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Beliefs: Worship
Worship is our response to the overtures of love from the heart of the Father. Its central reality is found “in spirit and truth” (John 4:23).
It is kindled within us only when the spirit of God touches our human spirit. Forms and rituals do not produce worship, nor does the disuse of forms and rituals. We can use all the right techniques and methods, we can have the best possible liturgy, but we have not worshiped the Lord until Spirit touches spirit.
Until God touches and frees our spirit we cannot enter this realm. Singing, praying, praising all may lead to worship, but worship is more than any of them. Our spirit must be ignited by the divine fire. -Richard Foster
A Vision of God in the Temple
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. And one called to another and said:“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of the whole earth is full of his glory 4 The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. And I said: “Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts! Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out.” 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!” (Isaiah 6:1-8/The New Revised Standard Version).
If we truly believe that worship is one of the chief avenues for us to enter the presence of Almighty God himself, what do we expect to happen when we come to worship? How can we have a holy expectation that we will actually hear the voice of God?
Here are some suggestions:
1. Practice welcoming the Presence of God in daily activities
2. Enter the Worship Center 10 minutes early and begin contemplating God’s majesty, glory, and tenderness as revealed in Jesus.
3. Lift up the pastor and other worship leaders
4. Pray for other people as they come in and sit by you.
5. Prayer and quiet time is a special way to share our thoughts with God. 6. Prayers come in all shapes and sizes. They can be spontaneous and original.
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