In some ways worship is like prayer—a bit elusive, hard to define concisely or assign a structure to, and yet something you can’t help but recognize and participate in when it flows from genuine passion. One thing is certain: true worship always focuses on who God is.
What are other signs of true worship? How is it cultivated? What stifles or destroys it? What kind of music fuels it? How can pastors and music leaders provide the best possible environment for people to worship unashamedly and without distraction? And how do modern technology and changing music styles affect worship in the church?
We hope these resources will help clarify the essential elements of true worship. When you engage in this vital communication with God, you’ll be surprised how quickly your worries and negative thoughts evaporate!
What the world shuns as foolishness, the Lord embraces as wisdom—the wisdom of pain to turn mere followers of Christ into disciples of Christ. Jesus called it “the cup.” To Him the cup was the anguish, humiliation, and torturous death on the cross. To us it means “taking up our cross” and following Him daily.
The Bible makes it clear that Jesus came to earth to seek and to save those who are lost in their sin (Luke 19:10). But why did Jesus do this?
Some Bible words have been handled and mishandled for so long they've become shopworn and of very little interest to anyone. Not so with the word grace; it still retains its lustre and mystery.
The popular notion of God, as if He were a benign, aging grandfather, sitting passively in heaven—affable, lenient, permissive, and devoid of any real displeasure over sin because He loves us—cheapens God's love. It doesn't uphold the value of His love. In truth, looking into God's heart to discover His love is to discover His other attributes as well.
In the beauty of God's holiness, we see the ugliness of our wretchedness, yet we also find the encouragement to be holy…as He is.
Our belief or disbelief in God adds nothing to nor takes anything away from His glory, any more than our sight or hearing commands the sun and the birds. But if we were suddenly struck by disobedience and self-conceit to steal God's glory, even then He would remain undiminished. God's glory is His and His alone, and with no other does He share it.
When we come into the Lord's presence to worship Him, what's to be remembered? How how are we to think and respond?
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Insight for Living is committed to excellence in communicating the truths of Scripture and the Person of Jesus Christ in an accurate, clear, and practical manner so that people will come to an understanding of God’s plan for their lives, as well as their significant role as authentic Christians in a needy, hostile, and desperate world.
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