Praise (Part 2)

Last week I talked about a wonderful Spirit-filled service I attended over 45 years ago, and how the memories of that service still affect me.  In this blog, I wish to discuss seven Hebrew words that describe worship expressions, taken from the books of Psalms and Isaiah.  Then, I’m going to demonstrate why genuine worship services have to be conducted decently and in order for all in attendance to receive from the Lord.

The Psalms (Hebrew hymn book) and the Prophet Isaiah, reveal seven forms of praise that I believe we need to incorporate in today’s worship segments of our services.  They won’t always manifest, but we certainly need to be open to these worship expressions.  They come to us through the use of seven Hebrew words:

•   HALLAH -- “Our praise word, “Hallelujah” comes from this root word.  Literally interpreted, it means, “Praise the Lord.”  “Praise the Lord!  Praise God in  His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse” (Psalm 150:1).

• YADAH -- refers to “the extended hand, to throw out the hand, or to lift the hand.”  “So I will bless You  as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name” (Psalm 63:4)

• TOWDAH -- This word is closely connected with YADAH, but in a more specific way.  It is based on praising God for “things not yet received.”  It is a faith proclamation. “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 50:14).

• SHABACH -- means “to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph.”  “O clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joy” (Psalm 47:1).

• BARAK -- means “to kneel down, to bless God in an act of adoration.”  “Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Psalm 95:6).

• ZAMAR -- means “to pluck the strings of an instrument; largely involves the expression of music through musical instruments.”  “Awake, my glory!  Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn” (Psalm 57:8).  

• TEHILLAH -- involves the “singing of ‘hallah’s,’ to sing loud OR to sing hymns of the Spirit or praise.”  This is what happened at Eastside Assembly, Springfield, Missouri in 1974.  “To grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes.  The oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting, so they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3).  

  

Having said all of the above, now let me offer a teaching that comes out of mutual respect and accountability.  Yes, we should learn how to worship God according to Biblical patterns.  Yes, we should quit looking around and allowing others to deter us from “pressing in.”   Yes, we should be considerate of others’ personal space and private devotion.  Yes, we should quit judging others because we may not be comfortable with their mode or “loudness” during worship.  And they should not judge us for lesser expressions.  

HOWEVER, WE SHOULD ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT CORPORATE WORSHIP TIMES REQUIRE THAT WE REMAIN IN SYNC WITH WHAT’S TAKING PLACE IN THE ENTIRE ROOM.  

Our God is a God of order.  His Spirit operates beautifully and powerfully when His house remains in order.  When a given service is not moving forward to our liking, we don’t have “to work it up,”  And we must never draw attention to ourselves.  Every service has a design from the throne, and the Lord’s purpose is that all present receive accordingly.  By the way, when I returned on Sunday evening at Eastside Assembly, the tone of that service was quiet, sweet and unassuming.  That didn’t make it a less “spiritual” service.

Corporate worship by divine mandate necessitates that all benefit from the “now” movement of the Spirit.

Let me explain.

I have led services and attended services where a small group of people, while supposedly “being Spirit-led,” remained uncommonly loud and oblivious to their surroundings.  The service, as it was, was put on hold until they quieted down.  All attention was directed their way.  Spiritual pride and attention-seeking entered into the mix, and the service became unsettled.  This is never God’s plan.  My friend, I’m not talking about quenching the Spirit, I’m talking about accommodating the Spirit’s desire for any given service.  Wise pastors do not allow attention-seeking individuals to lead the way at the expense of “the whole.”  Every incident has to be handled wisely and on its own merit.  If additional time/attention is necessary, God will give specific direction to the pastor or whoever’s leading the service.

Now, once again, travel back with me to that morning service at Eastside Assembly.  It went God’s way because the ENTIRE church moved according to what the Holy Spirit was doing.  That woman was one in a crowd that was moving in/with the Spirit.  The atmosphere was Spirit-energized and Spirit-empowered, and no confusion existed.  She not once called attention to herself, as most everyone in the service was caught up in the “spirit of the moment.”

Erroneous teaching on the part of well-meaning pastors suggests that what God wants always overrides what people want.  And that’s true!  However, the Lord is never the author of confusion.  

My prayer for Hope Community is that God will stir the hearts of our people and draw us into a corporate anticipation of His manifested presence in our services.  The prophet Zechariah said it best:  “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord” (4:16).  Oh, Lord, send Your power!  I welcome the day when individuals stirred by the Spirit’s touch, get up from their seat and kneel before the altar during the corporate service.  The altar, historically and theologically, is “the place of death.”  Sin dies where the blood spills.  And burdens are lifted at Calvary.  

“Lord, remind us that You live in our praise; and that regardless of our personality type, personal preference or preconceived ideas about what church should look like, we are part of the whole, not islands unto ourselves.” 

So, on your way to church next Sunday, wholeheartedly prepare your heart to press in and receive from the Lord.  Let nothing deter you from praising the Lord! But remember, stay in sync with God’s overall design for that service.  In truth, worship services should be an extension of our on-going, private, daily worship times  throughout the week.  Let’s refer to those times as “rehearsals for Sunday!”

Praise (Part 1)

I still remember an emotionally-charged service that took place over 45 years ago, an experience that “lifted me into heavenly places!”  Why?  Because I saw the Holy Spirit overhaul a brokenhearted woman before my very eyes!

I was at Eastside Assembly of God in Springfield, Missouri.  The service was progressing nicely and the Holy Spirit was moving powerfully.  A spirit of praise swept across the 200-plus people in attendance that day; and it seemed the crowd meshed into one. It was one of those services where non-participants were very much in the minority, and the majority present was caught up in loud corporate praise.  It was heaven on earth!  Pastor Bob Smith knelt on the stage, pouring out his heart with tears cascading down his face.

Seated behind me, a searching woman experienced a complete emotional breakthrough -- she came brokenhearted.  She poured her soul out like sweet perfume from the alabaster bottle.  I could not help but weep with her, as a spirit of intercession invaded the atmosphere.  The musicians played, not concerned about performance.  It was a time of “soaking in His presence.”  

In those moments, I heard this dear woman move from broken-heartedness to joy-filled weeping.  Surely, she WAS YET ANOTHER woman, who sat at the feet of Jesus, and poured out her purest praise from a heart that was heavy. And she too was transformed!  

I thought about the woman whose story is found in Luke 7:37-38.  “And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner and when she learned that He (Jesus) was reclining at the table in the Pharisee’s house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, and standing behind Him at His feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume.”

This precious lady also exchanged her ashes for beauty!  She “put on the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Isaiah 63:1). I was blessed as I beheld her transformation. A beautiful butterfly broke loose from its cocoon and took flight!

If I may, allow me to draw some “teachable moments” from that experience:

1. Jesus lives in the praises of His people.  

2. Praise is “becoming to the upright” (Psalm 33:1).  This phrase is used to describe clothing.  In other words, it’s what we “should look like, how we should dress!” Praise adorns! The lady mentioned in the above Scripture perfumed the feet of Jesus with her praise.  She was never more beautiful!

3. Audible praise loosens inhibitions and releases power.  Audible praise builds a conduit from earth to the Throne of God. “Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).  

4. Praise should flow out of brokenness and genuine love for the Master, not performance-driven ingenuity.  Corporate worship is more than rehearsed song lists.  Regardless of music genres and specific songs, it provides opportunities for God’s people to enter Into His life-giving presence.

But here’s the bottom line:  Genuine worship does not give attention-seekers the green light to distract other worshipers.  Corporate worship means just that:  Everyone entering in!  Spirit-filled worship is known for its “flow aspect.”  It should crescendo with both highs and lows.  “Out of your belly (emotions) shall FLOW rivers of living water” (John 7:38).  Worship that doesn’t affect our emotions becomes rote and lifeless.  By the same token, praise to the Lord cannot be weighed by our emotions, but it certainly often rides on the waves of emotion!  When our Holy God -- the Spirit of holiness -- shows up, emotions are going to be impacted.  The woman in John 7 becomes “Exhibit A.”  We are spirit and soul -- mind, will and EMOTIONS -- housed in flesh!

To be sure, quiet praise has its place.  There are definitely times to be still (quiet) -- (Psalm 46:10).  On the other hand, I often hear, “I’m a quiet person.   Loud praise goes against my personality.”  My friend, praise has nothing to do with personality; it is a command from the Psalms and other places. 

Next week, I’m going to discuss seven Hebrew words that describe worship expressions, taken from the books of Psalms and Isaiah.  Then, I’m going to demonstrate why genuine worship services have to be conducted decently and in order for all in attendance to receive from the Lord.  

Magnify Him!

Often my thoughts return to Psalm 34:3, “O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together.” The word, “magnify” captures my interest each time I recall this verse. 

I memorized Psalm 34:1-4 while a freshman at Evangel University in Springfield, Missouri in 1974.  Let me give some background.  I grew up in Jefferson and for the most part never journeyed far from home during my first 18 years.  So to attend college in another state presented quite a challenge.  I was terribly homesick, feeling lonely and not sure I could remain in Missouri.

One evening I went to the college chapel and in a dark corner of the room cried out to the Lord for comfort and direction.  Inadvertently, I began reading Psalm 34 and experienced one of those life-changing encounters that so often accompany times of deep spiritual contemplation.

The Lord met me in a powerful way and the rest is history.  I, of course, remained at the college, met my future wife and earned a bachelor’s degree.  Psalm 34:3 literally altered the course of my life.  That’s the power of God’s Word!

“Oh, magnify the Lord with me…” This verse still sustains me during difficult days.  Here’s why:  What we “magnify” gets not only our attention, but controls our thoughts and actions.  What we magnify determines the outcome of our circumstances and can literally determine our destiny.

To “magnify” means to “enlarge or make larger.”  For example, failing eyesight and small print often make magnifying glasses necessary.  When placed on top of the print, the words are enlarged and reading is made easier. 

Whatever we enlarge gets our attention and determines outcome.  Focusing on the problem – enlarging the issue at hand – brings crippling fear into our lives and defeat.  But when we magnify the Lord, He puts our issues into a godly perspective, one where fear is not allowed to drive us.

Verse 4 says, “I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.”  Jesus is our magnifying glass!  When we consider our circumstances through Him, He dispels fear and puts our current dilemma into a faith-filled perspective.  We’re then able to move forward in His strength.

Jesus is hope magnified!  He invites us to “magnify him,” thus experiencing His overcoming power in our lives to move on from fear to faith.  Are you facing a difficult challenge?  Stop where you are and “magnify the Lord.”  Praise Him!  He will minimize the devil’s strategy and maximize (enlarge) your faith