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Sunday, October 7, 2012

NAMNA MWANAMKE ANAVYOWEZA KUTUMIA NAFASI ZAKE KUBADILISHA MAISHA YA NDOA YAKE


Mithali 14: 1 ‘Kila mwanamke aliye na hekima hujenga nyumba yake; Bali aliye mpumbavu huibomoa kwa mikono yake mwenyewe’.
Mchungaji mmoja rafiki yangu aliniambia asilimia hamsini mpaka sabini ya changamoto au matatizo anayoshughulika nayo mara kwa mara katika kanisa lake ni ya wanandoa. Kwa lugha nyepesi asilimia 50 – 70 ni matatizo yatokanayo au yanayohusiana na ndoa. Binafsi pia kwa upande wangu kupitia nafasi yangu katika mwili wa Kristo, email za wasomaji ninazopata na pia baadhi ya semina za ndoa ambazo nimefanya kuhusu eneo hili nimegundua kwa hakika ndoa nyingi za wana wa Mungu zina shida na wao hawajajua kwamba vita hii inatoka kwa Shetani, maana anajua ndoa zikitengamaa ni faida kwa ufalme wa Mungu na ni uharibifu kwenye ufalme wake wa giza. Naam anapigana usiku na mchana ili kuhakikisha ndoa hazitengamai kwa kuleta fujo za kila aina.
Kila siku katika ndoa kuna changamoto zinazaliwa mpaka imefika mahala baadhi ya wanandoa wanawaza kwa nini walikubali kuoa au kuolewa. Kwa hakika laiti Biblia ingetoa mwanya kwa wanandoa kuachana basi kuna baadhi ya wanandoa wangehakikisha wanaitumia hiyo nafasi vizuri kwa kuwa ndoa zimegeuka ndoano. Matarajio ambayo kila mmoja alikuwa nayo kwenye ndoa anaona hayatimii. Kinachosumbua watu wengi ni kwamba kabla hawajaonana hawakujua nini kinakuja kupitia ndoa, hawakuweza kuona uhalisia wa maisha ya ndoa utakuwaje? Bali kila mmoja alikuwa na mtazamo/fikra na matarajio yake binafsi juu ya ndoa yake.
Naam zipo sababu nyingi sana zinazopelekea matatizo au changamoto kwa wanandoa. Katika somo hili nitaandika zaidi zile zinazotokana na upinzani kutoka kwa Shetani ili kuathiri kusudi la Mungu. Lengo la ujumbe huu ni kukufundisha wewe mama (Mwanandoa) namna ya kuzitumia ‘nafasi’ ambazo Mungu amekupa Kibiblia ili kuiponya ndoa yako au kubadilisha hali ya sasa ya ndoa yako endapo unaona si ile ambayo Mungu amekusudia.
Kwa nini Mwanamke?
Pengine utaniuliza kwa nini mwanamke ndiye awajibike katika kuponya au kubadilisha maisha ya ndoa yake? Binafsi katika kuisoma Biblia nimegundua kwamba kwa kuzingatia nafasi ambazo mwanamke amepewa kibiblia ni ishara ya kwamba kwa habari ya  ndoa, Mwanamke ana nafasi kubwa ya kuijenga au kuibomoa ndoa yake na hivyo nyumba yake kwa ujumla. Mara kwa mara Mungu ananifundisha masuala ya wanawake, suala la wanawake kuwa kwenye ‘nafasi zao’ husisitizwa sana.
Kwa nini nafasi?
Sijui kama unafahamu maana ya nafasi ambayo Mungu anampa mtu katika ulimwengu wa roho. Hizi ni nafasi ambazo Mungu amekupa wewe mawanamke katika ulimwengu wa roho ili uzitumie kufanikisha kusudi lake kupitia ndoa yako. Nafasi (position) ni eneo ambalo mtu anapaswa kuwepo kwa kuhusianisha na vitu au watu wengine, naam ni wadhifa ambao mtu anakuwa nao kwa kuhusianisha na mtu au watu wengine.
Kwa hiyo hizi ni nafasi ambazo Mungu amempa mwanamke zikihusiana na mwanaume katika kilitumika kusudi la Mungu hapa duniani. Mwanamke anapokuwa amesimama katika nafasi zake ndipo anapoweza kuruhusu mawazo ya Mungu kupitia ndoa yake kutimia naam ndivyo anavyoweza kuzuia mawazo ya Iblisi kupitia ndoa yake yasitimie. Naam nafasi ya mwanamke katika ndoa ndiyo inayoamua uzima au mauti ya ndoa yake, nafasi ndiyo inayopelekea kufanikiwa au kufeli kwa ndoa yake, nafasi ya mwanamke katika ndoa ndio inayoamua nini kingie au kitoke kwenye ndoa.
Katika kusoma kwangu Biblia nimegundua kwamba Mungu amempa nafasi zifuatazo mwanamke;
  • Mwanamke kama ‘msaidizi’ wa mumewe
  • Mwanamke kama ‘mlinzi’ wa mwanaume
  • Mwanamke kama ‘mjenzi’ wa nyumba yake
  • Mwanamke kama ‘mshauri’ wa mumewe
  • Mwanamke kama ‘mleta kibali’ kwa mumewe
Naam kutokana na changamoto zinazoendelea katika ndoa mbalimbali nimelazimika kuanza kuandaa mfululizo huu wa namna mwanamke anavyoweza kusimama kwenye nafasi zake na kuiponya ndoa yake. Jukumu langu kubwa itakuwa ni kufafanua kila nafasi ambayo mwanamke amepewa na namna anavyoweza kuitumia hiyo nafasi kubadilisha ndoa yake ambayo anaona inaangamia.

THAMANI YA KIFO CHA YESU PALE MSALABANI


Ni muhimu sana kukumbuka kwamba Yesu alikufa pale msalabani kwa sababu kubwa mbili moja ni ili kurejesha mahusiano ya Mungu na mtu kwa lengo la kumsaidia mtu aishi hapa duniani kwa kusudi la Mungu na pili ili tupate wokovu na kisha kuurithi uzima wa milele.
Biblia katika kitabu cha Mathayo 26:53-54 inasema ‘Ama wadhani ya kuwa mimi siwezi kumsihi Baba yangu, naye ataniletea sasa hivi zaidi ya majeshi kumi na mawili ya malaika? Yatatimizwaje basi maandiko, ya kwamba hivyo ndivyo vilivyopasa kujiri?’ Kutokana na andiko hili ni vema tukajifunza kwamba;
  • Upendo wake (Yesu) ndio uliomsukuma kuyatoa maisha yake kwa ajili yetu
  • Yesu alikuwa na uwezo wa kuangamiza askari waliokuja kumkamata, lakini hakufanya hivyo ili andiko/kusudi la Mungu lipate kutimizwa.
  • Ndani ya ufahamu wa Bwana Yesu kulikuwa na mwanadamu, ndio maana kwa kuangalia ‘future’ ya mwanadamu na kusudi la uumbaji wa Mungu ilimlazimu kupitia njia ngumu ya msalaba ili atupate mimi na wewe.
Naam ndugu zangu tujiulize, ni upendo wa namna gani wa mtu kuutoa uhai wake kwa ajili ya rafiki zake. Biblia inasema katika kitabu cha Waebrania 2:1-3 Kwa hiyo imetupasa kuyaangalia zaidi hayo yaliyosikiwa tusije tukayakosa. Kwa maana ikiwa lile lililonenwa na malaika lilikuwa imara, na kila kosa na uasi ulipata ujira wa haki, sisi je! Tutapataje kupona, tusipojali wakovu mkuu namna hii? Ambao kwanza ulinenwa na Bwana, kisha ukathibitika kwetu na wale waliosikia’

Katika kuendelea kuonyesha thamani ya kifo cha Yesu pale msalabani Yohana naye aliandika akasema ‘Kwa maana jinsi hii Mungu aliupenda ulimwengu, hata  akamtoa Mwanawe pekee, ila kila mtu amwaminiye asipotee, bali awe na uzima wa milele. Maana Mungu hakumtuma mwana ulimwenguni ili auhukumu ulimwengu, bali ulimwengu uokolewe katika yeye’ Yohana 3:16-17.
Jambo la muhimu ni kwamba Bwana Yesu hayuko kaburini tena, naam alikufa na kufufuka ili awalete wengi kwenye ufalme wake. Hivyo basi mpenzi msomaji nakusihi usiichezee neema hii, nakusihi usomapo ujumbe huu wewe ambaye hujaokoka, fanya maamuzi ya kuokoka na wewe unayemjua Mungu maanisha katika wokovu wako.
Twaliabudu na kulisifu jina lako wewe uliyeutoa uhai wako kwa ajili yetu ee Bwana.
Ahsante kwa siku njema ya leo ambayo Bwana umeifanya kwa ajili yetu ee Mungu.
Basi ndugu zangu tunapoadhimisha sherehe hizi za pasaka tusiifanye kazi ya Yesu pale msalabani kuwa ni bure, bali kuanzia sasa tusienende kama wamataifa waendavyo bali kama wana wa nuru.

Maombi.


Maombi kwa njia ya barua pepe.
KARIBU KATIKA KONA HII AMBAYO WEWE MSOMAJI UNAWEZA KUTUMA MAHITAJI YAKO AMBAYO UNGEPENDA TUWEZE KUOMBA KWA PAMOJA. 
kitabu cha 1Yohana 5:14-15 Biblia inasema “Na huu ndio ujasiri tulionao kwake, ya kuwa, tukiomba kitu sawasawa na mapenzi yake, atusikia. 15 Na tukijua kwamba atusikia, tuombacho chote, twajua kwamba tunazo zile haja tulizomwomba .
Mstari huu ndio  ambao utakuwa mstari wetu wa msingi katika Maombezi yetu kwa njia hii ya Barua pepe. Mzee Yohana anatutia Moyo kwa neno hili kwamba  lolote tumuombalo Mungu haijalishi ni kubwa au dogo maadam tukaomba sawasawa na mapenzi ya Mungu basi tuwe  na  uhakika  anatusikia.
Nimeona Mungu akijibu wengi, akifungua waliofungwa na kuponya wengi katika huduma hii . Nawe amini tu, Bwana atafanya njia kwa ajili yako pia.
 Sasa kama unataka tuweze kuomba pamoja na wewe katika shida/ haja yoyote uliyonayo huenda  ndoa, masomo, familia, wazazi, huduma, kanisa, uongozi, Biashara, kazi, watoto, afya yako,nk. Unaweza ukatuma hitaji lako katika anuani ifuatayo  meshacezekiakitova@gmail.com
Na mara utakapotuma, waombaji wa huduma hii pamoja na wasomaji wa blogu hii (endapo utataka washirikishwe au yawe wazi kwa watu wote), basi tutaendelea kuomba pamoja na wewe. Kitu cha muhimu kumbuka mbele za Mungu hakuna jambo lisilowezekana.
Maana anamwambia Yeremia katika Yeremia 32:27 “Tazama mimi ni BWANA Mungu wa wote wenye mwili;je! Kuna neno gumu lolote nisiloliweza?.Sikiliza msomaji mpendwa Hakuna jambo gumu la Kumshinda Bwana.
MUNGU AKUBARIKI, UWE NA IMANI KWAMBA ATAFANYA, MAANA KILA AMWENDEAYE MUNGU LAZIMA  AAMINI KWAMBA YUPO NA KWAMBA HUWAPA THAWABU WAMTAFUTAO

KUFANIKIWA KWA KUSUDI LA MUNGU KUNATEGEMEA NAMNA UNAVYOTUMIA FURSA ULIZOPEWA (Part1) KUFANIKIWA KWA KUSUDI LA MUNGU KUNATKUFANIKIWA KWA KUSUDI LA MUNGU KUNATEGEMEA NAMNA UNAVYOTUMIA FURSA ULIZOPEWA (Part1)


 Naam jifunze kutumia vizuri fursa anazokupa Mungu maishani mwako, ili usiathiri/usikwamishe kusudi la Mungu kwako na kwa wengine”
 Isaya 53:3-6
Kwetu Wakristo majira ya Pasaka ni kipindi cha muhimu maana lengo la Mungu kumtuma Yesu ndiyo lilitimia hapa. Kupitia kifo cha Yesu tumeupata wokovu na ushindi dhidi ya nguvu zote za Shetani. Katika kipindi hiki nimeona ni vema nika-kutafakarisha mstari huu wa Isaya 53:5 unaosema “Bali alijeruhiwa kwa makosa yetu, Alichubuliwa kwa maovu yetu, Adhabu ya amani yetu ilikuwa juu yake, Na kwa kupigwa kwake sisi tumepona”.
 Katika fungu hili la maneno nataka tutazame zaidi sentensi hii inayosema ‘adhabu ya amani yetu ilikuwa juu yake’. Je, umeshawahi kutafakari sentensi hii ina maana gani? Huenda zipo tafsiri nyingi tegemeana na namna unavyotazama na pia unalenga nini katika kujifunza. Baada ya kutafakari sana niligundua mambo mawili yafuatayo;
Jambo la kwanza;
  • Ilimlazimiu Yesu  kuteseka ili sisi tupate amani
Mpenzi msomaji wangu ukweli ni kwamba kwa dhambi zetu ilibidi sisi (wanadamu) kuadhibiwa. Lakini kutokana na upendo wake alikubali kubeba adhabu yetu ili sisi tupate amani.  Yohana 15:3 “Hakuna aliye na upendo mwingi kuliko huu, wa mtu kuutoa uhai wake kwa ajili ya rafiki zake”. Na ni matarajio yake kwamba gharama kubwa ya kifo chake ni kwa ajili yetu tupate amani, na anatarajia tuitumie vizuri amani aliyotuletea tokana na kifo chake.
Wakolosai 1:20 ‘Na kwa yeye kuvipatanisha vitu vyote na nafsi yake, akiisha kufanya amani kwa damu ya msalaba wake’…
Wakolosai1:20 ‘Kwa njia yake Mungu alivipatanisha naye vitu vyote naam, viumbe vyote mbinguni na duniani; alileta amani kwa damu ya Kristo msalabani” (Tafsiri nyingine).
 Jambo la pili;
  • Adhabu yake ilitokana na mwanadamu kutumia vibaya amani aliyopewa/iliyokuwepo.
Moja ya kazi au faida kubwa ya kifo cha Yesu pale msalabani ni “kurejesha/kuleta amani duniani na pili ni kuukomboa wakati ambao ulikuwa umetekwa”. Hii ni kwa sababu mwanadamu alitumia vibaya amani   aliyopewa. Sasa naamini unajua palipo na amani ndipo penye maendeleo. Hivyo tunapoendelea na somo hili naomba itazame amani kama fursa (opportunities) za mtu kufanya vitu/mambo mbalimbali ili afanikiwe. Ili kufanikisha kusudi lake Mungu amemuwekea mwanadamu fursa tofautitofauti ili  azitumie. Ni jikumu la mwanadamu kuzitumia vizuri na akifanya hivyo kusudi la Mungu litatimia kwake na kwa wengine.
 Hebu tutazame  na kujifunza kutoka katika habari hii ya Luka;
  Luka 19:41-44 inasema“Alipofika karibu aliuona mji, akaulilia, akisema, Laiti ungalijua hata wewe ,katika siku hii yapasayo amani, lakini sasa yamefichwa machoni pako, kwa kuwa siku zitakuja, adui zako watakapokujengea boma, likuzunguke, watakuzingira na kukuhusuru pande zote, watakuangusha chini wewe na watoto wako ndani yako, wasikuachie jiwe juu ya jiwe, kwa sababu hukutambua majira ya kujiliwa kwako”.
 Tafsiri nyingine ya Kiswahili inasema “Luka 19:42 inasema: “Laiti ungelijua leo hii yale yaletayo amani... na pia mstari wa 44 inasema …kwa sababu huku-utambua wakati Mungu alipokujia kukuokoa…”
Toleo la ASV mstari wa 42  inasema “If thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes”.                                                                                                      Toleo la DARBY kwenye mstari huo linasemaIf thou hadst known, even thou, even at least in this thy day, the things that are for thy peace: but now they are hid from thine eyes”.
 Sasa kutoka kwenye tafsiri hizi nne utagundua;
 Kilichowaingiza kwenye shida hawa ndugu (mji) ni kutokujua yapasayo/yaletayo amani na pia kutotambua majira ya kujiliwa kwao. Hii ina maana hawakujua amani yao imeshikilwa/inaletwa/inatokana/ inategemea nini?. Kutokujua kwao kuliwafanya washindwe kuidumisha amani iliyokuwepo.  Kwa kifupi Yesu alimaanisha amani yenu imeshikiliwa na vitu fulani ambavyo mnatakiwa kuvilinda, kuvitunza nna kuvizingatia vinginevyo uharibifu mkubwa utawajia. Yesu alitaka wajue amani haiji yenyewe, bali kuna vitu vinavyoileta amani, kuna vitu vimeishikila amani, au hadi amani ije inategemea vitu fulani. Kwa hiyo ni mpaka mvitafute/mvitazame/mvizingatie vinavyoleta au vinavyshikilia amani.
 Hebu soma mstari huu Waebrania 12:114 “Tafuteni kwa bidii kuwa na amani na watu wote…”. Amani yako na watu wengine inategemea vitu fulani, mojawapo ya hivyo vitu au nguzo ni fursa, namna unavyotumia fursa ulizopewa zitaamua amani au mafarakano.
 Sikia kanisa, hawa ndugu hawakujua kwamba amani yao imeshikiliwa na ‘namna wanavyotumia fursa walizopewa’. Wakitumia vizuri amani yao itadumu na wakitumia vibaya amani yao itaondoka. Na hivyo kufanikiwa kwa kusudi la Mungu katika maisha yao kulitegemea namna wanavyotumia fursa walizopewa na Mungu.
 Hata leo, ni kwa sababu ya wanadamu kutokutumia vizuri fursa ambazo Mungu amewapa katika maisha yao ndio maana wanatahiri kusudi la Mungu kwenye maisha yao na kwa wengine. Fursa ambazo Mungu angetegemea zitumike vizuri, watoto wake wanazitumia vibaya na hivyo kukwamisha kazi yake. Kanisa sikia  hakuna kitu Kinamuuma Mungu kama watu kushindwa kutumia vizuri fursa alizowapa”. Jambo hili linamuumiza kiasi cha kumrudisha msalabani mara ya pili. Amani aliyokupa kama fursa kwa wewe kuitumia vibaya inamuingiza kwenye gharama kubwa na kumuumiza sana.

Saturday, October 6, 2012

WAYS TO WORSHIP WITHOUT MUSIC

As you’ll discover as you read through Pastor Rick’s section in The Purpose Driven Life on "You Were Made for God’s Pleasure," worship through music is only a small portion of what true, biblical worship is all about. Worship is the process of surrendering our entire life into God’s hands. Everything we do can – and should -- be an act of worship.
How do we apply that to our life?   God designed us to worship Him with our whole lives. Are there actually spiritual habits that we can build into our lives that help us to worship God more deeply? YES! Here are ten habits than can help build worship into your life on a daily basis.
1. Worship through prayer. We often miss this important component of our prayer life. Think about the issues you usually pray about. How much of our prayer life is about us and how much of it is about God? Without a doubt God wants us to be able to share everything that is going on in our life. He wants us to get to know Him better.
But he also wants us to get to know Him better. When we affirm who God is through our prayers, we put our prayer life in proper perspective. That’s exactly how Jesus taught us to pray. Look at the Lord’s Prayer in the Gospel of Mathew (6: 9-13), Jesus starts the prayer off by saying “Our Father who is in Heaven, May Your name be honored.” (NLT) Jesus teaches us an important lesson with this prayer. Prayer starts with God.  Consider including in your prayers a time of focused attention on who God is.
2. Get in a regular habit of reading the Bible. The Bible says that we worship God in “spirit and in truth.” How can we ever worship God without a clear understanding of who He is? The truth about God is essential to worship. Pay special attention to the books of Psalms. No book in the Bible spends as much time carefully describing who God is.
3. Obey God. Pastor Rick mentions in The Purpose Driven Life that we worship God when we obey Him. We all need to build the habit of obedience into our lives. Take practical steps to see that this is a part of your life. Whenever you sense God is speaking to you, make it a regular practice to do it immediately. Don’t let procrastination weigh you down. If you can’t do it immediately, write down whatever God has been putting on your heart, so that you can do it SOON!
4. Tithe. If you want to know what in your life you worship, look at your checkbook register. The Bible teaches us this important lesson: “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (Mathew 6:21 NIV) God wants us to surrender our entire being to Him. One way to show that is by making Him Lord of our pocketbook. If you are already a committed tither, consider raising the percentage you are willing to give.
5. Build deep relationships with other Christians.  During the third section of 40 Days of Purpose, Pastor Rick will be explaining how you are “Formed for God’s Family.”  The Bible teaches that God designed us to live in community with other Christians. We bring God pleasure by getting to know others and being known by them. Here at Saddleback, the primary way we do this is through small groups. Click here to find a 40 Days small group near you.
6. Share your faith. John Piper made many of us re-look at why we share our faith when he wrote a few years ago: “Missions exists because worship doesn’t.” God wants every person on the planet to worship him, not because He is an egomaniac who needs our praise, but because worship is how we are designed by God. He wants the best for us.
Take time this week to share your spiritual journey with someone else. Tell them how you came to faith in Christ. Don’t worry about their response. Relax in the knowledge that you are playing a part in expanding God’s world-wide worship.
7. Serve others. Jesus tells us that “when you did it to the least of these my brothers and sisters, you did to me!” (Matt. 25:40 NLT) When we serve one another, Jesus tells us we are really serving Him. If you don’t think you have any gifts that are useful to serve, you are wrong. God made you with talents and gifts that He specifically gave you to serve others. At Saddleback you can find out more about how God SHAPED you through our CLASS 301. If you have taken CLASS 101 and 201, click here to register for the next CLASS 301. Or click here to look through a list of ministry opportunities here at Saddleback.
8. Build into your life the attitude of thankfulness. This requires looking at the world through a different set of eyes. When we look through the lens of thankfulness, we see our lives – and everything in it – as all gifts from God. Develop your own spiritual exercise each morning that demonstrates that you are putting on your lens of thankfulness. Then begin to thank God for all of the good things in your life.
9. Begin turning over to God areas of your life that you have never committed to Him. This is the heart of worship – surrender. God won’t settle for 90 percent of your life; He wants all of it. You might have been a follower of Jesus for years, but you still have areas of your life that you are holding back from Him. What are those areas? Only you know that. Two good places to look are your checkbook and your planner. Look at the areas of your life where you spend the most money and the most time. Do they honor God?
If you are human, you have sin in your life that you need to surrender. Think back over the past month and write down all of the times you remember disobeying clear teaching from God. Then look for patterns. If you find patters of sin in your life, these are areas of your life you need to surrender to God. Right at the moment start praying for God to help you overcome that sin. Ask your small group to pray for you. If you think this chronic sin might be something you can’t stop doing, check out our Celebrate Recovery program. Click here to go their Web site.
10.  Live a life of purpose. God has a reason for your existence. In fact, He has five: fellowship, discipleship, ministry, evangelism and worship. You please God when you live in step with His purposes. God doesn’t want you to waste your life. To continue to grow in God’s five purposes, join one of our 40 Days of Purpose small groups. Click here to find a 40 Days of Purpose group near you.

You were designed for God’s pleasure. The purpose of worship is the foundation of the other four purposes. Fellowship without the spirit of worship is just “hanging out.” Discipleship without worship is nothing but a fruitless mental exercise. Ministry without worship is called “spinning your wheels.” Evangelism without worship is a misplaced sales pitch.
Worship isn’t simply one area of your life; it is your life. Start right this moment by surrendering your life to God. Then spend the rest of your life learning to worship Him more fully.

Worship Is Not For Our Entertainment

There is an erroneous idea today that the main reason we attend worship is to "get something out of the service", rather than going there to give our worship to God.  This is a selfish motive on our part.  This is the reason people cannot be satisfied with the worship service when their emphasis is not on the proper object of worship, God.  People want to "do their own thing" in the worship of the church.  What the Bible has to say about worship for many people is of little consequence as long as they are happy and feel good.  We must be concerned with what God says on how He is to be worshipped instead of what we might want to offer Him.
     The United States has produced the most entertainment-oriented people the world has ever known.  We have more forms of amusement than has ever been know to man, but we still want more.  In our age everything is designed to appeal to our emotions and to entertain us.  Our pleasure-mad society gives little thought about pleasing God in their worship.  We seem to have forgotten our worship service is to bring glory and honor to God, and not to entertain ourselves. 
     Much worship today has digressed to be no more than entertainment for people.  When we have choirs to sing to us and concerts to entertain us, we are not worshipping God; but we have become the spectators who are being entertained.  Let us not try to call this worship.  This is very disrespectful and demeaning toward God to reduce our worship of God to the entertaining of  ourselves.  Worship is not a spectator event.  We dare not become spectators, because in worship it is God who is the spectator. People have the roles reversed.  People expect divine will to conform to what seems right in their own eyes.  Proverbs 12:15 says, "The way of the fool is right in his own eyes."  The emphasis is how can the worship service be made more entertaining to people to please themselves and not God.
     The use of drama in the worship service becomes an entertaining performance with the actors receiving the praise instead of God.  And because they have been entertained with a spectacular show they respond with applause (handclapping) to show their appreciation.  What do you think God thinks about this perverted so called worship?  Many people seem to think that God will accept anything they offer and be glad to get it. 
     Worship to God is holy and sacred.  To pervert and corrupt it with entertainment and what we can "get out of the service" in trying to please and gratify ourselves is nothing short of blasphemy!  The sacredness of true worship must not be sacrificed on altars of entertainment-oriented quartets, choirs, and other entertainment groups.  We are as Hebrews 13:15 says to "Offer the sacrifice of praise to God, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."  In worship we must be the participants, not the observers.  We want to please and entertain ourselves.  In Galatians 1:10 the question is asked, "Do I seek to please men?  For if I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ."  Worship is God-centered not man-centered.  When our worship is to please God instead of ourselves, then and only then will our worship be much more meaningful and spiritually uplifting to us and acceptable to God.
     When people seek an "emotional high" from worship and don’t get it, they are disappointed and start blaming the song service, the preacher, etc.  The world wants their worship service to be "more entertaining", thus they are failing to worship God in spirit and in truth.  Where in the Bible can we go to show that our worship is designed to please the worshipper.  The desire to have an experience or an encounter along the lines of mysticism also gives little regard to what God says in the Bible.
     Our worship to God requires commitment on our part.  People had rather worship Christ as a babe in a manger than Christ as their crucified savior.  Their worshipping Christ as a babe in a manger requires no commitment on their part.  They feel they can put Him in a box and live the rest of the year as they please.  But worshipping Christ as our crucified savior requires commitment, a complete change of our life, and a willingness to do all that He says. Jesus says in Matthew 10:37, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me.  And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me."  God and Christ must be first in our lives, and this requires that we be committed to them.

Worshipping God In Spirit

Worshipping God "in spirit" means with reverence, attentiveness, and having the right purpose of honoring God, while understanding what we are doing.  Hebrews 12:28-29 says, "Let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.  For our God is a consuming fire."  Our worship must glorify God.  1 Corinthians 6:20 says, "For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s."
     In order to worship God in the right spirit, we must take time before worship to make ready our hearts and emotions so we will be in the proper frame of mind.  We read in Psalms 89:7, "God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be held in reverence by all those around Him."  Our worship must show great reverence toward God.  He is our creator and He holds our eternal destiny in His hands.  We must strive to please Him.  We should not have to rush or hurry to worship, arriving late but should always plan to be there early enough so we can be in a worshipful attitude and spirit.  Our mind must be ready, attentive, and alert.
     Concerning the Lord’s Supper, we are warned in 1 Corinthians 11:27, "Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."  Our worship to God must be done in a worthy manner.  It must be done in a manner that brings glory and honor to God and Christ.  Continuing to read in verse 29, "For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body."  We must control our thoughts during periods of worship and not let them wander to other things.  We should never be wishing the worship service would hurry up and be over so we can get to the restaurant early and not have to stand in line.  In fact we should be of the frame of mind that we are disappointed to see the worship service end.
     In showing reverence and respect to God, we will not be indifferent, inattentive, and taking lightly that which should be considered serious.  Worship to God is holy.  Our character in worship must also be holy.  In 1 Peter 1:15-16 we read, "But as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in your conduct, because it is written, Be holy for I am holy."  Slouching over, sleeping, playing with babies, squirming, unnecessary talking, and passing notes all show disrespect in worshipping God.  Worship which is insincere, that is not from the heart, is vain, useless, and unacceptable to God.  Jesus says, "This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me" (Mark 7:6).  Active participation will tend to get rid of our lack of interest and inattentiveness.
     Reverence is not having a long face, folded hands, or a put on look of piety.  Worship is a time of joy for us.  It is a time of offering thanks, adoration, love, praying, singing praises to God, feeding on His word, and proclaiming Christ to the world in partaking of the Lord’s Supper.