So last night I attended an outstanding concert! It was the Toby Mac "Hits Deep" Tour here in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It has been a long time since I attended a Christian concert, and I had forgotten how powerful the Holy Spirit can move in a place like that. Catholic, Protestant, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist, Non-Denominational; it didn't matter. Together we were the Church of Christ,was very moving to see the masses of people worshiping, and praising God in fellowship together. Hands raised in the air, all ages, all walks of life. The Holy Spirit was dominant in that arena. Some were very apparently there to be entertained, but all in all; I saw the majority of Pittsburgh residents in attendance were hungry for God. They are craving a revival! Which got me thinking. Naturally. As a member of my worship team at church, I have a very different view when it comes to church service. I'm looking at the congregation head on. I can see who is singing, who is sitting, who is praising the Lord with every ounce of their heart and who has no clue how the songs go and are just standing out of respect/habit. It might be my musical upbringing, or my own personal view of how detrimental Worship is, but I feel there most definitely needs to be a revival of Worship in our Nation. All too often, no matter what your denomination is; Worship is just "...that thing you have to do at Church..." To me, it's more than that. God gave me a gift of music, and I choose to use that to glorify his name. He breathed life into me. I'm going to use that breath to praise his name. Now I know some people are sitting here reading this saying to themselves that they sound like 4 pounds of lug nuts in a dishwasher. There are other ways to Praise God. Raising your hands, dancing in the aisle, through your daily deeds. Yes, I said through your daily deeds. The things you do on a day to day basis, can be used to Worship and Glorify God. Through your actions and works, you can give God the Glory. Taking the few minutes to help a stranded motorist push their car to the side of the road, helping the single mom in line at the checkout with the few dollars she is short, helping your elderly neighbor with her yard work; ALL of these good deeds can be a form of Worship to God. Levi Lusko says, "Praise is powerful. Worship is a weapon. We must approach every battle with arms raised and swords drawn. We are to do everything we can do but we must trust God for what only He can do. When we stop worshiping, we stop winning." The enemy wants us to be un-Christ like to each other. He depends on it, thrives on it. Just as much as the Gospel is your main weapon against the enemy, Worship can be a valuable weapon too. Your actions, your dance, your song; all are weapons against the enemy, and a sign of devotion to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. John 4:23 says: "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks." In this section of John, Jesus is telling a Samaritan woman that they worship what they don't know but that the Followers of the Way (Christians) follow what they do know, and in verse 24 that "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” We know that God is the Truth, the Way, and the Light. When your Worship is weak, your enemy is strong against you. Strengthen your Worship, as you would strengthen your sword.
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AuthorSpike Bowan is the Pittsburgh, PA born Writer and Fiction Author. He is a Veteran of the US Navy, retired Paramedic, Husband, Father and Christian. BECOME A PATRON. CLICK BELOW!
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