WORSHIP: Isolated Acts or Lifestyle? - Adrian Brink -

The reason we exist is to worship God. We’ve been: - ‘created’ to worship God (Is. 43:7) - ‘chosen’ to worship God (1 Pet. 2:9) - ‘called’ to worship God (Ps. 95:6) - ‘commanded’ to worship God (Rev. 14:6,7)

Worship is NOT just singing! Many people think of worship as a kind of music style It’s much more than that! ‘Worship’ in bible is 2-fold: - Old Testament – it’s “outward” (Actions of service) - New Testament – it’s “internal” (Attitude of the Heart)

Definition by Ralph P. Martin "Worship is the dramatic celebration of God in his supreme worth in such a manner that His ‘worthiness’ becomes the norm and inspiration of human living."

More definitions of worship: William Temple: “To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote the will to the purpose of god. All this is gathered up in that emotion which most cleanses us from selfishness because it is the most selfless of all emotions – adoration.”

Bruce Leafblad: “Worship is that process in which we make God first in our lives.” Graham Kendrick: “Worship is God’s enjoyment of us and our enjoyment of Him.”

Rom. 11:36 – Rom.12:2 (NIV) 36For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen. 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer/dedicate your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

(The Message) 1-2 So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.

Worship = 3 things Glory Dedication Sacrifice

1. Glory organizing centre most significant or profound in your life Person/thing that you honor or cherish above all else guiding principle of: - decisions you make - values that you hold and - experiences you partake in

2. Dedication Present or dedicate yourself to that person/thing Devote & commit ourselves to it wear the T-shirt, we get the bumper sticker, we join an online chat community, etc. We publicly declare which team we are on

3. Sacrifice use your Time, Talents, Treasure to do certain things and you choose not to do certain other things limited resources; take our TTT and we make sacrifices give our schedule, budget, time, interest & energy to, what is for us, MOST GLORIOUS

religion is not the only place that worship occurs for many people, different things are a religion For example: Sport political parties, lifestyles, causes, groups and even such things as a pet or a child or a spouse can become a religion Someone or something is in a place of Glory, you dedicate yourself to it and you sacrifice for them

we are all worshippers & religion is not the only place where worship is occurring If we are made in the image and likeness of God for the purpose of worshipping, then every human being is by definition a worshipper So all the habitual sins in our lives are actually worship issues. Because somehow God is not in the position of Glory, so He doesn’t get our dedication or sacrifices. Something or someone else does.

John 4:23 says that True worshippers will worship God in Spirit and in Truth. Matthew 5:16 says "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your father in heaven". All of life is the outshining of what you truly value and cherish and treasure. Therefore all of life is worship Either of God, or something else

2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. Be transformed! present tense, on-going, continual growth in un-conforming yourself to the world

The focus is not first on getting the outside of the cup cleaned up, but on getting the inside cleaned up. In other words, transformation and non- conformity on the outside must flow from the inside. Be transformed in the renewing of your mind

"prove what the will of God is." two implications: - testing and proving - assess it and approve "Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is." Ex: Diamonds The root issue is more than right thinking. It is right valuing. Not just right proving, but right approving. Not just right testing, but treasuring.

renewed mind first and foremost perceives, and approves and treasures and cherishes God God gets placed into a position of Glory we will then dedicate our Time, Talents and Treasure to God end result is that we will sacrifice for God and God’s will Worship is continuous… Worship is a Lifestyle…

Matt.15:8 says “This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me”. Worship is a real, authentic experience in the heart with God. 24/7 worshippers, bringing a living and breathing, holy sacrifice to God cherish God in all His works and all His ways reckon the old mind dead offer ourselves to God as a living sacrifice

WORSHIP GOD WITH YOUR LIFE !!