Ever try and start a gas grill without any propane? You might get a spark but you will not achieve the burn! And I know the old song says "It only takes a spark..." but honestly it takes much more than that for worship to flow freely from our hearts to Jehovah.
Recently I was refreshing my vision for the ministry and found this statement that still holds true for me. It focuses on the three aspects of my spiritual life that are essential to me in following Jesus.
We exist to ignite passion for God, inspire life, and invest life because Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)
Recently I was refreshing my vision for the ministry and found this statement that still holds true for me. It focuses on the three aspects of my spiritual life that are essential to me in following Jesus.
We exist to ignite passion for God, inspire life, and invest life because Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. (John 14:6)
What does this look like? Just the Ignite part mind you.
Ignite Passion for God
To me this is my expression of heart worship to Jehovah. It takes more than a spark to burn with a passion for Him. It requires being surrendered to His Spirit completely. Because real worship can only ignite through the infilling presence of His Holy Spirit. This is "spirit and truth" stuff that Jesus talked about in John 8.
So consider these thoughts on worship:
To me this is my expression of heart worship to Jehovah. It takes more than a spark to burn with a passion for Him. It requires being surrendered to His Spirit completely. Because real worship can only ignite through the infilling presence of His Holy Spirit. This is "spirit and truth" stuff that Jesus talked about in John 8.
So consider these thoughts on worship:
· Worship is the surrendered heart presenting love and affection to the Lord.
o Worship is an act of adoration from the heart of the worshipper toward the Lord.
o Corporate worship (thisi s a church service) is a vitally important focus of the church ministry
§ CW must be engaging in the sense of sight, sound, and energy – this is the place for creativity. Staying fresh in worship through creativity expression, song, testimony, use of technology (but don't lean too much here - the lamps blow! and the electricity sometimes fails - but Jesus never does).
§ CW must be encouraging in order to elevate the spirit to sense and respond to the presence of the Lord – this is the place for anticipation of the “God Moment” in worship when we invite God to speak to us.
o Private worship (this is your devotional time) is an essential aspect for the Follower of Jesus.
§ PW must be a daily practice that seeks to connect with God through Prayer, Reading the Bible, and mediation (or thinking about) God expressing himself through our lives
§ PW must be a fresh response to the current conditions of our life regardless of the position we find ourselves in whether on top of the world or in the valley
§ PW must be a fresh renewal of our walk and way with Jesus everyday
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