Category: worship

Sunday 6/3 ~ Baptism? What in the world for?

On By In Death of Jesus Christ, forgiveness, victory, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, June 3, is Romans 6:3f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-Thumbnail“Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life….because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.”

Oh! Baptism does all that? Some people say no, but God says yes. Indeed, in baptism we obtain a new life ~ are born again. And in baptism we are freed from sin ~ forgiven. Look at it this way: Just as Jesus died carrying our sins on himself, we die to our sinful nature ~ the part of us that sins and doesn’t care. Then just as Jesus was buried in his tomb, we are buried into his death in our watery tomb. And just as Jesus came up out of his tomb the Savior, we come up our of our tomb the saved ~ with “a new life” and “freed from sin.“

Everything works together beautifully ~ hearing, believing, confessing, dying to sin, being baptized into Christ Jesus. What an honor and privilege we have been given to imitate what he did for us!  

~~~BUYLINK to eBOOK and discount paper:  http://bit.ly/worshipfirst

 

 

 

Thursday 5/31 ~ Shall we rebuild the temple?

On By In Death of Jesus Christ, forgiveness, Heaven, Scripture, truth, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, May 31 (5/31), is Deuteronomy 5:31 as found in the Old Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 5-FloodGates-Cover-Thumbnail-New“But you [Moses] may stay here [on the mountain] with me [God] so that I may give you all the commands, decrees, and laws you are to teach them to follow in the land I am giving them to possess.”

Many people believe that the “Law of Moses” consisted only of the Ten Commandments. But there was much more. It took Moses 40 days to write them all down. How many? Over 600 “commands, decrees and laws.”

Some people today want to dip back into the Law of Moses to get showy types of worship ~ candles, incense, stoning for adultery, instruments of music, choirs, animal sacrifices, separate priesthood, special clothing for priests, and tithing to pay for it all. Jesus nailed the old law to the cross (Colossians 2:14) and created a much simpler New Testament/Covenant!

Other people want to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.  Why? So they can revert to animal sacrifices and thus nullify the sacrifice Jesus made of himself?  James said that, if we keep part of the Law, we are obligated to keep it all (James 2:10).

By calling this covenant [testament] ‘new’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and aging will soon disappear’ “ (Hebrews 8:13). Not part of it. All of it. Hebrews goes on to say that the Holy of Holies is now in heaven, the curtain in the temple is now Jesus, etc.  Rebuilding the temple would mean going backward from grace to legalism.

Thank God we do not have to keep all those 600+ commandments in the Law of Moses. They were controlling and tedious, and some were impossible to keep. Why would God give a law impossible to keep? To help us understand that it is impossible for us to be perfect. Finally, understanding that, he was ready to send his Son to earth to be perfect for us.

 

~~BUYLINK to eBOOK and discount PAPER:  http://bit.ly/2E7kFdm

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Saturday 5/19 ~ Playing on the strings of

On By In attitude, Inspirational, joy, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, May 19, is Ephesians 5:19 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

OldOldTunes-Thumbnail“Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord.”

What is so interesting about this scripture is how I am to make music to the Lord. In the original Greek the New Testament of the Bible was written in, the term “make music” means to play on strings. But put with the rest of the verse, I see that it means to play on the strings of my heart.

How beautiful! In God’s ears, the strings of my heart are far superior to any musical instrument I can contrive. So, why would I want to use them as a substitute? Shall I not please the One I am worshiping? May I be attuned, not to what I love, but to what God loves.

And so, I sing! And in the process, my singing is accompanied by the beautiful, harmonious, spirit-filled strings of my worshiping heart.

~~~BUYLINK for ebook & discount paper:  http://bit.ly/BibleSongBook

 

 

Friday 5/4 ~ Jesus: The only crown giver

On By In church, discouragement, love, Scripture, worshipLeave a comment

The scripture for today, May 4 (5/4), is 1st Peter 5:4 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“And when the Chief Shepherd [Jesus] appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.”

The world is frustrated with and has left “organized religion” and it is our fault.  We brought it on ourselves. We have organized our denominations to death, and the spiritually minded have said, “Enough is enough. I want none of it. I just want Jesus.”

Look at all the denominations that appoint someone to be the head of their religion at their world headquarters. He goes by different titles ~ bishop, high priest, father, president. Their headquarters may be a small office or a multi-story building, or an entire complex of buildings.

From here the head meets regularly with others to make decisions for their denomination. They pass regulations on who can hold office, where their contributions must be spent, amendments to their particular creed, and on and on.

Here is a unique thought: Let us set this system aside and replace everything with Jesus as the only head, and let the world headquarters be in heaven! We do not have to rely on the decisions of men but only on the decisions of God the Son who loved us so much that he became human for a while so he could die for us. Maybe we need to sell our big buildings, give the money to mission work and the poor, and return to meeting in unorganized homes.

We don’t even need a creed, because if it is less than the Bible it isn’t enough, if it is more than the Bible it is too much, and if it is the same as the Bible why have it?

No more “organized religion.”  No more divisiveness. No more denominationalism. Just one united church of Christ with its divine Founder as our sole leader, and His divine words as our sole creed. This will never fade away.

Jesus is the crown giver. Return Him to His throne and watch the world return to Him.

Friday 4/27 ~ Why was Jesus anointed?

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The scripture for today, April 27 (4/27), is Acts 4:27b as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-BK 5-FloodGates-Cover-Thumbnail-New“…your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed.”

In this prayer of early Christians, they acknowledged that God had anointed Jesus. What does anointing mean? In the Old Testament, men were anointed to become the high priest or the king.

Aaron was the very first high priest (Leviticus 6:20,22) and his son [and descendants] who succeeded him as high priest was also anointed. Saul was the very first king of the Jews (I Samuel 15:1) and he and all succeeding kings were anointed. This was a form of coronation.

And so when God anointed Jesus, he made him both high priest and king. Hebrews 4:14 says, “we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God.” And in Mark 15:2, Jesus acknowledged that he was King.

And so we worship the anointed one.

Wednesday 4/18 ~ What if we could all see and touch God?

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The scripture for today, April 18 (4/18), is 2nd Corinthians 4:18 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

In a sense, what is unseen is the true reality. We cannot see love, but we see its influence, and it is stronger than anything in the world that we can see. We cannot see God, but we can see his influence, and he is more real than anything in the world that we can see.

Sometimes we all say we wish we could see God and touch God. But if that were the case, he wouldn’t be God, for he couldn’t be everywhere at once. He would only be able to hear the prayer of one person at a time, and only able to answer the prayer of one person at a time. By being unseen by human eyes, God can be everywhere.

It’s a hidden blessing!  Every one of us among the billions of people on earth can feel we are God’s special ones. Every one of us can feel his presence, his soul, his love.

Friday 4/6 ~ It is liberating! Your heart will soar

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The scripture for today, April 6 (4/6), is 1st Corinthians 4:6 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00- Worship Changes KC COVER-thumbnail“…learn from us the meaning of the saying, ‘Do not go beyond what is written.’ Then you will not take pride in one man over against another.”

Periodically through the Bible, there appears this same warning for us to not “go beyond what is written.” 2nd Peter 1:20 says prophecy is scripture. Prophecy was needed before the New Testament was written, but no more after that, for now, the prophecy of the apostles had been written down and were being passed around.

It is important to find out if what we are being taught is “beyond what is written.” It can be done. How? Simple. Use a concordance. A concordance is the size of a large-city telephone book in fine print and includes every keyword in the Bible and every scripture that contains each word. Many libraries have one. Or you can order one from your local bookstore. There are some concordances on the internet too. Here is one:  http://bibletab.com

You are an intelligent person. Don’t take for granted what others tell you. Check things for yourself. Read the Bible for yourself. Decide for yourself whether any of your leaders have gone “beyond what is written.” You’re smart. You can do it:  Find out for sure.

It is liberating. Your heart will soar and your soul will embrace God in a whole new way.

 

Monday 3/26 ~ And then the Creator of the Universe wants to bring you home with him

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The scripture for today, March 26 (3/26), is Galatians 3:26f as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-Thumbnail“You are all sons of God through faith in Christ because all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

The Muslim religion teaches that God is too far above humans to have such a relationship ~ you know, the parent-child kind, a family relationship. They are taught God created humans to have someone to worship him and be his slaves. Oh, how much they are missing.  And the rest of the world too.

Our Bible says God created humans to have someone to love. He wants to be more than a distant God; he wants to be our heavenly Father. So, when we come out of the waters of baptism, it is like coming out of a watery womb; Romans 6:4-5 says we are then born into a new spiritual life.

Everyone in the Christian world knows that baptism is in the Bible. Today’s scripture explains “…because you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” and therefore we have become sons with Christ ~ adopted sons. (See also Ephesians 1:5).

No need to be spiritually blind and poor and naked (Revelation 3:17).  You can gain spiritual insight, be rich in grace, and be clothed with Christ.

No need to be spiritually orphaned ~ you can become a child of God. He holds out holy arms to you. He wants to embrace you and hold you close as you finish this life on earth. And then, wonder of wonders, the Creator of the universe wants to bring you home with him.

Wednesday 3/21 ~ The Cheerful Conscience

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The scripture for today, March 21 (3/21), is 1st Peter 3:21 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

00-1st Century Worship KINDLE-COVER-Thumbnail“This water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also ~ not the removal of dirt from the body but the answer of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ.”

Jesus’ part in saving us was to pay the wages of our sins to Satan through his terrible death. Our part is to believe he did. Then to confess it to others. Then to repent of the sins that he died for. Some people call this process (and it is a process) giving their heart to the Lord.

But many people go through life wondering if they were sincere enough when they gave their heart to the Lord. What is in one’s mind long ago sometimes becomes a fuzzy memory. So they re-give their heart to the Lord all over again periodically throughout their life.

Thank God, he has given us something we can do, an action to prove we were sincere enough, more than a long-ago state of mind. He gave us an action to reassure our conscience toward God ~ “baptism that now saves you”, the same baptism wherein you are reborn to live a new life (Romans 6: 4)

Thursday 2/22 ~ God does not dwell where?

On By In church, Holy Spirit, worship3 Comments

The scripture for today, February 22 2/22), is Ephesians 2:22 as found in the New Testament of the Bible:

0-HS-592 VersesExamined-COVER-Thumbnail“And in him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.”

Another place in the New Testament, 2nd Corinthians 6:16, says we are the temple of God. A lot of things in worship under the Law of Moses were a literal version of what Christians someday would enjoy in a spiritual and deeper sense.

We have no need for the temple in Jerusalem, for now, God dwells in Christians. We have no need for the altar of sacrifice at that temple because Jesus was our final sacrifice (Hebrews 10:4-12). We have no need for the cymbals, harps and lyres played in worship because Christians play on the strings of their hearts (Ephesians 5:19).

We have no need for the priestly system in the Law of Moses with the special vestments and titles because all Christians are priests (1st Peter 2:5). And how do we serve as priests? Romans 12:1 explains it: “Offer your bodies as living sacrifices.”

What a concept! God does not dwell in temples or church buildings!

He dwells in Christians.

      He lives and moves through Christians.

          What a privilege.

              What a responsibility!