Browse our BLOG to see what God is telling us.
 		        
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
Text Box: May 7, 2003     Definition of insane: Doing the same thing, in the same way, expecting different results !!!!!   Isa 43:16-19 16 This is what the LORD says--he who made a way through the sea, a path through the mighty waters, 17 who drew out the chariots and horses, the army and reinforcements together, and they lay there, never to rise again, extinguished, snuffed out like a wick: 18 "Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past 19 See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. (NIV)     John 5:36-41 36 "But the witness which I have is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to accomplish, the very works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me. 37 "And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 "And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. 39 "You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life. (NAS)   Mark 7:5-13 5 So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?"   6 He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:   "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'   8 You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."   9 And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions! 10 For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,' and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' 11 But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12 then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13 Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that." NIV     We are creatures of HABIT. We don’t like CHANGE.   "I took your place" One day a man went to visit a church. He got there early, parked his car and got out. Another car pulled up near him. The driver got out and said, "I always park there! You took my place!"   The visitor went inside for Sunday school, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church approached him and said, "That’s my seat! You took my place!"   The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing.   After Sunday school, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That’s where I always sit! You took my place."   The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment but still said nothing.   Later, as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up. His appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on his hands and on his sandaled feet.   Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?"   The visitor replied as his hat became a crown of thorns and a tear fell from his eye, "I took your place."   John 4:23-24 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (NIV)   Strong’s definition of "Worship" as used in John 4:23;   NT:4352 proskuneo (pros-koo-neh'-o); from NT:4314 and a probable derivative of NT:2965 (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's hand); to fawn or crouch to, i.e. (literally or figuratively) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore):     Definition of worship as used in Mark 7:7 They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'   NT:4576 sebomai (seb'-om-ahee); middle voice of an apparently primary verb; to revere, i.e. adore: KJV - devout, religious, worship.   Phrases we hear often after a church service (worship service). "I didn’t feel anything during Worship." "I don’t care for that new/old music". "I wish they wouldn’t sing so long." (Eric doesn’t want to go to church for this.)   Satan was "THE" worship leader. Pride brought him down. He took one third of the angles with him. Which angles do you think followed him? Dah! Worship Angles.   Rev 12:1-11 12:1 A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. 2 She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. 3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. 4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born. 5 She gave birth to a son, a male child, who will rule all the nations with an iron scepter. And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne. 6 The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.   7 And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.   10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. 11 They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. (NIV)   God has been trying to restore Worship ever since.   Pride hinders worship. Practiced worship "SETS" Professional Musicians   Isa 14:11-14 11 All your pomp has been brought down to the grave, along with the noise of your harps; maggots are spread out beneath you and worms cover you. 12 How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! 13 You said in your heart, "I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. 14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." (NIV)     Spontaneous Worship. Dog licking the masters hand. Looking for acceptance and making them self vulnerable to the masters touch. Seeking a touch from the master.   Buddy doesn’t get goose bumps from licking my hand. But usually after he begins to lick me I start to pay attention to him. Eventually he ends up laying on the floor with me scratching his belly. Then the "Goose Bumps" reaction starts. His leg starts to shake. Happy is He. But first it started with him showing his love and adoration TO ME.   Dream; Sheila and I were at a service somewhere and there was a musical group playing. Music went from Traditional to radical. We were in the middle of worship when I felt the need to Dance. This was not a Church we were accustomed to worshiping with so I was hesitant. At last I through caution to the wind and began to Worship much like David did when he brought the Ark of God up to Jerusalem. I eventually ended up on the platform Worshiping with ALL my might.     Worship is costly. It is work. It doesn’t come easy. Ask Abraham, David and Jesus.   Abraham Gen 22:3-5 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and saddled his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you." (NIV)   David 2 Sam 24:21-24 21 Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" "To buy your threshing floor," David answered, "so I can build an altar to the LORD, that the plague on the people may be stopped." 22 Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take whatever pleases him and offer it up. Here are oxen for the burnt offering, and here are threshing sledges and ox yokes for the wood. 23 O king, Araunah gives all this to the king." Araunah also said to him, "May the LORD your God accept you." 24 But the king replied to Araunah, "No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing." (NIV)   Jesus Matt 26:36-42, 50 36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." 37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me." 39 Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." 40 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. 41 "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak." 42 He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done." ......50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. (NIV)     Worship is bigger than you. In order to truly worship you must get outside of your self. Worship is bigger than your Church, your denomination or even your experiences.   Jesus is calling you to Worship HIM in Spirit and in truth. Giving up all you are for what He wants you to be and do. It is not about you and me. It’s ALL about HIM.   I’m coming back to the heart of worship !!!!! God Bless You,                             Tom Shidler                                                   Eph. 4:11-13    "Lets get em ready"