Encouragement & Empowerment through Worship
Notes from a message I gave at "Ladie's Nite Out" 11/18/04

My purpose tonight is to create an atmosphere through worshipping God that invites the Holy Spirit here to encourage and strengthen us. Every single one of us is in a trial of some sort. I've been praying that this night would empower us to joyfully persevere in our trials, so that through our suffering people would come to know God's love in a very real way, that would enable them to wholeheartedly surrender their lives to Him.

Worship of God is the key to all breakthrough the Lord would bring about. This is bibilically seen time and time again. Abraham offering up Isaac (Gen. 22)...Music and singing play an important role in powerful worship as seen by the stories of King Jehoshaphat and Judah having victory at war (2 Chron. 20); David's playing on the harp driving away distressing spirits from Saul (1 Sam. 16:22-23)...just to name of few biblical examples...

Jesus instructs us that God is looking for people who worship in Spirit and in truth. (John 4:24) This is pure worship and the power that the church walks in is directly related to this type of worship.

As God is not bound by space and time, when we worship Him in Spirit (with our whole hearts and with passion) we are not bound by space and time. God wants the church to rise up and through this purity of worship come into the true worship that is going on in heaven 24/7. When we move into eternity this way we open up a means by which something of heaven would touch earth. There's a release of all that is God's purpose in the situation that we're in. Worship erodes the darkness that rules on this earth. When we worship this way God introduces His kingdom to this world. There's a deep significance of the penetrating power of worship.

Col. 1:24:26 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his sants. (ESV)

What's lacking in Christ's afflictions? A personal presentation of the cross for those who weren't there. People will see it in us. When we die to self in our own suffering the power of Christ's love, as seen on the cross, will be released.

Our sufferings are not a gloomy surrender, but a joyful one. Heb. 12:2 "....we look to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God." (ESV)

Acts 14:21-22 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

As we worship the Lord tonight I want us to move beyond the words being sung and place ourselves in the heavenly throne room where..."The four living creatures never cease to say "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the 24 elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." (Rev. 4:8-11)

This is the Kingdom realm that our worship brings us in contact with. We've been given the keys to the kingdom. Keys mean we have access and authority. With a humble, yet bold spirit of faith, through Christ we have access to kingdom authority. I pray that through this time of worship we, the church will advance against hell's dark powers and be built up by the release of God's divine grace and power.

Love & Blessings to you all....