful, special
Pray for what spirit wants to say to a person; dance it infornt of them David Wang

IHOP

Misty Edwards

But when the House of Prayer started, we needed singers, and we needed musicians – to do worship 24/7 takes a lot of people. So I found myself at the piano with my two chords and my little weak voice singing for hours a day. And that is really when my heart was hooked on a whole other level on worship. Because I found that in singing and worshipping, I could really connect with God

##go_to_Him There were very few people in the room in the early days, and I would do the night watch. So there were maybe 10 people in the room, and I didn't have a band, or a lot of knowledge of music, but I would go for two hours at a time, two or three times a day, just singing love songs to the Lord. Because there was nobody in the room, you really do have that audience of One. And I cultivated that – that heart cry just between me and the Lord, the connection between the heart of a lover, between me and God, just singing the songs, taking the scriptures and singing them to heaven, listening to Him and singing it back and forth. So I started worship leading in that kind of environment, which is still the environment that I thrive in the best

##music_and_bible
So the team meets 30 minutes ahead of time, and we have a briefing. So for today's set, we'll meet at 1:30, and we're doing a set called worship with the Word. We have 4 different formats: We have worship with the Word, we do a devotional, prophetic worship, and we do intercession

Worship with the word: So kind of what we're doing is we're having a dialogue around a scripture, but we're singing it instead of speaking it, and it's so much fun! So we'll take one chunk of 1 John, like one or two verses, and one of the singers will sing it. And then we have a prayer leader who jumps on a phrase like ‘God is light,’ and the prayer leader will declare, ‘God is light,’ and all the singers will just start singing around that, kind of interpreting what it means that God is light, and we'll cross reference and just throw in a bunch of different scriptures. So we just start singing spontaneously of what means that God is light, and we'll stay on that theme for a little while, and then we'll go to the next phrase, and then the next phrase, and we'll move through the whole passage during a two hour period. So that's what we do with worship with the Word

Well, using music and using the word of God and combining the two is, I think, one of the most powerful realities on the planet, because we are made as musical beings. Our spirit is musical, and when we awaken our spirit and then we sit in front of the word of God, it comes alive

So preparing for that, we just talk about the text, and we talk about a little bit about music. But we mostly talk about the text, and we have kind of a bible study before we go out there so we're the same page. I love worship with the word, it's one of my favorite outlets

And so when it comes time to prophecy, when it comes time to write a song, I go to the piano to write a song and I have all this language because I've done so much worship with the Word. I have a language, I have the Scriptures, I have an understanding of the Word that I wouldn't have had without those hours in the Word, singing with a team

It sounds really amazing

I love worship with the Word!

Song writing

##go_to_Him
But I also want to make sure that what I'm writing is born of the Spirit, meaning it's out of a connection with Him. I want to write songs to God, not only about God. I want to lead people to close their eyes, and actually talk to a person who is listening. You know, He is really listening to our worship. So I imagine that He is right in front of me, and I take the Scriptures, and I just turn it into a dialogue. Sometimes it'll be like Him speaking over me, and some of the songs I write feel like the voice of God speaking over the people

Advice to new worship leaders

##go_to_Him
Primary place to start; get infront of Jesus, get before his eyes

You cannot lead people in something you're not doing

Worship is the most authentic reality. God is looking down at people; worship is getting people to look back

Go there in your imagination; in your mind's eye; behold him; look at him; talk to him; as though he and you are the only people – talking directly with him. Then from that place learn to lead people into that same eye-to-eye confrontation with God – because that is what is happening in worship

That's primary – cannot lead people where you're not going. Everything else falls into place after that
Learning your instrument
Studying the Bible - to give language before him
Language of heart becomes language of scripture
Talk to him through the scripture

Everything else in worship leading, flows out of actually worshipping

Liberty University

Relationship

Relationship is the basis for worship - He created man for personal relationship

Relationships are a big impactor on ministry effectivity. Don't lose sight of them. Supposedly: “99% of failure is caused by relationship failure” [by Maxwell Institute]

Matt22. Most important quality; loving God, keeps other relationships intact

Everything we do reflects the relationship we have with God

Biblicial worship is a 24 hour 7 day a week commitment. It is a lifestyle. If we have been truly transformed and changed by our worship; and have a dynamic relationship with God....... then everything we do in life will reflect our love for God and the people he's created

Rory Noland

iTunes Uni: Mission and Mandate for Worship

Worship is our response to the presence of God. Normally a specific attribute of God grabs us – his grace, or love, for example. Most enduring hymns focus on His character – we worship Him for who he is – David dedicating the temple 1Chron29

Whatever character God chooses to reveal to us, is the character we need at the time

Rory Noland left a church worship leader position, to serve church artists; then was reading; he is my provider verse. Then every day that week he worships God with a lump in his throat

Isaiah's commisioning. God sets a few things straight – consecrating his mouth as this would be his tool

If you want to grow as a corporate worshipper – focus on the attributes of God during worship, especially in corporate worship

Sometimes we Christians focus on the negative, but miss the essence of worship, which is focusing on the Character of God. “I get distracted easily. This helps me keep focus.” As the song comes up on the screen; be on the lookout for any words or phrases that talk about God

##passion
Examples of worship in scripture show great passion. The word for worship in OT means to humbly bow down; show great reverence. NT means prostrate oneself in homage, do reverence, to adore

Moses bowed to the ground and worshiped; Job fell to the ground and worshiped; The people of Israel bowed down, with their faces on the ground in worship. People in scripture became physically involved in worship. It is unnatural to restrain our worship – we get animated when we're excited – meanwhile the saints in heaven are doing faceplants in homage to the King of Kings

Bring God your best worship. Mal1v14 – God notes people are not bringing their best worship (sacrifices). God gave us His best

Growing as a private worshiper

Rory Noland
These days worship lead by teams of artists. Sing, production, drama, paint. Majority not highly educated. New breed of worship leader?: Worshiping artist; artistically inclined, serious about authenitc worship

Should make spiritual preperation top priority. But unfortunately practice/setting consumes time

Challenge: can't lead people in an experience you yourself aren't having

Where did David learn to worship with passion with depth and intimacy? In the desert; by himself. I could teach on: philosopy of worship, how service is put together. ... etc, but next step for church worship development; every member becomes a private worshiper

##24.7
You will be worshipping God long after everything else has ceased to exist. ... For my part I want to worship God so fully and so satisfyingly to the end, that I don't have to cram (on Judgment Day) for the final exam, I can just stop breathing with quiteness and say:
“I worshipped him, I'm still worshipping him, and I expect to worship him for the whole of eternity” A.W. Towzer

We are here to glorify God, and enjoy him fully forever

If you want to become a better worship leader; become a vibrant private worshipper. As believers we can can worship God on our own and experience the power and priviledge of worship every day

##24.7
God is the one who initiates worship. But we can increase our reception to his presence. We constantly live in the presence of our master. If we ask “Where are you?” His answer is always “I am right here”

Serious worshippers are on the alert for God's presence in all they do. Try to live all of life in a constant awareness of God's constant presence. “My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.” Ps71.8

The question is not is God present to us, but are we present to God? Some examples:
Take 5 minute breaks to focus
Post bible verses around the house/office
Listen to worship music while painting
Take sencic route home

– these remind us of God presence amidst regularity

Continually offer yourself up to God as an act of worship. (Rom12.1). So... how we live our lives is how we worship

##holy
God hates hypocritical worship – issue of sin is particularly important for worshippers. Worship can be a powerful weapon against temptation

Worship is particpatory – not about me, about God. One does not encounter the character of God and remain the same – “To stand before the Holy One of eternity is to change” Richard Foster

Rom12.2 Do not conform, be transformed by renewing of your mind. Worship is inherently transformational

And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. 2Cor3.18

Every encounter with God comes with an invitation to be moulded more into his likeness

Sacrifice

##sacrifice
What comes to your mind with the word worship: People lifting up hands and swaying in worship; Isaiah seeing smoke as the temple shakes; Indeginous tribes people sitting in a circle; an invitation letter being sent to the Holy of Holies

The word sacrifice: giving up something valuable? An offering at church? Giving something that will cost us?

For sacrifice; they gave the best and purest animals, specially prepared, and best fed; Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Rom12v1. We are the pure and spotless sacrifice