The Heart of Worship Part 1

As listening to this video clip, reading this publication I would like you to have a picture of why did God create you. I want you to listen to it very carefull and examine your way of worshiping, is it about God as for you? This publication is on worship since we just finishing our workshop on worship, this will help you to see that we do not exaggerate things but that is simply how they are or should be, after all it is not about us really.

SCO WORKSHOP ON WORSHIP
Date: 23 April 2008
By Simphiwe Kanityi

Worship: Part 1
The homage (duty, service, honour) rendered to God (Exod. 20: 1–6) in gestures and appropriate words, but also, the prophets insisted, in ethical (moral) conduct (Amos 5: 21–2).

Whatever that I’ll be talking about I’ll be relating it on the key words on this definition. When talking of worship we need to know this:
1. Theirs is someone being worshiping
2. There are worshipers
3. There is worship itself
4. There are various ways of worshiping

The person we are worshiping is God alone, not angels, not pastors, not masses, not the person who is leading the worshiping team. This we need to get right because if you do not know whom you are worshiping, you tent to do things which are totally against the word of God because you are confused or were mislead on who is this that you are worshiping.
When you have a clear idea on who you are worshiping this automatically transforms you to a new being ready for worship. Some of the things that I’ll be nagging you about do not need to be said because only knowing the one you are worshiping puts you in a right position. Today, we are busy going around the same place, there is no progress, no movement we are like statues simply because people are not clear of whom they are worshiping.
When you are not clear what happens is that important things that are supposed to be preached are not because everyday we spend time correcting each other. When the food is not yet ready for the child there is what we call “iLibazisa” where the child is sucking void and that is the purpose of the devil, to delay you so that you will get tired and dropout, so that you’ll join the masses and mock against those truly trying to worship just to get them down and die. His purpose is that you do not reach a place God destined you to reach as to get the real blessings. Satan is showing you temporal treasures just shadows of what are real then you hold on that and never be able to get real things in life.

There is a best way we can go about to bring the best worship to God that He is expecting from us. It takes a heart that says that God amongst all these people here am I. It needs individuals who’ll say God I’m clear that this is about you. Sometimes we hear the noise that is around and think that worship is about us, then we start do it in such a way that will bring honour to ourselves, it is not about us and again we can do much better than what we are doing.

The reason why people can’t really reach the standard of worship God is requiring from them is simply because we all know too much, therefore, no-one can tell us what and how to do it, we know it anyway. We are so occupied with answers so there is nothing really to get from other people for we know it all. Another thing is that we are so matured as a result amongst us we can see those who can and can not lead us, we have got the best way we can go about in worshiping…we forget that it is about God not us.
We are so disobedient as a result even when God is talking, we think it’s those leading therefore there’s nothing new you can get from them because you know everything anyway.

Getting to the context of our workshop:
You may feel that you can’t gain anything from a person who comes from a different background than yourself but you will find that each worshiper will have something you can relate to.

Worship comes from studying the word of God. I always thought that I want to be a journalist but I didn’t count the costs of being a journalist. I thought it was only about studying towards your area of specialisation and get it done but I realised that what it takes to be a journalist is not just on a surface of my mind. The same applies for worship; you can not be the true worshiper if you do not study the word of God.

Why won’t many people express themselves in worship?
Undoubtedly, this is the question that has frustrated worship leaders and pastors for the past several hundred years. Why some ppl jump up and down in worship and some won’t even open their mouth to sing? If you are not well empowered as a worshiper you may leave the room or say to yourself that you won’t do it next time. But as a matured worshiper you’ll understand why, now I’m concerned to helping you being the best worshiper you can be.

Any good craftsman needs good tools to do his work. In order for him to create a quality project, he will need quality tools to do the best possible job. The same applies for worshipers you need a number of tools in your tool belt to accomplish this daunting (scary) task. Remember we don’t become great worshipers overnight!
As a worshiper you need to possess these tools:
o Respect- if you can not respect the person who is leading you how can you respect God whom you don’t even see? Regardless of age, status, background, family income, spiritual maturing and knowing too much, when God has loved for that person to be your leader that is not a mistake but if you can not respect yourself it is difficult to respect other people.
o Your personality and credibility- how do people view you? Do they see you a genuine worshiper? Do they respect and trust you? How do they see you outside of church, lectures, tutorials, in your meetings? If people do not have faith in you and believe in you, you will have a tough time. Work on your image and your relationships with people. I used this tool it is working for me even now.
o Prayer- prayer is an often overlooked tool that can be your greatest secret weapon. Worship and worship revival is a God thing and nothing we do outside of prayer will amount to much if you haven’t spent time praying for your worship team and leadership. This is not the duty for the worship team leader alone, she prays while you are jollying outside there and you come back to make things heavy for people who have spent time in prayer. God hears and He will honour your petitions.
o The worship team- no matter how hard the worship leader try or want to, she can not do everything. She is only one person and can only reach a certain number of people. We are gifted differently and we need to show up our gifts, imagine if Anelisa (Rhodes SCO Worship team leader) would have to take each one of us and ask for your gift and even tell you where and when to use it, you have to show it up, speak about it be excited, you doing it for God isn’t it? Team can reach out than individual person, as the team we need to suggest and be creative than criticising and not coming with constructive ways to move the monument.
o Media materials- if you have a video come with it and say guys this will help us in worshiping, don’t keep quiet. I know many people have good material but since they don’t like the worship leader they don’t bring those things. They keep on criticising so that you get tired and give up so they can find opportunity and use that material as to be regarded better than you. Worship is not about that but God, so anything that you have that will help people worship God in a good way bring it.

Worship heals, delivers, is a prophecy, brings life, the wetness, conquers, open doors, gives power, sets free and prompt God to do something.

So far I haven’t touched any scripture from the Bible because I want you to get right the concept of worship first and prepare the attitude of being a worshiper.

Many churches will have a great song service but lack in worship, what help does it have? You may rejoice in the Lord and go out but what about giving to God what He deserves. Worship is about giving to God not yourself.

Answer these questions:
Where are you and where are they?
What are you doing outside the worship times?
Are we the worship team leaders or performers?
As the leader, is the team on the same page as you?

You need to know that worship is not the art, but the heart condition; no matter how beautiful you can do it, how nice your voice is and what masses say about you, if it is not from the heart that is not worship. The heart worship goes and leads people to God not to admiring you.

No matter how difficult the situation might seem, there is still hope. It is not yet over. God is rising up worshipers who are going to worship Him in truth and in spirit. Are you willing to join that group of worshipers?

Till we meet for part two, God help you as you making sense of worship!

Fill the oceans

All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. This is the passage in the book of Ecclesiastes chapter 1 verse 7. Now as Rhodes Students' Christian Organisation (SCO) this year, God has given us the mandate to look back to where we all come from. After God created human beings, the book of Genesis chapter 1 verse 28 says that - God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground."
This shows that the source of all human beings is God -"the place the streams come from"- and when you look to what is happening all around the world, people behave as if they are the creators of life. There are wars across the world each one claiming to be more powerful than the other, but God's purpose is for us to lift one another up. People went so astray from God and this resulted to every sin that is out there. To open your mind to what happens when you are not in the source, John 15 vs 6 quotes Juses Himself saying that "If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned" and this is exactly what happens to all human race who abadons God.

Not only that, Jesus continues saying in part of verse 20 that "'No servant is greater than his master". So our purpose as SCO is to bring people back to where they come from, some returns but yet the ocean is never full, so we will continue preaching the same gospel as long as there are people who are not having any kind of relationship with God out there. The methods we go about in fulfilling this mission are numerous since God blesses each one of us with his/her gift. We do Evangelism-which on its own has many forms. You don't need microphones and instruments only to evangelise, you need to evangelise in the lecture rooms, dining halls, peer gatherings, to your friends, in the sport that your are playing, through the things you say with your mouth and through actions to name but few. So there are many ways of fulfilling this mission that God gave us.
Jesus says that when the streams return back to the ocean they need not only to return but to remain in the oncean. People return to God but they don't stay, why? I will address this "why" question in my next publication which is coming soon but Jesus clearly states that without remaining in the source, the Vine, there is nothing you can do. Here I am not referring to the fake, the shadow of things that people does because people will say that "I'm not in God but I can do ABC, that is not the real thing it is just a fake. A good example, look at our South African government as to see what happens when you do not remain in God. The Bible says that in Genesis 2 vs 18-25 "And the LORD God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.” Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the LORD God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man. And Adam said: “This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed", but the government says that man to man, woman to woman is fine anyway.Leveticus 18 vs 22 God says "You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination" then the government says you shall do it is a law and legally accepted. There are many other things showing that human went astray from the source of life- which is God. Our purpose is not to hate them but to bring them back to where they come from. Likewise, filling the oceans is not a small thing to do, you some times get tired along the way, it needs commitment and the fact that we accepted this challenge it means that we are in our senses and we have counted the costs involved and ready to face the enemy. Satan is not happy and he will never be as long as we live. It might be impossible according to human perspectives but to God and through Christ all His promises are Yes and Amen. Remeber in my next publication I will be addressing the question "why" do people not remain in God. In my other blog that is http://simphiwekanityi.blogspot.com I'll be delivering another publication titled "The calling of a servant leader". I will be back soon. God bless you as you getting these revelations :-)

Simphiwe