In the previous article, we examined how David brought the Ark to Zion. We concluded with four attitudes of worship:
·Our worship must be informed by the Bible.
·We should be desiring a fresh experience with God. His mercies are new every morning; our worship should also be new every morning.
·We need to be living a life worthy of God’s presence. Worship doesn’t just happen on Sunday morning and Wednesday nights. Worship is a lifestyle of radiating the glory of God – constantly bearing the presence of God. As Paul says, “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Cor 3:3)
·We need to cast aside the things that keep us from worshipping. Anything that steps in the way of our worship is not worthy of our confession of Christ; it needs to be ruthlessly and conscientiously removed from our lives.
This week, let’s look at God’s presence in Solomon’s worship.
Solomon’s Temple
2CH 5:7 The priests then brought the ark of the Lord’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. 2CH 5:8 The cherubim spread their wings over the place of the ark and covered the ark and its carrying poles. 2CH 5:9 These poles were so long that their ends, extending from the ark, could be seen from in front of the inner sanctuary, but not from outside the Holy Place; and they are still there today. 2CH 5:10 There was nothing in the ark except the two tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb, where the LORD made a covenant with the Israelites after they came out of Egypt. 2CH 5:11 The priests then withdrew from the Holy Place. All the priests who were there had consecrated themselves, regardless of their divisions. 2CH 5:12 All the Levites who were musicians–Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun and their sons and relatives–stood on the east side of the altar, dressed in fine linen and playing cymbals, harps and lyres. They were accompanied by 120 priests sounding trumpets. 2CH 5:13 The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, 2CH 5:14 and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God.
We can draw many insights from this passage regarding worship, but I would like to focus on three:
1. Notice verse 11, all the priests who were there had previously consecrated themselves for this event. Today we have the spirit of God indwelling us. There relationship of proportions here; the extent to which we consecrate ourselves to God is proportional to the extent which we experience God’s presence working through us. This is what Paul is getting at when he says that we should live a life worthy of our calling.
2. When Israel structured their worship on what was revealed in the Books of the Law, the result of their obedience was the visible presence of God’s presence.
3. As a result of God’s visible presence, the priests could no longer minister. God calls us to be a royal priesthood that carries His presence everywhere we go. Although we are responsible for being vessels of God’s glory, our effectiveness in expanding God’s kingdom and ministering to His saints is not derived from our abilities to do the great things that Jesus did. Rather, God’s work is administered as He uses our ability to not impede the work of God as He uses us. In other words, the priests were not responsible for the presence of God in the temple; it was God’s prerogative to dwell there. We, as worshippers, cannot force the hand of God a certain way. At best, we need to be conscious of what God is doing in the congregation and make sure we minister likewise or step out of God’s way. Jesus said it this way, “Most assuredly I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son does in like manner” (NKJ, John 5:19). If this is true of Jesus, that He only did what He saw the Father doing, shouldn’t we do the same?
Immanence of God’s Presence
God’s Spirit is always with and in us but always for the end result of strengthening and enlarging His Kingdom. In this sense, we are the agents of God to bring His presence into the world. In theological terms, this is known as God’s immanence; God is functionally present in the world by His presence indwelt in His believers. Jesus says, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (NIV, John 14:16-18). Since God is always with or in us, we are always carrying His presence; we can’t be periodic Ark bearers. Even if we get weak, God will help us like he helped the Old Testament Ark bearers
(1CH 15:26 Because God had helped the Levites who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant of the LORD…)
Since God indwells us, we also have a responsibility to carry the presence of God into every situation, wherein we also bring the Kingdom of God with us. When His indwelling is perfected in us, which is our goal of being carriers of God’s presence, we will simulate Jesus’ ministry. This is what Jesus said and it should haunt us: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12).
You might be asking, “Why should that haunt me?” Let me ask this question: What are some of Jesus’ greatest works? I immediately think of salvation and miracles. So the question is, “Are you doing greater works?” Some theologians say that the term “greater” refers to numbers. In other words that the acts of salvation and miracles should be more as a result of more people being involved in the ministry. However, this would be a contrived reading because Jesus is talking about the works, not His ministry, that accomplishes the works. Other theologians spiritualize the saying to mean that we will produce greater works in the spiritual world. But this is hard to believe because it was Jesus who took the keys of hell and death away from Satan, who led the captive free and empowered His church to survive against the odds for 2000 years. I don’t think it is theologically sound to spiritualize the works that Jesus is referring to. Finally, we are left with the understanding that indeed the works are the works.
So what is to be said if we don’t see these works? Either we make Jesus a liar by inferring that he really didn’t mean what He said in John 14:12, or we make God impotent because He seems unable to adequately empower His saints. I don’t think that any of us want to resign ourselves to these conclusions. The last possibility is that we do not do “greater works” for reasons that depend not on God but rather rest on us.
You might be asking why this is so important. It is important because we bring glory to the Father by doing “greater works” than Jesus (ref. John 14:13-14). We’ve been talking about bearing the presence of God. The supernatural presence of God in our lives should produce supernatural results. Settling for less means that you no longer carry God’s presence as you were intended; you’ve become a priest who would rather put the Ark on a new cart than carry it on your shoulders the way God instructed. When we mishandle the presence of God, it confuses and corrupts our authoritative witness, just like when Israel carried the Ark into battle thinking it was a good luck charm to beat the Philistines.
God’s presence is manifested in many ways; through our transformed lives, the witness of our testimony, through evangelism, through our ministry, through our study of scripture, through our fellowship, through our prayers, though our deeds… Specifically, God desires to manifest the glory of His presence through everything we put our mind, hearts and strength to. When we do, we live worship.
Are you allowing God’s presence to burn bright within you?
Background
I accepted Christ on September 13, 1980. At 20 years old, I was completely lost but very aware of that there was a spiritual existence that was eternal. On that day, I heard God’s audible voice. (AMAZING! That God would condescend to me in a miraculous way!) At the hearing of His voice, that moment I know the reality of God. I also new this knowledge demanded a full commitment of service and response to Him.
Introduction to Worship
As a new believer, I immediately sensed the importance of worship, not merely at the services, but to live a life of worship. In 1983, I started to study worship and worship leading while I attended The Vineyard in Yorba Linda/Anaheim. I helped two friends plant two churches in Orange County and now my family and I attend a progressive Foursquare Church. I continually study the Bible on worship and worship topics.
Ministry Accomplishments
I have led contemporary worship bands since 1985. We performed a few concerts at other churches and couple of community events each year but worship in those days was not as popular as it is today. I used to lead worship in a congregation of 800. The smallest group I’ve led in worship has been myself and the largest was about 4500. I recently enrolled in a Bible School and have cut my commitments to leading a mid-week Bible study where I lead worship, leading a preaching fellowship (we are learning to communicate better), and leading worship at a bi-weekly men’s function. I also support a Song Writers ministry. Occasionally, I teach people the basics of leading worship in an 8-week course (about 20 hours total).
Other Related Accomplishments and Interests
I tried to produce a ‘record album’ of original worship music of the last concert that the contemporary worship band performed but had several technical difficulties that made that effort difficult. I settled for a cassette tape. I have served as a sound engineer for some of the churches I attended and taught others how to do sound. I design audiophile speakers and sound systems and have served as a sound consultant for setting up PA systems. I designed and build choir monitors, PA speakers and other sound reinforcement equipment.
Personal
I am happily married since December 30, 1983 and have two children. I currently work as an optical engineer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab designing and building the next generation space clocks that should be accurate to one second in 30 million years’ not that I expect to be here then! I feel the Lord is leading me to be an administrative or executive pastor, which is one reason I enrolled in school. I will graduate in October 2002. I play rhythm guitar for worship only. I am learning how to write music all over again. I look forward to the day when we will live in the light of Christ in the new Jerusalem with new bodies that can completely serve Him without compromise or fainting. Maranatha!