WHY WORSHIP?

[flaglady]

WHY WORSHIP?

It is so important to understand the true nature of worship. Our divine function is to worship God. It was what He created us for and it is amply described in Biblical texts how the heavens ring day and night with the sound of worship (Isaiah 6:2-4, Daniel 7:9 & 13-14 and Revelation 4:8-11, 5:9-14. 15:1-4). But perhaps we should also remember that God doesn’t need our worship. He has had multitudes of angels worshipping and singing to Him for millennia and in the final analysis, our paltry efforts are barely worth a mention.



One author wrote “Man doesn’t want God, he needs Him; God doesn’t need man, He wants him!”. How very true. It is we who must worship for it puts us in a right relationship with our Father God and brings us into that state of humility and veneration that He requires of us.



WHAT IS FLAG WORSHIP?

Flag worship is a profound form of worship. It includes a variety of art forms, other than the obvious use of flags - dance, mime, body language, expression, signalling, colours, etc., etc. Some, or all, of these may be used and so it is probably good for the novice to have an understanding of them in order to maximise their worship.



WORSHIP OR WARFARE?

Songs don’t have to be about warfare in order to engage in battle against the powers of darkness. Worship is warfare. When we engage in worship it takes authority over the powers of darkness whilst elevating and praising the Holy name of God the creator. Therefore, when you are using flags to worship bear in mind that you are not only rejoicing in your God, you are engaging in a holy battle. So remember three things -



1. do it with <COLOR color="red">joy</COLOR> - in my opinion, joy is the key. Flag worship should be, if not outright fun, then at least enjoyable. If you don’t find joy in worshipping with flags then find some other way to worship that will!

2. do it with <COLOR color="red">energy </COLOR>- put everything you’ve got into your worship. David did!

(Deut 6:5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.)

3. do it with <COLOR color="red">passion</COLOR>! - chasers after God only succeed when they go after Him with passion. It’s the only way to see God’s face.

(Mark 12:30 Jesus replied “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.”)



But above all - DO IT!!!



(abstract from "Flag Moves" by J A Fox)

[HelenaZF]

Thought this was such a good post that it needed it's own topic. :yes:

[DeanZF]

<QUOTE author="flaglady,Mar 22 2006, 06:18 PM">

Songs don’t have to be about warfare in order to engage in battle against the powers of darkness. Worship is warfare. (emphasis added)

That one phrase is a whole mouthful of revelation that many people never understand. The focus is never on the battle, but always on the LORD of the battle. The battle belongs to the Lord, as does the victory, but He shares the victory with those who engage in the warring.

[flaglady]

Wooo! I'm amazed! And flattered. But I love that pice too - it was a real piece of kit straight from the Lord.

[Phred]

I agree with DeanZF on this. You really did provide a mouth-phull!



Passion is indeed a major element in all of this. Between the verse you quoted, Romans 12:1 about presenting our bodies as living and holy sacrifices, that being our spiritual service of worship (NAS version), and that unforgettable verse from the Revelation about how He despises "lukewarm", how could anyone fail to perceive His point???



One interesting little phactoid is that the word "living" in Romans 12:1 can also be translated "Lively" or "Quick" in King James parlance. The inference is that there are obvious signs of vitality, not merely a heart beat! This is an action adjective, not a status adjective! Seems to me to be in harmony with the wonderful command from Psalm 150, which is properly translated as (replete with proper emphasis due the translation): "YOU! PRAISE the Lord!" It's just not a namby-pamby, milktoast-ish sort of request that I praise Him or worship Him. This is a COMMAND. What do they call that type of verb?? One web resource calls it "imperative mood", for use when the speaker is "commanding, feeling bossy, or making strong suggestions".



God is like any good father or mother in that "strong suggestions" are not to be ignored. When analyzed, I've noticed that those statements are always for our well-being, never for any benefit that He might derive.



Following up on someone else's thread, it would seem that "SELAH" would be an appropriate comment here. Take pause to consider...