Above is a pic of my youngest daughter and me.
My Husband, My brother in Christ
What is Worship?
Neil Greenhaw came to our home today, as he will do once a week, to guide the VIVIT band not only in how to play songs well, but what it means to worship. He inspired them to think Biblically about why they play. He asked them the hard and necessary questions: Are you a guitar player or are you a follower of Christ that plays the guitar? What message do you want to proclaim as a band? Do you want people to walk away thinking that you played that song well or do you want them to walk away and think about the things of Christ? Can you manipulate people into "worship" or is it the work of the Holy Spirit? Who will get the glory when you are done playing? Are you doing this just for fun? to get dates? to be seen? OR are you doing this to exalt God above all else? Are you going to play song after song after song or will you have the boldness to proclaim the message of Christ in between the songs and why you guys have chosen to sing that particular song? What if someone comes up and praises you for playing or singing that song so well? Will you say thank you and point them to the One who gave you the talent? or will you allow yourself to be put on the pedestal that Christ alone belongs on? There are a lot of "Christian" bands out there... what will set you apart?
"...worship is about proclaiming the greatness of God's attributes, the splendor of His works, and His absolute claim on our lives....exalting God's sovereignty and wisdom above [our] own understanding... exalting [our] love for the Savior above the world's monetary value system... At its heart, worship involves the exaltation of all that God is and does... While God's Word clearly views worship as a way of life before God, we are also commanded to meet together in specific contexts to proclaim his glory and exalt His name... We gather to remind ourselves of what he has already accomplished, and respond with worship... our songs of praise and adoration are "worship" as they focus us on the gospel and strengthen us in our walk of faith. When we view worship this way, we are edified, God is glorified, and the church of Jesus Christ is built up... our worship of God not only extends beyond singing, but involves every day of our lives. In other words, worship isn't something we simply feel. Worship isn't the name we give some experience that we seek while singing, lifting our hands, or closing our eyes. It's something we do with our bodies in all of life. We can worship God through our eating, drinking, typing, speaking, cooking, driving, and countless other ways. We worship God whenever we perform an act out of a desire to draw attention to His greatness, especially revealed in sending his Son as a substitutionary sacrifice for our sins...
I've often heard someone who is an expressive singer described as "a real worshiper." Whether or not we are a real worshiper is better determined by how quickly we forgive those who have offended us, how we handle our finances, and what we do when no one is looking. When we become Christians, we automatically become worshipers of God. The rest of our lives is simply a brief preparation for what will be an eternal occupation: giving God grateful, wholehearted worship that will never be exhausted, even in eternity.May God give us the grace to get a good head start in giving him constant, complete, and passionate worship."-- Bob Kauflin
