ZION NEWS: APRIL
April 2020 VOL. 50, NO. 4
Worship
“ O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Robert Lowry) “O worship the King, all glorious above.” (Robert Grant) Sounds simple enough, right? In “The Bible Jesus Read” by Phillip Yancey, Eugene Peterson is quoted saying “Worship is the strategy by which we interrupt our preoccupation with ourselves and attend to the presence of God.” This quote answers the question of who is worshipped and who does the worshipping. Now that we have the “Who” for worship, consider the “What”, “When”, “Where”, “Why”, and “How”.
What: The Hebrew word for worship translates to bow down, humbly beseech in homage to God. The New Testament word proskuneo is defined in a Greek lexicon as kneeling or prostration to do homage or make obeisance (bow) either to express respect or to make supplication to God/Christ. Isaiah 6: 1-8 provides a picture of worship consisting of adoration, confession, forgiveness, and service. Many of us are familiar with the acronym “ACTS”: adoration, confession, thanksgiving, and supplication. Could the “what” just simply be an understanding of who is the potter, who is the clay, and how our relationship with Christ is reflected in what we call worship? In any case, to bow down, whether physically or in spirit requires bona fide humility before the Lord God Almighty.
When: Anytime! Where: Anywhere! Why: The reasons are too numerous to count! However, Revelation 5: 12 gives a good summary. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing. (NASB) He is worthy, indeed!!
How: We worship both privately and corporately. In every setting though, God is spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth. John 4: 24 (NASB) Since God is spirit, our worship needs to be from the heart and empowered by the Holy Spirit; and in truth, with sincerity, being pure and genuine. Give praise, magnify, adore, honor, exalt, glorify, bless, thank, and on it goes! Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name; bring an offering and come before Him; worship the Lord in holy array. 1 Chronicles 16: 39 (NASB) True worship is a response of our will, intellect, emotions, service, etc. to the work of the Holy Trinity.
As we celebrate the crucifixion and subsequent resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ this Easter season, think about His love, His goodness, His grace. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His love for those who fear him. Psalm 103: 11 (NIV) This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 1 John 4: 10 (NIV) Hallelujah! Christ arose! Alleluia! Give thanks to the risen Lord!, Alleluia! Give praise to his Name! Come and worship, worship Christ, the risen King! In celebration of our risen Lord, please join us for worship on Easter morning. Sunrise service will be held at 6:30 a.m. at MZR Church, breakfast will follow in the Word of Life Center, Sunday School Classes at 9:00 a.m., worship in the sanctuary at 10:10 a.m..
“Holy, holy, holy! Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy name in earth, and sky, and sea. Holy, holy, holy! Merciful and mighty! God in three Persons, blessed trinity! (Reginald Heber)
-Joanne B.
mzrchurch.org 