Day 3 - Worship In All Directions

[fmckinnon]

Hey Everybody -
Time to discuss Week 1, Day 3: "Worship In All Directions"

I've seen several people say "I'm ready for the meat" ... well, I think there is definitely some "meat" in this devotional. You know, just because you've possibly "heard" something before doesn't mean it's not "meaty" ... some of the most simple truths seem to be the hardest ones to put into practice.

"Love your neighbor, as yourself" (for example)

I really enjoyed this Day, and will expound more later.

How did you feel as you read this - what examples in your own life (and from what you've seen in the lives of others) can you mention where you did (or did not) have inward worship or outward worship.

Can you see the correlation?

Let's hear what you're thinking!

[Singharmony]

I've been letting 2 Chron 16:9 soak in this morning. In the book it follows the verse by saying 'without that commitment ALL other expressions are sickening to Him.' Like a lightening bolt flash in the sky, I was reminded of the scripture Rev. 3:16 "...So because you are lukewarm, - neither cold nor hot - I am about to spit you out of my mouth." Some versions say vomit! :eek: I truly don't want to found 'lukewarm' in OR out of His presence!

[Wannabe a Worshiper]

The part about inward worship, where it says, "God is searching the earth not to support those who sing the best or shout the loudest. Rather, He seeks for those, 'whose hearts are fully committed to Him.' As worshippers and worship leaders, that must be our foremost goal. Without that commitment, all other expressions of worship are actually sickening to God,"
really hit home.
I can't count the times I have stood in front of my church to lead in vertical worship, when there was little or no inward worship going on in my life. And it made God sick! If we want God to be pleased with our worship, then we must do it on His terms, by His standards, not our own.
Jesus said, in the Beatitudes, (Matt. 5:6) "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." I want to be filled. I want to be blessed.

O God, give me a hunger and a thirst for righteousness. I want your blessing on my life, on my ministry, on my church. Help me to not settle for that which makes you sick.

[Wannabe a Worshiper]

I've been practicing the Laura Story song, "Indescribable," and it concludes with this thought, which I think fits anywhere in this study:"Incomparable, unchangeable, You see the depths of my heart And You love me the same!
You are amazing God."

It's all about Him, not about me.

[chadwesley]

First off, I love where this study is going. It is really making me think about some things. I know many of us have thought and posted about the study being simple, and I agree the first two days were on subjects that most of us know. But sometimes it takes us hearing or reading these simple things to make us think and change the direction we are going. Thank God for simple!

So I have a couple of thoughts about today's study. Here we go.

Romans 14 - This chapter is referenced, but it is not a mandatory read. I would suggest that everyone read this chapter two or three times. It cuts down a topic that all of us face and struggle with. LOVE IT!

We are talking about outward worship. The best scripture that I have read on this is Hebrews 13:15-16. It says, " Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

We definitely have not missed the first part, singing praises to God with our lips, but for some reason we have skipped the second, doing good and sharing with others. Actually showing the love of God through serving His church, helping the poor and the widow. Reaching out to "the least". Anyone can get on stage and sing a couple of songs, but it takes Christ in us to humble ourselves and reach out to those around us. That is true worship.

Thank you for stirring this up in me. I really needed it today:)

[efrisch]

I think that this is really important stuff for anybody who leads worship in a church... I've had a lot of conversations with people in the church (including other leaders) who will refer to "worship" solely as the musical portion of a church's service. This idea of "whole-life" worship is almost incomprehensible to them! But I think that the "upward" worship, as Moore refers to it, flows out of the "inward" and "outward" types. If we get up on Sunday (or Saturday, or Wednesday, or whenever) to lead, and the people that we're leading haven't seen us worship in any way other than "upward", is it any wonder that we can't get them to understand the other types, either?

Lord, may the worship in my own life and through my service to others point others to You, always.

[ErikaMichelle]

This is a great study today. I love order and lists and the way Mr. Moore did that today. Three areas of worship: outward, inward, upward. Four outward ways to worship: sharing the gospel, helping others, giving cheerfully financially, being sensitive to others. Just makes things real simple to follow, imo.

Some thoughts (in list formations :))
1. "Anytime you hear the word worship you assumed that word mostly referred to singing, clapping and talking to God". How true is this? If any of you leaders are like me, as soon as a preacher mentions praise and worship our ears perk up because they are speaking "our" language. But I often forget that helping an old lady carry grocery bags to her car is a form of worship. Not giving my husband an attitude for not taking out the garbage is a form of worship. ;)The more I study, the less it has to do with music and the more it has to do with my inward heart and the way I outwardly express that!!!

2. Inward - "Are we being careful to please God with our private thoughts, with the things we see, with the places we visit?" Ouch is right. Lord, convict us when our senses willingly take in what is not of You!!! I love Proverbs 4:23 - We need to watch over our hearts. Guard our hearts and protect them as we would our own children.

3. Outward - I loved reading Phil 4:14-19 because something jumped out at me that never did before. Everyone quotes v. 19 w/o the others, "And my God shall supply all your need accourding to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus". We often quote this to brothers and sisters who are have hit some hard times and in today's economy they seem to be everywhere. "God will supply your needs". But what hit me today is vs. 14-18. The Phillipean church GAVE to Paul and GAVE JOYFULLY!!! They were generous in their giving THUS "God will supply all needs . . . ". If I am going to be an outward worshipper, if I want to receive from the Lord, I must be a giver first - even in the hard times!!!

Wonderful Study Today!!!

[hisfirewithin]

The "Daily Surrender" portion was GRUELING for me today as I had to be honest about some of the rotten places in my heart. Rather than being sensitive to others and sharing with them, I seem to always be looking over my shoulder and questioning their motives. I actually find myself to be quite a bit more selfish than I thought. It was an incredibly convicting moment as I confessed the dark places in my soul to the Lord.

I'm finding a lot of healing so far in this study.

[fmckinnon]

hisfirewithin:

Thanks for being vulnerable and honest - I'm reminded of the passage:


Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. (The Message)

From YouVersion.Com (http://www.youversion.com/msg/Jas.5.16)

[MimsiGal]

I actually read through day 3 on Sunday evening, and I didn't make it all the way through then. I was following the scripture references throughout, and ended up in Amos. Wow... that brought out some things that I needed to think through. If you want to read about those thoughts, check them out at http://tinyurl.com/9c5onv - I don't want to take too much space here ;)

Today, though, I read the rest as well.

This was such a good reminder for me! I have already been thinking through what a selfish person I am (our home group did a *fun* (not) activity last week that started that thought process) and how I will bend over backwards to help you... if I like you. However, I don't seem able to give your situation a passing thought if you aren't *near and dear to me* as it were. As a Christian, that should not be the case, but especially when I am looked at as being in a position of leadership within the church!

As worship leaders, we are called to a higher level - we are leading God's people to the foot of His cross each week, and as such, we are being looked at - nay, scrutinized more closely by His people. There is more asked of us.

Thank you for this necessary reminder of outward worship!

Once I got past that, I refocused on the inward aspect. Yes, I also have those weeks where life has just flown past, I didn't take the time that was needed to spend with God, and I get up there leading from a purely outward standpoint. Yes, God will still use us on those days, but not to the level that we could have been. Our worship needs to be a lifestyle, not a weekend jaunt. Again, as worship leaders, we are called to lead not only in the physical aspect of singing, but in living out our worship to Him as an example. And no, it's not something we can do on our own.

Al in all, this was a good devotional today. Good reminders for anyone who calls themselves His, but especially for those of us leading.

[russhutto]

The study today is about not only worshipping “upward” - that is, giving praise directly to God through song and prayer. But also worshipping inwardly (the attitudes of our hearts) and outwardly (our commitment to bring glory and honor to God by focusing on others),

Today’s big thought for me was integrity (inwardly). We all struggle to make the right choices when no one is looking at some point in our lives.

I hear and see so many people who casually break laws with no second thought. In this day and age of casual “speeding,” ripping cds, or talking behind people’s backs there seems to be an integrity drought. I wrestle with the issue myself at times.

I just saw Fireproof for the first time last night, so I really resonated with the "outwardly" part as well. Especially, the challenge at the end of today's study.

[ErikaMichelle]

Today’s big thought for me was integrity (inwardly)

That hit home for me russ. Thank you for bringing up that thought. I want to be a person of integrity, of a good character!!! Thank you for reminding me of that today :)

[Wrapped in Jesus Love!]

I thought I knew what worship is but apparently I have a lot to learn throughout the rest of this study. Today's reading along with the past two days has already broadened my definition of worship.

The inward direction - How do we act when no one is looking? Is it the same way we act when others are around? We need to always be aware that we are in God's presence at all times.

On page 18 in our reading it says "God is searching the earth not to support those who sing the best or shout the loudest. Rather, he seeks for those "whose hearts are fully committed to him." This can be applied to anything in our lives, not just singing. For example in my explanation yesterday about being a secretary or a garbage man and the social standings of that position. God does not seek the lawyers and attorneys. He seeks anyone truly committed to Him. He sees right through the worldly things and sees straight into our hearts.

The outward direction - How we treat others. Do we share our faith? Do we reach out to help others and pray for others? Do we give of our finances and our time? Do we live so that others don't stumble? I like the example on page 19 where the nextdoor neighbor never wore shorts because her neighbor didn't believe that Christian women should wear shorts. She may have thought that idea was rediculous but she didn't want to cause him to stumble or have negative thoughts due to seeing her in shorts. This kind of thinking and acting is very difficult. Sometimes in these situations the human side of us would want to wear shorts just because we can and just because he disagrees with it. But we need to pray to be mindful of what other people think and help them with their faith through our actions.

We need to look at people and really understand them and see inside them. Get to know people from the inside not just the surface. I was talking to a co-worker today and we were talking about a lady she knows who is going blind. This lady is losing her vision day by day from the outer edge. Every day it becomes a little less and she can still see the inside circle of sight but that circle become less and less. She told my co-worker that someday she will lose her sight completely. She said she looks at her husband and children when they are sleeping. She stares at them to try to retain what they look like so when she is blind she will remember. If we could only have a desire like that - the desire to really look at people and study them and know their wants and desires - to love them with a Godly love - to be always looking for ways to help them. Here is an example. I come home from the grocery store and my two teenagers are with me. We all get out of the house and they walk in empty handed. I walk in with bags and I'm thinking "why can't they see that I need help carrying in the bags - why should I have to ask them to help"? Anway, we should work on creating an attitude of always looking for ways we can help others and then "do" that action. The key word is "DO". Don't just think about helping and then blow it off. Follow through with the actual deed. We can pray for God to help us to recognize these things.

We need to work to become like Jehosphaphat. On page 19 is says "Jehoshaphat not only said he loved and honored God, he exemplified his passion and commitment to God by who he was and how he acted toward others. He wa a man who worshipped God with his whole life". We need to go beyond saying "I love you God". We need to live like we mean it.

[Wrapped in Jesus Love!]

I can't count the times I have stood in front of my church to lead in vertical worship, when there was little or no inward worship going on in my life. And it made God sick! If we want God to be pleased with our worship, then we must do it on His terms, by His standards, not our own.


This is such a good comment. Do any of you rush around on Sundays trying to get your own children ready for church or just getting out of bed and getting yourself going only to get to church and be rushing around there to get everything into place and feel exhausted by the time church starts. I have to admit, I don't always take the time I need to before worship to make sure that my heart is in the right place. Although I want to it doesn't always happen. I need to make that a goal of mine also.

[Wrapped in Jesus Love!]

Guard our hearts and protect them as we would our own children.


WOW!!! Awesome comment!!! :D I think I am getting more out of this study than I ever have in any other Bible study. Thanks everyone!!! And Thanks God!!!

[Stillfreetosing]

So simple but so convicting as well.
In a sence not to just speak/sing (upward) towards God. But inwardly our heart should be consistent at all times,whether alone or with many. So our character mirrors His to those He brings our way. I want my heart to be pure before God, I want to be sensitive at all times.

so with this the inward direction (character, integrity) has been something God has for a while now been reminding me to focus on.

[robert.adams]

You're absolutely right. Upward worship flows from inward worship. It all starts with what's in the heart, which makes its way out of our lips. When we lead worship, we can never know what is in the hearts of those we are leading. But out of our hearts come good works made visible through outward worship. Perhaps that softens the hearts of those who thought it was all just a song, and from the beautiful brokenness of a contrite heart, the worship that flows out is beautiful to God.

[MandoRon]

I apologize in advance for the length, but it's been a really great day for me.

I've really been struggling with work lately because I can't get the manpower I need to do my job well. I've been really stressed (with all the side effects) and working lots of hours for months trying to get control over the situation and I keep failing to gain control. In the last week, my company announced 2,000 layoffs. My job is safe, but it just further depressed me knowing that no help was coming...

All of my bible reading for the last week (even before Pure Praise) has been God telling me to give up control and follow his lead. (See this blog post from last Friday...http://www.mandoron.com/2009/01/09/this-is-tough-stuff/) Even my small group study last night! The last 3 days of Pure Praise, God has been tellling me that I have to give up control. To "stand still" like Jehosophat and let Him take care of things.

So I prayed this morning that God would show me how to surrender my job to him. I offered up my career to Him. Instead of relying on my intellect and talent, I'm going to allow him to lead. I asked God to show me how to worship him while I'm at work. I prayed that he would change my growingly negative attitude.

I posted the lyrics to "All of Me" by Stryper on my blog this morning (http://www.mandoron.com/2009/01/14/all-of-me/), because it was going through my head as I was writing out my "daily surrender".

The most amazing thing happened at work today! I found out that my department will likely remain untouched by the layoffs. And one of the other supervisors pretty much offered up one of his best employees to transfer to my group. So I'm going to get another person starting before the end of the month. It's an answer to months and months of prayer.

Yea God!!!

[alangustin]

Father,
Please expose my sins - big and small. Please remove from my heart those things that keep me from being completely Yours. I want my praise to bring You joy, not offend You. Make me pure in every way. God, mold my heart every day and keep it in Your hands, oh Father that I might become holy in Your sight.
Teach me by Your Spirit how to be a better man, a better husband, a better father, a better leader. Teach me how to spread Your Truth to those around me. Show me how I can help others who have less than me. Lord, let me not give reluctantly, but with full joy in knowing that it is Yours to begin with. Thank You for what You have given me. Cause me to share Your bounty with those around me. Father, show me how to be with others that are not like me. I want to be all things to all people for Your glory. Let me show Christ in everything that I say and do. Amen

[halster]

For me your prayer sums up todays discussion .... probably the hardest thing we do is keeping our hearts in the right place with God .... even knowing that whatever is harbored there comes out when we speak (there in itself is a scarey thought) ... so forgive me for plagiarizing but I certainly could not have spoken this prayer as clear .....
My grandmother taught me well about service to others ... so it has been a part of my life for what seems to be forever .... though during some period of my life was done for the wrong reasons .... that was a hard lesson ... but when discovering the simple feeling of God smiling on the any outward service ... it was not difficult to continue ....
But as for the heart matters ... I have to work and pray for all the help I can get ....
Awesome study ... what a blessing you all are !!!

"play it loud"

[Rogenia]

Inward worshiping – simply means to me, worshipping in the Spirit and Truth. Lifting the Lord up, rather it is singing, praying or praising. Exalting Him for what He is and what He does. He is so worthy of our praise. It sometimes proves to be hard work because of the heart. That why I believe the scripture tell us to “guard our heart;” And it is not talking about feelings, I believe it is talking about the Word of God. Guard what you take in (spiritual realms) of God. So as a man thinks, so is he. And that is when I rely upon the Praise Team to assist me in getting back to where God wants me to be. (Especially when in church services ;) They have such an important role in the Body of Christ.
I also believe that inward worshipping means that we should strive to experience worship on earth as it is in heaven. Worshiping is a 24/7 in heaven. We must long to be holy for God. The more we worship God, the more we become like Him (2 Cor. 3:18). Inward worshiping keeps us in tuned to the things that God wants to do in us and what He wants us to do for others. Inward (Isaiah 6:1-8) is undoubtedly one of the most awe-striking depictions of man's encounter with God. A heart for holiness (v.6) and a willing heart that is sensitive to His Father's need of a vessel (v.8). Isaiah's vision is quite clearly one of God (v.1), one of self (v.5), and one of others (v.8). Worship is more than the two-hour Sunday morning service. It is more than the fifteen minutes of praise and worship or testimony time. Worship is a lifestyle; so as we minister our prayers and praise in song to God, we watch these dimensions unfold, we can't help but to be personally impacted and changed.
Outward worshiping - Micah 5:13 "You shall no more worship the "work" of your hands." Simply means to me outward expressions; All will be brought to no longer worshipping outwardly. Why? Because God is found within the heart, the soul of man; God is not far off, nor is spirit separate from us. Mankind must be brought back to the knowledge of this truth. The knowledge of our oneness with the heavenly Father, Satan (devil; the carnal mind of man - which is led outwardly, physically through the mind and five senses) tried to deceive Jesus by saying in Matthew 4:9, "All these things (outward, physical things in this physical world) I will give you if you will fall down ("the fall" as in Genesis when Adam and Eve "fell" to a lower estate in their minds, not being inwardly led through the Spirit of God; outward worship or leading) and worship me." We too, can easily be enticed with all that the world offers and hope for something to come
one day (such as heaven), while never seeking the truth which already lives within our midst. That is what "falling" to a lower estate (lesser than who we really are in Spirit) is! This battle with Satan (mistaken thinking) occurred within Jesus' mind too, and it also occurs today within each of us.
That is why it is so important for us to of us. Let us follow Jesus' example and be inwardly led, not outwardly led on our life path. Jesus said, "Away with you Satan...for I am to worship God only and only serve Him." To follow the inner leading of Spirit is to worship or reverence the Divine from within one's heart. In contrast, Satan (false ideas/beliefs) is most easily worshipped outwardly. Follow the gentle leading from
within, not the ravaging world outside, for this is the only way to connect with the Divine Spirit.

[Rogenia]

This is such a good comment. Do any of you rush around on Sundays trying to get your own children ready for church or just getting out of bed and getting yourself going only to get to church and be rushing around there to get everything into place and feel exhausted by the time church starts. I have to admit, I don't always take the time I need to before worship to make sure that my heart is in the right place. Although I want to it doesn't always happen. I need to make that a goal of mine also.
I had to make a comment here. That is exactly why I stated that “inward worshiping is hard work sometimes” and I rely on the praise team to assist me. Worshiping should be in truth and spirit; and that was not always the case of me. There are times when so much is going on in my life, that it is hard to get focus on what I believe that God deserves. Wannabe, there were times when I would be in service and think there was a concert going on – instead of praising God, (outward worshiping) and that would put me in another state of mind. I once went to my pastor and spoke to him about it, because I felt so bad and mess up. I felt that I was losing it and not focusing on what God needed from me. I am not sure about the standards or teams you are speaking on; but I do know and believe that if we continue to abide in Him, our worshiping will extend to another level in Christ. I can’t hold a tune (smile) and love exalting the Lord; so it is so important to me right now to learn how to exalt Him in the way that He deserves. Rogenia

[Klampert]

I think for me this study is almost an admonition in that it's basically saying don't just be a sunday Christian.

Worship needs to envelope your life but even beyond that we have to be careful of just going thru the motions.

Now with that said I think it is important to understand that even if we don't feel like worshiping we need to any way. This is like a husband who doesn't feel like holding his wifes hand. Too Bad. Do it anyway. it's relationship first and then feelings. Too often we are hoping the feelings come first.

[jonmark]

the statement that really hit me from day 3 study...

the importance of this inward direction of worship cannot be overemphasized.

that is a VERY bold statement and one that i would tend to agree with...it's not something i've really heard put that way before...usually the focus in on the upward piece to it all...

good stuff so far!!!

[Carmie]

This lesson hit home for me, in so many ways. There was a time when I first started singing on our P&W team, where I knew that God was present, but I couldn't feel him in the space I was in. I had no problem showing the "Outward" praise, but there was something missing from within me. God showed me that it was my lack of intimate time with Him and "Inward" praise. There were many times that I got up to sing and my heart wasn't right, for whatever reason. I have since learned that I can't wait until Sunday morning to begin my worship with Him. I have to take time during the week, busy as it is, to spend some quality time with Him.

Since my enlightenment, I am able to give Him true praise Outwardly. I like the scripture that states "out of the mouth, flows the issues of the heart". I need to desperately meditate on that daily, so that my tongue will not be used to glorify the enemy, but used soley for Glorifying God.