Micah Klutinoty Blog - Entries written by Micah KlutinotyThe MEDIATION OF CHRIST IN OUR WORSHIP Hebrews 7:24-25: "But because Jesus lives forever, He has permanent priesthood. Therefore, He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them."
I recently read an article out of Worship Leader Magazine called, "The Mediation of Christ." At the end of this post there is a link for you to read through it if you want. I would encourage you to take the time to read it, because it speaks of the important doctrine of Christ and all that He still is to us this day.
I don't know about you, but the verse above, brings a lot of relief to me when I think about going before a Holy God in worship. To know that Jesus Christ is the High Priest on my behalf who bridges the gap between me and God is a beautiful picture of how our worship is acceptable by God. Though, much of modern worship music and practices have gotten away from being Christ-centered, we are not alone in our worship. Naturally worship takes action on our part, but think how self-sufficient our worship would be if it were up to us alone!
This modern view of worship is described in the article as Unitarian worship, which does not include a role for Jesus Christ as the mediator of our relationship with God. The challenge is that we have gotten away from Jesus in our worship of God! We sing our hymns, and songs, and listen to sermons, offering all that we can to the God of this universe, who is so great that nothing we could ever offer could be accepted (apart from Christ.)
We need to get back to reverence regarding our Triune God. "Trinitarian worship speaks of our participation in worship through the Holy Spirit in the Son's communion with the Father." We are not alone in our worship! When we understand the Trinity, we understand that Christ is the infinite, perfect, and holy worshiper who takes our worship and offers it spotless to God! Not only was Jesus Christ beat, bruised, scorned, mocked, nailed to a cross, humiliated, and murdered in the place that was rightly ours, he worships God to this very hour on our behalf! And Jesus is the perfect worshiper! "The perfect worship of Jesus is the foundation for our worship; His worship on our behalf frees us to offer our own worship with confidence and honesty." I hope that excites you! It fills me with unspeakable joy (seriously I'm like fidgeting in my chair just thinking about it!!!)
You should understand that you are a filthy sinner who deserves only misery and destruction in hell, and who has nothing to offer the God of the Universe, yet because Christ is constantly and perfectly worshiping in spirit and in truth, you can offer what you can, knowing God will accept it through Jesus Christ! Christ's death pardoned us from the debt that we owed so that through Him we can be seen as the children of God! REJOICE!!!
I hope this causes you to think about your worship of God. Don't let how others around you worship sway how you do. Know that at anytime of any day you can join the ongoing worship of Christ, offering whatever you have, the best way you know how. From there, Christ takes your offering and offers it perfectly to God, giving Him all the glory. Praise God for Jesus Christ!
Click the link below to read the article!
http://www.worshipleader-digital.com/worshipleader/200909/?pg=22
New Song: Hallelujah, Our God ReignsSo God is great and greatly to be praised! I have been overwhelmed with His greatness the past week and can't get my hands on enough of His word and material regarding His word. Anyways, there is a lot on my mind lately about worship and the role of Christ in our worship, and the gospel being the center of all that we do.....Trust me there will be posts soon regarding these things.
This morning, I got up early and went to starbucks and read my Bible and just focused on God for a while. When I left I picked up my guitar and began to play the music to the song below and words began to flow...Three or four hours later, this is what I got. Give it a listen and let me know some suggestions or hear some feedback.
I fixed the comment section for those of you who have tried to comment and it wouldn't let you. You should be able to now and I would love to hear your feedback on posts.
Hallelujah, Our God Reigns
Music and Lyrics by M. Klutinoty
Verse 1:
In you name there’s hope
A love beyond compare
With each passing day
Your mercy finds a way.
Verse 2:
A King Beat and Bruised
Led to the Cross
Was nailed there to die
And He was crucified
Pre-chorus 1:
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Our God Reigns
Verse 3:
The King placed in a grave
Sealed behind a stone
The ground began to shake
On the third day He rose (begins to build)
Pre-Chorus 2: (building)
Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Chorus: (Band Big)
Our God reigns, forever He reigns
Power and strength, are found in his name
In Christ the Son, Victory is won
With angels we sing, the wonders of our King
Our God reigns….
Verse 4: (beginning riff driving)
By the cross I’m free
In your death there’s life
Through your blood I’m cleansed
And given life Again!!!
Hallelujah, Our God Reigns from Micah Klutinoty on Vimeo.
THE WORSHIPERS GOD SEEKSProbably an extremely common and popular thought and scripture regarding worship is John 4:23-24, and worshiping in spirit and in truth. The fact that the passage says, God is seeking those that will worship Him in spirit and in truth, should hopefully spark an interest in you. For me, I want to be the kind of worshiper that God seeks, and I want to do all I can to fulfill that call.
As I have thought about this lately, I have began to wonder if the kind of worshipers God seeks are extremely rare. In a world where "worship" has become centralized to ourselves, or where "worship" has been reduced to a time of singing on Sunday morning, I have been wondering if God looks at our "worship" and is saddened. Christ's call for worshipers of spirit and truth really does give us the absolute to our worship, but what does worshiping in spirit and truth mean to you? I have heard countless definitions of this in my studies on worship from the Bible.
Read through this outline below that I put together for our worship team here at Harvest Granger. Hopefully this will give you a better understanding of our worship, so that you can be the kind of worshiper God seeks.
Spirit and Truth Worship
John 4:23-24:
But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such people. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.
*Spirit and Truth worship of God is not a desirable element and guideline, but that which is absolutely necessary!
1. Worship in spirit-
a. Worshiping in spirit speaks of the human spirit
b. “Jesus’ point here is that a person must worship not simply by external conformity to religious rituals and places (outwardly), but inwardly (“in spirit”) with the proper heart attitude.” J. Macarthur
c. Worshiping in spirit means meeting God on a soul level.
1. “The soul represents the deepest part of who we are. That’s the level on which God wants to relate to us, the point at which we meet him in worship.” R. Noland
2. True Christianity starts with surrender!
2. Worship in truth-
a. Worship of God consistent with the revealed scriptures
b. Centered on the “Word made flesh…”Jesus Christ...
1. To worship in truth we must have a proper view of who we are called to worship.
2. Scriptures often say, “Worship God through His Son Jesus Christ. We must understand the relationship between Jesus and his Father.
3. Jesus ultimately revealed who His Father was (Jn. 14:6)
c. Worshiping in truth means we worship God for who He truly is.
1. Becoming a worshiper isn’t about the pursuit of fitting in--but the pursuit of a person. Out of knowing God we make Him known, declaring his worth!
The worksheet above has been on my heart a great deal lately. There is a lot more to worship than the surface things seen on a Sunday morning. The true worshiper let's God deep down, rooting away the sin and filthy rags that are hidden, then is so filled with the joy of salvation, that it can't help but come out in song! To worship in spirit is to worship from the inside-out. I love what the Psalmist prays in Psalm 139:"Search me o God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way of everlasting." This is not an easy prayer when you think about it, but it is absolutely necessary to be the kind of worshiper God seeks. I have found myself seemingly going along living for God, and when I prayed those very words, God has revealed things that I have had to clear up and ask forgiveness for. But, out of that, I am led to know more of His mercy and grace and justice, and can't help but worship.
Then, to worship in truth is to continually find out new things about our matchless God! Be rooted in God's Word, holding fast to the doctrines of Christ and sin and salvation...etc. Let Christ be the aim of all your worship, that God may be given glory through Him. Strive with me to put these things into practice and be worshipers of spirit and truth.
Beyond the Clouds...
I recently drove home to PA for a little vacation and wedding time. On long drives I often find God in worship as Nicole is usually asleep and all I have is creation around me and music to keep me interested. As I drove across the less than interesting Ohio turnpike, the skies were nothing but blue with giant white clouds, and the sun beaming through. The picture explains the beauty of God's sky painting.
However, not being one that would usually notice this, I kept driving while listening to the new Hillsong CD, "Faith+Hope+Love," and eventually the song, "You Hold Me Now," came on. Pondering on the words as the first verse played, the congregation then belted out the chorus:
No Weeping, No hurt or pain
No suffering, You hold me now, You hold me now
No darkness, No sick or lame
No hiding, You hold me now, You hold me now
Hearing these words and thinking on the thought of heaven lying just beyond those clouds brought me to tears by the middle of the song. What a day it will be when our God holds us! When we are finally surrounded by the very Glory of God, in His marvelous light, what an incredible day that will be. The cares and worries and pains will all be over and we will rise above the clouds to meet our Savior face to face! This excites me to no end.
In the middle of the song, the lyrics declare, "For all eternity, All my heart will give, all the glory to you name." FOREVER! We will have the honor of worshiping our God at his feet without it being a challenge! And it won't stop because we will finally understand the greatness of who God is and will only want to glorify him in praise and worship and adoration!
In Christ our time on earth is only temporary, and the future is where the excitement truly becomes clear. Paul had it right when he said, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain(Phil. 1:21)." As long as we are on this earth, lets be dedicated to the call of Christ, pressing on for the cause of Christ, knowing that it is temporary, and the real gain lies in the arms of our Father.
Check out the song!
You Hold Me Now
Love God/Love Others  I have been attending the 2009 Leadership Summit this week. The conference is put on at Willow Creek Church in Chicago, and has had some great information regarding leadership.
Session 5 was by a man named Dave Gibbons, founding Pastor of New Song Church in Irvine, California. Dave brought to the table a challenge to be "Third culture" leaders. He defines "Third Culture," as "the mindset and will to learn, love, and serve in any culture, even in the midst of pain and discomfort."
His thought is that God lays out our call pretty simply when he says, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength; and love your neighbor as yourself,"(Matt. 22:37-40). Upon these two commands we as leaders have defined them and strategized around them, but Gibbons says we often miss the point of the second command. We have a problem seeing who our neighbor truly is. There is a tendency to define our neighbors as those common to us, or those we easily connect with. "Third Culture" sees neighbors as those that persecute us, those that we can't stand to be around, those that we would never want to hang out with...and third culture leaders love those people as theirselves, even in the most persecuting times.
Dave challenges that we as leaders need to step back and change our motives of leadership. His main points were,
1. Failure is success...(people can identify with our failures rather than our success)
2. Weakness can guide us more than our strengths
3. Relationship trumps vision
4. Obedience more than passion
Jesus was all about relationships and poured far more into them than he did vision. And Jesus made relationships with those that people didn't like...tax collectors, theives, persecuter... And Jesus was certainly passionate about God, but allowed obedience to govern his life. While passionate about His father, Jesus didn't want to die, but through obedience he died, and not only for all those that loved him, but for even those that were nailing Him to the cross!
Now, we've probably all heard, "love your enemies," a hundred times, but the principle is something that we probably miss a lot. We are all drawn to a certain type of people. I would be drawn to musicians and people who like sports and people who are constantly active, and I probably miss a lot of opportunities to jump out and love someone that doesn't fall into those categories. A third-culture leader, makes it a priority to go after those that they are not drawn to, including enemies. Certainly this is hard, but Christ did it and we are called to live as Christ!
Applying this to a worship leader/worship pastor, I want to make it a priority to gravitate towards those that wouldn't likely draw me in. That is what Christ did, and he was able to make world changers, and passionate followers of God! This has challenged me and I hope it challenges you to take a good look at who your neighbors truly are, and strive to love them as you love yourself. This is fulfilling the call of worship that God has called us to.
"Fulfill the great commission, in the midst of the great commandment."
2 Years and Counting.....Well today certainly marks a reason for worship! Two years ago, today, I married my beautiful wife Nicole, and together we have seen God's blessings poured out over the past two years. As I stop and think about all that God has done in our lives, it brings me to worship Him.
A major theme at our wedding was "We Will Walk By Faith," and we have definitely had to do that in our marriage thus far. And plenty more faith-walking will take place, as our baby is due in November, and as we continue to serve the Lord together here in Indiana.
Our wedding day was an incredible celebration, as you can maybe see above, but whats more exciting to me is that two years later, I love Nicole even more. It is only by the grace of God that I could have found such a God-fearing wife, who loves the Word and dedicates herself to God first, then myself. God completely reveals himself in my marriage and the blessings it brings, yet so many times I probably forget to respond in Worship. This morning countless memories and fun times have been running through my head, and I can't help but give God the glory. He has brought us a long way in just the two years of full-time life together. From Pittsburgh, to Lynchburg VA, to South Bend IN, and who knows whats next. I often don't know what God is thinking, but Nicole and I are choosing to walk by faith, and though at times its hard, we see God's blessings and affirmation, which causes us to worship!
On our wedding day two years ago, I wrote a song and surprised Nicole by singing it at the end of our wedding ceremony. I wish I had the real clip, but I recorded it below. Before we were married we prayed that Christ would always be the center of our marriage, and we will continue to keep that the Number one focus. The song simply states the vow that No matter where God would ever lead me, Nicole would always be by my side, and that I would learn to love her more as my wife everyday. Ephesians 5:25 boggles me at times because I am to love Nicole as Christ loves the church. Well, we know Christ is only capable of a perfect love, and I'm not, so I continue to strive for the perfect love of Christ towards my wife!
I love you Nic!
Nicole's Song from Micah Klutinoty on Vimeo.
New Song: I Will Trust
This song was written by Pastor Trent and I, straight from the Psalm 37.
Before you listen to it, this song really seemed to open people's hearts to putting there trust in Christ this past Sunday. Before the message, the band did this song, and I prompted people to come and kneel if they needed to put there trust in Christ over something in there life. By the end of the song, we had about half the congregation kneeling at the front of the stage, praying for each other about trusting in Christ! That is the church how God intended it! To uphold one another and pray for one another.
Anyways, I hope this song ministers to you, and causes you to put your trust in Christ for every obstacle.
I Will Trust In You from Micah Klutinoty on Vimeo.
Prayer For the Church
My heart and mind is greatly on "the church" lately, and not the gathering that our 21st century has come to know as the church, but literally the people of God. We get the word church from the Greek word "ekklesia," which literally means "called out." The church is the people that God has "called out" of darkness into his marvelous light. The church, if you know and follow Christ as your Lord and Savior, is you! Through Christ's death on the cross, we can know our Lord and Savior personally, and be filled with His Spirit, to hopefully walk in the same way that Christ did on this earth.
However, it is sad to me as I hear stories of broken families, and ungodliness within the body of believers. I often wonder how many people today actually take "church" outside of Sunday morning. What I mean is, our society today has made "church" this thing we do on Sunday morning, that will fulfill our spiritual obligations for the rest of the week. Church has become a check on the list for many people in there spiritual walk with God. Let me tell you this is not at all what God intended for the church.
The first century church, seen in Acts, met everyday, fellowshiping, devoting themselves to the teaching of God's word, having communion in rememberance of Christ, etc...(Acts 2:42-47). The church in Acts was more than just a building, but it was a people who devoted themselves to daily pursuit of the living God. They worshiped, they testified, they remembered, they listened, and they were discipled! The call for the church hasn't changed, but the motives and direction of our day and age has changed the church. We need to get back to pursuing God as our chief goal and priority. Naturally, we can't gather everyday as the church in Acts did, but we can live our lives in a way that desires and reflects Christ everyday. If we did this, Sunday mornings would become a celebration of who our God is and all that He has done, rather than a check on the list.
Below are lyrics to a song by Jeremy Riddle called "A Prayer for the Church." You'll notice that the verses speak of weaknesses, and "stains" within the church, but each verse ends in "YOU," speaking of Jesus Christ. It is not until the church begins to reflect Christ, act as Christ, run home to Christ, and move in step with Christ that it will be as it was meant to be. Pray the lyrics below for yourself. The church starts with you. Then pray for the body of believers that you meet with weekly that Christ alone will be their desire.
"A Prayer for the Church" by Jeremy Riddle
Where she is weak
Strengthen arms now, steady feet
That she would care for, she would seek
Welcoming Your lost and wounded sheep
Coming home to You
Where she is stained
Bring Your healing, bring Your rain
Wash away now her disgrace
'Till she shines in white, she radiates
She now mirrors You
(We're praying)
No more compromises, no more moral crises
Tonight may she move and act as You
No more small divisions
No more lack of wisdom
Tonight may she move and act as You
Where she is right give her courage for the fight
Full of salt now, full of light
Standing firm where truth and love collide
She remains in You
Now she's shining
Her light is blinding as she sings Your name
Now she's beauty
Up from the ashes, Your love is on her face
Where she is strong, keep her moving, pressing on
Bringing justice, righting wrongs
Demonstrating now Your Kingdom come
She's in step with You
My favorite line of the whole song is the bridge where Jeremy writes, "Now she's shining, Her light is blinding as she sings Your name." What an awesome statement concerning the church of Christ. When we are in step with Christ and the church is worshiping, serving, loving, honoring, and doing all that it is meant to do everyday, the light is blinding. A contagious passion springs forth from its song! A united people worshiping Christ has the ability to send unbelievers to their knees, realizing that without the God that we serve, there is no hope or peace. As the church, lets get back to pursuing the Lord in all that we do!
Psalm 42:1-2 "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so my sould longs for You Oh God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
A Reason To Worship!
Isaiah 53
3 He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and Jehovah hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, yet when he was afflicted he opened not his mouth; as a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth......
11 He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by the knowledge of himself shall my righteous servant justify many; and he shall bear their iniquities.
12 Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
As I was praying and planning this past weeks Sunday morning worship service, I was drawn to the passage above, found in Isaiah 53. Probably a passage that we have all heard, but have you taken the time to stop and reflect on what it says? Sunday we sang songs like Jesus Paid It All into Stronger. As I thought about the lyrics to Stronger, which is one of my favorite songs, I began to read Isaiah 53.
Our God certainly is stronger than sin and death, and he most definitely did rise from the dead, allowing us to gain eternal life with him. However, this passage in Isaiah made me think of Christ's strength in a different way. It says in verse 7, "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; as a sheep before the slaughter He was silent." Jesus Christ, our great and powerful King, had the ability to rip himself off of that cross, and wipe out the whole multitude of persecutors, but his love for me was stronger than the pain and agony that he suffered. Not only did Jesus suffer crucifixion, he did it willingly and silently, putting up no fight at all.....FOR YOU!
Verse 12 of chapter 53 says, "he poured out his soul unto death and was numbered with the transgressors: yet he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." We are the transgressors. Jesus took your sins, and was nailed to a cross of wood, so that you could go to Him with your life. Think about that for a moment. Think about the depth of love found in Christ Jesus. Think about the depth of what took place on the cross. Does it move you to worship Him? If it doesn't I don't know what else could.
Christ paid the debt that we owed, so that we could worship Him with our lives. Responding to this amazing act of love in worship is the least we can do, yet it is all God requires of us. If we glorify Him with our lives, and surrender everything to Him, we gain eternal life. Now Go and worship Christ in all that you do.
Not A Bargaining Chip!
So I have been reading through the book of Job lately, and sermons I have heard from the book I have always loved and gained a lot out of. The beginning of the book is incredible, and the end when God speaks to Job is great! Honestly, the middle of the book is a little frustrating to get through as Job seems to whine chapter after chapter. Now of course I try to put myself in his position and I would probably be way worse than he, but to read it is a bit challenging.
However, everything in God's Word has the ability to speak to us, we just have to take the time to seek it out. As I was reading through Job 13 and 14, in Job's lament he says the statement, "Only grant me two things, then I will not hide my face from You..." Job was using is worship to God as a bargaining tool! At first I thought Job was awfully dumb to pull something like that, but then I began to wonder if I try to bargain with God. Here was Job, a "blameless and upright man," living in despair due to his circumstances. How often have I done the same in far less circumstances? Probably a lot.
A life of Worship is not a bargaining chip to keep you from trials and hard times, but in our human nature we often do exactly what Job did. Rather than praising through the storm, we whine and get depressed and only offer our worship when the trials have passed. God calls us to worship Him in everything; to count our trials as Joy. God never fails to present Himself to us everyday, but we often miss Him all around us. In our trials, God is still there, we just have to look harder.
I say all this simply to encourage you to live every moment knowing that God is presenting Himself to you.....In creation, in circumstances, and even in trials. Don't try to bargain with God your worship for a perfect life. As long as your on this earth, trials, persecution, and hardships will come, but in them all God is unchanging, loving, and always there. Strive to live your life being constantly reminded that God is presenting Himself to you. Then, strive to present yourself back to God by finding Him in every situation and responding in Worship.
5/24 Service Review
Today was a great day at Harvest Granger. We had a great time of uninterrupted praise and worship of our great God. The order of service was changed up some today placing the announcements at the end of the service, leaving a half-hour for lifting high the name of Christ. And we did....The order of service looked like this:
Happy Day (Tim Hughes)
Not To Us
Enough
I Worship You Almighty God
Amazed
Message
Give Us Clean Hands
Announcements
Not To Us
It was a powerful time of worship, incorporated with prayer, singing, and praising. "Church" can often get so cluttered with all the announcements and extra-curricular activities, that we often don't have time to really worship God in all that He is. Today's order of service was meant to give the body of believers valuable time with their great God; valuable time to praise Him, adore Him, and thank Him, and I believe Christ was exalted high above all else this morning! Praise God!
God's Presence in a Heartbeat
On my heart lately has been the fact that God constantly, without fail is presenting himself to believers everyday. True worshipers notice God's presence in their lives, and then present themselves to God by responding in worship.
Yesterday was a special day for my wife and I. We went to the doctors for the first time concerning her pregnancy and got to hear our 41/2 month forming babies heartbeat! Immediately upon hearing the small, fast thumps, we were both overwhelmed with joy. How could we not have been?
We serve such a creative and amazing God. I am excited to see Him present Himself to me more and more through the entire pregnancy, and through the birth of my son or daughter. The heartbeat alone made me realize that only my great God could accomplish something like that, and through it God was presenting himself to me. Right there in the doctors office my heart responded and overflowed with worship.
I hope this encourages you to stop and notice the presence of God all around you everyday. It can be seen in all of his creation, in the circumstances that take place, in the blessings, and even in the trials we face (we may just have to look harder.) God never fails to present himself to us, but we fail constantly at presenting ourselves to Him. Take time to stop and notice His presence, then respond in worship. Certainly God can be found anywhere....I found Him in my unborn babies heartbeat.
New Song: Creator KingThis is a new song called Creator King. It was inspired by Job chapters 38-40, but in these chapters God answers Job. God answers Job's complaining and grief with a huge list of questions basically showing that He alone holds all things in His hands. In the chapters we see God speaking mostly of creation and how He placed everything where it is and made everything to act how it acts, and it was all for His glory!
This particular song is not really a congregational worship song, but more of a personal worshipful song that God laid on my heart. Hope you enjoy.
Creator King from Micah Klutinoty on Vimeo.
Personal WorshipPersonal worship should be a "no-brainer" to anyone pursuing the Christian life, but how often do we miss the opportunities that God gives us to worship Him? God is constantly present in our lives, but we often fail to constantly present ourselves to Him. A Personal worshiper is aware of God's presence and responds to it throughout the routines of the day.
I have started reading Rory Noland's book "The Worshiping Artist," recently and wish that not only every worship leader I know could read it, but everyone in the congregation at the church I serve at. The topic of personal worship is covered much in the first chapter and has really convicted me to not only strive to be a better personal worshiper, but to convey the importance of personal worship to the whole congregation here where I serve. Consider what Jerry Bridges writes concerning personal worship:
"The vitality and genuineness of corporate worship is to a large degree dependent upon the vitality of our individual private worship. If we aren't spending time daily worshiping God, we're not apt to contribute to the corporate experience of worship. If we aren't worshiping God during the week, how can we expect to genuinely participate in it on Sunday morning? We may indeed go through the motions and think we have worshiped, but how can we honor and adore One on Sunday whom we have not taken time to praise and give thanks to during the week?"
I find this to be a challenging and convicting paragraph, and I pray that you do as well! Worshiping our Great God, goes far beyond singing a few songs on Sunday morning. Psalm 113:2-3 says, "Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and forevermore; From the rising of the sun to it's going down the Lord's name is to be praised." Imagine if we all took the time to personally worship God everyday, whether it be singing to him in the car, or studying in depth a bible passage, or taking time to really pray to him, etc. Imagine how that would effect the body of believers in any church! We would all be overflowing with the joy of our salvation and a love for Christ!
Worship is a response to something. Our worship needs to be a response to the one and only, true and living God, for all He is worth! Psalm 34:8 says, "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!" All around us, everyday we should be able to see something that tells us "the Lord is good!" Let us as worship leaders first stop and notice the Lord around us and respond to it; then convey this importance to the body of believers that show up every Sunday.
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