My son, Jonah, is 9 years old and extremely creative and inventive. He loves music with a beat. He loves rap, techno, and groove. His two favorite rappers are Lecrae and Toby Mac. He also wants to be the first person to create wings so he can fly. A year ago, he spent months gathering feathers together that he would find in our back yard. One day, he borrowed my duct tape and some sticks. A few hours later he emerged with a set of wings. A month ago, he tried to fashion our car’s dash protector into wings. In honor of Jonah, I am sharing some videos that are worth your time.

I heard this song live last Sunday while visiting New Life Church in Colorado Springs with the Bowens and it deeply resonated with me lyrically, musically, emotionally, and theologically.

A profound video that conveys holistic worship in four minutes.

Acts 2:42-47  They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  ⁴³ Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles.  ⁴⁴ And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common;  ⁴⁵ and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.  ⁴⁶ Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart,  ⁴⁷ praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

A singular word knits this passage together; it is found in verse 42 and then, again, in verse 46…

(Gk. preskarterew) “to be devoted” – however, here we see it in the form of a participle – so it should be rightly translated “to be continually devoted.”  This early community had a clear since of what they were to be devoted to – these things were continually integrated into their way of life. In verse 42, this Greek word is used to set the stage, revealing what this early community was devoted to… In verse 46, it is used to bring back to mind what was stated in verse 42 but with a view to praxis, a picture of how they practiced communal life.

Two things to which the 1st century church was continually devoted (v.42):

1. Continually devoted to the apostles’ teaching: they followed the teachings and commands of Jesus, having adopted his way of life as disciple makers
2. Continually devoted to the fellowship
   1. The breaking of bread (commemorating the Passover feast/communion)
   2. The prayers (unified, communal prayer)

Community marked by:

1. Reverential Awe [at the working of God in their midst] (v.43)
2. Community/Unity [together and had all things in common] (v.44)
3. Sacrificial Love [as needs arose, sold their property/possessions] (v.45)

(v.46) restating/reminder – continually devoted – each day – one mind (unified prayer) in the temple (large group), breaking bread from house to house (small groups), they were taking meals together with:

1. Gladness (full of exaltation and joy)
2. Sincerity of heart
3. Praising God

Having favor with all the people (season of grace [gk. charin])

(v.47) …and the Lord was adding to their number DAY BY DAY those who were being saved.

Below is the audio (mp3) of the teaching this excerpt was taken from…

Download audio file (The_Worshiping_Community)

Hebrews 13:14-16 “For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.  ¹⁵Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, acknowledging his name.  ¹⁶And do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.”

The singular word that binds these two verses (15-16) together: “sacrifice”

Two pre-requisites for sacrificial worship that pleases God:

1. Hearts must be set upon seeking the city of God to come (v. 14)

Our hearts set upon seeking the fullness of God, the One “who was, who is, and is to come” and the kingdom He ushered in and will complete in the renewal of all things.

2. Jesus is our High Priest and mediator enabling worship (v. 15a)

Two interconnected aspects of sacrificial worship that pleases God:

1. Worshiping lips: Confession (v. 15b)

Under the Old Covenant, the Jewish sacrificial system required sacrifices at specific times of the calendar year culminating on Yom Kippur or the “Day of Atonement” – the day of covering, cancelling, pardoning, reconciling – It was the only time when the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies and call upon the Name of God, offering blood sacrifices for the sins of the people. The life blood of a sacrificial animal was required in exchange for the life blood of the worshipers (Lev. 17:11).

However, according to Hebrews 9:9, these sacrifices could not perfect the conscience of the worshiper. They were imperfect sacrifices. As we read on in Hebrews 9:11-14, we discover that Jesus was a once for all sacrifice. So rather than worshiping at a designated time, at a designated place, with a designated animal sacrifice, we offer up a sacrifice of praise to God continually – all the time, everywhere – because Jesus secured our redemption with his own life, his own blood in exchange for our life blood – and our consciences are clear, we are set free from the shackles of sin and dead works, as we continually worship the living God!

2. Worshiping life: Compassion (v. 16a)

• Do – not – neglect to do good (Ephesians 2:10)
• Do – not – neglect to share what you have (1 John 3:17-18)

Below is the audio (mp3) of the teaching this excerpt was taken from…

Download audio file (Confession_and_Compassion.mp3)

There are times that we (including “I”) don’t comprehend the magnitude of the injustice of the crucifixion… when the language of the cross becomes routine, merely words on a page… when the beatings, the mocking, the torture, do not grip our hearts.

Make no mistake, Jesus was murdered though innocent. Were an innocent person brutally tortured and murdered this day, we may experience a sense of outrage, a desire to advocate, etc.

This sort of outrage was expressed by Stephen in Acts 7:51-52, “You stubborn people! You are heathen at heart and deaf to the truth. Must you forever resist the Holy Spirit? That’s what your ancestors did, and so do you! Name one prophet your ancestors didn’t persecute! They even killed the ones who predicted the coming of the Righteous One– the Messiah whom you betrayed and murdered.”

However, we (I) often find ourselves numb to this reality when we should, in fact, be awestruck that Christ willingly endured such suffering and injustice as an innocent out of love for us, that we might be forgiven of our sins. (Isaiah 53:7-8; Acts 8:32-35; Hebrews 12:1-3)

Acts 5:30-31 “The God of our forefathers raised up Jesus, whom you seized and killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.”

The injustice of the cross leads us to a place of brokenness where we see the joy of the Messiah in enduring the cross and bow before Him in worship, awestruck much as the centurion and his companions were…

Matthew 27:54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

John 4:23-24 is the only core teaching in the gospels where Jesus taught directly on the topic of worship.

“But a time is coming– and now is here– when the true worshipers…”

Note that Jesus here draws a distinction. He understands, assumes, that every human being is, in fact, a worshiper – worshipers are everywhere; however, the time has come and now is here when a subset of these worshipers will emerge, the “true” worshipers, and that is who Jesus is focusing his attention towards…

“…the true worshipers will worship the Father”

Notice that He states WHO these true worshipers will worship before he states HOW they will worship… the object of their worship is what defines these true worshipers before the quality or kind of worship. When you follow the trail of their passions, the Father, the Creator, God is on the throne – He is the object of value, of highest worth, of worship…

“…the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such people to be his worshipers. 24 God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

In Scripture, there are not a plethora of things that God seeks (i.e. seeks and saves the lost – Luke 19:10; searching the earth for those whose heart is completely His in order to support them – 2 Chronicles 16:9); however, God is seeking “true” worshipers.

Who are they?

They are the people who have rightly placed that which is of ultimate value, God Himself, into the center of their affections (in spirit) and have begun to live a life of worship in authenticity (in truth).

Below is the audio (mp3) of the teaching this excerpt was taken from…
Download audio file (Everyone_is_a_Worshiper.mp3)

I wrote the Psalm below inspired by Psalm 55.  I was wrestling with the intensity of the words and the imprecatory nature of David’s plea.  The emotion was so raw – I deeply resonated with the entire Psalm; however, I was frustrated in view of praxis. After much meditation and prayerful, verbal processing, I began to see how the Psalm progressed thematically, engulfed the reader emotionally, and was rooted in theology.  Below is the first half of my personal plea to God in response to Psalm 55; the second half is a worship song of consecration which will be uploaded in due time…

I’m drowning in a sea of my despair
My pain surrounds me
It threatens to swallow me
My enemies laugh and mock
Their words pierce my soul
Exposing my inadequacy
On their lips remains the residue of poison
Concealed by sweetness
You who once stood by my side
My brothers, my sisters, my family
My most intimate of companions (?)
Your kisses appeared to me
As the petals of a rose
While bearing with them
The sting of death
My eyes strain to see a glimmer of light, of hope
But all I perceive is darkness
The stench of death rises around me
My nostrils breath deeply the familiar aroma
To whom can I turn?
Who will rescue me?
I stretch out my hand
My fingers break the surface
Oh my Lord! Vindicate me!
Save me from my enemies!
Tear down their fortress of pride!
Render their weapons useless, silence their tongues!
Frustrate their plans and destroy them by their own devices!
Trap them in the web of their own deceit!

The video message from John Piper is a must see…

“If you don’t feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.”

- John Piper,  A Hunger for God: Desiring God through Fasting and Prayer
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