James 4:8a Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.
When you seek Him then He will be found by you. Men are made with a free will therefore we need to initiate to ascend into the presence of God with Praise and thanksgiving.
Psalm 42:1-2 As the deer pants [longingly] for the water brooks, So my soul pants [longingly] for You, O God. My soul (my life, my inner self) thirsts for God, for the living God. When will I come and see the face of God?
When God created man, His primary purpose was so that man would worship Him. We are a new creation in Christ. We now have a direct link from worshipper to God. It is an unbroken link to the Father so our worship is spirit to Spirit.
In order to come into praise and worship, first and foremost we need to be a worshipper of God in our own quiet moments. We do not invite God into our midst because we are the ones who have been invited into the presence of the King.
Think of the privilege we have to worship God who made us and this universe.
One of the greatest secrets of worship is how it differs from praise. When we praise the Lord, we WILL ourselves to praise Him by offering our lips of praise but we do not will ourselves to worship. The spirit of worship must come into a meeting place and upon us then we worship. When we sing songs that are not complicated, spiritual things are easy. If the songs are complicated then we will be thinking of the lyrics instead of worshipping
Worship segment is the time when we worship God from the depth of our hearts. It is intimate and deep. It involves our entire being.
Worship is an attitude of the heart in which the heart bows down before God. There are no thoughts in our mind other than God. We haven’t come with a request or petition. We have come because we love Him so much and we feel the need to express that love. Worship is a time of love. It is a time when we are not conscious of the things or people around us.
Psalm 132:7 Let us go into His tabernacle; let us worship at His footstool.
The place of worship is the footstool of the Lord. When we are worshipping, we look into His face and are changed from glory to glory. We become like Him whom we worship. It is a place where He speaks to us too.
Sermon Series: CG Campaign – Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow (Part 7)
亲密敬拜
雅各书4：8a靠近上帝，他必靠近你。
当你寻求祂时，你就会找到祂。人被赋予自由的意志，因此我们需要主动以赞美和感恩的心升入上帝的同在。
诗篇42：1-2上帝阿，我的心切慕你，如鹿切慕溪水。我的心渴想上帝，就是永生上帝。我几时得朝见上帝呢
当上帝创造人时，祂的主要目的是使人敬拜祂。我们是基督里的新造物。现在，我们作为敬拜者和上帝有了直接的联系。这是与天父不间断的联系，因此我们的敬拜是灵与灵之间的。
为了进入赞美和敬拜，首先，我们需要在自己安静的时刻成为上帝的敬拜者。我们并不是邀请上帝与我们同在， 因为我们已经被邀请进入上帝的同在。
想一想我们所拥有的敬拜创造我们和宇宙的上帝的特权吧！。
敬拜的最大秘密之一是它与赞美有所不同。当我们赞美主时，我们会通过赞美的嘴唇来赞美他，而不是用我们自己敬拜。敬拜的灵必须进入聚会场所进入我们，然后我们敬拜。当我们唱不复杂的歌曲时，属灵的事情很容易。如果歌曲很复杂，那么我们会思想歌词而不是敬拜。
敬拜部分是我们从内心深处敬拜上帝的时候。亲密而深刻。我们的整个生命都在参与。
敬拜是内心的一种态度，在这种态度下，心向上帝顺服。除了上帝，我们心中没有其他想法。我们没有提出要求或请愿。我们之所以来是因为我们非常爱祂，我们感到有必要表达这种爱。敬拜是一段爱的时刻。在这个时候，我们意识不到周围的事物或人的存在。
诗篇132：7我们要进他的居所，在他脚凳前下拜
礼拜场所是主的脚凳。当我们敬拜时，我们看着他的脸，从荣耀变成荣耀。我们变得像我们敬拜的祂。在这里祂也对我们说话。
讲章系列：细胞小组活动 – 教会通过属灵恩赐得以成长 (7)