Title: Let's Dream of Good Worship
Let's dream of good worship (John 4:23-24)
Today's text tells us very clearly about worship. “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” There are a few things we often say when we leave the service. “Today’s worship is not good!” “Today’s worship was great!” “Today’s worship was very gracious!” We need to think deeply about whether these words are really coming from our own satisfaction and judgment, or from the dimension of giving to God. In the Westminster Confession of Faith (Chapter 21, Article 2), "Christian worship is to be dedicated to God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is to be dedicated to Him alone, and not to angels, saints, or any other creature." The object of worship is only the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is our confession of faith. Worship is not offered in my own convenient way, for my satisfaction and benefit. Worship is my dying to please God. My character and my thoughts are humbled before God.
What kind of worship is worship in spirit and in truth? What kind of sacrifice is the holy living sacrifice offered in the body? 1. Worship must have sincere praise from the heart. 2. There must be sincere prayer in worship (1 John 1:9) 3. There must be sincere gratitude in worship (2 Corinthians 9:7). It is a donation to The first offering among all offerings is a full tithe. The tithe was said to be “mine” by God, and if you do not give it, you are stealing from God. He promised blessings to those who give full tithes. (Mal 3:10-12) 4. Receive the word of God proclaimed through worship. Regarding the Word of God, the attitude of the believers who receive it is very important (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Sometimes praise and comfort, sometimes reproof and warning. Whatever word is given, we want it to be fulfilled, so please receive it as an Amen.
The Father is still looking for those who offer holy living sacrifices in their bodies today (verse 23). ‘Zetheo’ translated as ‘seeking’ means ‘to seek persistently’. In other words, wouldn't it mean that there are few truly worshipers, that they are precious, that they want to meet, and that they will use such a person? The person God is looking for is not a person of good character, not a person who studied a lot, not a person of high status, but a person who worships well. We hope that the church will be praised for giving the best worship rather than praise for doing a lot of service and evangelism. ①Come ten minutes before the service starts! ② On the day before the week, please refrain from acts that interfere with worship and prepare through prayer. ③Let's sing and pray loudly! ④ Be sure to receive the blessing and go home! I hope that you risk your life and give the best worship service in 2012 so that God's great blessings will come to your family and business, you will experience the miracle of turning water into wine through worship, you will be filled with the Holy Spirit, and you will receive healing, comfort and blessings.