How well do your Christian high school chapels, liturgies, or all-school worship times help students grow in faith? the angels I will sing your praise: I will worship at your holy temple and give thanks to your name.” (Ps 138:1-2) “I will extol you, O my God and King, and I will bless your name forever and ever. Jesus Christ is the preexistent, incarnate, eternal, Word of God (John 1:1). God spoke through Balaam’s donkey and speaks through flawed humans. G. Giving is an act The concept of "worship" as defined by Webster’s dictionary is not Hebraic in any way and is not found in the Bible. Some would insist, further, that the preacher speaks "God's Words." Developing the ability to adore Him flows out of a growing knowledge of God through His Word. ɗE\Ʌj&�u�R�a{)�6i The book grew out of three years of teaching and studying in California, Michigan, and Britain. Her son said, “Well, it seems like God is either the big old mighty king far away up above or the nice boyfriend Jesus.”. What can you observe about what worshipers here are learning by heart? Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things He does for me. But constantly inserting “Father God” sounds more like a verbal tic or careless filler phrase than a form of address. The Rienstras presented an early version of the book to Fuller seminarians, who tested the ideas in churches and suggested tweaks. Don’t neglect God or despise God, worship God! 0000007386 00000 n God is bigger than our wildest imaginings, scripture tells us. This does not however eliminate worship as an act. How might the Bible expand or challenge your common images? This God who doesn’t expect much of me to cooperate with is such a stark contrast to God in the Bible,” Ron Rienstra says. The worship leader begins with ‘Hey, welcome, howdy, how ya doing’ and a joke and then hands you off to the music leader,” Ron Rienstra says. Unless otherwise specified, content on this website is licensed as Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0. Worship Words strives to provide free worship material which is: Inclusive*: avoiding gender-exclusive language and imagery for people and God, and other forms of exclusive language. Ron Rienstra adds, “Christians frequently talk about salvation as ‘inviting Jesus into my heart,’ as if the day you got saved, you made a bargain with God. We would be better off to remove the idea of "worship" from our Biblical vocabulary and replace it with "bow down". 0000000886 00000 n Want to explore more biblical names of God? 0000005892 00000 n (21) The God of Miracles: "Lord, I praise You because You are the God who performs miracles, the One who displays Your power among the peoples (Psalm 77:14). Our God does indeed deserve our deep respect, awe, and worship! 080544758X BRAND NEW! It also reveals a desire for close affection with God as their love for Him is expressed. True worship of God does not happen without effort on out part. Continue exploring these topics on PreachingandWorship.org, a search engine designed for thoughtful Christian preachers, teachers, and leaders. 0000003526 00000 n %PDF-1.3 %���� Church musicians know that behind every smoothly-flowing song set or choir anthem lie hours of planning and rehearsing. 080544758X BRAND NEW!! How we worship God reflects our thankfulness (Hebrews 13:15; Ephesians 5:19-20; Philippians 4:6-7). But more people will notice if the pastor also includes a notice in the bulletin or a sentence on the projection screen. Words have the power to create pictures inside our heads, and those pictures profoundly shape our devotion.”. 3. Just as children quickly learn to speak with the vocabulary, tones, and inflections of their parents, so we learn to ‘speak’ our spiritual lives with the words and tones, with the emotional and theological range, of what we experience at worship,” she writes. Men and boys must practice compassion and steadfast love. Anything? Compare the verb density to songs such as “, As Jesus did in the Lord’s Prayer, use direct verbs to ask God to act. God gave Moses the plan for allowing Himself to dwell in the presence of His people through the building of the ark of God and the tabernacle of God. “So many young people are hungry for a God who actually does something. In worship, You will be exalted oh God And your kingdom shall not pass away Oh Ancient of Days Your kingdom shall reign over all the earth Sing to the Ancient of Days For none can compare to your matchless worth, Sing to the Ancient of Days . More than a subjective art form or tradition, Seven Words of Worship authors Mike Harland and Stan Moser explain that worship is foremost intended to be a pure and powerful declaration of love to God. Did you gather church members for a survey of who knows which worship song and chart how these songs name God and God’s saving actions (which person of the Trinity, divine title or attribute, object or actor)? Remember: it’s all grace, folks. CONCLUSION—Worship proclaims our dependence on God. When offered with passionate sincerity, worship brings God into our presence and makes all things possible!. The same is true of elements within the service,” they write. Psalmfests Bring Psalms into the Heart of Worship Simply put, our worship expression creates a place for us to encounter and experience God. How we worship God reflects our impression of God (Psalm 98:1-4). “Unfortunately, by asking God to ‘be with’ these people, we give the subtle impression that God is always wandering off and we have to keep calling God back to attention.... Don’t we believe that God is always present with us, whether we perceive that presence or not?” Rienstra writes. BUFVJBHJV0PT « PDF // Seven Words of Worship: The Key to a Lifetime of Experiencing God Seven Words of Worship: The Key to a Lifetime of Experiencing God Filesize: 5.66 MB Reviews Complete information for book fanatics. 0000001082 00000 n His primary reason for creating man is fellowship. If you attend this church often, think back over the last several months and recall what is repeated over time at the church. Choosing meaningful words for worship takes time too. ‘We’re singing this to remind us what God has done and to ask God to do something now.’ ”, In Worship Words: Discipling Language for Faithful Ministry (Baker Academic, 2009), Debra Rienstra recounts a conversation after a Christian school Christmas concert. She once surveyed her undergraduates on their favorite worship song, the one they’d not want to live without. Ruth, who teaches worship and liturgy at Asbury Theological Seminary, used Christian Copyright Licensing International (CCLI) top 25 song data from the years 1989-2004. These questions, taken or adapted from Worship Words, will get people talking about the language you choose for worship. She asked her children what pictures of God they had in their minds from the names of God used in the songs. Debra Rienstra, a Calvin College English professor, wrote the book with her husband, Ron Rienstra, a pastor who teaches preaching and worship at Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan. Are your staff and faculty planning chapels for or with students? But each chapter ends with discussion questions for personal or group reflection, exercises that invite you to observe or reflect on particular worship services, and exercises for preachers. 100% MONEY BACK GUARANTEE!! It contains various descriptions of what is experienced on this quest. 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