“And God said, ‘I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’” Exodus 3:12 (NIV) How’s your worship? Is God the object of your affection and the recipient of your relentless pursuit? God wants you to worship Him and no other. God wants you to display your love and affection for Him both in private worship and in public worship. Moses encountered God at the burning bush. This divine appointment was a life-changing experience for Moses. God provided Moses with the blessing of an Egyptian upbringing and now God is teaching Moses some things in the desert that he couldn’t learn in the palace. God reveals Himself to Moses. Moses comes to know God in His holiness and righteousness. God instructs Moses to deliver the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and to bring them to the mountain to worship God corporately. God demands our worship. God deserves our worship. Spend some time in private worshiping God for who He is. Express your love to God by praising Him. Make a commitment to take your private worship to church. Join other believers in public worship. Seek to express your love to God with fellow believers in worship just like you do in your private worship. God alone is worthy of your worship and your praise! Assess your worship. Is your private worship consistent and persistent? Do you draw near to God? How’s your public worship? Are you joining other believers in a weekly celebration of God’s Presence? Do you give God your best in your expression of worship? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor (This devotional was originally posted in ’07 or ’08. I’m taking a break from writing for a season of personal renewal.) Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
Category: Worship
“‘Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.’” John 4:23-24 (NIV) In His interaction with the woman at the well, Jesus confronted the reality of her relational choices. She shifted the focus of their conversation from her personal life to the subject of religion. She expressed her views on worship. Her theology of worship centered on the place of worship rather than the purpose of worship. Jesus defined true worshipers as those who worship the Father in spirit and truth. Religion is not sufficient to develop a person into a true worshiper. In fact, just as a flu shot will give you just enough of the flu to keep you from getting the real thing, religion can inoculate you from developing a vibrant love relationship with God. Religion, ritual, and routine are not adequate. Without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a person cannot become a true worshiper of the living God. Once you become a follower of Christ, you are to become the kind of worshiper the Father seeks. Express your love to God through personal and corporate worship. Ascribe worth to God by making Him your top priority and embracing Him as the object of your affection. Are you the kind of worshiper the Father seeks? Do you worship in spirit and in truth? Do you go to church to worship or do you go to church worshiping? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor Follow me on twitter at: http://twitter.com/stephentrammell
“And God said, ‘I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’” Exodus 3:12 (NIV) How’s your worship? Is God the object of your affection and the recipient of your relentless pursuit? God wants you to worship Him and no other. God wants you to display your love and affection for Him both in private worship and in public worship. Moses encountered God at the burning bush. This divine appointment was a life-changing experience for Moses. God provided Moses with the blessing of an Egyptian upbringing and now God is teaching Moses some things in the desert that he couldn’t learn in the palace. God reveals Himself to Moses. Moses comes to know God in His holiness and righteousness. God instructs Moses to deliver the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and to bring them to the mountain to worship God corporately. God demands our worship. God deserves our worship. Spend some time in private worshiping God for who He is. Express your love to God by praising Him. Make a commitment to take your private worship to church. Join other believers in public worship. Seek to express your love to God with fellow believers in worship just like you do in your private worship. God alone is worthy of your worship and your praise! Assess your worship. Is your private worship consistent and persistent? Do you draw near to God? How’s your public worship? Are you joining other believers in a weekly celebration of God’s Presence? Do you give God your best in your expression of worship? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.” Psalms 29:2 (NIV) Don’t worship your work! Let your work be an act of worship. You have a choice. You can treat worship as a noun or a verb. As a noun, worship becomes something you go to on Sunday mornings in a building incorrectly referred to as the church. As a verb, worship becomes something you do twenty-four-seven-three-sixty-five. Worship becomes a lifestyle. Instead of going to church to worship, you become the church worshiping. What would be different about your workplace if you embraced worship as a verb? What would be different about your attitude and actions related to work if you began to turn your work into an act of worship? The heart of God is moved by how you work just as much as how you express your worship to Him on Sunday mornings in the corporate worship setting. Your work matters to God. Your workplace matters to God. Turning your work into an act of worship will be one of the most important decisions you will make on this side of eternity. Allow your worship to be a witness at work. There are individuals who need to know the One you worship. Until they have a personal relationship with Jesus, they will not have the hope of heaven and eternal life. Bring your worship with you to work. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Categories
Exit Strategy
“There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem.” Luke 2:36-38 (NIV) Anna embraced worship as a lifestyle. Night and day she fasted and prayed and worshiped in the temple. When Anna came up to Mary and Joseph, she gave thanks to God for Jesus. She brought glory to God and allowed her encounter with Jesus to affect her vocal chords. In response to her encounter, she spoke about Jesus to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Israel. She had something worth sharing with others. What if you left the corporate worship experience speaking to others about Jesus and the redemption He provides? What if worship became a lifestyle for you and you embraced an exit strategy? Whether you are exiting a private worship experience or a corporate worship environment, your strategy can be to activate your vocal chords to express the amazing life-changing message of Jesus. Not only is our worship a witness to others, but our worship should result in witnessing to others through verbal interaction. Our speech should be intentional and eternal in response to encountering the Living God. When we worship God as He deserves and allow Him to form us and fashion us for His glory, we will not be able to resist telling His story. In Christ, we have a story worth sharing and a life worth living. What’s your exit strategy? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Categories
Seeker Sensitive
“Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.” John 4:23 (NIV) Have you ever encountered God’s Presence in a personal and powerful way in corporate worship with other believers? Then, as you exit the worship environment someone comments to you that he or she just didn’t get anything out of that worship service. How can that be? You had a personal encounter with the Living God in corporate worship and another person in the same environment was totally oblivious to the Presence of God. You find what you look for. When you attend a worship service to critique the environment, the music, or the preaching, you totally miss the purpose of worship. Worship is not about you. Worship is about God. God is seeking true worshipers. God is the Seeker! God is looking for people who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. What if worship became a lifestyle for you and you became the kind of worshiper the Father seeks? Maybe this Sunday you could enter the corporate worship environment with a clear focus to be the kind of worship the Father seeks. During your worship experience, ask yourself, “Am I currently being the kind of worshiper the Father seeks?” Let’s pray about this. Father, help us to be sensitive to You as the Seeker. Enable us to embrace worship as a lifestyle and to recognize that You are seeking true worshipers. Elevate our Seeker sensitivity. May our focus be on You and may our passion be to become the kind of worshipers that move Your heart. We love You, Lord, and desire that you become the object of our affection and devotion. We pray this in Jesus’ Name, amen. Be Seeker sensitive! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Col 3:17 (NIV) You have the power to conceal or reveal God’s glory. God reveals His glory to you as you worship Him privately and corporately. Whether you encounter God personally through private worship or in a setting with other believers, God reveals His glory. He wants you know His nature and His character. God wants you to come to know Him by experience. As God reveals Himself to you, your relationship deepens. Your understanding of God’s purposes and ways grows as you spend time with Him. The question becomes: What are you going to do with what God reveals to you? Are you going to conceal His glory or reveal His glory? Authentic worship is a lifestyle. It is not what you come to on Sunday morning or what you go away from on Sunday afternoon. Worship is living a life that honors God as you are doing life. Everything you do should be an act of worship. Even menial tasks can be used to reveal God’s glory. “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship.” Romans 12:1 (NIV) “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10:31 (NIV) God will orchestrate opportunities today for you to reveal His glory to others. What will others come to know about God’s nature and character through your willingness to reveal His glory? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Col 3:16 (NIV) It is possible to worship the act of worship. When you become consumed with your personal preferences and neglect embracing the true focus of worship, you start worshiping worship. Often we ask the wrong question, “What do I like in worship?” If worshiping God becomes horizontal, the focus shifts to personal preferences. The proper question to ask when it comes to worship is, “What moves the heart of God?” Worship is not about what I like but all about what moves the heart of God. My orientation moves from inward to upward. My focus becomes vertical. Does my expression of worship move the heart of God? Am I singing songs with gratitude in my heart to God? Assess your private worship and your public worship. Think through what you are bringing to the worship experience. Is God the object of your expression of affection? Does God get your best? Put gratitude in your attitude and bring your worship to God. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Categories
Bringing Your Worship (6)
The condition of your heart before God affects your private and public worship. If you want to have a high level of receptivity to God’s Word, your heart must be right before God. Sin will harden your heart towards God. Sin will hinder your capacity to hear from God. “Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:8 (NIV) “The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.’” Isaiah 29:13 (NIV) Keep your heart clean before God. Stay tender. Be teachable. Maintain purity in your thought life. Consistently confess known sin and live a life of moral purity. Surrender daily to the Lordship of Christ and do not give the devil a foothold in your life. At all costs, do not grieve or quench the Holy Spirit. Ask God to enable you to demonstrate a life of character and integrity. Crucify the flesh. Make no provision for the flesh. Keep your life in check. Weed the flowerbed of your life. Sounds like a commitment to perpetual care doesn’t it? Sin will create an immense deficit in bringing your worship to God. In fact, sin can easily become your worship. Guard your heart! Consecrate yourself before God and allow the light of His holiness to identify areas of your life that need to be surrendered. Bring your worship of God to God with a heart of purity! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“‘But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.’” Matt 13:23 (NIV) There are levels of receptivity. Have you noticed how you can read the Bible during a given season that you are in and then read the same passage of Scripture at another season of life and get something radically different from the very same passage? It has so much to do with your level of receptivity. I have noticed in my own life that when I am going through a season of brokenness, God’s Word captures my heart at a different level. When I am longing for God’s comfort, the Book of Psalms comes alive for me. When I am in need of direction and insight for a decision I need to make, Proverbs just delivers with clarity. If I am simply wanting to become more like Christ in how I treat others, reading the Gospels develops in me a new perspective on viewing others through the eyes of Christ. The condition of your heart directly affects the level of revelation that takes root in your life. When your heart resembles the hard path, the thorny ground, or the rocky ground, your level of receptivity to God’s Word diminishes exponentially. Here’s the good news: your heart can resemble good soil. Your heart can be tender and receptive to God’s Word and yield a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown. Your intake of God’s Word can be beneficial, productive, and life changing if the condition of your heart is right. Let’s explore this some more… Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.” Col 3:16 (NIV) Is God’s Word at home in your heart? Your intake of God’s Word will determine your level of living on mission with God. The primary tool of revelation that God uses for His children is the Bible. God reveals Himself through His Word. You can read the Bible. You can listen to the Bible. You can sit under the preaching and teaching of God’s Word. “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can they preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’” Romans 10:14-15 (NIV) “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” 2 Tim 2:15 (NIV) Your worship includes the intentional intake of God’s Word. God has appointed and anointed pastors and teachers to communicate His Word in a creative and compelling way. Are you currently sitting under that kind of preaching and teaching? God speaks through human instrumentality. Do you consistently receive a Word from God through the preaching and teaching that you are exposing yourself to? There are many options out there. Make certain that you are connected to a Bible centered and Christ honoring local fellowship of believers led by a God fearing pastor. Don’t compromise on this one. Be sure to find anointed Bible teachers to help you grow in your understanding and application of God’s Word. Make room in your heart for God’s Word! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 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.” Heb 10:23-25 (NIV) God desires a common expression of our worship to Him. You were made to worship God. Your private worship nurtures and expresses your abiding relationship with Christ. Your public worship with other believers is the common expression of worship. God is not looking for every believer to express worship the exact same way. God wants you to express your worship to Him based on your unique personality and temperament. What does your public worship look like? How do you express your love to God in worship during a public gathering of believers? Are you reserved or outwardly expressive? Do you use physical gestures such as raising your hands in surrender or standing or kneeling? Does your corporate worship environment help you connect with God in worship or does it inhibit your worship? I have often heard that you are not to come to church to worship, but to come to church worshiping. The corporate worship experience should be an outflow of your daily private worship experiences. The question then becomes: Are you bringing your worship to church? Spend some time assessing the difference between your private and public worship. When do you feel most connected to God? When do you sense the most freedom and the most passion in expressing your love to God in worship? Maybe a worthy goal would be to bring your public worship up to where your private worship is or to bring your private worship up to where your public worship is depending on which one is more engaging. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“‘Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.’” John 15:4 (NIV) To nurture an abiding relationship with Christ involves a daily experience. Your private worship is vital to having an ongoing vibrant love relationship with Christ. Are you growing in your daily intimacy with God? It takes time to develop intimacy. You may say that you just don’t have enough time to fit private worship into your schedule. The reality is that we make space for that which we value. Do you value intimacy with God? Are you willing to plan for and prepare for a daily experience with God? If you go on a business trip or on a family vacation, you prepare for it. If you are anticipating a major exam in school or fulfilling a commitment to teach a small group Bible study, you prepare for it. The same is true in our daily walk with God. To have a meaningful and productive daily experience with God, you treat it as something you value and treasure. You prepare for your daily intimacy with God. If my private worship time alone with God is important, then how should I prepare for it? Select a time each day when you are at your best. Find a physical location that enhances your experience with God. If you enjoy nature, then plan to have your quiet time outdoors. If you enjoy soft music playing as you spend time with God, then have the music ready for the moment. If you prefer solitude, then search for that room or closet or other environment that will provide that kind of atmosphere. Have a Bible reading plan in place whether it is to read through the Bible in one year, read one chapter, or read a few verses each day. Choose to jot down insights gleaned from your reading time. Reflect on what God is saying to you. Spend time in prayer sharing your heart with God and listening for His voice. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.” 1 John 5:11-13 (NIV) To have a dynamic worship experience, you must have a personal encounter. Do you have the Son? If you have the Son, then you have eternal life. So, how do you get the Son? The Bible teaches that belief in the completed work of Jesus on the cross is essential for salvation. “That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10 (NIV) “Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” 1 Peter 1:8-9 (NIV) Do you believe in the Person and work of Jesus on the cross? Jesus paid full price for your salvation so that you can know Him personally and eternally. Once you have a personal love relationship with Jesus, you have the wonderful privilege of worshiping Him. Express your love to Jesus in worship for who He is and for what He has done. Your personal encounter with Christ at salvation opens the door for you to experience the dynamic worship of Christ. Express your worship to God for sending Jesus to your rescue. Rejoice in the personal encounter with Christ that changed your forever! Eternity in Heaven is your reality. Abundant life on earth is your blessing in Christ. Bring your worship of Him to Him! Jesus is worthy! Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“And God said, ‘I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.’” Exodus 3:12 (NIV) How’s your worship? Is God the object of your affection and the recipient of your relentless pursuit? God wants you to worship Him and no other. God wants you to display your love and affection for Him both in private worship and in public worship. Moses encountered God at the burning bush. This divine appointment was a life-changing experience for Moses. God provided Moses with the blessing of an Egyptian upbringing and now God is teaching Moses some things in the desert that he couldn’t learn in the palace. God reveals Himself to Moses. Moses comes to know God in His holiness and righteousness. God instructs Moses to deliver the children of Israel out of Egyptian bondage and to bring them to the mountain to worship God corporately. God demands our worship. God deserves our worship. Spend some time in private worshiping God for who He is. Express your love to God by praising Him. Make a commitment to take your private worship to church. Join other believers in public worship. Seek to express your love to God with fellow believers in worship just like you do in your private worship. God alone is worthy of your worship and your praise! Assess your worship. Is your private worship consistent and persistent? Do you draw near to God? How’s your public worship? Are you joining other believers in a weekly celebration of God’s Presence? Do you give God your best in your expression of worship? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
“‘Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.’” John 4:23-24 (NIV) In His interaction with the woman at the well, Jesus confronted the reality of her relational choices. She shifted the focus of their conversation from her personal life to the subject of religion. She expressed her views on worship. Her theology of worship centered on the place of worship rather than the purpose of worship. Jesus defined true worshipers as those who worship the Father in spirit and truth. Religion is not sufficient to develop a person into a true worshipper. In fact, just as a flu shot will give you just enough of the flu to keep you from getting the real thing, religion can inoculate you from developing a vibrant love relationship with God. Religion, ritual, and routine are not adequate. Without a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, a person cannot become a true worshipper of the living God. Are you the kind of worshipper the Father seeks? Do you worship in spirit and in truth? Do you go to church to worship or do you go to church worshipping? Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Executive Pastor
Turn your work into an act of worship. Don’t worship your work! Let your work be an act of worship. You have a choice. You can treat worship as a noun or a verb. As a noun, worship becomes something you go to on Sunday mornings in a building incorrectly referred to as the church. As a verb, worship becomes something you do twenty-four-seven-three-sixty-five. Worship becomes a lifestyle. Instead of going to church to worship, you become the church worshipping. “Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.” Psalms 29:2 (NIV) What would be different about your workplace is you embraced worship as a verb? What would be different about your attitude and actions related to work if you began to turn your work into an act of worship? The heart of God is moved by how you work just as much as how you express your worship to Him on Sunday mornings in the corporate worship setting. Your work matters to God. Your workplace matters to God. Turning your work into an act of worship will be one of the most important decisions you will make on this side of eternity. Pursuing God, Stephen Trammell Pastor of Leadership and Pastoral Care