Something Greater

Worship and Prophecy Many Christians, as well as the world, believe that the word "prophecy" means only one thing: foretelling the future . Prophecy in our society forms headlines in tabloids and newstands. Palm readers and fortune tellers advertise in newspapers and the internet. Doomsday prophets are discredited every year . But the Bible describes prophecy as a gift of God , meant for the building up, encouragement and consolation of Christians. How can we reconcile the tawdry, false image of prophecy in our society, with the high place of honor in which Scripture places it? Does prophecy always mean foretelling the future? Can prophecy be communicated in ways other than by preaching or speaking? Overview Essential facts about inspired, genuine prophecy : Prophecy is one of four types of inspired communication: Prophecy, Revelation, Knowledge and Teaching. Prophecy can mean to speak OR sing by inspiration. Prophecy communicates truth, whether in pred...

Happiness Does the Bible say that Christians should seek happiness? It seems that "happiness" has acquired a bad reputation , at least with many Christians. The word seems to have connotations of cheap worldliness, or fleeting fancifulness. Some try to distinguish between joy and happiness, exalting joy and denigrating happiness . What does "happiness" mean? Is it something less than "joy"? Does the Bible exalt joy over happiness? HAPPINESS: (good luck, good fortune, prosperity; a state of well-being and pleasurable satisfaction; bliss) HAPPY: (favored by hap, luck or fortune) HAP: (chance, happening, luck) "Hap" is an old-fashioned word that simply means an event or incident. To be "happy" means to regard an event or incident as good or fortunate. "Happiness" is an experience that one considers to be favorable, pleasureable, or good . Because experience is closely followed by emotion, happiness has come to...

One Heart and Soul "Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet." Acts 4:32-37 ONE HEART: kardia (the heart; figuratively, the thoughts or feelings or the mind; by analogy, the middle); from kar (heart) Kardia literally is the organ that pumps blood through every part of our...

Then We Worship "Without knowledge of self there is no knowledge of God. Without knowledge of God there is no knowledge of self." John Calvin "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, - Give me a drink, - you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." John 4:10 (ESV) Worship requires two distinct elements of knowledge: the knowledge of God and the knowledge of ourselves . Alone, neither is sufficient for worship. We can recognize the majesty and power of God only in comparing it to our own misery and poverty. In other words, imagine if it were possible for a human to have no true self-awareness, no knowledge of their own limited power or intelligence . Allowed to observe God or to sense God's work, the human would simply accept every observation as completely normal. The human, in fact, would be unable to place any value or worth upon God's work. It would be similar to bringing an inf...

Expressions of Worship How does the Bible describe worship? Two words, one Hebrew and one Greek, are translated as "worship" in the Bible. In the Old Testament: "I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord and blessed the Lord." Genesis 24:48 (ESV) WORSHIP: shaha (to depress, to prostrate) Our English word, depress, means to press down, to let fall or lower. It commonly now is used to describe longlasting sad and lethargic emotions. Prostrate literally means to throw down. It describes a person with face on the ground in humble adoration. It can also describe someone utterly exhausted, lying flat on the ground. In the New Testament: "The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:23-24 (ESV) WORSHIP: proskyneo (to fawn or crouch to, to prostrate...

Pretense and Fear "A man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge he kept back for himself some of the proceeds and brought only a part of it and laid it at the apostles’ feet." Acts 5:1-2 The names of the man and woman in this story communicate happiness and wealth : ANANIAS: Ananias (name of three Israelites); from Hebrew, hananyahu (Jah has favored); from hanan (to bend or stoop in kindness to an inferior; to favor, bestow or implore) and yah (Jah, the sacred name, shortened from Yehovah, the self-Existent or Eternal) SAPPHIRA: Sapphire (an Israelitess); from sapphiros (a "sapphire" or lapis-lazuli gem; from Hebrew, sappir (a gem, probably the sapphire, used for scratching other substances); from sapar (to score with a mark as a tally or record, to inscribe, enumerate, recount or celebrate) From birth, Ananias enjoyed the influence of a name that meant "favored by God". The Hebrew root o...

Wayne Grudem on Worship As part of my study of worship, I read a chapter of Systematic Theology , by Wayne Grudem . The following are quotations from the book (in bold) with references from the Bible (in italics). Worship is the activity of glorifying God in his presence with our voices and hearts. "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God." Colossians 3:16 (ESV) Worship is therefore a direct expression of our ultimate purpose for living, to glorify God and fully enjoy him forever. God is worthy of worship and we are not. "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." Revelations 4:11 (ESV) When we feel the absolute righteousness of this deeply within ourselves we then have the appropriate heart attitude for g...