The Anatomy Of A Worshipper

THE ANATOMY OF A WORSHIPPER

by Bishop Charles C Jones

2 Samuel 24:18-24:25

Our focus in this message is to explore the exercise of worship. There is a book out that is entitled

’

Worship is a verb’, in this book the author states that

Worship isn''t an entertaining showcase for a talented soprano or a lecture on textual criticism or a pleasant weekly reunion of friends and family. Instead, true worship is a joyous celebration of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. And as we actively turn our hearts toward God in earnest praise of God''s great works, God in turn speaks to us and blesses us with a healing and renewing touch. He also states that

Worship is not "something done to us or for us, but by us." It is the most exhaustive demonstration of our faith and the most intimate form of relationship we can have with our Savior.

With that said I want to focus today on The Anatomy of a Worshipper. Worship is not a passive thing, it is not active but acted upon it expresses the effect of our actions where worship is concerned. Whether it's reading your Bible,Praying or Interceeding on the behalf of somebody else, Whether it's singing , dancing or shouting. When your feelings or your emotions completely master or take over your mind (soul) you have been considered by others to have lost all self control Why because it has become your passion. When you are passionate about something you have an intense love for it, a strongly felt emotion about it , a strong enthusiasm for something, it has litterally become the object of your intense desire or enthusiasm. If there was such a person in the Bible who displayed this in the Bible. It would be David.

David was not only a musician but he also a prolific songwriter; as you may know David wrote more than half of the Book of Psalms many of the songs we sing in the church today during our Praise and Worship service can be accredited to David. Others since him have expressed an immense heart of worship through there songwriting as well.

I believe that every generation needs men and women who are examples of what it means to live a lifestyle that is overflowing with expressions of worship. In my generation it was people like Thomas Dorsey, Andre Crouch,Walter Hawkins,Edwin Hawkins, James Cleveland,Tramaine Hawkins,The O'Neil Twins,Shirley Caesar,and the Maestro Thomas Whitfield to name a few.

These people fed the church with songs to use and lyrics that not only declared God’s goodness and greatness in the language of that generation but they helped to change a culture of people that were being cultivated by the growth of a particular style of music that would literally break up the fallow ground of men and womens hearts so that their hearts could be turned not only towards God but towards worshiping God.

David illustrates perfectly the many aspects of a worshipers life:

• THE PHYSICAL WORSHIPPER

What am I describing?

Raised hands, waving banners, clapping, shouting, singing, cheering, hugging, laughing, crying.

Is it the worship service of a Hand Clapping, Foot Stomping, Tongue Talking Pentecostal church?

Or is it the reaction of a packed football crowd?

When you think about it let me ask you this why is one perceived as natural and the other as weird?

The enemy has convinced the church and society that being excited about God is unnatural and should be avoided at all cost! We get excited when our favorite football team wins , we get excited when our favorite basketball player scores a three pointer to win the game, we get excited when we see a new car sitting on 20 inch dubs but when it comes to worshiping God it is considered to be unnatural.

When the Bible talks about worship it uses the language of the human body. The Psalms are full of references to the use of my body to praise and worship God.

It is expected that I as a child of God, would quite NATURALLY want to express my enthusiastic gratitude to God with every fiber of my being for the great things that he has done but the reality of the truth is this that I had to learn how to worship God.

I had to learn how to lift my HANDS - Psalm 134:1,2 “Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the house of the Lord. Lift up your HANDS in the sanctuary and praise the Lord.”

I had to learn how to worship on my KNEES - Psalm 65:6 “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us KNEEL before the Lord our Maker.”

I had to learn how to keep my EYES focused on God- Psalm 25:15 “My EYES are ever on the Lord.”