Apostles and Prophets
The Heart of the Matter of Worship
From the 1980's and well into this new millennium the Church has been experiencing a worship explosion. Some have called it a Worship Revival, a Worship Renewal, and others just referred to it as a new thing. It was in fact a large part of an overall restoration movement which included the restoration of the ministry of the Prophet and the Apostle. You will observe that a large part of the Prophets Ministry, particularly as we look at the old testament scriptures, was to teach Gods people who He was and what He requires of us as his worshippers. The prophet was concerned with the people worshipping God acceptably and a large part of his assignment was to call Gods people back to the proper worship of God when they got off.
So with the restoration of the vitally important ministry gifts of Apostle and Prophet and a new emphasis on the prophetic realm, it became necessary to change the way the church was worshipping - and make no mistake, it changed powerfully as the spirit of the Tabernacle of David (Amos 9:11) began to manifest among those who were open to receive what God was doing. Many congregations abandoned the hymn books and opted for a fresh Holy Spirit inspired approach to Worshipping God with new songs and new sounds. The traditional organ and piano sound was upgraded with the sounds of guitars, synthesizers, drums and various percussion instruments and even string and horn sections. Many began to experience the manifested presence of God like they never had before in the corporate gathering. Several major record companies and worship publishing entities emerged whose mission was to fuel and resource the church in its new commitment to worship God in a fresh new biblical way. Was all of this a true visitation of God? Was it a true restoration movement in worship? Absolutely! However, we have to be cautious that we don’t get this worship thing twisted because if we are not careful we will start focusing to much on how we worship instead of who we worship. We will begin to worship our style, or our sound instead of our God. I am afraid that many of Gods people seem to think that worship is for us and about us instead of for Christ alone. So we need to answer a few poi ant questions.
Are We Worshipping the concept of Worship or Worshipping God?
As it has happened so often in the history of the church we can very easily lose sight of the pure and simple essence of why we do what we do, particularly as it pertains to worship. Too often we get caught up in the mechanics of what God is restoring and miss the essence of what he is restoring. In my own personal walk I have discovered how easy it is to miss the point.
One of the most obvious mistakes that we began to make in the early years of the worship restoration movement (and sadly we are still making this mistake even today) is when we began to call the expressions of worship, worship. Certainly I am not saying that the expressions ( singing, shouting, dancing, clapping hands, playing instruments) are not important that would be going to an extreme because there are to many biblical instructions in the word of God that encourage and even command us to express our worship in these ways. I am simply pointing out that the expressions in and of themselves are not true worship and when we fail to understand this what started as a fresh wind of worship can easily become just another lifeless religious form. In the words of one modern Psalmist of our day we need to come back to the Heart of Worship.
What does it really mean to worship God?
One of the most powerful examples of a worshipper in the bible was Abraham. I never read where Abraham sang to God or played an instrument yet he understood the essence of what it meant to Worship God. In Genesis 22:2 God calls Abraham to a meeting and God is very clear that the purpose of this gathering is to offer a sacrifice and God is very specific that the sacrifice is to be his only son Isaac. What a request! This text is pregnant with so much revelation; however, for our purposes lets focus on one specific point. In Genesis 22:5 Abraham makes a powerful statement,
And Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will Worship and return to you.
Wow! Abraham understood that what God was asking him to do was to come and Worship Him, even though the offering of worship involved the sacrifice of his only son. The word Worship appears in the scriptures for the first time in this verse it is the Hebrew word “Shachah” it is the most common old testament word for worship and it means,
to prostrate (ones self in homage to royalty or to God ),to Bow down, fall down(flat),humbly beseech, do obeisance, to reverence. The emphasis of this basic definition for worship is not so much on any external expression; rather it defines the heart attitude and the heart position of the worshipper before God. So then acceptable worship is not determined by the songs we sing or what we say, but rather by the condition and position of our hearts before God. You see our expressions of worship are meaningless if our hearts are out of alignment with God. In Isaiah 29:13 God describes
The condition of most of the church today:
“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and
with there lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear
toward me is taught by the precept of men.
Worship is giving God what He wants
I think it’s interesting to note from Abrahams worship example that God decided what the offering would be. When was the last time we said “God we are coming to worship you and since worship is not for us but for you how would you like us to worship you today? What would please you Lord? Lord, what would you consider to be an acceptable sacrifice? You know even when It comes to singing songs to God (which is what most Christians think of when they here the term worship)I wonder how often we are actually singing to him what he wants to hear. Truth be told we tend to sing what’s popular in worship music at the time, which is generally what we like. Oh I know I’m getting in trouble now! I’ve observed over the years that the songs that God gives and likes are songs that engage our heart(spirit), soul(emotional part of us) and our mind( the intellectual part of us) these kind of songs stir our passion for God and impart the revelation of God all at the same time because of an awesome marriage between the heavenly music and the inspired words. Often times God wants us to sing that kind of song until our heart and his Heart connect. Wow! I’ll come back to that in another teaching. So, what did God really want from Abraham? Did God really want him to sacrifice his son or was there something more profound in Gods request of his servant? In Genesis 22:10-12 we read:
And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said Abraham, Abraham! And he said Hear I am. And he said, do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know you fear(reverence) God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son from Me.
Right as Abraham (the willing worshipper) was about to carry out what he understood to the worship God wanted, God stops him, why? Because He had already given God what he wanted, which was a willing and obedient heart and this is what God is looking for from all those who worship him in every generation. Through Abraham we see three aspects of a worshipping heart.
1.Reverence - his heart bowed in respect and homage to God and his request.
2.Obedience -his heart was willing to do what God requested and required.
even though his mind did not initially understand.
3. Faith -he believed God and he trusted the integrity of God and he believed that God had a plan in what he was asking. You see Abraham had a previous promise from God concerning the purpose of Isaac (Genesis 15:4) and as he considered the previous promise and his present instruction, a vision of Isaac being raised from the dead formed in his mind and spirit. By the time the moment of truth had come for him to carry our Gods request, as far as Abraham was concerned Isaac had already died and had already been raised from the dead. (Hebrews 11:17-19).
Abraham certainly was not a Perfect man but his willing heart of worship earned him the title the Friend of God (James 2:23). Worship has nothing to do with what we want, it has all to do with what God wants and in the end what God wanted was a reason to bless Abraham and his natural and spiritual children for their faith and obedience to the will of God.
Getting back to the Heart of the Matter
Our Lord Jesus Christ is not only our Savior and King. He is also the greatest example in all of the bible of what it means to be a true worshipper of the Father. Jesus taught us this concerning worship:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with All your soul, and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37).
Great teachers never tell there students to do things that they themselves don’t practice
And Jesus was the greatest teacher that ever taught and Christ taught more by how he lived than by what he said. In the garden of Gethsemane we see Jesus aligning his heart with the heart and will of the Father when three times he prays:
“Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will,
but as thou wilt (Your will be done) Matthew 26:39 -44.
As we see Jesus on the cross dieing for our sins and then finally saying “it is finished”(John 19:30) understand that this was the Greatest offering of worship ever ,because it was offered from a heart of total surrender, total Obedience and total faith and it was totally accepted by the Father. Jesus so completely worshipped the Father that
now we can worship the Father with all our heart, soul and mind through the blood Jesus.
I have discovered that more than my songs or my music, God wants my heart. Jesus died to have my heart, my whole heart and not just on a Sunday during a worship service. True acceptable Worship is the daily pursuit of God. It is a deep spiritual and intimate connection with the God of heaven and earth, and this is the reason why we were created. It has been aptly stated that: The Chief end of man is to Glorify God and to enjoy Him Forever; this speaks of relationship not religious ritual. I am grateful for all of the advances that we now enjoy in our corporate worship experience. It is all relevant and all needful to support and enhance the atmosphere of our corporate gatherings, but what is more needful for us as worshippers and facilitators of worship is that we be able to say with King David:
“One thing have I desired of the Lord ,that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house(presence) of the Lord all the days of my life……..” Psalms 27:4
God is raising up an army of passionate lovers burning with desire to Worship Him intimately and acceptably, those who are zealous for the advancement of his Kingdom in the earth. He is Inviting us to come and commune with him. To lay down our plans, our goals and agenda’s so he can give us His blessed vision for our lives. This can only happen in the secret place of true worship.
My prayer is that we would exam our hearts before God, return to our first love of the person of Christ and get back to the Heart of Worship, JESUS
“But an hour is coming and now is, when the True worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his worshippers. God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth“.
John 4:24
Min. Charles M. Smith is a worshipper, psalmist, songwriter, author and Teacher. He is the founder of CMS Ministries and Clearzone Music Inc. He currently resides in Decatur Ga. with his wife of Carla Smith and their four children Dawn, Angelique, Micah And Christian.
For more information about him and his ministry email him at cmsmith5416@aol.com
Or visit him at www.myspace.com/smithcharles
So with the restoration of the vitally important ministry gifts of Apostle and Prophet and a new emphasis on the prophetic realm, it became necessary to change the way the church was worshipping - and make no mistake, it changed powerfully as the spirit of the Tabernacle of David (Amos 9:11) began to manifest among those who were open to receive what God was doing. Many congregations abandoned the hymn books and opted for a fresh Holy Spirit inspired approach to Worshipping God with new songs and new sounds. The traditional organ and piano sound was upgraded with the sounds of guitars, synthesizers, drums and various percussion instruments and even string and horn sections. Many began to experience the manifested presence of God like they never had before in the corporate gathering. Several major record companies and worship publishing entities emerged whose mission was to fuel and resource the church in its new commitment to worship God in a fresh new biblical way. Was all of this a true visitation of God? Was it a true restoration movement in worship? Absolutely! However, we have to be cautious that we don’t get this worship thing twisted because if we are not careful we will start focusing to much on how we worship instead of who we worship. We will begin to worship our style, or our sound instead of our God. I am afraid that many of Gods people seem to think that worship is for us and about us instead of for Christ alone. So we need to answer a few poi ant questions.
Are We Worshipping the concept of Worship or Worshipping God?
As it has happened so often in the history of the church we can very easily lose sight of the pure and simple essence of why we do what we do, particularly as it pertains to worship. Too often we get caught up in the mechanics of what God is restoring and miss the essence of what he is restoring. In my own personal walk I have discovered how easy it is to miss the point.
One of the most obvious mistakes that we began to make in the early years of the worship restoration movement (and sadly we are still making this mistake even today) is when we began to call the expressions of worship, worship. Certainly I am not saying that the expressions ( singing, shouting, dancing, clapping hands, playing instruments) are not important that would be going to an extreme because there are to many biblical instructions in the word of God that encourage and even command us to express our worship in these ways. I am simply pointing out that the expressions in and of themselves are not true worship and when we fail to understand this what started as a fresh wind of worship can easily become just another lifeless religious form. In the words of one modern Psalmist of our day we need to come back to the Heart of Worship.
What does it really mean to worship God?
One of the most powerful examples of a worshipper in the bible was Abraham. I never read where Abraham sang to God or played an instrument yet he understood the essence of what it meant to Worship God. In Genesis 22:2 God calls Abraham to a meeting and God is very clear that the purpose of this gathering is to offer a sacrifice and God is very specific that the sacrifice is to be his only son Isaac. What a request! This text is pregnant with so much revelation; however, for our purposes lets focus on one specific point. In Genesis 22:5 Abraham makes a powerful statement,
And Abraham said to his young men, Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go yonder; and we will Worship and return to you.
Wow! Abraham understood that what God was asking him to do was to come and Worship Him, even though the offering of worship involved the sacrifice of his only son. The word Worship appears in the scriptures for the first time in this verse it is the Hebrew word “Shachah” it is the most common old testament word for worship and it means,
to prostrate (ones self in homage to royalty or to God ),to Bow down, fall down(flat),humbly beseech, do obeisance, to reverence. The emphasis of this basic definition for worship is not so much on any external expression; rather it defines the heart attitude and the heart position of the worshipper before God. So then acceptable worship is not determined by the songs we sing or what we say, but rather by the condition and position of our hearts before God. You see our expressions of worship are meaningless if our hearts are out of alignment with God. In Isaiah 29:13 God describes
The condition of most of the church today:
“Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and
with there lips do honor me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear
toward me is taught by the precept of men.
Worship is giving God what He wants
I think it’s interesting to note from Abrahams worship example that God decided what the offering would be. When was the last time we said “God we are coming to worship you and since worship is not for us but for you how would you like us to worship you today? What would please you Lord? Lord, what would you consider to be an acceptable sacrifice? You know even when It comes to singing songs to God (which is what most Christians think of when they here the term worship)I wonder how often we are actually singing to him what he wants to hear. Truth be told we tend to sing what’s popular in worship music at the time, which is generally what we like. Oh I know I’m getting in trouble now! I’ve observed over the years that the songs that God gives and likes are songs that engage our heart(spirit), soul(emotional part of us) and our mind( the intellectual part of us) these kind of songs stir our passion for God and impart the revelation of God all at the same time because of an awesome marriage between the heavenly music and the inspired words. Often times God wants us to sing that kind of song until our heart and his Heart connect. Wow! I’ll come back to that in another teaching. So, what did God really want from Abraham? Did God really want him to sacrifice his son or was there something more profound in Gods request of his servant? In Genesis 22:10-12 we read:
And Abraham stretched out his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven, and said Abraham, Abraham! And he said Hear I am. And he said, do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know you fear(reverence) God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son from Me.
Right as Abraham (the willing worshipper) was about to carry out what he understood to the worship God wanted, God stops him, why? Because He had already given God what he wanted, which was a willing and obedient heart and this is what God is looking for from all those who worship him in every generation. Through Abraham we see three aspects of a worshipping heart.
1.Reverence - his heart bowed in respect and homage to God and his request.
2.Obedience -his heart was willing to do what God requested and required.
even though his mind did not initially understand.
3. Faith -he believed God and he trusted the integrity of God and he believed that God had a plan in what he was asking. You see Abraham had a previous promise from God concerning the purpose of Isaac (Genesis 15:4) and as he considered the previous promise and his present instruction, a vision of Isaac being raised from the dead formed in his mind and spirit. By the time the moment of truth had come for him to carry our Gods request, as far as Abraham was concerned Isaac had already died and had already been raised from the dead. (Hebrews 11:17-19).
Abraham certainly was not a Perfect man but his willing heart of worship earned him the title the Friend of God (James 2:23). Worship has nothing to do with what we want, it has all to do with what God wants and in the end what God wanted was a reason to bless Abraham and his natural and spiritual children for their faith and obedience to the will of God.
Getting back to the Heart of the Matter
Our Lord Jesus Christ is not only our Savior and King. He is also the greatest example in all of the bible of what it means to be a true worshipper of the Father. Jesus taught us this concerning worship:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with All your soul, and with all your mind (Matthew 22:37).
Great teachers never tell there students to do things that they themselves don’t practice
And Jesus was the greatest teacher that ever taught and Christ taught more by how he lived than by what he said. In the garden of Gethsemane we see Jesus aligning his heart with the heart and will of the Father when three times he prays:
“Oh my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will,
but as thou wilt (Your will be done) Matthew 26:39 -44.
As we see Jesus on the cross dieing for our sins and then finally saying “it is finished”(John 19:30) understand that this was the Greatest offering of worship ever ,because it was offered from a heart of total surrender, total Obedience and total faith and it was totally accepted by the Father. Jesus so completely worshipped the Father that
now we can worship the Father with all our heart, soul and mind through the blood Jesus.
I have discovered that more than my songs or my music, God wants my heart. Jesus died to have my heart, my whole heart and not just on a Sunday during a worship service. True acceptable Worship is the daily pursuit of God. It is a deep spiritual and intimate connection with the God of heaven and earth, and this is the reason why we were created. It has been aptly stated that: The Chief end of man is to Glorify God and to enjoy Him Forever; this speaks of relationship not religious ritual. I am grateful for all of the advances that we now enjoy in our corporate worship experience. It is all relevant and all needful to support and enhance the atmosphere of our corporate gatherings, but what is more needful for us as worshippers and facilitators of worship is that we be able to say with King David:
“One thing have I desired of the Lord ,that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house(presence) of the Lord all the days of my life……..” Psalms 27:4
God is raising up an army of passionate lovers burning with desire to Worship Him intimately and acceptably, those who are zealous for the advancement of his Kingdom in the earth. He is Inviting us to come and commune with him. To lay down our plans, our goals and agenda’s so he can give us His blessed vision for our lives. This can only happen in the secret place of true worship.
My prayer is that we would exam our hearts before God, return to our first love of the person of Christ and get back to the Heart of Worship, JESUS
“But an hour is coming and now is, when the True worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for such people the Father seeks to be his worshippers. God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth“.
John 4:24
Min. Charles M. Smith is a worshipper, psalmist, songwriter, author and Teacher. He is the founder of CMS Ministries and Clearzone Music Inc. He currently resides in Decatur Ga. with his wife of Carla Smith and their four children Dawn, Angelique, Micah And Christian.
For more information about him and his ministry email him at cmsmith5416@aol.com
Or visit him at www.myspace.com/smithcharles
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