"At All Times"

Finding myself in a bit of a spiritual "rut" lately. I know lots in my head, that I am loved, and that Jesus deserves my praise. And I am not sad, discouraged, defeated...just somehow disengaged. But I read Psalm 95 in my devotions this morning and verse two really stuck out to me:

"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving..."

There is the key! As long as I focus inwardly I will remain stuck. But when I lift up my eyes and focus on Christ and what He has done, I am free. The best and most acceptable posture to come before Him in is thanksgiving.


Another powerful verse in the Psalms states,

"He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." (Psalm 50:23)

When I offer thanksgiving, I prepare the way for God to work. When I give Him the glory He is due, he delights to further reveal Himself and His power. When I honor Him (even if it's a sacrifice) He meets me.

Wondering what the will of God is for your life? "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:18). ALL circumstances, at ALL times. Thanksgiving.

"I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips" (Psalm 34:1).

So I choose today not to focus my thoughts on my own circumstances and feelings, which change so easily. Instead, I look to God my Rock, the Faithful, Unchanging One, and what He has already done in my life.

Here are a few things I'm thankful for today:
the Love of my Heavenly Father, salvation through Christ, the gift of the Holy Spirit, my husband, my family, our church and ministry community, our home, for music, for fellowship and friends, for the Word of God, for creativity, for shelter and clothing, for financial provision, for technology like Skype so I can keep in touch with friends, for daily protection, for grace, for touch and smell and taste and sight and hearing, for sunshine and rain, for a warm cup of tea.

How about you? What sacrifice of thanksgiving can you offer today?

Sacrifices that cost me nothing....

"Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend."

These are the words Jesus spoke to His disciples while He was on earth, and I'm not sure those following Him knew that He meant it literally. The One they had come to love, whose miracles they had witnessed, whose teaching they had soaked up, whose advice they had heeded...was about to be beaten, spit upon, hurled insults at, and crucified. For their sin. Because He loved them.

What an amazing kind of love this is! And Jesus demonstrated it so perfectly, didn't He? But guess what––He also said: "This is my command: love one another as I have loved you" (John 15). You and I are called to that same standard of self-giving.

I don't know about you, but I find it easier to give of something that is mine than to give of myself. It's no problem to donate my money to a charity or lend something to a friend, answer questions or give advice. It's also fun to give of my talents and use my gifts, especially when I know people are blessed by them. (That's also where pride can easily sneak in and I am tempted to do stuff in order to be seen.) The hard part comes though when I need to give of myself...my time, my physical presence, my love, patience, mercy.

And that's exactly what God's been requiring of me lately! I'm learning though that it's not just a seasonal or short-term thing. This lesson in serving is a permanent one. Our whole posture in life as Christ's disciples should be one of self-giving. Jesus said He came not to be served, to but to serve. As a good family friend of ours says, "If your ministry 'toolbox' doesn’t include a basin and a towel, then you may want to file a complaint, for surely you have been sold a defective product" (Tom Zurowski).

There are times when I wish discipleship was easier, and I could just "do what I want." Sometimes people's needs seem like inconveniences or interruptions to my own schedule. But how selfish! Jesus never thought like that.

So I'm learning to serve, and along the way our faithful God offers encouragement. For example, yesterday as I was taking care of my mother-in-law we were sitting out in the garden, and she randomly turned to me and said, "Thank you for always being here with me. I mean, I can't take care of myself, so what would I do otherwise? I would just be alone." Though her memory and thought patterns were extremely affected by her stroke, that was such a clear moment and a precious reminder that my service is worth it.

I am reminded of David's words in 2 Samuel 24 when he planned to worship the Lord, and someone offered to give him the animals and wood for the sacrifice. David replied to him, "²⁴No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the Lord my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.”

We should have the same attitude. How often do we say we're "living for the Lord" or serving Him or following Christ or doing ministry or loving others...but it's costing us nothing? What kind of worshipful offering is that? I'm not saying that we need to bring trouble upon ourselves or live poorly or do nothing that we enjoy. Just that worship entails an offering, which means sacrifice.

I've been encouraged lately by these verses from Hebrews 13, and hope you are too:

"¹⁵ Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. ¹⁶ And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased."

Did you catch that? Doing good to others is an act of worship to God. It's not about us, or whether we feel like it or not. The two greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbor, and I believe one of the biggest ways we can love God is through loving our neighbor. And somehow, we are always blessed in return. There are people all around us who need our time, our prayers, our listening ear, our practical help, our encouragement. Let us as disciples of Jesus be known as people who lay down our lives for others.

Who can you serve today?

Fall Afresh

So I've been a bit behind on blogging, since in the last couple of weeks my parents were here to visit, and now friends are staying with us for awhile too. But it's all been great! I thought I'd drop by quickly though just to share a song that has been refreshing to me in the last few weeks:

What music are you being inspired by lately? Please feel free to share!

Herr, ich komme zu dir...

Music is my "heart language." It's one way I connect best with God, and I love leading music so that others can connect with God through it as well. 

Being here in Germany has been a bit challenging in the sense that I can't speak my own 'heart language' as often or as easily as I could in Canada. You don't know how relieving and refreshing it is to hear an English song in church! Sometimes it's the only part of a worship service that I understand.

At the same time, I am learning some new songs here. When you don't know a language very well and you're learning something new, you tend to analyze everything. Learning German songs is proving to be a helpful way for me to learn the language better....The words rhyme and flow, and the melodies stick in my mind throughout the day, giving me time to mull over the depth and meaning of the lyrics.

So I want to share with you a song that I have recently learned. The words are powerful!

You can listen to it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pzr2X2Buo1U&feature=related

Herr, ich komme zu dir, und ich steh' vor dir so wie ich bin

 Lord, I come to you, and I stand before you just as I am

Alles was mich bewegt lege ich vor dich hin. 

 Everything that moves me, I lay before you

Herr, ich komme zu dir, und ich schütte mein Herz bei dir aus

Lord I come to you, and I pour out my heart

Was mich hindert ganz bei dir zu sein räume aus!

 What hinders me to be with you has no place

Meine Sorgen sind dir nicht verborgen, du wirst sorgen für mich. 

My worries are not hidden from you, you will take care of me

Voll Vertrauen will ich auf dich schauen. Herr, ich baue auf dich!

 Full of confidence I will look toward you. Lord, I rely on you!

Gib mir ein neues ungeteiltes Herz. Lege ein neues Lied in meinen Mund. 

Give me a new, undivided heart. Put a new song in my mouth.
Fülle mich neu mit deinem Geist, denn du bewirkst dein Lob in mir.

 Fill me fresh with your Spirit, then you create your praise in me.

My favorite line is "Gib mir ein neues ungeteiltes Herz." Give me a new, undivided heart - that's the theme of this blog - Pursuing One Thing. Our hearts are not pure if we're going in different directions. Christ wants our undivided attention, our undivided affection, our undivided obedience. 

Praying that God would give you and me a new, undivided heart today, and a new song in our mouths that we may be filled afresh with his Spirit and live out his praise!

Like an Orchestra...

I love the biblical portraits of what we as the People of God are supposed to look like. The Church, corporately, is a bride, awaiting the coming of our Bridegroom. We are a body, with Christ as the Head. We are like sheep, with Jesus as our Good Shepherd. We are a temple, each of us as living stones with Christ as the Chief Cornerstone. We are a household, brothers and sisters in Christ with God as our Father.

Last night as Mogi and I watched the Stuttgart Philharmonic Orchestra perform Beethoven's Violin Concert in a big old cathedral in Schwäbisch Hall, another analogy came to mind...the Church is like an Orchestra. 

Of course I like this analogy, because I am musical. But I think there are some pretty neat parallels that can give us a new understanding of both our identity and purpose as the Church.

To start with, an orchestra is made up of many individuals. It cannot be a one-man show, or it will not work. To be a follower of Christ means that we are connected in community––part of a body, part of a household. There are no "lone rangers" in Christianity. But like an orchestra, all the individual members must be in unity. When Jesus prayed for all those who would ever believe in him, he asked his Father, "May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that You sent me and have loved them even as You have loved me" (John 17:23). It is by our unity that the world will know about Jesus––wow! 

Just as there are different instruments in an orchestra, so we as Christians all have different gifts. "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men" (1 Corinthians 12:4-6). Some gifts may be similar, like a violin and viola, and some people in a group may also have the same gift as the other. But the key is to know when it's your turn to play. Not all of us have gifts that are used in the limelight, like the violin soloist was last night. But his music would not have sounded like it did if he were not accompanied by other, seemingly "smaller" or "less significant" instruments such as the percussionists who played only every so often. Instead of being jealous of other people's gifts or being upset that ours aren't as "noticed," we should appreciate how God has designed us all to work together to accomplish HIS purposes, not ours. "God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other" (1 Corinthians 12:24-25).

As soon as we make life and ministry about us, we lose the unity that is supposed to define us as followers of Christ. If one instrumentalist in the orchestra decided that they wanted to show off their talent, it would have ruined the whole performance. And even in those times when we don't seem to be "playing," it doesn't mean we're not part of the team. We are always participating, even if it is sitting back and encouraging someone else who is playing. We are still contributing to the greater purpose, the bigger picture, the 'song' that God is writing through His Church to a watching and listening world.

There are those gifts though that are more often seen at the forefront. Those of us who are in positions of leadership are held to an even higher standard. In a symphony, it may be less obvious if a quieter instrument makes a mistake or misses a note. But if the main soloist messes up, everybody notices. This is not to imply that it's okay for Christians to sin if nobody notices! We should all be living righteous lives, being holy because the One who called us is holy (1 Peter 1:15). But it is especially those whom God has called as leaders that other Christians should be able to look up to, considering the outcome of their way of life and imitating their faith (Hebrews 13:7). Therefore leaders must be "above reproach" (1 Timothy 3:2). As the saying goes, "With great power comes great responsibility." "Since an overseer is entrusted with God’s work, he must be blameless" (Titus 1:7). The writer of Hebrews exhorts us, "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden" (Hebrews 13:17). We are ALL going to be held accountable for the way we handled our gifts and how faithful we were in participating on the team and contributing to the symphony. We want to hear the "Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things" from our 'Conductor' (see Matthew 25).


But how does a group of people become unified? How can it be that individuals with different tastes, different gifts, different preferences and ideas, are able to work together and play something so beautiful? How does unity happen? Two more parallels are interesting here. Perhaps the sheet music that the orchestra uses could be a picture of the Bible...it provides the instructions for playing. Yet it is possible to follow the music and play all the notes written, but to still sound bland and boring, or for the instrumentalists to still disagree about what sounds best or what should be done. That is why there is also a conductor. Our conductor is the Holy Spirit. He adds "life" and dynamics to our music––not going against what the sheet music says, but leading the orchestra to follow the notes in a way that produces a sound which draws people in. Of course our job as the Church is not simply to 'perform,' but the reality is that there is a world of people observing us, critiquing us, watching us with keen interest, and the Holy Spirit inside of us ought to be 'enticing.' Jesus said, "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7:38). If the water flowing from within us is not refreshing to the parched land around us, we are not being relevant and our 'music' is in vain.

Just as all the members of the orchestra must keep their eyes on both the music and the conductor at the same time, so God has provided us with both his Spirit and his Word to live by. We must worship God in spirit (by His Spirit) and in truth (according to his Word) - John 4:24. We can't have one without the other. I heard a saying the other day... "With only the word, you will dry up. With only the Spirit, you will blow up. With both, you will grow up."

As I watched the conductor last night (who, by the way, was very animated and active), I noticed that he always seemed to be just a bit ahead of the orchestra. That was important, since he was the one leading. So it is with the Holy Spirit. We are to be led by Him, as well as keep in step with him (see Galatians 5). He must be in front, setting the pace, but at the same time we need to keep up, not following along passively at a distance. Do you know what the Holy Spirit is doing and wants to do in your life, your family, your church, school, workplace, etc.? Obedience to the Holy Spirit is an incredibly exciting journey, but we will only experience it if we follow!

{So, how do you see yourself as part of this 'orchestra' which is the Church? How are you doing with following the Conductor and with following the notes––even knowing them by heart? Is your instrument out of tune, or are you taking care of it and putting it to good use?}

 From Psalm 66...

 ¹ Shout with joy to God, all the earth!
 ² Sing the glory of his name;
   make his praise glorious!
³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds!
   So great is your power
   that your enemies cringe before you.
⁴ All the earth bows down to you;
   they sing praise to you,
   they sing praise to your name.”
                         Selah

 ⁵ Come and see what God has done,
   how awesome his works in man’s behalf!
^...

 ⁸ Praise our God, O peoples,
   let the sound of his praise be heard;
⁹ he has preserved our lives
   and kept our feet from slipping.

...

 ¹⁶ Come and listen, all you who fear God;
   let me tell you what he has done for me.
^...
20 Praise be to God,
   who has not rejected my prayer
   or withheld his love from me!"

Corporate Worship

So I finished my paper, and I want to share what I learned! I'm so glad I did this project––it's something that's been on my mind during my four years here at Bible school.

Let me discuss a few highlights; if you want to read the whole paper, there's a link down at the bottom. Let me know what you think!

My questions going into this were: What does "church" mean? What were the reasons that the early church gathered in the New Testament? Why are Christians supposed to gather together for worship? How does God manifest himself uniquely among a group of believers?

So...The Biblical Purposes of Corporate Worship

Church matters, because our faith is not just a private thing. It never has been a private thing! Being a Christian is not only being a "follower of Christ;" it is being a disciple along with many others in the community of faith. In the Old Testament, God chose a people––the Israelites––to be set apart for Him. He used individual men and women, but the focus was on a people, a nation, being His own. In the New Testament too, God formed a new people. The Holy Spirit came at Pentecost, when all the believers were together. The point of God rescuing the Israelites in the Old Testament and redeeming people like us who are under the New Covenant was for the purpose of worship.

So why is it significant that we continue meeting together today? Four reasons (besides that it is a biblical directive): first, because by participating in corporate worship we are able to reflect our identity as the people of God; secondly, to celebrate the work of Christ on the cross; thirdly, to experience the unique presence of God in our midst; and lastly, to serve and be edified by one another.

 It is important to see that the Bible never calls the building where believers gather a "church." We are the church. We are ekklesia––the assembly of the 'called-out-ones.' The biblical idea is that God's people make up the Church (universal and timeless), and it is vital that we meet together.

1) To Express our Identity
In the New Testament there are several metaphors that emphasize the corporate nature of the church. The first metaphor is that of a family (see Gal. 5:10; Eph. 1:4-5; Eph. 2:19; Heb. 2:11). We are, in a spiritual sense, brothers and sisters, fellow members of God's household. When we refer to each other as "brother" or "sister", it isn't just 'churchy' talk––it's a reflection of our very identity! And what family can function well if it is not together? We meet because we're a family.

The second metaphor is that of us, together, being a temple (Eph. 2:19-22, 1 Pet. 2:5). Yes, individually each of our bodies is a temple of the Holy Spirit, but also we are corporately being built together to become God's dwelling; we are living stones, being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices to God. The Holy Spirit dwells among us in a corporate sense as each living stone is in fellowship with others.

The third metaphor is that of the body. This is probably the most familiar pictures. In 1 Corinthians 12 we read that we are the body of Christ, and each of us is a part of it. Being a body implies the togetherness of all the members. We belong to one another (Rom. 12:5) and each part must do its work in order to be built up in love (Eph. 4:16).

So we meet as a reflection of who we are: a family, a temple, a body. And just by our meeting together in unity, we serve as a witness to the world. (See my paper for more comments on that.)

2) To Celebrate Christ
What do we do when we meet together then? Of course Christ should be central to any Christian gathering. It is ‘in the Lord’ that believers can rejoice (Phil. 3:1), in Him that they stand firm (Phil. 4:1), in Him that they are strong (Eph. 6:10), in Him that they were chosen and have redemption (Eph. 1) and in Him that they are now being built up (Col. 2:7). Therefore participation in corporate worship is about expressing our identity as God’s people, as well as celebrating the work of Christ. We celebrate through our singing, through our encouraging one another, through our praying, through our giving of offerings. One very significant celebratory act in corporate worship is participating in communion, or the Lord's Supper. Jesus told his disciples to eat the bread (symbolic of his body which was about to be broken for them) and drink the wine (symbolic of his blood about to be poured out for them) in His remembrance. And Paul explained to the Corinthians that whenever believers gathered to eat the bread and drink the cup, they were proclaiming the Lord's death until he comes again (1 Cor. 11:26).

3) To Experience God's Presence
Celebration and praise are important. But we can do that anytime, can't we? Aren't we called to give thanks in all circumstances? Aren't we called to daily offer our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord as acts of worship? I discovered that the New Testament writers, when they talk about corporate "worship services" or Christian gatherings, do not use the typical language of worship such as "offering," "sacrifice," etc. They use those words when referring to an individual's relationship with God (such as Romans 12:1) but never in the context of corporate worship. Christ should always be central, yes, but there's a reason beyond praising Him for which he calls us together. God does something unique in the midst of his people when they worship together. Here are a couple examples:

In 2 Chron. 20 we read the story of King Jehoshaphat, who when faced with a vast army coming against him proclaimed a corporate fast for all of Judah to seek the Lord for help. He prayed in the midst of the assembly, and then “the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel” (v. 14). God spoke specifically to Jahaziel in this corporate context, giving instructions for the people and telling him to remind them that the battle was not theirs; God would deliver them. They next day they set out for battle, and Jehoshaphat appointed men––at the head of the army––to sing to the Lord and praise him, saying “Give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.” Verse 22 recounts, “As they began to sing and praise, the Lord set ambushes against the men of Ammon and Moab and Mount Seir who were invading Judah, and they were defeated.” The men of Judah, led by Jehoshaphat, returned to Jerusalem and praised the Lord with harps and lutes and trumpets (v. 28).
The Lord, in the assembly of his people, had revealed his plan, and through corporate worship, victory was granted to the people of God and they were preserved!

A similar story, though on a smaller scale, is found in the New Testament. The corporate praise of Paul and Silas brought about great victory as well. After casting a fortune-telling spirit out of a young girl, these two men were flogged and thrown in prison. Acts 16:25-26 tells the story of what happened next: “About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose.” All the prisoners were set free, and even the jailer asked how he could be saved! Truly where two or three come together in Christ’s name, he is there with them (Matthew 18:20). God honors the meeting together of his people, and as they celebrate Him, he reveals Himself in power!


4) To Serve and be Edified by One Another This is, I believe, one of the most important points. I say this because I think it's where, in so many of our churches, we are getting it wrong. As I mentioned before, in the New Testament, corporate gatherings are never described specifically as "worship times," nor is worship even mentioned as the reason for gathering. The terminology that writers such as Paul do use though, is that of "up-building" and edification. Examples of this are found in 1 Corinthians 14––”strengthening, encouragement, and comfort….that the church may be edified….try to excel in gifts that build up the church” and Ephesians 4:11-16––“so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith….we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head….the whole body….grows and builds itself up in love.”

How does edification happen then? To a large extent this is the purpose of spiritual gifts. But how many believers actually know what their spiritual gifts are, or have the opportunity to use them on an average Sunday morning? Corporate gatherings should be times of participation. In most of our services, it is easy to go in the morning, sing a few songs, sit through a sermon, and leave, without having even contributed anything or said hi to anyone. This isn't what the New Testament church looked like!

This leads into some suggestions I have for those who are involved in planning corporate gatherings. Firstly, I believe that the New Testament encourages extemporaneous input by believers in corporate worship. Yes, “everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way” (1 Corinthians 14:40), but this does not negate the possibility of individuals not “on stage” to speak up during church services.
 Paul says in 1 Corinthians 14 that when believers came together, each one had a hymn, a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. This is powerful! Every part of the body, each living stone, and every family member was able to participate. In our services today this may look like a time of open testimony, an opportunity to hear what God is doing in our midst.

The second challenge is to grow in prayer. We see that the early church met quite often to pray––they gathered in homes (Acts 12:12) on numerous occasions to pray, as well as a variety of other contexts. We are told of corporate prayers for guidance, meetings to give thanks for deliverance from persecution, prayers for effectiveness in ministry, leaders' meetings to pray for those beginning a new ministry, and a church meeting to pray for the release of Peter from prison. In the churches that I have been part of, prayer is given such a minute role. It may happen at the beginning or end of a service, in between a couple songs, and before the offering. But I believe God is calling us to a higher level of intercession––praying for the needs amongst ourselves, praying for our cities, praying for the world. He has given us the authority, and if we want to see Him move, we will have to step it up!

The third suggestion is to have a stronger focus on small groups (or cell groups, Bible studies, whatever you want to call them). This is probably the closest representation of what "church" looked like for the earliest group of Christians, as they met in people's homes, and occasionally all the home churches in a city met together to pray or hear Scripture read. Many of the actions of worship that may be difficult to implement in a large corporate setting may be done in a small group. These include everything from sharing meals, singing, and praying to teaching, prophesying, and fasting.

Dan Kimball, who wrote a book about emerging worship, states that to most people, "church" (as in the Sunday-morning version) involves only 1.8% of their time and facilitates only about 20% of their spiritual formation. Why, then, as church leaders, do we seem to put 80% of our time, effort, and resources, into something that produces such little long-term spiritual growth? We need to begin focusing on small groups, relationships, discipleship, mentoring, and leadership opportunities outside of once-a-week gatherings.


So...church. What has your experience been? What are your thoughts or questions?

Oh, here is the link to my full paper if you're interested: The Biblical Purposes of Corporate Worship: By Kristyn Mogler

Thanks for reading this! I'd love your comments and discussion.

Your sister and fellow living stone (not sure what part of the body I am :-) ),

Kristyn

The Otherness of God

"When you face up to God's glory, you find yourself facedown in worship."

 This is the challenge Matt Redman presents in his book, Facedown.

I'm in the second chapter and I've already been challenged, stunned, and inspired. Chapter 2 drives home the truth of what 1 Timothy 1:17 means - "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen." Redman talks about how God is so Pure, so Matchless, and so Unique that nothing even comes close to him. He quotes A.W. Tozer, who said, "Left to ourselves we tend immediately to reduce God to manageable terms." I'm so guilty of this! I want God to make sense, to fit into my box.

But the Bible portrays Him differently. Look at Psalm 50:
 "You thought I was altogether like you" (v. 21). 

How often do we function in a way that demonstrates our weak understanding of God? He is not like us. The beginning of this Psalm says, "The Mighty One, God, the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to where it sets. From Zion, perfect in beauty, God shines forth." As Chris Tomlin sings, "Our God is Greater, our God is Stronger; God you are Higher than any other! Our God is Healer, Awesome in power...our God!" And our God deserves our worship. And our worship must be appropriate to Who He is. Our highest praise belongs to our Highest God!

Redman suggests that "one beautiful way of conveying [the otherness of God] is to offer to God that which we do not spend on any other." In the Old Testament, for instance, God gave the Israelites instructions for making a special anointing oil to be used only in the Tabernacle, the place of worship. It was not to be used in cooking or put on anyone's body; it was sacred, and to be considered sacred (Exodus 30:32). In the same way, it is right for us to have forms of worship that are used for God alone. For instance, bowing facedown. The language we use can also be an indicator of God's Otherness. Have you noticed that our culture doesn't exactly use the word "holy" in everyday language? It is right for this word, which means set-apart-ness, to be used in the worship of God, who is set apart and distinct from us.

One beautiful aspect of God's Otherness is that He accepts our acts of worship, though they may appear as feeble offerings. In Psalm 50:8 God says, "I bring no charges against you concerning your sacrifices or concerning your burnt offerings, which are ever before me."

But God also goes on to say,

^"9 I have no need of a bull from your stall

   or of goats from your pens,

¹⁰ for every animal of the forest is mine,

   and the cattle on a thousand hills.

¹¹ I know every bird in the mountains,

   and the insects in the fields are mine.

¹² If I were hungry I would not tell you,

   for the world is mine, and all that is in it.

¹³ Do I eat the flesh of bulls

   or drink the blood of goats?"

WOW! The God of the Universe receives the offerings we give to him, but he has no need of them! In fact, anything we give to God came from Him in the first place. He first loved us, He first served us, He demonstrated obedience, selflessness, sacrifice, good deeds. Redman wrote a song, the chorus of which is,

"Lord, we're breathing the breath
That You gave us to breathe
To worship You, to worship You
And we're singing these songs
With the very same breath
To worship You, to worship You."

God doesn't need our worship, but in his "outrageous grace," he loves it. Verse 23 says, "He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God." Our worship prepares the way for God to move in our lives!
In honoring God in thankful worship, we are positioning ourselves to see the Greatness, the Otherness of God demonstrated. Oh, for our minds and spirits to be renewed so that we may see God in his greatness and face up to his glory!

Learning what it means to worship facedown,
Kristyn & Mogi

The Pattern of the Levites

About a month ago, a verse caught my attention: 1 Chronicles 16:4 -  It says that David "appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to make petition, to give thanks, and to praise the Lord, the God of Israel."

The Levites were the "worship leaders" of the Israelites, and their job description was to thank, praise, and make petition unto the Lord. I was intrigued by that pattern and decided to incorporate it into my own life and worship. It has been powerful! There are times where I don't feel like worshiping, but I choose to anyway, because God is worthy.

I begin by praising. What is praise? It has to do with adoration, and we adore God for who he is. Doing this has helped me see God in new ways. I am reminded of the verse, "the name of the Lord is a strong tower" (Proverbs 18:10). When we acknowledge who God is (the unchanging one, despite whatever our situation is), then we find refuge and shelter. The picture below is a neat illustration.

There are so many things to praise God for - he is our Creator, Sustainer, Provider, Savior, Lover, the One who Sees us, the One who Knows us, our Forgiver. And the list goes on! In what ways has God revealed himself to you lately, and how can you praise him?

And then I give thanks. This has to do with what God has done. The list here is also endless. And even on those days where I'm frustrated or disengaged, I can always find something to be thankful for. Since I've started paying attention, I'm realizing how frequently the Bible commands us to be grateful! It's not an option for Christians. And why should it be? What are you thankful for today?

Then, I make petition. I ask, I intercede. There is always something for this category too. I shake my head sometimes when I'm in group situations where we're sharing prayer requests, and I can't think of anything. The world is a needy place! There is always something we can petition the Lord for! This is part of our priestly privilege. What situation can you bring before the Lord today? Who can you intercede for?

How would your worship life (which should be a lifestyle of worship) be different if you intentionally offered praise, thanksgiving, and petitions to the Lord?

Serving our awesome God and worshiping with you,
-Kristyn & Mogi