Clear the Stage

“Worship is more than a song“…… sharing this nice song “Clear the stage” by Jimmy Needham

Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze
If that’s the measure you must take to crush the idols

Jerk the pews & all the decorations, too
Until the congregations few, then have revival

Tell your friends that this is where the party ends
Until you’re broken for your sins, you can’t be social

Then seek the Lord and wait for what He has in store
And know that great is your reward so just be hopeful

‘Cause you can sing all you want to
Yes, you can sing all you want to
You can sing all you want to
And still get it wrong;
worship is more than a song

Take a break from all the plans that you have made
And sit at home alone and wait for God to whisper

Beg Him please to open up His mouth and speak
And pray for real upon your knees until they blister

Shine the light on every corner of your life
Until the pride and lust and lies are in the open

Then read the Word and put to test the things you’ve heard
Until your heart and soul are stirred and rocked and broken

‘Cause you can sing all you want to
Yes, you can sing all you want to
You can sing all you want to
And still get it wrong; worship is more than a song

We must not worship something that’s not even worth it
Clear the stage, make some space for the One who deserves it

Anything I put before my God, is an idol
Anything I want with all my heart, is an idol
Anything can’t stop thinking of, is an idol
Anything that I give all my love, is an idol

‘Cause I can sing all I want to
Yes, I can sing all I want to
I can sing all I want to
And still get it wrong
And you can sing all you want to
Yes, you can, you can sing all you want to
You can sing all you want to
And still get it wrong; worship is more than a song
Worship is more than a song

Clear the stage and set the sound and lights ablaze
If that’s the measure you must take to crush the idols

Steady my heart

Like to share this nice song…

Steady my Heart

by: Kari Jobe

Wish it could be easy
Why is life so messy
Why is pain a part of us
There are days I feel like
Nothing ever goes right
Sometimes it just hurts so much

But You’re here You’re real I know I can trust You
Even when it hurts
Even when it’s hard
Even when it all just falls apart I will run to You
Cause I know that You are
Lover of my soul Healer of my scars
You steady my heart (x2)

I’m not gonna worry I know that You got me
Right inside the palm of your hand
Each and every moment
What’s good and what gets broken
Happens just the way that You plan

And I will run to You
You’re my refuge in Your arms
And I will sing to You
Cause of everything You are
You steady my heart (x2)

7 Things worship is …

 

by Perry Noble

#1 – Repentance - Where there is no repentance there may be an emotional experience, but it’s not worship!  Worship does not become worship until it IMPACTS the WAY WE LIVE!

#2 – Intellectual – We’re called to worship the Lord with our minds by renewing it and fixing it on Him. (Colossians 3:1-2)

#3 – Emotional- Worship is overwhelming when we realize how deeply we were entrenched in sin, how helpless we were and how incredible it is that Jesus would rescue us.  (The reality of Romans 5:8 BLOWS ME AWAY!)

#4 – Intentional- No one accidentally follows Christ…if we are going to worship Him, it will be done purposefully!

#5 – Relational – Worship impacts every relationship we have, it is impossible to be a fully devoted worshipper of Christ and be a jerk to your wife or try as often as possible to take advantage of the opposite sex.

#6 – Financial – Until following Christ has impacted our finances in a sacrificial way we are not followers of Christ.  Would you like to see the primary object of your worship…look at your checkbook!

#7 – Unconditional – (and NOT situational!)  Worship is consistent, 24/7, not just when I feel good or God is giving me all that I want.  If we worship only when things are good, we do not worship God…we worship a genie!

Brokeness

by Kris Belfils

Brokenness Is…

Brokenness is… The realization of who I am compared to God.
Brokenness is… A true humility and submissive heart to God.
Brokenness is… A heart’s cry of desperation to a loving God.
Brokenness is… Waiting on God’s time, not mine.
Brokenness is… Laying down my crowns and dreams for God’s.
Brokenness is… Not wanting my will, but God’s.
Brokenness is… Letting go of my control to God.
Brokenness is… A heart of obedience and thankfulness towards God.
Brokenness is… A realization of my self-righteous compared to God’s.
Brokenness is… A knowing that I’m lost without God.

‘Til I see You

Woke up this morning, Just want to share this beautiful worship song “Til I see you” (by Hillsong) which has been one of my favorites for almost 5 years.

The greatest love that anyone could ever know
That overcame the cross and grave to find my soul
And ’til I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I’ll trust in You

With all I am I’ll live to see Your kingdom come
And in my heart I pray You’d let Your will be done
And ’til I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I’ll trust in You

I will live to love You
I will live to bring You praise
I will live a child in awe of You

You are the voice that calls the universe to be
You are the whisper in my heart that speaks to me
And ’til I see You face to face and grace amazing takes me home
I’ll trust in you

You alone are God of all
You alone are worthy Lord
And with all I am my soul will bless Your name

As for me and my house…

Like this song by John Waller, prayer for my family in the future, that our family serve the Lord the rest of our lives.

Verse 1:
I’m done
Building my own kingdom
No more
Seeking worthless idols

Pre:
Like sheep we have all gone astray
We must choose this day
Whom we will serve

Chorus:
As for me and my house
We will serve the Lord
We will serve the Lord
Idols raised, tear them down
Cause we will serve the Lord
We will serve the Lord
To one king we bow down
As for me and my house
We will only serve the Lord

Verse 2:
I’m done
With powerless religion
No more
Living in deception

Out:
We will not give our hearts to another
Will not give our hearts to another
We belong to the Lord
We will not give our hearts to another
Will not give our hearts to another
We will only serve the Lord

Let’s not worship worship

A repost from my multiply site since year 2009,

Worship as it should be…

*** Just came from a “church” gathering.

I was suddenly reminded of the Philippines, ( I was still in a restricted access nation when i blogged about it) How we do things back in my country where there is freedom, you’re free to jump, praise, shout and clap your hands and it won’t be perceived as something weird , wrong or prohibited.

Here we got no guitars or any musical instruments (acoustic / electric / bass, or drums) we worship just with our voice… and most especially with our hearts..

Please don’t get me wrong, I was part of a worship team too and I very much enjoy worshipping our Creator in whichever ways, either that be through washing dishes, writing or singing songs, studying hard, working excellently or through honoring one’s parent or loving your family, after all worship is a lifestyle not just a once a week “thingy” (sunday worship).

I know you don’t wanna end up worshiping WORSHIP you don’t want to sing  “how great is this song”, yes it’s good to appreciate the anointed worship leader, or very skillful music team, majestic full band, hair-raising choir , very flashy attires and styles of singing but we shouldn’t forget that are just means or ways of expressing worship and adoration to this great and majestic, awesome God. We use worship as a vehicle of expressing your love, dependence, trust, faith, obedience , adoration, gratefulness, hope, humility and recognition of Jesus Christ, for who he is in, around and above our lives until eternity.

For He is our Everything! All that we are belong to Him!

A friend of mine shared his observation of many churches he has been to. From the program , the demographics of people attending, the pastors, preaching, location, stage set-up, pulpit, lights, communion elements and almost everything he could criticize about. He said I think our church is almost close to “perfect church”. I interrupted him and said there’s no such thing as perfect church. You and I, almost everyone can always find fault, mistakes or things we dislike in the church we are part of. A relative of mine who dislikes drums in worship services showed me an evidence that it’s not in the Bible etc.  You might have  met people like them.

But I won’t forget this entry in my journal when i was still in a mission field, in a nation were Christian worship is prohibited.

“What a remarkable moment I am into, wanna archive this experience.

Eyes weren’t on the powerpoint or big screens,

but all closed with heads looking up,
hands aren’t raised,

but knees all bent in awe and reverence,

humbling before Him now , longing for him.

Oh How great, how awesome, majestic and marvelous are you Lord God almighty!”

We can’t say this style is better than the other or it’s the other way around…

because bottom line, “man looks at the outside but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Wherever we are, we can worship Him in our own ways and expressions.
As long as it’s the same Jesus Christ whom we offer our highest adoration and praise and worship.

Our duty is to be satisfied in Him

What on earth are we here for? What is our purpose here in life? What is man’s ultimate duty? These are the questions that led me to write this blog.

Maximizing our joy in God is what we were created for because we are commanded to rejoice in God.

and the bible tells over and over to pursue joy: “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous ones; shout for joy, all you who are upright in heart”- Psalm 32:11 (Psalm 67:4, Psalm 37:4, Luke 10:20) The Apostle Paul even encouraged us in Phil 4:4 to “rejoice in the Lord” while he himself was in the prison, for such a long time I’ve tried to ignore this verse because I never about this “duty of delighting ourselves” in Him.

Being satisfied with all God is for us in Jesus is the essence of the authentic experience of the authentic experience of worship. God is glorified not only by His glory’s being seen, but by its being rejoiced in.

John Piper once said in his book “The best news in the world… God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.”

because God’s passion to be glorified and our passion to be satisfied are not at odds. just as what the old Westminster catechism says “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

The radical implication is that pursuing pleasure in God is our highest calling. that means, If Christ’s honor is our passion, the pursuit of pleasure in Him is our duty. Being satisfied in God is our calling and duty.

“Take delight in the LORD,  and he will give you the desires of your heart.” – Psalm 37:4 It’s no more a question whether you are enjoying your relationship with Him because it is our duty, we are mandated at all cost to find our satisfaction in Him, find rest in Him and enjoy Him forever. Here are ways we can do that. you may comment or suggest if you thought of more….

In love

What about relationships of love with other people? The pursuit of pleasure is an essential motive for every good deed. If you aim to abandon the pursuit of full and lasting pleasure, you cannot love people or please God. We must receive and experience real love before we can express it to others, because we cannot give what we do not have. So even if I feel it or not, it’s my ddecision to love Him with all my heart , mind and soul.

We can’t find our true joy and satisfaction in the midst of hype, emotions or feelings.  Not only when we feel like we love him,  when we are “lovestruck” by Him. We find joy and real love from the true source of it all no matter what situation we are in.

Love is the overflow of our joy in God, which gladly meets the needs of others. Thus, it’s our duty to pursue full and lasting joy that can only be found in Christ Jesus.

In worship

Being satisfied with all God is for us in Jesus is the essence of the authentic experience of worship. Therefore worship the pleases God is the pursuit of God. Our heart, mind, body and soul rans after him.

This means we get ourselves excited with God, not worship. The Person of God and not the lyrics and melody of the song or the glory and experience we are during our time of worship or the tears that have fallen in our eyes. These are God but our focus should be in the Father, Spirit and Son Jesus Christ alone.

Worship is just our expression, our way of entering into His presence, the moment when we get to meet with Him. Because He is our exceedingly great reward. Let’s not worship worship but Christ alone. If the essence of worship is satisfaction in God, then worship can’t be a means to anything else.

In suffering

Jesus calls us to take up our cross and follow Him, deny ourselves and make sacrifices for the sake of ministering to the church and presenting  His sufferings to the world.

We do not choose suffering simply because it is the right thing to do, but because the One who tells us to describes it as the path to everlasting joy. He asks us to trust into the obedience of suffering not to demonstrate the strength of our devotion to duty, nor to reveal the vigor of our moral resolve, not to prove the heights of our tolerance for pain; but rather to manifest , in childlike faith, the infinite preciousness of His all-satisfying promises.

Maturity is when even in times of pain we still trust Him, we still worship and find delight in Him. Even in times of doubt, confusion, pain, waiting, impatience and suffering.

In the pursuit of joy through suffering, we magnify the all-satisfying worth of the Source of our joy. Jesus Christ himself shines as the brightness at the end of our tunnel of pain. Try this and you’ll never go wrong.

Because God is most glorified when we are most satisfied in Him.

Magnifying God

by Christian Ongtangco

This Morning, I was just reminded of the time when i had a season of wearing eyeglasses during my college days, but i wasn’t comfortable wearing it so decided not to wear anymore. I can also remember the time when i got interested with lenses such as Microscopes and Telescopes.
And then a revelation hit me, In life you can magnify with a microscope or with a telescope. A microscope magnifies by making tiny things look bigger than they are. A telescope magnifies by making gigantic things (like stars), which look tiny, appear more as they really are.

That we should stop looking at how small we are,how limited, weak, unworthy, sinful and undeserving we are.

We must cease looking at our lives through the microscopic lens, this happens when we magnify our problems, circumstances, hurts, pains, bitterness making them overwhelm us like a tsunami or a mountain of problems.

Hebrews 12:2 says “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith”  let’s set our eyes unto Him and be reminded that no matter how small we are, and how small is this earth that we live in, rather we should set our focus on how great , huge and vast yet loving our God is. He whose power is immeasurable and unfathomable.

Despite of our insignificance, He still  knows us by name.

He is concern of us. He loves us so much that He still wants to be part of every area of our lives. “It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him?” – Hebrews 2:6

God created the universe to magnify His glory the way a telescope magnifies stars. Everything He does in our salvation is designed to magnify the glory of His grace in our life. Keep being amazed of how great and mighty is our God, be astonished of who He really is. May it be our lifelong pursuit.

Want to know How big our God is? see Great big God

Great big God

See Louie Giglio’s video on How big our God is.