At my church, we take time to really quiet our minds and seek the heart of God before we sing a word! We take the time to pray in the Spirit and really seek God's heart and HIS intent for our time of worship, corporately. So, during our time of seeking on yesterday, we corporately asked God to share with us what was on His heart. We shared with God that we desired to know what was on His heart and that He could trust us with it! We began to sing songs of worship unto the Lord & He responded! The Word of the Lord in corporate worship yesterday was "YEARN"!
So, We did something unorthodox and we released the definition of yearn corporately for the congregation to understand what God was really saying - right in the middle of worship. Yearn means to have intense longing for, and it is typically for someone or something that is lost.(Merriam Webster) After we embrace the definition of yearn, we corporately looked at the word compassion. The congregation went into intercession; calling for the lost to come back and asking God to increase our yearning for HIM. What the Lord was sharing with us is that HE is yearning for the lost and for those who haven't given their heart totally to HIM. The yearning of the Lord for the lost have intensified because HE's getting ready to shift things and those who are lost will miss out and be separated from HIM but HE desires that NONE would perish (2 Peter 3:9). God does not want to be separated from You in heart or belief. You are HIS child - the one He created for His purpose, in His image and likeness. He yearns for you to come back to HIS heart! Don't wait - HIS longing has intensified because He wants to move but He is waiting on YOU! Whether you are lost and don't know God or whether you are holding back on God because you're not ready to give up all you know He wants you to, to live for HIM completely - HE YEARNS FOR YOU! Don't wander around and be lost - RUN TO HIM! HE YEARNS FOR YOU!!! The God of GREAT COMPASSION! 2 Peter 3:9 KJV - The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 MSG - Don’t overlook the obvious here, friends. With God, one day is as good as a thousand years, a thousand years as a day. God isn’t late with his promise as some measure lateness. He is restraining himself on account of you, holding back the End because he doesn’t want anyone lost. He’s giving everyone space and time to change. Psalms 84 NIV - How lovely is your dwelling place, Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord;my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Even the sparrow has found a home and the swallow a nest for herself; where she may have her young— a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in your house; they are ever praising you. Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. As they pass through the Valley of Baka (Weeping), they make it a place of springs; the autumn rains also cover it with pools. They go from strength to strength, till each appears before God in Zion. Hear my prayer, Lord God Almighty, listen to me, God of Jacob. Look on our shield, O God; look with favor on your anointed one. Better is one day in your court than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor, no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Lord Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you. Scripture Text from www.biblegateway.com
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"Meanwhile, the fire on the altar must be kept burning; it must never go out. Each morning the priest will add fresh wood to the fire and arrange the burnt offering on it. He will then burn the fat of the peace offerings on it.Remember, the fire must be kept burning on the altar at all times. It must never go out." - (Leviticus 6:12&13 NLT) A host of people may wonder why REFRESH? Why is it necessary? Well, I have the answer in this short, little introductory blog. Majority of the Body of Christ have become familiar with worship. Too familiar with it, to say the least! Maybe it's because some of us don't know what worship really is and the weight that it carries...... Or some of us have just been thrown into a realm of the unfamiliar..... or maybe you think its just to sing a few songs to warm the crowd up..... WELL, We have it ALL WRONG! The honor and value that we should carry in regards to the presence of the Lord has subsided. The expectation of the Glory of God residing in our churches have demised tremendously and This is a burden on God's heart! Beginning in the Old Testament, God establish HIS LAWS regarding Worship for HIS people. Yes, it was a lot of rules, regulations, and things of that nature; BUT what was establish greater than the rules were the HONOR and VALUE that each command brought. The Priests and Levites (whose service was to minister unto the Lord) carried a weighty assignment of WORSHIP! One of the major responsibilities of this service is found in Leviticus 6:12 &13 (above). They had the amazing task of keeping the fire on the altar burning and it was required of them to attend to it EACH MORNING! Funny, huh?!? Okay, so what does that mean, you ask??? Well, this fire resembles the passion, the igniting, the honor, the value, the resilience, and on and on and on ( you get it right?!?!?). The altar was a place of worship unto the Lord! So, in other words, God was requiring the worshipers to keep the worth and honor of worship ALIVE, and HE required that "....it must NEVER GO OUT." This can be hard for someone who is experiencing a period of drought regarding this area. This can also, be hard for the worship leaders who spend time leading a people who may not necessarily carry this same passion and burden for the PRESENCE OF THE LORD! Well, this is where we come into play! We provide an outlet, another source for worship leaders (and worshippers alike) to grow, be pruned, and be refreshed. We come together to sharpen each other, give ideas on how to be creative and expand, we teach on areas that may become a hinderance to the full presence of the Lord being released in the church and your local worship assembly. We believe in rekindling and restoring the passion, honor, and value of the Presence of the Lord in the believer's life. So, never hesitate to come and gather resources, here on this site, that may help keep the fire on the altar burning in your life! We are here to edify! Let us make God smile with honoring the requests and matters of His heart! We can bring the church back to the right posture, in heart, with God through our time of worship and communing with God! So, start afresh... and as Acts 3:19 says, "Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord" ~ Be ReFreshed! |
AuthorRaine's heart is burdened with the passion to share with others different resources that will keep the passion, honor, and value for worship unto God ALIVE! Archives
May 2018
CategoriesWorship Resources Sites:
www.worshipministry.com www.ibethel.org www.gatewayworship.com www.elevationchurch.com |