Thoughts on worship
While looking for something else, I came across a blog, and read some interesting thoughts on worship
Some of them here~ The guy was in a class, and they showed a video with some teaching from Bob Kauflin, the worship pastor at Sovereign Grace Ministries. His (Bob Kauflin's) whole thesis:
The heart of Biblical worship is the exaltation of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross.
So simple, yet so not the focus of our worship at church most of the time. A crazy passage he referenced came from Revelation. The last book in the bible was the revelation of Jesus Christ -- God wanted us to understand what was important. It was important for our understanding to worship God. Specifically in chapter 5, we see that the focus of everyone was the Lion of Judah, who in the next sentence, becomes the slain lamb. Everyone's focus in revelation was the Lamb who was slain because He is the only one worthy and able to open the scroll. This unopened scroll is God's plan unrealized, unexecuted... But the lamb of God is the only one that can open the scroll and carry out that plan. So in other words, if the scroll ain't opened, humanity = doomed.
...We sing a lot about drawing close to God, about connecting to God, wanting Him more, being deeper in love with Him... which is great and all... but we have to go back to first understanding that Jesus has already provided that direct connection with God because as Christ followers, we are part of His body...
Therefore God sees us in His Son!!!
(that's sooooo awesome! even to this longtime Christ follower who isn't excited by much as of late)
One thing that stuck with me during this lecture was when he said something to the lines of:
"I think people who come to worship and don't feel loved by God because they fail to go to the One who mediates for them."
Someone else shared something their pastor had brought up at the end of a sermon on Revelation 5:He said, we are all constantly worshipping something 24/7. Whether it is money, worries... But what or who are we worshipping?
Interesting to consider, isn't it?
Some of them here~ The guy was in a class, and they showed a video with some teaching from Bob Kauflin, the worship pastor at Sovereign Grace Ministries. His (Bob Kauflin's) whole thesis:
The heart of Biblical worship is the exaltation of Jesus Christ and His work on the cross.
So simple, yet so not the focus of our worship at church most of the time. A crazy passage he referenced came from Revelation. The last book in the bible was the revelation of Jesus Christ -- God wanted us to understand what was important. It was important for our understanding to worship God. Specifically in chapter 5, we see that the focus of everyone was the Lion of Judah, who in the next sentence, becomes the slain lamb. Everyone's focus in revelation was the Lamb who was slain because He is the only one worthy and able to open the scroll. This unopened scroll is God's plan unrealized, unexecuted... But the lamb of God is the only one that can open the scroll and carry out that plan. So in other words, if the scroll ain't opened, humanity = doomed.
...We sing a lot about drawing close to God, about connecting to God, wanting Him more, being deeper in love with Him... which is great and all... but we have to go back to first understanding that Jesus has already provided that direct connection with God because as Christ followers, we are part of His body...
Therefore God sees us in His Son!!!
(that's sooooo awesome! even to this longtime Christ follower who isn't excited by much as of late)
One thing that stuck with me during this lecture was when he said something to the lines of:
"I think people who come to worship and don't feel loved by God because they fail to go to the One who mediates for them."
Someone else shared something their pastor had brought up at the end of a sermon on Revelation 5:He said, we are all constantly worshipping something 24/7. Whether it is money, worries... But what or who are we worshipping?
Interesting to consider, isn't it?