The Power Of Worship

The Power of Worship

By

Pastor M.L. Maughmer, Jr.

Acts 16:23-26 “And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: (24) Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. (25) And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.

(26) And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed.”

This Bible story begins the unjust arrest of Paul and Silas. Because they had cast a spirit of divination out of a girl. This is what is called a Python spirit, remember sometime ago I preached about the Python spirit and how this spirit entangles a person and literally squeezes the life out of a person. This young girl operated under the influence of this Python spirit and brought her masters great gain. This girl followed Paul and Silas and said the truth, but the spirit that was working in her was trying to mock God, so Paul under the anointing of the Holy Ghost cast that spirit of Python out of the girl. When he did that, those that made money off of her had Paul and Silas arrested the local authorities beat them and then threw them into prison. In prison they suffered severe beatings, and then they were fastened in stocks which clamped their arms and legs in an immobile position, this is a stronghold. No doubt these stocks cut off circulation and caused all kinds of cramps and pains in their bodies. The atmosphere there was depressing; the pain was more than likely unbearable, the beatings caused their backs to bleed profusely. The dark, damp, stench-ridden, waste polluted, dungeon was probably crawl with rats biting at their feet. Yet in spite of all of all of this, in spite of throbbing pain in their bodies and the disheartening atmosphere, at midnight Paul and Silas were heard praying and singing praises to God! When it seemed like all hope was gone, when in the darkest of times and the darkest of places, these two men began to worship God on high.

No doubt others that were in the prison began to call them crazy, they probably began to curse them and say things like you fools how can you be singing and praying at a time like this.

Paul and Silas understood the power of worship. They understood that their circumstance didn’t change the purpose nor the power of worship. They understood that in their worship the anointing that destroys yokes is released. They understood that if they wanted to change their atmosphere they had to send up worship. They believed that when praises go up blessing will come down.

As they worship God on High, the Bible says “And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed”.

It was worship that caused this to happen.

WATCH THIS:- The world has understood a concept that many people fail to understand and that is Worship = Acquisition!!! You can’t worship and get something in return. In Matthew chapter 4 Jesus had fasted 40 day and was led into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. WATCH THIS:- The Bible says “And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God,(See the 1st thing the devil did was to attack His identity that is the same thing he tried to do to us as well) then he said command that these stones be made bread. Jesus replied It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in [their] hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve”.