| GEORGE'S ANGELS NEWSLETTER | |
| In Loving Memory of Bishop George E. Moye | March 2000 |
What is worship? I would imagine if a survey was taken, much like those hidden t.v. camera
shows, we would get a variety of answers to this question. How to worship? Again, with a
hidden camera, we would get another variety of answers to this question.
But as usual, George's Angels Newsletter will seek its answer from the Word of God, the God of truth, the One and Only Source of knowledge. Surely, if we are to worship God we need to know what He has to say about true worship and how true worship is to be done. I eagerly anticipate that you, along with myself, will discover some "eye-opening," practical knowledge into what Jesus meant when He said, God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24. The goal of this month's issue is to learn from God all that is involved in worshiping in spirit and in truth, since our Lord makes it clear that this is to be the standard of worship.
There was a time when I was nearly lost in the New Age belief system of the notion that God is
love and love is all there is. I was nearly led astray by this false doctrine that sounded good and
rang true but was not true at all. Although I was taught the basic principles of Scripture at an
early age, I eventually fell away and neglected to walk in the ways of the Lord. As I grew older
and began again to search for truth, I thank God that His Word was still deep within my spirit. I
thank God for that solid foundation of His Word in my life. It was only the grace of God that
kept me from falling into the trap of the New Age doctrine.
Unless you build on a solid foundation, your building is done in vain. Any carpenter, bricklayer
or construction worker will tell you that the foundation is the most important part of a building
because everything builds off of it and is supported by it.
For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. 1
Corinthians 3:11
A life of worship is no different, it must also be built upon a solid foundation. And that
foundation is laid upon a daily, personal and intimate relationship with God through His Son,
Jesus Christ. This is where it all begins. Relationship and fellowship are the very reasons that
we were created. God chose US out of all He created to be intimate with. It was a perfect
relationship until sin entered the picture. That's why God sent His Son, Jesus. Jesus was willing
to give His life as payment for our sins in order to reconcile us to God. Since we have now been
justified by his [Jesus] blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through
him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of
his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not
only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we
have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:9-11.
The life of worship begins with a RELATIONSHIP between you and God. A life of worship is
built off this foundation.
( or Rededication)
Before going any further in our study of the life of worship, be sure that you are building upon a solid foundation - which is your personal relationship with Christ. If you are unsure whether you have a right relationship with Christ, begin by confessing your sins and acknowledging your need for a Savior. You can receive His forgiveness and enter into a personal relationship with Him right now.
If you would repent of your sin, confess and trust Jesus as lord and Savior, you will be saved
from your sins. For whoever call on the name of the Lord shall be saved Romans 10:13. You
will need to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, believe in your heart that God raised
Him from the dead Romans 10:9,10. You can do it NOW!! - Just bow your head and say: Lord,
I am a guilty, lost, helpless sinner. I believe You suffered on the cross for my sins and died
in my place to pay the penalty for my sins, and that You rose again. I call on You to forgive
my sins and give me eternal life. Amen. Then stand on His promise, "He that hath the Son hath
life," and when you have the opportunity confess Him before men as your Lord.
Now you are a new creation and must begin to grow in the knowledge and understanding of the
Bible and your walk with Christ. First, be baptized and join a Bible teaching and believing
Church where you can study the Bible and present yourself approved workman before God and
not be ashamed when He returns. Begin to share your faith with others, giving witness to how
Jesus has changed your life. See you in Heaven where we will meet the other saints that have
gone on before us.
For those of you who are saved but have failed to maintain a close, intimate relationship with the
Lord and wish to begin now. You can do so by saying the following prayer and discipline
yourself to spend quiet time in prayer and the Word so that you will develop a close relationship
with the Lord. For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with
them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people." 2
Corinthians 6:16.
Revive your relationship with Christ by bowing your head and praying: Dear Lord, Please
forgive me for not placing You first in my life and giving You the rightful place as Lord of
my life. I repent of all the times I have not taken the opportunity to spend time with You in
prayer and in Your Word. In accordance with Your Will, I want to diligently seek Your
face and live in relationship with You beginning today. Thank you for the opportunity to
increase in the knowledge of You. Please help me to walk in all Your ways. In Jesus
Name. Amen.
"The most important one [commandment]," answered Jesus, "is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: `Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these." Mark 12:28-31
There was a time when I would have answered this question like so: Worship is the time spent on
Sunday morning when the church gathers to sing songs and listen to the preacher. I actually
thought this was worship and unfortunately, most people still believe this. But, just as it is
important to know the true meaning of Christmas, we must be careful to understand the true
meaning of worship. I receive daily email devotionals from "Worshiplife" and a definition of
worship was given by the Worship Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary in Texas as
follows:
Worship is a communion with God in which believers by grace, center their mind's attention
and their heart's affection on the Lord, humbly glorifying God in response to His greatness
and His Word.
This is a long definition but the bottom line is that worship extends from communion
(relationship) with God of our whole beings (mind and heart) focusing on our love of God for
who He is and in appreciation for His Word. When we are truly worshiping God our attention
should not be on ourselves or others but upon magnifying God and glorying Him for His
greatness in creating the heavens and the earth and for all he has done for us.
The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.
Obviously, the focus of our worship should be centered upon God. The Lord requires not only
worship from our lips in songs and mouthed prayers, He seeks our hearts in worship. Just as we
cannot obey God unless we love Him, neither can we worship Him unless we love Him. Unless
God is the center focus of our lives, we cannot truly experience true worship. Whenever material
possessions, plans, goals and people easily replace God in our lives, it is a clear indication of the
need to refocus our lives.
I recently considered returning to college. My first concern was the time it would take away
from the writing ministry. So I decided instead of monthly publications, it would change to
bi-monthly. But then I realized a more pressing issue, along with the writing ministry was
personal Bible Study time and family responsibilities. That's when the idea of Bible College
come into me. This would solve both problems while benefitting the writing ministry at the
same time. I thank God for how He arranges things in our lives when He is our primary focus. I
count this as a blessing because I remember my life without God at the center and it was full of
many, many things, but empty of true meaning and purpose. I don't ever want to be in that
predicament again.
Eugene Peterson said it best in his book, Living the Message, "It is only when we live life with a
focus on God that we truly experience life as God intended."
Let's summarize what we have so far. We have built our worship foundation which began with a
solid relationship with Jesus Christ and an understanding of that relationship as the purpose of
our lives. We have defined worship as mind and heart communion with God giving Him glory
and honor by placing Him and His Word at the center of our lives.
I need daily help in building a life of worship. If you feel the same way, lets pray:
Dear Lord: We praise and thank You for just being God. We offer praise and thanksgiving for
all that You are and all that You have done for us. You are a Great God, full of compassion,
overflowing with grace and mercy and Your love is unconditional and lasts forever. We ask You
Lord to help us live lives that give You glory in all that we say and do. For You are worthy, You
alone are worthy of all honor and glory, now and forever. Amen.
Phyllis Newkirk
Next month in anticipation of Easter and our celebration of the resurrection of our Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, we will continue to look at the lifestyle of worship. We will explore God's
perspective on worship and what He accepts as true worship.
Also, plan on participating in another Easter Devotion as we did last year. Last Easter many of
you began spending daily Quiet Time with the Lord. It began Easter Week on March 28, 1999
through Easter Sunday, April 4, 1999. This year Easter is April 23, 2000 and we will begin
Devotions April 16, 2000. Began to ready your heart and discipline your mind to celebrate the
most awesome event in history.
Below are some tips to help us begin to prepare for this season on Easter Devotions. If you
haven't already, begin to try developing at least 3 of the things from this list on a daily basis.
Before next month's issue, email, call or write me to let me know how you are doing.
8 Tips to Jump-start Your Quiet Time(taken from Christianity OnLine)
Begin a prayer journal. A simple notebook will do. Keep track of your prayer requests and praises. Better yet, write out your prayers to God. Another example, my mother-in-law write out Scriptures in a notebook during her quiet time.
Study the same Psalm for a month, Read it each day and write down the blessings and benefits of what God shares with you.
Make a commitment to study a book of the Bible (possibly John) and tracing the life of Jesus,
what He did, what He said and how He lived.
Keep a "Gratitude List" of everything you're thankful for. Read it daily, especially when you're
depressed or discouraged.
Pray Scripture for yourself, your family, or friends.
Include music into your quiet time. Read or sing the words of a favorite hymn or listen to a praise CD.
Try to discipline yourself to setting a time for your quiet time and stick to it. It is easier if you plan it within your schedule at a time you can remember.
Spend time simply listening to God. Ask Him to free you from distractions, then sit quietly and
allow Him to speak to you.
Good Morning
I am God. Today, I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need
your help.
If the devil happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, DO NOT attempt to
resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFJTD (something for Jesus to do) box. It will be addressed in
MY time, not yours.
Once the matter is placed into the box, DO NOT hold on to it or attempt to remove it. Holding
on or removal will delay the resolution of your problem.
If it is a situation that you think you are capable of handling, please consult me in prayer to be
sure that it is the proper resolution.
Because I do not sleep nor do I slumber, there is no need for you to lose any sleep. Rest my child. If you need to contact me, I am only a prayer away.
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