“ You can see God from
anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him.” —A. W. Tozer
FIRST PRES M
Dear First Pres Family, It is with heavy hearts that we move into the month of July. Just last month we marked the first anniversary of the Waldo Canyon Fire, which at the time was the most destructive fire in the history of our state. Then, in the midst of that time of remembrance, fire returned to the area. The Black Forest Fire is now the most destructive fire in the history of our state, and it is a reminder of how quickly things can change. Our prayers continue to go out to all those who lost their homes and are searching for answers in the wake of this devastating fire. First Pres is committed to supporting the recovery and rebuilding efforts. Those wishing to lend assistance can call the help line to find out about ongoing recovery efforts. If you wish to make a monetary donation, checks should note Black Forest in the memo line, or you can give online by visiting https://giving.first-pres.org and then selecting Black Forest in the drop down menu. This month we also turn our focus to worship. I have been challenged and inspired by all the ideas shared this year as we consider worship, and I hope you have been too. Worship is a huge part of who we are as Christians and who we are as First Pres. It is at the core of the new vision for our church. It is where we come to prepare, where we come to gather as all generations and where we make an impact on lives for Christ. I hope that through this issue, which focuses solely on the idea of worship, the different ways we worship and what worship looks like for our mission partners overseas, you will continue to meditate on what it means to be a people of worship. I am excited that as the summer wraps up we will have a chance to explore these ideas and our new vision together in vibrant ways. Join us for Kickoff Sunday, on August 25, as we further explore how we can live into our new vision. We will also offer a variety of special events and speakers as we continue to live into our vision and consider what it means to be a people of worship. Nancy Beach, who has long been a part of the ministry at Willow Creek Community Church, will be our featured guest speaker on Sunday, September 15. You won’t want to miss that as we continue to consider what it means to be a people of worship. I pray you continue to find rest, relaxation and peace in the Lord of our lives, Jesus Christ.
Graham Baird
Senior Pastor First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs
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july 2013 contents Worship in a Changing World . . . . . . 4 Matthew Fox Life as Worship . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Jim DeJarnette A Community in Worship . . . . . . . . 8 Katie Dayton How I See Worship . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Justin Anderson
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Worship Talks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Eunice McGarrahan What Does Entertainment Have to Do with Worship? . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Adam Holz Worship in India . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Rev. Mathusela Limboo Worship in Egypt . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 Medhat El Beblawy
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Contributing Writers: Justin Anderson, Katie Dayton, Jim DeJarnette, Matthew Fox, Adam Holz, Eunice McGarrahan Contributing Editors: Matthew Fox, Alison Murray, Lydia Van Dyk Graphic Design: Beryl Glass Proofreading Team: Mary Bauman, Christine Dellacroce, Betty Haney, Daisy Jackson, Marty Kelley, Karen Kunstle, Linda Pung All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, © 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. First Pres Magazine July 2013, Volume Five, © First Presbyterian Church of Colorado Springs, CO. Published by First Presbyterian Church, a non-profit organization. To contact First Pres Magazine: 719-884-6175 or 219 E. Bijou Street, Colorado Springs, CO 80903-1392 or magazine@first-pres.org. Printed in the U.S.A. Cover photo: Courtesy of The Gazette
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p i h s r in a o changing W world By Matthew Fox
“You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” — Revelation 4:11 This is the Year We Are to Worship, but what does that mean? What is worship? When do we worship? How should we worship? Is there one right way to worship? Throughout this issue we will seek to explore the idea of worship — much as Pastor Graham Baird has done and will continue to do through a series of vision messages this year. But a simple answer is worship is everything and anything we do when giving praise to our God and King. As author A.W. Tozer said, “You can see God from anywhere if your mind is set to love and obey Him.”
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Worship, too, is at the heart of the vision for First Pres. Through the True North process First Pres leaders identified a vision statement for First Pres — “To Prepare All Generations To Impact Lives For Christ.” This vision was born of a deep reflection of who we are and what we value. Chief among those values was strong, Christ-centered worship. In fact, worship lies at the heart of living out this vision. It is where we prepare people — all people — to impact the world for Christ. It can also be through worship that we impact lives.
Worship has always been, and will continue to be, central to the identity of First Pres. As the world, culture and personal taste continues to change and evolve, First Pres looks for new ways to connect with people through worship. In the past it was common for worship to make use of the hymnal, but according to a research report from CCLI, Christian Copyright Licensing International, from 2000-2010, contemporary Christian artists like Chris Tomlin and Hillsong have dominated the list of most popular worship songs. In fact, in 2010 Tomlin had six of the top 10 most used songs. But it’s not just the authorship and style of music that’s adapting, it’s the presentation of worship. LifeChurch.tv In 1996, Pastor Craig Groeschel began LifeChurch.tv with 40 people and a used overhead projector in a two-car garage in Oklahoma. In June 2012 it was listed as the largest church in the United States with an average weekly attendance of 46,000. From its simple beginning, LifeChurch.tv continued to expand. Now it has 16 campuses in five states and a vibrant online ministry. The church first established its Internet campus — which broadcasts weekly, interactive online service experiences — in 2006. On Easter 2007, LifeChurch.tv began a partnership with the online game Second Life, which provides a virtual world for users. Since its inception, LifeChurch.tv has incorporated the latest trends in modern worship and advances in technology to reach people throughout the country. Its use of satellite broadcasts to additional sites and embrace of online worship communities has allowed it to become the biggest church movement in the United States in just 16 years. North Point Community Church In 1995, North Point Community Church began with a vision from Pastor Andy Stanley. He wanted to create an environment where the unchurched felt welcome and invited to hear the message of the Gospel. For three years, the
fellowship met every other Sunday night in rented facilities. In September 1998, the campus at North Point opened, and within a few months attendance swelled to more than 3,000. Now, North Point spans five campuses throughout Georgia and has an average weekly attendance of 24,000 people. North Point connected with people and grew its ministry by creating a safe, welcoming environment, driven by the commitment to the vision laid out by Stanley when the church launched. North Point, too, continues to embrace modern trends in worship and technology, even going so far as to help encourage others around the country to do the same through the Catalyst conference. The conference began in Atlanta in 2000, and now takes place in three locations — Atlanta, GA; Dallas, TX; and Newport Beach, CA — each year. In addition, several one-day conferences take place each year throughout the country. The conferences include a variety of speakers and is aimed at inspiring, training and guiding leaders of churches and ministry organizations throughout the world.
Worship is at the heart of the vision for First Pres
What’s Next For First Pres Only God knows what the future holds for First Pres. But if we want to live into our vision, impact our world for Jesus Christ and continue to reach generations with the good news, worship will be a vital part of the experience. Though the location, style and format may change, the focus remains on Jesus Christ. Matthew Fox is the Manager of Communication at First Pres.
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Life as
worship By Jim DeJarnette
Worship! Where do I even begin to express my feelings? I imagine when you have lived long enough, you see patterns in your life that demonstrate what you truly cherish and hold dear. I remember, as a kid, standing shirtless on mountain tops in the early morning air, feeling the crisp cold and exalting in the Lord of All Creation, whom I was just getting to know. Today, I mostly keep my shirt on, but I still seek out those high and holy places where it is just the wind — which I experience as sign and symbol of the Holy Spirit — God’s treasured presence and my grateful heart. I am full of wonder that such intimate longing was planted in my heart at a tender age and remains virtually unchanged
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to this day. I think of Ecclesiastes 3: “He has set eternity in the hearts of men and women, yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” I praise Him for that! I remember during high school summers, leading worship at churches and camps, guitar in hand, tears in my eyes — so full of passion for sharing the joy and mystery of God’s presence. Today, I pick up the guitar less often, but when I do, the warm memories of youthful passion flood back. Though my fingers speak of needing calluses, the chords of praise are still there! And the passion is greater than ever! Even through the ups and downs of life (perhaps because of them), the desire to worship just increases! As we encounter life’s inevitable forging fires, an increasing thirst for the assurance of God’s refining presence develops. We need to feel the strength and steadiness of His hand in the fires and ultimately thank Him for his sovereignty over all. My hands were eventually to spend more time conducting than playing, and God has allowed me the most precious, humbling glimpses of His presence in that process. I fell in love with community expression of worship — especially through singing! There is no greater privilege to me than singing God’s praise, side by side with friends from all walks of life who are going through all manner of things. Some are on the mountain top, and some are in the valley — yet, we are glorifying God in the midst of it all. I see the face of God,
and the work of His Spirit, in His beloved children. There is nothing to match the intersection of real life and worship on a community level. Oh, I will never take for granted the intimacy of those treasured private times of worship, but nothing can replace God’s holy, expanding and clarifying work when we worship together. Unquestionably, the phrase I have prayed most over the years is, “For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever.” That pattern emerged because of its continual power to reset and correct my perspective. Worship is genuinely possible when I am “in the shadow of his wings,” and I understand, it is not my kingdom — it is His! It is not my power — it is His! It is not my glory — it is His! It may seem these understandings are too simplistic and foundational, but they are the struggles and stumbling blocks of life. Ultimately, our heart’s desire is that life be experienced and expressed as worship. Jesus said “I am with you always” — how glorious to pursue “always being with him!” Psalm 90 says, “The length of our days is seventy years – or eighty, if we have the strength…they quickly pass, and we fly away.” One day soon, we begin worshiping for eternity in heaven. How desirable, while yet on earth, to live our days in the wonder of his presence, and the manifold expressions of worship! Jim DeJarnette is the Minister of Music and Pastoral Care. He leads worship at the 8:20 and 9:45 a.m. services in the Sanctuary each Sunday and leads Big Blue.
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A Community in Worship
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he psalmist knew that it was so good to worship in the company of others. David writes in Psalm 122, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’” For the psalmist worship is a response made not just by “me,” but by “us.”
I understand that sentiment of eagerly wanting to worship with one’s community. Time and time again I have found myself, after a worship night in 225, going home and writing on the College or Young Adult Facebook page something to the effect of, “Can you believe how good God is?” Or, “I am so thankful for this community and the chance to worship together.” The psalmist might be a little more poetic than I am, but we share in the same reality. There is a deep communal
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By Katie Dayton
quality to our worship. Some of my truest experiences of God’s Kingdom have come about when it’s not simply individuals gathered in a room, but a community together seeking God. In part, that is why 225 worship nights are so dear to me. It’s worshipping with the people that know you; the people that you eat meals with during the week, that you laugh with and cry with. It’s this community trying to do life together and follow Christ together, and all that richness and reality of life propels us into worship together. As a community we participate in the practices, the rhythms of life that characterize the people of God. Fasting and feasting, celebration and mourning, worship and rest, work and play. It’s the rhythms that have characterized the Church since its formation in the book of Acts. “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in
need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity — all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:42-47, New Living Translation) When the people of God live like the people of God, others are drawn in and find their place in the community. That is our hope for 225 worship nights —
that others would join us in our worship and community. Craig Bartholomew and Michael Goheen write in their book The True Story of the Whole World, “It is the life of the community as it embodies the powerful working of the Spirit that authenticates the truth of the good news. That vibrant and sharing life attracts more and more people from outside the community to join with those who already possess this new life.” Katie Dayton is an Associate Pastor at First Pres and leads the Missional Strategies Team.
225 worship nights are hosted by the college and young adult communities of First Pres and are open to all! They take place the second and fourth Tuesday nights of every month at 7 p.m. in 225.
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How I See
Worship
talking about just notes and lyrics, I’m talking about those moments that make your spine tingle and your mind start racing and your heart skip a beat because something in the music captures you and moves you. It happens to you. And to take an optimistic turn on the negative and dangerous trend of equating worship solely with music, I really think that’s what we’re after when we say, “Wow, that was great worship!” Or, “The
aesthetic beauty of being a creature alive in this world, experiencing the combination of melody and harmony and tonality that we call the art of “Worship Music.” And this is just a small picture of what worship can look like through musical expression. Our songs can’t contain God. Our lyrics can’t fully describe God. We can’t completely know Him, and yet we find Him readily in both transcendent and immanent ideas and
By Justin Anderson
The
concept and the experience of the act of “worship” changes throughout one’s life. Or I should say, my experience certainly has. When I was younger, I saw worship as a time to affirm what the community believed about God through music. It was a time to sing and experience the richness of the presence of God. I still believe that. As I grew up I soon discovered that worship is a lifestyle. I was moved as I read the words of the Apostle Paul writing to the church in Rome, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God – this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1) This is far more challenging than singing songs about what Jesus has done for me — this requires me offering myself as a sacrifice! This means that worship is far, far more than just music! I am intimidated by this passage and yet the truth of that kind of lifestyle calls out to me. When I offer myself to God, I am proclaiming His worth. I am ascribing worth to God, which is what worship is all about.
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When I frame the act of worship like that, I turn around and look at music and think, “Oh yeah, we should also sing about God and make music for His honor and glory.” Having the Apostle Paul’s mindset certainly calls us to think of all of our lives as worship — serving others, doing our jobs, loving our neighbors, listening to the hurting, giving away our money, having hard conversations, paying our taxes, brushing our teeth and singing songs. But there’s something special that happens when we worship through music, just like there’s something special that happens when we worship through serving the poor, loving our partner or being honest on our taxes. We begin to experience one of the greatest gifts of God that we find in the natural world: namely, the propagating of sound waves through the atmosphere to form tones and words and chords and textures and rhythms and moments. We make music. And I’m not
worship service moved me.” Or when talking about singing onstage we say, “Worship is one of my favorite things to do!” These are all phrases that, at their best, connote some kind of a deep, rich, spiritually rewarding experience of being caught up in the transcendent act of making music to God. This happens in so many different ways; orchestras and overtures, bluegrass and banjo, rock and/or roll. But when we make music that lifts up the name of Jesus and proclaims how worthy the God of the Universe is, we inevitably encounter these moments of pure, transcendent worship. We hear it in a single violin playing a weeping melody. We hear it in a roaring gospel choir singing about changing the world through love. We feel it when a terrific band builds into dynamic, soaring melody and rhythm. We undergo the sheer
forces. God is the invisible, yet inescapable reality. Tim Keller recently said, “True worship is grasping a truth about God and then allowing that truth to strike you in the center of your being.” May we keep grasping truths about God, our world and ourselves through music and may it keep inciting genuine, heartfelt worship of the Divine. When we gather to worship God, we get to enjoy the process of imagining what God might be like in His fullness. We get to use the brains in our heads to dare to dream about what God does in the Universe we find ourselves in. We get to celebrate seeing the work of God inside the walls of the church and outside the walls of the church. We get the precious permission to wonder. We get the sacred opportunity to respond to what Jesus has done for us. We get to imagine and embody the presence of Jesus in our midst. What a privilege it is to worship! Justin Anderson leads worship at the 9:45 a.m. service in Fellowship Hall and the 11:10 a.m. service in the Sanctuary each Sunday. 7/13 | www.first-pres.org | 11
Worship Talks By Eunice McGarrahan
As part of The Year We Are to Worship at First Pres, Eunice McGarrahan is offering a six-part series on ideas from Mark Labberton’s “The Dangerous Act of Worship.” This is part five of the series, which began in the March issue.
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ho will rid me of this troublesome priest?” King Henry II uttered these words (or words like them) when he was frustrated with the Archbishop of Canterbury’s refusal to bend to the will of the state. Henry was not just blowing off steam. His outburst motivated his aides to kill Becket in the cathedral. With Becket gone, they thought they now had the church under control. This is what Mark Labberton addresses in The Dangerous Act of Worship. In Chapter 7, “When Worship Talks to Power,” he describes how the very order of our worship presents an alternative to the world’s way of life. Henry’s “troublesome priest” was troublesome because he was, in essence, saying to the king, “You are not the one to whom we answer.” Likewise, our regular worship speaks volumes to the kingdoms of this world. For example, when we engage in the Call to Worship, we are saying exactly the same thing that Becket said to Henry, “We answer to a higher authority.” In the
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Call to Worship, we declare that human kingdoms have their limits. Human kingdoms do not like to hear that and, for that very reason, worship is dangerous. Further, when we declare our praise through song and prayer, we are not only affirming our allegiance to God, we remind ourselves and the world of the reasons why we do so. We do not bow in fear. We do not utter praise because of coercion. No. We do so because of the gracious and majestic character of God, to whom we owe our very lives. The kingdoms of this world cannot compete with that. What comes next in our worship shocks the world. We confess our sin. When the world hears these words it cannot believe that any modern person would admit that perhaps there is a way other than “my way” to do things. We have just finished a season of hearing commencement speakers. The collective message to graduates is generally to “follow your dreams.” Worship challenges that by saying that our dreams
are confused and are poor substitutes for powers, figures and truths, as God’s the dreams and designs that come from revelation. In other words, we obey God. the One who created us. In confession, we There is no other legitimate authority. admit that we have gone down a path that Our last act of worship is the most leads away from God. In confession, we troublesome, for in the benediction — the are put right, according to someone else’s sending — we declare that the world is plans. These words we speak — that the where we live out the words of our world overhears — are threatening to self- worship. We have gone to meddling. This generated plans and dreams. disturbs those who think that the worship Then we do the of believers is fine, as unthinkable. With long as it stays within All of our hearts realigned, we the sanctuary walls. are ready to hear the Our lives declare how worship declares Word of God. Not our worship talks to own little voice speakpower. In our sacraan alternative to ing our own preferred ments, we declare that the undependable we do not belong to truths, but the voice of the Creator who ourselves (baptism) and limited ways speaks the Truth – the and that we do not truth that we see in depend on ourselves of the world. Jesus, the Living Word (communion). All of of God. Religious our worship declares What we do in sociologist Robert an alternative to the worship matters a undependable and Bellah reports how one woman, Sheila, limited ways of the great deal. thinks of truth: “I world. What we do in believe in God,” she worship matters a said. “I can’t rememgreat deal. ber the last time I went to church. But my We may think that our order of faith has carried me a long way. It’s ‘Sheila- worship is not all that important, but it is. ism.’ Just my own little voice.” Many years ago, a young woman came up The worship of the church presents a to an elder in her congregation. This was a clear alternative to Sheila-ism. In the church that repeated the Apostles Creed powerful words of the Barmen every Sunday. To some this is a dry and Declaration, we say to the world: Jesus rote exercise. Not to this teenager. She told Christ, as He is attested for us in Holy this elder, “I wish we said the Creed more Scripture, is the one Word of God which slowly. It is the only time in the week that we have to hear and which we have to I can savor the truth which is contradicted trust and obey in life and in death. We by the world I live in the rest of the week.” reject the false doctrine, as though the Worship talks. church could and would have to Eunice McGarrahan is the lead Parish Associate for First Pres acknowledge as a source of its and organizes our Thursday service, Oasis. proclamation, apart from and besides this one Word of God, still other events and
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What Does Entertainment Have to Do With Worship? By Adam R. Holz
A crowd of fans bellows
approval of a beloved rock band. An expectant roar ripples through a stadium when the home team takes the field. A devoted movie fan stands in line to make sure he gets the best possible seat. A hardcore video gamer spends 14 hours playing through a game. A group of coworkers gather to talk animatedly about the latest happenings on a favorite TV show. What do all these things have in common? Apart from all of them having to do with entertainment, they might also have something to do with worship. Many of us are used to thinking about worship mostly in terms of what happens on Sunday morning. A church service gives us a chance to express our faith, love and devotion to our Savior through singing, giving and responding to God’s Word. Still, I believe it’s worth considering how our devotion to entertainment can sometimes approach something very much like worship.
Let me illustrate: A while back, Jennifer and I went to a Keith Urban concert. At one point, the country singer walked from the main stage to a makeshift platform across the arena. He was surrounded by bodyguards, but throngs of screaming fans reached out to touch him as he walked by. People who didn’t know they’d be able to touch the star they’d come to see went crazy. Now, I’m not suggesting that those fans thought Keith was actually a deity. And yet, the worship-like response from some fans came close to treating him in exactly that way. Our English word worship is derived from a longer Old English term we no longer use: worthship. As the word implies, worthship denotes the act of ascribing worth to something, of communicating its value. Literally, then, when we worship, we say, “This is good. This is right. This is worth celebrating.” Our worship as Christians encompasses the elements of a church service I outlined above.
What do my entertainment choices — especially the things I really like — say about what I believe has the most worth and value in life?
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But a full understanding of what worship is doesn’t end there. In Romans, the Apostle Paul spends 11 chapters contrasting man’s fallenness with God’s transcendent greatness. The bridge across that chasm, he tells us, is Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice makes relationship with God possible. In Chapter 12, Paul begins to explain what it means to worship this God who’s saved us. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1). In Ephesians, he adds, “In him we were also chosen … in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:11-12). A life of worship, then, is one that exists to bring praise and glory to God in all that we do. Let’s apply that idea to the intersection of worship and our entertainment choices. My point in comparing our worship of Christ to our sometimes fervent ardor for stuff in the entertainment realm isn’t to give you — or me
— a guilt trip. At the same time, I think we periodically need to ask, What do my entertainment choices — especially the things I really like — say about what I believe has the most worth and value in life? In several seasons of my life, that question has helped me to realize that I was ascribing too much value to something of the world, and I’ve needed to make adjustments to avoid drifting into an idolatrous worship of something other than God. There’s nothing inherently problematic with liking a certain band or team, movie or TV show. In fact, God has created us with a deep capacity to experience beauty and joy in the arts and the thrill of competitive sports. But He never intended an artist or athlete’s expression of his or her gifts to compete with our love and worship of Him. And in a culture that enshrines its entertainers as almost godlike beings at times, that’s a point worth pondering. Adam Holz is an entertainment reviewer and writer for the Focus on the Family Website www.pluggedin.com. Portions of this piece were previously published by Plugged In in an article called “Worship at 130dB.”
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Worship in INDIA By Rev. Mathusela Limboo
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ndia is a pluralistic country with various cultures, races, languages and religions. Except for some negative fundamentalist forces, there is deep unity within this diversity. Most religions even teach about inclusiveness and respect for each other. We are a democratic country, and our constitution allows us freedom to chose and propagate any religion, 16 | www.first-pres.org 7/13
but Hinduism maintains the strongest influence. The general idea of worship in India is: Worship is about pleasing god. People have in the back of their minds that if they offer something (money, kindness, pilgrimage) to god, he will be pleased and bless them. Worship is bartering with god. The worship offering is also given in trade for something they want from god. They may either want god to heal them or their loved ones, make them rich or successful, etc. Worship is giving reverence to god. Their fearful reverence comes from the deep seated idea that god may at any time get angry and curse them. Therefore, people are highly motivated to keep god on their side. Worship is about god and the individual. The focus of every action is the relationship between god and the worshiper him/herself. Anything given or done to others is not because of love but in order to please god and keep god on our side. Symbols play a significant role in worship. It is difficult to experience god without symbols in the form of idols, things, people, etc. High emotionalism is involved in most of our worship. People get emotional in worship activities and meetings. They love to feel god near, and if anything dramatic happens, they assume they have experienced god’s nearness.
Christians in India fall in different categories. Some are converted from other religions, some are born Christians. Some are deeply religious, while others have a liberal outlook. Some are highly charismatic, while others are very orthodox, perhaps some are in between trying to balance between the two extremes. But in terms of the essence of worship, we too have been influenced by the above ideas and churches have been trying their Depictions of worship at our partner church in India best to bring a sound and balanced Biblical teaching on Worship into our contextual situation. This People must see that we believe and worship is how we’ve done this: Jesus Christ not just when at prayer meeting We worship to please God; it is an expresbut also when we are with them in the daily sion of our love to God. His provision for our walks of life. salvation and eternal life makes Him worthy How we deal with God and our neighbours to be worshipped and praised. And by wormatters; we must act in love rather than to shipping and praising and giving thanks to gain rank with God. Him from the core of our heart, God is defiSymbols are important instruments to nitely going to be pleased. bring us closer to God, but they are not God. We worship God for selflessly giving True worshippers must worship in Spirit and Himself to us; there is no bartering involved. Truth (John 4:23). The spiritual condition of We worship God because we have become His the person is very important in their ability to children and He has become our God. It is our use symbols with caution. reciprocal response to what God has uncondiEmotionalism is always a part of our tionally done in our lives. His love, His comworship. However, it is important to strike a mitment, His sacrifice even until death, and balance and be sensitive to fellow believers. his great provision for eternal life to us make We are very mindful of maintaining sincerity, Him worth worshipping. spirituality, order and intelligence in our worWe worship God with reverence and fear. ship. But we also teach the church that lifestyle Not because if we don’t do it we are going to be and character are an act of worship to God. punished or cursed, but we fear and revere Him And we understand that worship in church or out of love. Fear and reverence in us must come in private is a heart exercise that cannot be out of our deep love and commitment to Him. really defined by rules or actions. Worship is not about me and God alone. Rev. Mathusela Limboo is a Pastor in our partner church, the The two greatest commandments tell us to Presbyterian Free Church Council and Training Co-ordinator for love God and love neighbor (Matt.22:36-40). the training department “Hariyo Kharka” (Green Pasture in English). Worship must be our life style, our character. 7/13 | www.first-pres.org | 17
Worship in egypt By Medhat El Beblawy
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gypt has been well known through her long history as a land of worshipers; maybe this is the reason why God chose Egypt to be the place for Moses to grow up, the land to which Jeremiah escaped and a land of refuge for Jesus Himself. When Saint Mark ministered in Egypt after the ascension of Christ, most of the Egyptians turned away from ancient Pharaonic worship and converted to Christianity. In response, Satan was quick to stir up a renewed love for pagan worship amongst his witnesses in order to weaken this rise of true worship. Satan succeeded in his campaign for ages, and worship in the Egyptian churches became lukewarm. Then Christians became afraid to worship publicly and accepted confinement and isolation for many centuries. Praise to God who is now answering the prayers of many faithful church leaders, both inside and outside of Egypt, that God would convert the believer’s weakness and fear into a new strength. God has recently begun a new age of strong spiritual revolution in the life of
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Worship at a church in Egypt
Christian Egyptians. The movement started with waves of worship and prayers in the hearts of many of the church attendants. I can testify to the new spiritual growth of the church and to the birth of many new believers who are coming to the church daily in spite of all Satan continues to do against the church. Our Father is always able to convert Satan’s evil to our best: the satanic actions against the church became an encouragement to the believers to gather in unity as the three denominations in Egypt — the Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches. The year 2011 began with bombing, destruction and deaths in one of the famous churches in Alexandria. But by the end of that same year, 60,000 to 70,000 Christians from the three churches gathered in a famous open-air theatre near Cairo for a night of worship and prayer. On that night, for the first time, we saw leaders from the Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches stand on the same stage encouraging people to pray and to praise. This event was witnessed via satellite
channels and Internet by millions all over the world. More importantly, on that night the Church in Egypt experienced the newfound strength of unity. Since then worship and prayer conferences gather at least two times every year near Alexandria. Thousands of Christians from various backgrounds attend and millions watch through TV or Internet. Through these conferences it has became normal to see Orthodox and Catholic priests side by side with Protestant pastors and leaders. Amazingly, these waves of revolution in worship and prayer are moving not only through the adults, but we are seeing this amongst children as well. Those we think only like to play and have fun are leading their mates to worship and pray! You’d be amazed to hear them interceding for their country, their families and their churches. Testimonies about parents who became Christian due to the prayers of their kids are many. Adults are encouraged through attending the children’s prayer and worship times because even though
they’re still kids, they have worshiping hearts and great Spiritual visions. No one can deny the new spiritual manifestations that are seen by believers in each denomination. There is healing and casting out demons; but more wonderful than this is seeing many who were so far away from Christ now accept Him as their Savior. Our congregation, which lies in one of the southern cities of Egypt, very far away from what is going on in the capital of the country, is not big in number, has limited facilities and has a lack of leaders, but the Holy Spirit is the same and He is doing amongst us the same revolution of worship and prayer. We’re keeping our eyes on Him that we too may experience the addition of new believers to the church. All that is happening in our country is not enough toward what our God and Father is worthy to receive. He is worthy to receive the praises and worship from all nations and peoples. Praise the Lord! Medhat El Beblawy is an Elder at our partner church in Aswan, Egypt.
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