Worship | VibbleSpace

27Jul/100

Week 31 Day 1 – A Picture of God

Isaiah 40:6-31

As you read through these verses, make a list of God’s attributes. How do you feel after describing God this way?

The mood you are in today may impact your reaction to this description of God. If you are feeling good, you may be filled with confidence and feel great that you are on God’s side because He is so big and is in control. If you are feeling down you may be overwhelmed by the scope of God and feel small and insignificant.

If you feel like the latter, then read vv. 29-31 again. What is the promise made in these verses?

Do you feel weak or tired today? Spend a moment and try to pinpoint where you feel most weak or vulnerable. Now imagine yourself giving that portion of your life to God. On your own you probably aren’t strong enough. But, with the eternal power of God holding you up, you can soar!

Spend some time committing to God that you will draw on His strength and have a great day.

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27Jul/100

Week 30 Day 2 – A Wake Up Call

Isaiah 6:1-7

Many people feel that this was Isaiah’s “call to ministry.” Look a little closer. Isaiah saw this vision when Uzziah died. Isaiah had been preaching in Jerusalem for years already! So what we have here is a seasoned preacher who has been working hard for the Kingdom of God who is suddenly confronted with a deeper revelation of God. He is not a “sinner” off the streets when he falls down and says “I am ruined!” He’s a preacher!

So what? We can learn a great deal from this event. It doesn’t matter where you are in life. You could be a drug adict who is struggling to survive, or you could be the president of a seminary and the pastor of a church, revered in the community. No matter who you are, when you truly come face to face with the reality of God’s presence, there is only one response; on your face, now! No one is holy in their own ability. No one is good enough to meet God’s standards. It is only through the grace of God that we can do anything. When we keep that in mind, it will be easier to remove any prejudices or barriers that may exist between us and others in the world.

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11May/100

Week 19 Day 2 – Singers Win!

2 Chronicles 20:1-30

They what?!? They sang praises? Hold on a second. Let’s make sure we have the story straight. Judah is being invaded by a ravenous horde that is intent on destroying them, taking their property, raping and pillaging their women, and killing their men. Jehoshaphat is alarmed (I should hope so), and he cries out to God. Good move. God says go face them on the battle field. Makes sense so far. And then...they have a little praise and worship service on the hillside! At this point we would have expected that they would have followed the movement of God and rushed into battle, trusting that God would go ahead of them. But singing? That is pretty weird.

This story has got to be one of the most dramatic illustrations of the importance of keeping focus and not becoming distracted by circumstances. When Joshua defeated Jericho, at least the people were marching around the city in a war-like stance. When Gideon defeated the Midianites, at least the 300 were surrounding the enemy and blew horns. When David killed the giant, at least he threw a rock. All of these stories show trust in the hand of God to defeat an enemy, but they also show that the people were engaged in a warlike stance. In this story, the stakes are raised even higher. Not only are the people not rushing into battle, they are not even poising for it. The "frontline" is not the strong infantry, it is the worship team!

Just like Judah, even though we may be at peace with God and are authentically walking in His ways, there are always enemies on our borders that seek to invade us and do us harm. The old sins that were cast out when Jesus established His kingdom have cousins on the border who are seeking vengeance. The adversary would like nothing more than to find your weak spot and send his villainous marauders to terrorize your heart.

Here are some observations from today’s story that will help us in our on-going battle with this ever-present threat.

1. Be alarmed! Jehoshaphat was alarmed when the invaders were approaching. We must have our antennae up for danger. To be alarmed is to be at a heightened state of alert. It is not the same as being fearful. Fear means weakness. Alarm means readiness. Jesus said to "watch," David said to guard your heart. As soon as we are no longer alarmed, and are overcome with complacency, that is when the invaders can stroll in through the front gate and take over without a fight.

2. Seek God. The first thing Jehoshaphat led the people to do was to fall down before God and ask for his help, admitting that they were not strong enough to fight the battle. We must realize from the get-go that we do not have the strength, power, or wisdom to defeat this enemy. Many times Christians who have experienced God’s victory in the past can start to believe that, because of that experience, they are now equipped to take on the enemy on their own. Big mistake. We must always remember that any victory that is won is because of the power of God flowing through us. He is the source of strength, we are the conduit. Our job is to keep the conduit clean, not to become the source of strength ourselves. When we let our pride puff us up, thinking we have what it takes, that is when the enemy knocks us down.

3. Face the enemy. God told Judah to go to the battle field and confidently face the enemy. Many times we try to hide from the enemy. We run away by denying that we are even being attacked. When you study the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18) you will realize that all the armor is in the front. The back is exposed. When you turn and run in fear you will probably get shot in the back. We cannot be afraid or live in denial of the battle that we face every day. We must look sin right in the eye and call it what it is. "Bitterness, I see you standing there. Envy, I know your name. Unforgiveness, fear, self-indulgence, lust; I see you all, and I stand against you in the power of God, and I am not afraid."

4. Forget the fight. Here is the real key to winning these battles. You don’t have to fight. What you have to do is immerse yourself in the presence of God through praise and prayer. When we worship God, when we submit everything in our lives to Him and lay them down at His feet as a sacrificial offering to bring glory to Him, then we are surrounded by His glory and the power that comes through His presence. When the enemy invades a worshipping heart they are blown away by the presence of God’s glory and are sent scurrying in mass confusion like so many cock roaches that are exposed to the light. They are sent into a self-destructive frenzy and they kill themselves, leaving you with nothing but blessing and victory.

May we never take our eyes off of God. Let us engage in daily, moment by moment, authentic worship of Him, and experience the victory over our enemies that God has promised to those who would humbly submit to His loving power.

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23Feb/100

Week 8 Day 2 – A Pattern of Worship

Numbers 28:1-29:40

We have discussed this point once before in the devotionals when we were studying Leviticus. As with all core truths, repetition is a good thing. There are two observations that can be made from these two chapters.

1. A relationship with God and with others requires sacrifice. We must not forget that core truth. Of course, in our day, we are not referring to the blood bath of killing animals. Today, it is because of Jesus’ final sacrifice of Himself that we are free from the system of animal sacrifice. Yet, when Jesus proclaimed the Kingdom of God and lifted the external code of Moses, He did not set us free to run around under our own libertarian indulgences. Quite the contrary. When Jesus proclaimed the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7, He intensified the Law of Moses and transferred it from the external law of ritual washings and animal sacrifice to the internal law of the heart, demanding the sacrifice of self from the citizens of the Kingdom. If we are going to have a right relationship with God and with each other, then we are going to have to sacrifice our own selfish ambition and self-serving desires on the altar. We are going to have to be willing to say, "Father, this is YOUR kingdom and I am your servant, I am your child. What would YOU like me to do today?"

2. The frequency and pattern of sacrifice is significant. Notice how the pattern works.

Daily sacrifice. Every day we should get up...and die. When your eyes open in the morning your thoughts should be, "Good morning, Lord? How can I serve you today?" For most of us, the typical first thought of the day is, "Oh Lord, its morning! How can I get 5 more minutes of sleep?" If we will set aside time each day, as a spiritual discipline, to clear our minds, confess our sin, soak in God’s Word, and be filled with His Spirit -- sacrificing ourselves on the altar -- then we will be able to overflow all day with the grace and the Kingdom of God.
Weekly Sabbaths. Once a week it is important to observe a Sabbath day in community. One of the biggest traps of our society is to believe that our spiritual life is a private affair between us and God. This is not true. We were created to be in community. The two major purposes for the Sabbath were to 1) create space for the individual -- regardless of social status -- to experience rest and re-creation; to create balance in the hectic pace of life. 2) to create space for community to happen among the people of God. God knew that, left to our own devices, we would tend to fill our lives with busy-ness and view people as objects to be manipulated for our personal ends. With the creation of a community Sabbath, everyone can come together on equal ground, with no time pressures, take a deep breath, and begin the awkward process of getting to know one another. This is why the letter to the Hebrews says, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25)
Seasonal Celebrations. God knew that humans need variety. When life becomes monotonous we can tend to drift into apathy. God created the year with seasons. There are seasons of intense work and there are seasons of rest and contemplation. Peppered throughout the year there are special celebrations that keep us connected to the key historical events that define our communal identity. As Christians we celebrate the birth of Jesus at Christmas. In the spring we celebrate both the Passover and the Resurrection of the Passover Lamb, Jesus Christ, at Easter. Throughout the year there are special days, like Thanksgiving, to stop, reflect, and celebrate. Don’t underestimate the significance of these special celebrations.

Evaluate your own schedule and see if your offerings are taking precedent as "big rocks" or "A-1" events in your life. Or, are these the optional, squeeze-them-in-when-you-have-a-chance activities. This pattern of offerings is not intended to be an oppressive burden of "have to or else" legalism. The purpose of these offerings is to give us a support structure of activities that will create adequate space in our lives to allow the Holy Spirit to do His work in us and cultivate the growth of the Kingdom of God in our hearts.

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12Feb/100

Week 6 Day 5 – Special Jobs

Numbers 2:1-4:49

In today’s reading we see the practical side of a worshipping community. Up to this point in Exodus and Leviticus the people have been instructed concerning the worship of God through burnt offering and cleansing rituals. The worship of God revolved around the tent called the Tabernacle.

Now, let’s put this into perspective. The book of Leviticus was not a story (with the exception of the brothers toasted). Leviticus was the Law itself. The story left off at the base of Mount Sinai where Moses had a close encounter of the Divine Kind. Now, at the beginning of Numbers the story is about to continue. Do you remember what is happening in the story? God had promised to Abraham that He would give him the land of Canaan. The Israelites were currently a mobile nation, on the move to the Promised Land, being led by the pillar of cloud/fire, and being fed by manna.

So, what does this mobility mean for worship? It means that somebody had to pack up the Tabernacle and transport it to the next camping site. How do you transport the Most Holy Place that is never to be seen or touched? God had to set aside people to be God’s tent movers. This was probably hard, physical, and tedious labor. Every time the pillar started moving, the Levites would have to kick into gear, tear down the tent, carefully pack it up, physically carry it to wherever the pillar landed, unpack it, set it up, and then begin proper worship again.

Here are some observations about this process that can have application to us:

The people of God were mobile, flexible, and ready to move whenever the pillar led them.
It was the pillar that dictated when they moved, how far they would travel, and where they would stop. God led, not the people.
There was hard, physical, and unglamorous work involved whenever God led them out.
God appointed certain people to certain tasks. Each section of the community had their specific task, and if each player did their part then the whole community would be able to move without any problem. This seems to be a similar image to the New Testament analogy of the people of God being the body of Christ. Each person has a part in the body. No part is higher or lower than another. All parts are necessary to the health and functionality of the community.

Today, ask yourself a) am I open to God leading me wherever and whenever He wants? b) do I know what part of the body I play?

As with the Tabernacle, there are many roles to play in the body of Christ and in being a worshipping community. In a place of worship—whether a house church or a cathedral—there are physical things that need to be done in order to create a re-creative space. Facilities need to be cleaned, food needs to be prepared, children need to be watched and taught, and kitchens need to be cleaned. It’s not glamorous, but it is worship. So, the next time you are doing your "family chore" remember the Levites as they were rolling up the Tabernacle tent and hoisting it on their shoulders for the long walk. As a community, we all pitch in and do our part so that God can be glorified, we can be edified, and the Kingdom of God can have space in which to grow in our lives and in our neighborhoods.

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27Jan/100

Week 4 Day 3 – The Architecture of Glory

Exodus 25:1-27:19

You may be thinking, "why in the world did we devote an entire day to studying some verbal blueprints for a tent that was used to worship God in an outdated, Old Testament system? Aren’t we Christians who are free from the Law and free to worship God in Spirit and Truth, no longer bound by the physical space of a place?" True, we are. Jesus said so in John 4. However, as we will see throughout the study of Exodus and Leviticus, if we will pay attention to the tabernacle we can learn some important lessons that may have direct impact on our experience of God today.

First, we need to understand that God has given the Christian reader of the Old Testament a "decoder ring" to help us make sense out of the intricate details of the tabernacle. This decoder ring is the letter to the Hebrews. Hebrews 9-10 especially explain that God intentionally had Moses construct this physical space called the Tabernacle in order to give a concrete analogy to the cosmic work that Jesus would ultimately do for us in the Spiritual realm. The writer of Hebrews says,

"When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, He went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; He entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence." (Hebrews 9:11, 24)

For our purposes today, we need to focus in on the fact that, in some way, the tabernacle represented a certain reality about 1) the presence of God, and 2) how a human being could come into the presence of God.

There were three basic sections to the temple: the outer court where the altar of burnt sacrifice and the basin of washing was placed, the Holy Place where the lampstand and the table were placed, and the Most Holy Place (aka Holy of Holies) where the ark of the covenant was placed behind the thick curtain.

The outer court. The people were allowed into this area. Here they brought their sacrifices to be slaughtered and burnt on the altar to pay for their sins. (We’ll talk more about that bloodbath in Leviticus).

The Holy Place. Only the priests were allowed into this rectangular room. After having cleansed themselves in the basin of water just outside the door, the priests were allowed in the Holy Place where they could keep the flames of the lampstand burning and make sure the Bread of Presence was nice and fresh.

The Most Holy Place. Behind a very thick embroidered curtain was the ark of the covenant -- the place that represented the very presence of God Himself. No one was allowed in this room except one man, the High Priest. He was only allowed in this room one day a year, on the Day of Atonement. On that fearsome day, the High Priest would stick his arm in behind the curtain, wave a censor of incense around until the chamber was filled with a thick smoke so that he wouldn’t be able to really see the place of God, then he would step in and sprinkle the room with the blood of a perfect lamb to pay for the sins of the entire nation that year. If he touched the ark, he would die.

As New Testament Christians we know that Jesus is our High Priest and that when He died the curtain to the Holy of Holies was torn in two, allowing all people access into the presence of God. And yet, I think we need to be aware that coming into the presence of God is not as flippant or as easy as we sometimes make it out to be. Perhaps if we look at the three sections of the tabernacle as three phases that we need to go through in order to fully come into God’s presence it would enhance our experience of worship. These three phases can be applied both to your personal Quiet Worship of God and to a worship gathering.

Phase One: Care and Share OR A Messy Mash of Blood and Guts
When we begin to come into God’s presence we need to be aware of the fact that we are carrying tons of baggage with us that we have acquired during the battle of living in this dark world. We have sins that we have committed that are weighing down our conscience and causing interference in our relationship with God and with others. We have wounds that have been inflicted on us and wounds we have inflicted on others. We have fears, and worries, and pride, envy, arrogance, etc, etc. When we gather together we need to dump all the baggage. In this phase of a worship gathering it is good to spend time talking to one another and sharing prayer requests, confessing sins, and repairing damaged relationships. We need to take our baggage and our own human pride and slit its throat, strike a match of surrender, and watch it all get consumed in the fires of selfless sacrifice. Then we can be cleansed in the basin of God’s grace and forgiveness and walk into the next room.

Phase Two: Prayer and Prepare OR The Spirit and the Word
In the Holy Place there were two things: the lampstand with seven lamps and the table on which was set the bread of Presence. In our worship experience these two things must be present before the full presence of God can be entered and experienced. On the one hand we have the 7-flamed lampstand. Throughout scripture (especially in Revelation) the Holy Spirit is described as a fire and as the sevenfold Spirit. In our worship we must be open and aware of the fact that it is only in the supra-rational power of the Holy Spirit that we can even be standing in God’s Presence. It is the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives that allows us to love each other, to understand God’s Word, and to love God. The Spirit is like a flame. He flickers and dances and gives off energy, but He can’t be touched. He is Spirit. He is the power, the energy, and the breath of God for our lives.

The second thing in the room is the Bread of Presence. Jesus said that man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Jesus also said that He was the bread of life. John said that Jesus was the Word that became flesh. So, this Bread of Presence in our worship experience is the concrete, objective Word of God that was revealed in the person of Jesus Christ. We have access to this objective revelation of God’s Word through the study of the Bible. More simply put, the study of the Bible is a vital part of the worship experience.

There is a wonderful balancing act going on in this room. On the one hand you have the pure energy of the free flowing Spirit. On the other hand you have the objective revelation of the physical Word of God. To truly experience God’s presence in Worship we need to keep these two elements in balance. We are energized by the Spirit and we are instructed by the Word. We can’t have one without the other. In our worship gatherings we need to study the Bible intensely and let the Spirit do with that in us what He will.

Phase Three: Stare OR Stand In Awe and Focus completely on God
Now that we have dumped our baggage so that we aren’t focused on ourselves, and have been further focused by the objective Word and the illuminating Spirit, we can humbly, selflessly, come into the presence of God. In this place it is all about Him. Here is where we give praise and adoration as we sing out, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come." In this third phase of worship we give to God and tell Him how much we love Him. It’s all about Him; the focus should never be on us. And then, just like Moses, when he would meet with God on the mountain or in the Tent, the radiance of God will ignite our radiance and we will shine before men.

A Worship Challenge. Many times we distort the worship experience and get stuck in either phase one or phase two. Some of us come to worship and make it all about us. "This is my pain today, pray for me." That’s great in phase one. Bring your pain; share your burdens with your brothers and sisters in the church, prayer for one another. But then, dump it! Yet we often carry this self-focus into the next two phases and continue to have a spirit that says, "This is what I think the Bible means. This is what MY experience of God is. This is how I have given my life to God and how God has worked in MY life." While it is God talk, it is not God focused. It still brings all eyes in the room back to the person. In phase three our language and our behavior should be God focused. We are talking to Him about Him. We are offering up praise and glory to Him and Him alone. This is a supra-rational, experiential place where all eyes are focused on the glory and majesty of God and God alone. So, the next time you enter into a worship circle, see if following this progression enhances your true experience of the presence of God.

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