For it is God:   theunfetteredpreacher

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“For it is God:“

Phillipians 2:13
“For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.“

When will I accept, “For it is God:“?

His will, His desire, His timing, His plan, His responsibility, His problem.

I am His, to do with as He pleases.

What I think, imagine or want… Is not important.

Obedience and a heart for God, if I seek His face, I will find mercy and grace in my time of need.

“FOR IT IS GOD:“

Amen


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So foolish was I, and ignorant: The Fix-it Shop-Filling Station – http://wp.me/p4qqra-1P5

This is an older post revisited.   The desire for Gods people to grow in the word, will not quit.

Is it a Worship Service?  theunfetteredpreacher

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On Sundays we celebrate Jesus by attending Praise and Worship Services.   

We join in communal singing, testimony, giving, Prayer and listening to a message from Gods Word.

Some believers even lay hands on the  sick, and pray for healings, rebuke the devil, pray for financial help, ask for Wisdom, Grace, and Mercy.

Wonderful..  but it is not really Praise and Worship, its a Service (a gathering of like minded people), on a Sunday to share their beliefs.   

It is Wonderful, but not Praise and Worship.

I know, it is how we Praise and how we Worship, leave us alone….   

My question is;  Is it how does the Bible tell us to Praise or Worship?

The word Praise is in the Bible 259 times, the first time Leah, the un-loved wife of Jacob, has just delivered their forth child.

Their first was called Reuben, meaning the Lord has seen, now my husband will love me.

Their second, Simeon,  meaning, the Lord has heard my cries, and given me a son.

The third was Levi, meaning to be joined with.  (The Levites are the Lords priests, to join people to God).

Finaly she had Judah, “Now will I praise the Lord:”

What is Praise, first off it is  Thanksgiving for what He has done.

“Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name.”

Singing Praise, what is that?   David wrote many songs of Praise.   Praise is mentioned 149 times in 150 Psalms.

Sing, shout, noise from cymbols, drums, flutes, stringed instruments, loud.  Letting the lost know who we love. 

Clapping hands, lifting hands in submission, forgetting how foolish we might look or feel.

It is all about Him, what He has done, what He has promised…

Singing the 11 words 7 times Praise songs,  allow us to enter into His presence, we need not read the words we are singing, they become  one with us, we become one with Him.

“Bless the Lord, O’ my soul, and all that is within me, Bless His holy name.”   2x

“For He has done great things.”  (Hallelujah)  3x

“Bless His holy name.”  repeat from top.

You can know this song, live it it and invite the Lord into your  Praise.

Do you want to sing it for 2o minutes, not a chance, but sing it and others like it, until the Spirit of God is sensed and His presence is in the congregation.

Then you would be ready to Worship.   What is Biblical Worship?

Worship:  Mentioned 188 times in the Bible, the first by Abraham, bringing his son to sacrifice.

Genesis 22:5

“And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.”

Worship, being willing to give up, or to kill your most precious thing, knowing, and believing the Lord will Bless your obedience.

Worship, means to bow done, “he worshipped the Lord, bowing himself to the earth.”

Submission, total, complete to the Lord, Obedience….  “To obey is better than sacrifice.”

We must learn to Praise the Lord, to Worship in Spirit and in truth.  To do that, we must learn to give up ourself will, our pride, giving the Lord, absolute power in our lives.

John 4:23
“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”
John 4:24
“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Philippians 3:3
“For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

To worship, we must overcome our flesh, give our all to the Lord.


Lord, may I be a Holy Spirit dispenser of Your love, grace and mercy.   Amen

The glory of the Lord shall appear:   theunfetteredpreacher

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Leviticus 9:6

“And Moses said, This is the thing which the Lord commanded that ye should do: and the glory of the Lord shall appear unto you.”

Are we doing the thing which the Lord commanded that we should do?  

We like to think we are.

Are we seeing the glory of the Lord?    Would we recognize it, if it was here?

1 Kings 8:10b, 11    

“The cloud filled the house of the Lord,  So that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord had filled the house of the Lord.”

I am pretty sure we are not seeing this in our church services today.    Why not?

We really are not doing or living the full thing the Lord commanded.

The Lord is a Spirit, we have His Spirit, He resides within us, but haven’t spent time reading the instuction manual, learning how to Walk with Him.

John 4:23

“But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.”

John 4:24

“God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

Philippians 3:3

“For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.”

To  many of us, these scriptures are just words.  We may know them, quote them, believe them,  and not understand how to impliment them.

Music is one of the easiest ways to enter His presence to experience His glory.  

“Now bring me a minstrel. And it came to pass, when the minstrel played, that the hand of the Lord came upon him.”

Many think it is foolish to sing 11 words 7 times as they call some forms of Worship.  

They don’t understand the point, will not submit themselves and let go.  

We need to reach out, let our spirits connect to the Holy Spirit.  This can happen in seconds or take 20 minutes, depending on the condition of our hearts. 

(Are we open, receptive, willing to allow God entrance, to gain control of our natural man)?

We allow Him into our hearts, we are saved, set free from the bondage of sin and shame.  Yet, we are afraid of the next step.

We fail to allow Him to transform our mind, to use our voice to pray His will.   

We love Romans 8:28, but fear the verses that lead us to it, ;26-27.

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.


And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

I am a broken record.   I cannot apologise.  We all need to be closer to Him.  The world needs to see signs and wonders.

We need to become WORKERS OF MIRACLES, WE MUST HAVE THE GIFT OF HEALINGS, THE GIFT OF FAITH.

Then will Jesus be lifted up, then He will draw all men unto Himself.

Learn to Praise, allow the Lord into your heart and mind, you will experience true Worship, the Glory of the Lord will surround you.

Allow the Lord to teach you to pray in tongues, to release yourself into His control,  to find His perfect will.

THEN ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD.

Quit you like men, let the Lord have control.

I hear often, we are not all workers of miracles.

Really, that is not what the Lord said in John 14, and what He sent us to do.  Have you asked Him?


Lord, release Your Spirit on Your Church today, I pray.  Amen



A minor revelation:   theunfetteredpreacher

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I may have had a minor revelation this morning  while getting my second cup of coffee.

I am writing this during my third cup.   So take it with a grain of coffee grounds.

For 6 years now, I have tried to explain the difference between Praise and Worship, and the music involved in our UMC service.

No joy…

As I was pouring my 2nd cup, I realized, like salvation, it is foolishness to the natural man.

Please do not misunderstand, UMC people believe in Jesus, and are saved.  They just have not been taught they can be and have more in the Kingdom.

1 Corinthians 1:25

“Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.”

1 Corinthians 2:14

“But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

As I have pointed out in other posts, Preaching, Teaching, even Prophets, can learn their trade and practice them, in the power of the Natural Man.

They can believe in Jesus, and expound on the Word and even cause others to come to Christ. 

 It is wonderful,  the depth and hight and breadth of the love and power of God.

It is absolutely marvelous to build a body of believers.  True believers, who love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

They feed the hungry, clothe the poor, do everything physically possible, to lead them to the narrow gate.

They work hard and will receive their rewards in heaven.

The problem is they only know the Natural Man half of the Gospel.  They live it well, but the Gospel is also Spiritual.

They have never been taught how to live this life.   Most Denominational Christians today look at the Spiritual side of Christianity, as past its sell by date.  

Signs, wonders, miracles all died out with the Apostles, (those who looked Jesus in the eye).

Forgetting that Paul is our example, he never knew the man, Jesus, he met the same Jesus we know, the one sitting at the right hand of the Father.

Paul, healed the sick, raised the dead, spoke in tongues, saw signs and wonders following, and WE SHOULD TOO.

It really is about the Holy Spirit.  I long to understand how to lead these people to a deeper more fruitful walk with the Lord.

For me it begins with Praise and Worship.  I will attempt to put into words, my hearts desire.

I invite you along for the ride.   Thanks for reading this.

Who is this?   theunfetteredpreacher

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When Jesus walked the earth many asked, “Who is this?”  He healed the sick, caused the blind to see, the deaf to hear, forgave sins and threw the money changers from the Temple.

“Who is this?“

The Son of God, the Son of man, the King of Glory.

“Who is this?”    

“Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.”

” Who is this Son of man?”

“Who is this that forgiveth sins also?”

“Who is this which speaketh blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”

“And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?”

Today, like the Pharaoh of old, mankind cries out:  “Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?”

The world desires someone to deliver them, save them, to heal, comfort and lead them.

“Who is it, that will come to our rescue?

The Lord told us and tells us today, if we would listen.  There is a person, a whosoever will, who will answer, the call of God.

I would love it to be me, but it could be you, It will be whosoever has a heart for God. 

Whosoever will: “Apply thine heart unto instruction, and thine ears to the words of knowledge.”

The Lord promised:

Jeremiah 30

“I will cause him to draw near, and he shall approach unto me: for who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me? saith the Lord.

And ye shall be my people, and I will be your God.“

Will you allow Him to draw you near?   Will you walk in His yoke, doing His will, changing the world by His Grace?  Will you engage your heart to seek His face?

Draw me close O’ Lord, may I be a vehicle of Your Will.  Amen