WORSHIP IS A LIFESTYLE

Worship
WORSHIP IS A LIFESTYLE
by Darlene Zschech

We often hear the phrase "Worship is a lifestyle". What does this really mean? It simply means to live a life of love. To love extravagantly. The first commandment, to LOVE the Lord your God with ALL your heart, with ALL your soul, and with your entire mind, means exactly that. You make a heart and mind decision to continually seek first the Kingdom of God, and to OBEY the Spirit of God in your life, as He calls you on to a greater and deeper knowledge of Himself.

Worship requires something of you, and that is OBEDIENCE.

Why do people cringe away from obedience? I believe it is because it requires a response. John 14:12 says, "Whoever has my commands and OBEYS them, he is the one who LOVES me. My Father will love him who LOVES me, and I too will LOVE him and show myself to him."

And verse 23 says, "If anyone LOVES me, he will OBEY my teaching. My Father will LOVE him and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not LOVE me will not OBEY me. These words you hear are not my own, they belong to my Father who sent me." LOVE and OBEDIENCE are tied together.

Every time you open up your heart in obedience to God and worship Him with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul, our beautiful Lord responds with His magnificent presence. You need to continually be in the presence of God. Not only on Sundays, in a corporate place of worship, but in that secret place that maybe only you and the Lord will ever know about.

It's in this place of worship that you find yourself needing to respond to the Lord, to whatever He is asking, as WORSHIP PULLS BACK THE LAYERS OF YOUR HEART – TO EXPOSE WHAT'S REALLY THERE.

CONFESS

In Isaiah 6… when Isaiah caught sight of God he was moved to confess his sin.

When your humanness is confronted by the magnificence and holiness of God, you are made SO aware of your need for God’s grace and his cleansing power in your life. If you have unforgiveness, anger, jealousy, bitterness… ask God to forgive you. Romans 12:1 teaches us how to live this life of worship and love.

TRANSPARENCY

Psalm 51 says it so well, that when you are in the presence of the Lord, you become totally transparent and honest and your heart and soul cry out to pray "create in me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me". Read the Message Bible translation – it will inspire you to greater heights.

CLARITY

As you simply and wholeheartedly LOVE and ADORE your God, you receive revelation and understanding of your kingdom purpose. Romans 8:28 reveals that "… in all things God works for the good of those who LOVE Him, who have been called according to His purpose". Many Christians spend their lifetime frustrated at never knowing their Kingdom purpose. I challenge you to get in the presence of God, have an open heart to hear His voice, for He desires ALL He has planned for you even more than you do!

HUNGER

Another heart response is that your hunger for the things of God, your hunger for His Word and His truth increases. John 7:37! If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the scriptures have said, streams of living water will flow from within him. Say YES to the Lord calling you to know Him more through his Word. It is LIFE to your soul.

REST COMES

Psalm 91:1 "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty."

Joy and strength are found in His dwelling place, in His presence. If you feel like you are continually running on empty, then again, you need to respond and obey the Spirit of God and GET IN HIS PRESENCE. If I have learned one thing, it is that we were never meant to live this supernatural call, with purely natural ability. You will not make it… BUT if you take God at His Word, live in His presence, life a life of love, and respond to His voice, you WILL live your entire lifetime growing in the knowledge of Christ, always fresh and strong in the Word, and living a life that people will want to follow.

... And you thought worship was all about songs!

Love,
Darlene

This article was originally published in the Hillsong Magazine. For free copies of this magazine, please go to www.hillsongtv.com.

Faithful Women

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Faithful Women

FAITHFUL WOMEN
(OT, NT - Today)

The ministry of women has been from Bible times and still moves on today, Examples.
The book of Acts 2:17-18 and the book of Joel 2:28-29 tell us: "In the last days God will pour out His Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and daughters shall prophesy, menservants and maidservants shall prophesy." According to some Bible theologians the word "prophesy" means to preach the word of God, and to other theologians it's to proclaim a message directly from God. Whenever one gave a prophesy, it was always a message to a group of people or an individual.
In Luke 2:36-38, Anna was 84 years old when she gave her historic prophecy regarding Jesus to everyone that was in the temple. The name Anna means "Favor" or "Grace." God revealed the Messiah, the Hope of the world, to this elderly lady and she spoke it to all that were near.
In Acts 21:9, Philip the Evangelist had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

Romans 16:1 tells us of Phoebe. Her name means "Pure" or "Radiant as the moon." Paul addressed her as a servant and helper of the church. In some Bible translations she is called a deaconess and other translations consider her to be a minister. According to many Bible scholars, Phoebe was the one who carried the written book of Romans to the congregation, probably from Corinth to Rome. This would declare a place for women in the sharing of the word of God to the world.

Judges 4:4-5, Deborah was a Spirit-filled, multitalented woman. Her name means "Honey Bee." She was wise and shared with her friends. Her influence and authority was used by God to bring victory to her people Israel. God had given her talent and leadership ability. She was a song writer and sang as well. She was a true woman of God who judged or led Israel for 40 years.
The reason Deborah was so effective in her ministry is because of her spiritual commitment and walk with God. She was also called a Prophetess.

Susanna Wesley mother of John and Charles Wesley, while her husband was absent in London in 1711, attending Convocation, Mrs. Wesley adopted the practice of reading in her family, and instructing them. One of the servants told his parents and they wished to come. These told others, and they came, till the congregations amounted to forty, and increased till they were over two hundred, and the parsonage could not contain all that came. She read to them the best and most awakening sermons she could find in the library, talked to the people freely and affectionately. There meetings were held "because she thought the end of the institution of the Sabbath was not fully answered by attending Church unless the intermediate spaces of time were filled up by other acts of devotion."

Inman, the Curate, was a very ignorant and narrow man. He became jealous because her audience was larger than his, and he wrote to Mr. Wesley, complaining that his wife, in his absence, had turned the parsonage into a conventicle; that the Church was likely to be scandalized by such irregular proceedings; and that they ought to be tolerated no longer. Mr. Wesley wrote to his wife that she should get some one else to read the sermons. She replied that there was not a man there who could read a sermon without spoiling it.

Inman, the Curate, still complained, and the Rector wrote to Mrs. Wesley that the meetings should be discontinued. Mrs. Wesley answered him by showing what good the meetings had done, and that none were opposed to them but Mr. Inman and one other. She then concludes with these wonderful sentences: "If after all this you think fit to dissolve this assembly do not tell me you desire me to do it, for that will not satisfy my conscience; but send your positive command in such full and express terms as may absolve me from all guilt and punishment for neglecting this opportunity for doing good when you and I shall appear before the great and awful tribunal of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Were not these the first Methodist meetings held by the Wesleys?

Can we wonder that Isaac Taylor says that "the mother of the Wesleys was the mother of Methodism;" and that in her characteristic letter, when she said, "'Do not advise me, but command me to desist,'" she was bringing to its place a corner-stone of the future of Methodism."

Who can tell the influence those meetings of their mother in the parsonage had upon John and Charles in future years, who were then little boys, and always present!

Today many Christian women are carrying the Gospel to the world. Some religious folks say women are not to speak in church or to men about God, but from the Biblical record women have always spoken. If women are not allowed to speak to men about God, then what does one do with John 20:11-18; Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene and told her to go tell his brothers. And Matthew 29:9-10; the women went to tell the brothers about Jesus.
Corrie ten Boom, God had used her to carry His word to many people behind the Iron Curtain. She was also used by God in a great ministry of reconciliation and forgiveness.
Ruth Bell Graham: Ruth is the wife of Billy Graham. She was the Sunday school teacher at Montreat College. Ruth had a great love for memorizing the Word of God and would encourage all of her students to do the same. She has a great love for reaching the lost and a genuine interest in the welfare of teenagers.

Kathryn Kulmann: To be in a meeting with her as she preached was as if the person of the Holy Spirit filled the atmosphere. Jesus would become so real one couldn't help but be aware of His wonderful love for all mankind. Thousands of people would fill the big halls. They came from almost every denomination in the world. There were Baptists, Catholics, Methodists, Greek Orthodox, Lutherans, Charismatics, Episcopalians, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Independents and many others. All kinds of people groups were there.

There were many great reports of all kinds of physical healing in her meetings. Thousands of people would answer the altar calls in every meeting. She had a great love for lost souls. She never ended a meeting without giving someone a chance to receive Christ Jesus into their lives. She would often say that the greatest miracle of all was the miracle of the new birth experience (being born again). Healing was secondary. And yet God did both in her meetings.
If you would like to listen to Kathryn Kulmann Sermons, Click this link http://www.higherpraise.com/KathrynKuhlman.htm

God said through Joel, "In the last day I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh and your sons and daughters shall prophecy." How can one not help recognize what God wants to do in His church through men and women today? The gifts are for the body of Christ and the Holy Spirit is the giver of those gifts to whomever will receive them. Male or female - when truly filled with the Holy Spirit and used by Him - they will give all the glory to the Father and the Son. He shall use them in mighty ways because He is fulfilling His word. "I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh and they shall prophesy."