As she made her way through the cold street to the abode of the Peras, she made her way through the dark hall as she approached the room filled with men on a round table listening to the most learned of them. She ignored all the stare while making her way to the one man she desired at the moment. As one in a state of polydipsia, with her soft cushy hands, she gently and affectionately rubs his feet in a swaying motion, all the while carrying with her the only treasure left of her possession. This moment of most intense pleasure suits the heart of the learned one while giving Him great fervor. Curiosity of the beholders was intensified as to why the learned one is unwitting of this woman’ scam. They thought to themselves, this disdained tart whose business is not kept out of the plain view of her township because her clientele is in everywoman’s house. The women in her town were apprehensive of her because she had the deftness of getting everybody’s man. But in all these, this woman knew she needed a relationship, an experience, an encounter that could get her spirit right again only if she could transmigrate her relationship with the designer of her being which she had hitherto been alienated from.

The depth of this woman’s osculation and tears

"Some forms of worship only release their sweetest fragrance to God when offered from the fires of trials and adversity."

being able to clean the dusty feet of Jesus, the Learned one, stroking them and pouring her remaining valued possession reveals a heart of worship - a heart longing for a right relationship, a heart full of passion for the creator, a broken heart mended in the love of the father. And to cut the story short, her heart of worship made her whole and restored life to her again as recorded in Luke 7:37-50.

The place of rest God seeks is the heart of worship. Worship is our innermost being responding to who God is. It is more than knowing about God, but knowing God. You will never be satisfied just to know about God, really knowing God comes only through experience as He reveals Himself to you. And that is what happens when you spend time in the worship zone.

Some forms of worship only release their sweetest fragrance to God when offered from the fires of trials and adversity. Will you still worship God when you are down to nothing? Will you still worship God in times of losses? Will you still worship when you feel dejected, rejected and vulnerable? Will you still worship God when all doors seem closed against you?

Life is full of strategic encounters and divine appointments, even in trouble times.

Today’s worship might be your one night with the King... your night of a lifetime. Never underestimate the potential of one encounter with God!

I welcome you to another Polydipsia Worship Concert.

Shalom!

I can almost hear the question bubble in your minds; reading this title. ”What on earth has worship got to do with flying a plane?” Anyway, you need not think too far. Pilots would tell you that there are two challenging areas in flying, apart from managing marginal weather conditions (icing, thunderstorms, down bursts, wind shear, and the like); the “Take offs” and “Landings”. However, for the purpose of this article, I would focus on the landing aspect.

When approaching your destination in the air, it is not uncommon to hear things like “We have commenced our descent to…., please return to your seats, stow up your tray tables and switch off all electronic sets.” Shortly after, the plane begins to descend slowly and would take, normally, about 10mins from the time of announcement till the plaI have discovered that leading worship is similar to flying an air plane in a sense. Getting started can be a little challenging, but having gained a considerable height, you then begin to cruise. At that point, you seem to flow with the current. It is smooth and nice up there until you begin to make your descent.

Have you ever experienced

"...eagles don’t fly in that sense of the word. They soar and ride on the current of the wind. I believe we do the same in worship."

a time of worship when you were just enjoying God’s presence and truly knowing the joy that comes with ministering to him, when suddenly something happened and before you knew it, the flow was broken, and the connection – lost, and you thought, what in the world just happened???

Now, this is precisely where I’m going. I am sure we are familiar with that part of worship when someone, say a pastor or minister, comes to wind down the session. If you are like me, you may have notice a few times when, in the midst of a great time of worship, a voice barges in to sing or speak. It may come in the form of a song, some “Aaaaaaameeeeen”, “in Jesuuuuus name we have worshiiiiiped”, or “Haaallelujah, please take your seats”. And you are like…”Helloooooo?” What’s going on here? If your aircraft has ever dropped from a very high altitude to a frightening low one suddenly and unexpectedly, you would agree that the feeling can be compared to that unfortunate interruption in worship. So what’s the point here? We must understand that those who come to bring our worship sessions to a close are as important as those who lead them.

Truth of the matter is that God looks at the heart no doubt, and that the quality of one’s voice is not so much an issue so long as the heart is right, but we must realize that there are other people involved in the worship session and that a harsh, uncultured, and sometimes out-of-tune voice can easily drop the altitude of a great worship. And like Paul, our meat should not cause others to stumble. I’m are not saying do not sing, exhort or exalt, but if you must do the following, they must be inspired by the Spirit and in most cases, in line with the sound already established in the house.

Truth of the matter is that God looks at the heart no doubt, and that the quality of one’s voice is not so much an issue so long as the heart is right, but we must realize that there are other people involved in the worship session and that a harsh, uncultured, and sometimes out-of-tune voice can easily drop the altitude of a great worship. And like Paul, our meat should not cause others to stumble. I’m are not saying do not sing, exhort or exalt, but if you must do the following, they must be inspired by the Spirit and in most cases, in line with the sound already established in the house.

People hear from God, are healed, delivered and restored during worship, hence the need for utmost care and caution as we navigate in worship. I hope this has been enlightening and a blessing.

Have you ever been so thirsty, in dire need of a drink and tried to alleviate your thirst with an iced cold bottle of Coca-Cola or Fanta? What was the end result? After taking the drink, the thirst seemed to increase. Someone said nothing can quench thirst like water, good old H₂O. Whether it is cold or not, it has been proven over and over again that water is the best solution to quench our thirst. Thank God our physical thirst is quenchable.

How do you handle a thirst that seems to have no remedy?

Have you ever been thirsty for God or the presence of God?

“Thirsty for God?” you say, Yes! Can a person be thirsty for God?

Ask king David Psalm 42: 1-2, Psalm 63:1-2, Psalm 48:1-2 and the Lord Jesus our Saviour in Matt 5:6.

The psalmist not only

"When we begin to desire more of God, God births in us a deeper thirst for Him. What a paradox!"

experienced thirst, he also experienced hunger. He had a thirst and a hunger for God’s presence and to see Gods power and glory displayed. Is God then a drink?

I heard Him say that He is the fountain of living waters, the fountain of life.

He offered “water” to the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4.

On the great day of the feast in John 7:37, He commanded all those who were thirsty to come to Him declaring that He had the solution to their thirst. Was He offering to quench their physical thirst? No!

We have been able to establish that we can have a challenge of a patchiness or dryness that pure water or impure water (cold or not) cannot remedy. How do you cultivate this thirst for God? DESIRE! Psalm 63:1-2, 3, Psalm 42:1-2

When we begin to desire more of God, God births in us a deeper thirst for Him. What a paradox!

The more we thirst for Him and He satisfies our thirst, the more we thirst for Him. Thirst for God when satisfied, albeit temporally, births a deeper thirst which when satisfied births a deeper thirst… We keep going back to Him, our source of living waters because as long as we truly desire Him, we will always have an unquenchable thirst.

Just as it had in the tabernacle a curtain in the temple separated the Holy place and the most holy place. The curtain symbolized the distance between God and the people. Even the priests were forbidden to go beyond hat curtain into

"... we are now priviledged to individually approach the THRONE OF GRACE"

the presence of God except on the Day of Atonement, and that once a year and only by the high priest.

Jesus’ death on the cross ripped the curtain into two, thereby opening the way to the most holy place to us that we are now priviledged to individually approach the THRONE OF GRACE, feasting In His presence and meditating at His feet. Oh! What a great GRACE! That we no longer need a high priest, a prophet or a pastor to go on our behalf to God’s presence as we all have been given grace to come before His Throne (Presence) just as we are where God’s desire and thirst for worship can be met.

I therefore welcome you to the Throne of Grace, worshipping and responding to the amazing love of the father.

Unclouded skies and gentle winds do nothing to test our vessel of faith. It takes the storm and tempest to prove the strength of our trust in the Almighty God.

The prophet Isiaiah records that, God keeps in perfect peace all who trust in Him. (Isa 26:3).

Nowhere is the truth more aptly illustrated than in the story which accompanies the writing of the hymn It is well with my soul.

Horatio G. Spafford lived, with his wife and four daughters in Chicago. He was a lawyer by profession and a devout and sincere Christian.

One day in 1873 he stood on the quayside in Chicago and bid farewell to his family as they set sail to visit relatives in far off Europe. He was not to realise that he would never see most of them again.

Some days later their ship, bound for Le Harve in France collided with another steamship

When she arrived in Britain, with the rest of the survivors, she sent her husband this terse, but telling message: ‘SAVED ALONE’.

in mid-atlantic, and sank almost immediately.

Before it did so, however, Mrs Spafford was able to have a prayer with her children and commit them to the mercy of the Lord. That was the last time she would ever see them on this earth.

Fortunately, a lifeboat spotted Mrs Spafford and she was rescued. When she arrived in Britain, with the rest of the survivors, she sent her husband this terse, but telling message: ‘SAVED ALONE’.

The word struck Horatio Spafford with full force, and understandably, plunged him into deep sorrow. He left for England, without delay to comfort his grief-stricken wife.

The great American evangelist D.L. Moody and his associate, singer Ira D. Sankey were conducting a campaign in Edinburgh at the time. They were personal friends of the Spaffords and came to London to give whatever help and comfort they could. They found their friends in surprisingly good spirits, strong in faith and able to say through their tears, ‘It is well; the will of God be done’.

Three years after the tragedy, Mr Spafford wrote his hymn It is well with my soul, in memory of his four precious daughters. Happily each of them personally received Jesus Christ as Saviour before embarking on that fateful voyage.

It would be very difficult for any of us to predict how we would react under circumstances similar to those experienced by the Spaffords. But we do know that God who sustained them would also be with us.

No matter what circumstances overtake us, may we be able to say with Horatio Spafford:

When peace like a river, attendeth my way,
When sorrows like sea billows roll;
Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
It is well, it is well with my soul.

Though satan should buffet, though trials shall come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul!

It is well...with my soul...
It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Who is a true worshipper of God and how important is it to worship God?

Worship must be viewed from two main angles – adoration and service. Worship speaks of the worthiness of a being to receive special honour. On one hand we can say worship speaks of pure adoration and reverence where the redeemed person (the believer) contemplates and praises God in his Holy perfection. On the other hand worship can be likened to service. In the bible, worshippers are described as slaves or hired servants and in the New Testament, the greek word “latreuo” is translated both as ‘to serve’ (Matt 4:10) and ‘to worship’ (Acts 24:14; 2nd Tim 1:3, Rev 22:3) was more appropriate. As such a true worshipper of God must not only adore and reverence God but must also show a willingness and desire to serve God. Our lives must be lived in honour of God.

However in general church life when we speak of worship, it is generally accepted that we are speaking of the lifting up to God our songs, voices and instruments in adoration to Him. This is a wonderful and exhilarating way to show our love and appreciation to God for who He is and all He has done.

Worship in this form can be done corporately or individually. Whichever way, is is an open door to a very intimate and life changing experience with God. During worship all manner of miracles have been known to happen on a regular basis. People have experienced God’s loving touch and have received Christ during praise and worship sessions. The two things God requires from us are our worship and obedience.

Yes how often I have stopped to look at myself and others, only to find that our worship was false or adulterated. The bible says we should offer up our bodies as living sacrifices unto God, which is our reasonable service

We have become so well versed in our praise and worship songs that we can sing them automatically while our thoughts are on anything but God.

(or could we possibly say worship Rom 12:1) It also says we should walk in the spirit so as not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh (Gal 5:16) If we continue to live in sin, we cannot claim to be offering God true worship because we have allowed sin to become a god in our lives whether it be physical sins such as fornication, adultery or hidden sins such as envy and evil imaginations to mention just a few. God says we must worship Him alone (Matt 4:10). True we serve a merciful God who says if we repent of our sins asking for forgiveness, He is just to forgive us (1^st John 1:9). But our repentance must be true and we must truly take steps to leave our sinful ways behind.

During corporate worship or private worship, we raise up songs and words of praise and worship but our minds are not there. Instead, our minds are on different things. Could be the new tie or pair of shoes the music director has on, the new hair style some sister wore and you are thinking of how you want to do same when next you visit the hairdressers. Or is it Mr. Big Bucks whom you want to send a note to, to let him know you need to see him after the service. It may sound funny, but I believe these observations will hit home with quite a number of us. We have become so well versed in our praise and worship songs that we can sing them automatically while our thoughts are on anything but God. The sad thing is we go away feeling justified because we spent an hour singing praise and worship songs so as to “fulfill all righteousness”. Yet in God’s eyes we have offered up nothing. In fact as God is concerned it was a total waste of our time. Often our worship times have become a jamboree of excitement, dancing, clapping and waving of hands, which in itself is not bad but unfortunately God was left out.

True worship brings godly change and workings. It brings about the manifest presence of God. In King David’s time (1st Kings 8:11) they really knew how to worship. Their worship was so sincere that it brought down a cloud of glory such that the ministers themselves could not stand, not to mention the congregation. Yes we quote the bible and say Jesus inhabits the praises of His people, yet I ask you to search your hearts. How often do we truly worship God? The next time you praise and worship your Maker, watch yourself. If you find your thoughts wandering, take a check on yourself and refocus on the one who deserves all our praise - that is the Almighty God!

Darlene Zschech is amused when asked to tell the story behind the song. "There is no big 'story'," she insists. "I really didn't sit down one day and decide to write an incredible song that will touch the nations."

If anything, Darlene has been surprised and almost embarrassed by the attention the song has received. But that is her nature - very modest and humble about her God-given talents. She doesn't want any glory, because she knows it is not hers alone. It is the purity of her heart and her deep love for God that has raised her up to become the acclaimed worship leader she is today.

"It was one of those dark days in my life," she remembers. "Everything felt as if it was on top of me. There seemed to be no way out

"We hadn't even recorded it and I began receiving letters from people all over the world who had sung the song in their churches," says Darlene. "One came from a seven-year-old boy in Nigeria, thanking me for writing it."

and the only one I could turn to was the Lord." Desperate for His peace, she opened to the Psalms. As she sat at the old piano, she began tinkling the keys, and "Shout to the Lord" flowed from her heart.

She smiles when she describes the scene. "The piano was a gift from my parents when I was five years only. It's old and, I'm sure, was even a little out of tune. I wasn't even consciously thinking about the song," she says, "but I sang it and sang it, over and over again, and it lifted me up."

That is how the song was born. From the depths of despair, it took her to the heights of faith. Over the next few days, the song didn't leave her, and it began to dawn on her that it might be a worship song.

Terribly shy and feeling a little embarrassed, she mentioned to Geoff Bullock (then Music Pastor at Hills CLC) and Russell Fragar that she thought she had written a song. "My hands were sweaty and I could hardly play it, I was so nervous," she said. "I kept starting and stopping and apologizing for it before they had even heard it."

Eventually she made them stand with their backs to her, facing the wall, while she played them the song. Even when they turned around and proclaimed that it was magnificent, Darlene was convinced they were just being polite.

When Pastor Brian Houston heard the song for the first time, he predicted it would be sung around the world. The rest is history.

"We hadn't even recorded it and I began receiving letters from people all over the world who had sung the song in their churches," says Darlene. "One came from a seven-year-old boy in Nigeria, thanking me for writing it."

"Shout to the Lord" was written at time when a child of God ran to her Lord, seeking Him in the midst of desperation. As you sing it you are filled with faith, strength, and peace--exactly what Darlene experienced the day she wrote it.

Darlene grabs a Bible and turns to Psalm 96. You can see her passion for the Word shining as she describes what it means to her, seeing the sea roaring and the mountains bowing down. You catch a glimpse of what inspired the song: the true love and pure heart focused completely on her beloved Lord.

What is Faith? Well, Hebrews 11:1 says it well! It calls it the evidence/ proof, though it is actually not there. Beyond what many may subscribe to, I think in relating it to things trivial, it is like going to take a flat without gathering money first. Many would see it as being unwise & impractical, I mean, didn’t he count the cost? Mere desires don’t

Quit accepting the devil’s call for rationality in-view of your acts of faith. He only offers anyone unbelief, doubts & fears!

produce lasting drives, you know! Abraham looked for a city whose builder and maker was God, even then it really didn’t make sense, since Utopia doesn’t exist, or does it? Today, it is written in Romans 4. He never staggered! Faith never really makes sense to everyday people. It isn’t just hope but expecting and believing the receipt of the unseen.

Quit accepting the devil’s call for rationality in-view of your acts of faith. He only offers anyone unbelief, doubts & fears!

Faith only brings us to the reality there truly is – GOD! Because in our world today, the saying in scripture is true that, “The Just shall live by Faith!”
Shalom.

A few years back in our church, we realised some of the things we thought were helping us in our worship were actually hindering us. They were throwing us off the scent of what it means to really worship. We had always set aside lots of time in our meetings for worshipping God through music. But it began to dawn on us that we’d lost something. The fire that used to characterize our worship had somehow grown cold. In some ways, everything looked great. We had some wonderful musicians, and a good quality sound system. There were lots of new songs coming through, too. But somehow we’d started to rely on these things a little too much, and they’d become distractions. Where once people would enter in no matter what, we’d now wait to see what the band was like first,

Stripping everything away, we slowly started to rediscover the heart of worship.

how good the sound was, or whether we were ´into´ the songs chosen

.

Mike, the pastor, decided on a pretty drastic course of action: we’d strip everything away for a season, just to see where our hearts were. So the very next Sunday when we turned up at church, there was no sound system to be seen, and no band to lead us. The new approach was simple - we weren’t going to lean so hard on those outward things any more. Mike would say, ´When you come through the doors of the church on Sunday, what are you bringing as your offering to God? What are you going to sacrifice today?

If I’m honest, at first I was pretty offended by the whole thing. The worship was my job! But as God softened my heart, I started to see His wisdom all over these actions. At first the meetings were a bit awkward: there were long periods of silence, and there wasn’t too much singing going on. But we soon began to learn how to bring heart offerings to God without any external trappings we’d grown used to. Stripping everything away, we slowly started to rediscover the heart of worship.

After a while, the worship band and the sound system re-appeared, but now it was different. The songs of our hearts had caught up with the songs of our lips.

Out of this season, I reflected on where we had come to as a church, and wrote this song:

When the music fades, All is stripped away,
And I simply come;
Longing just to bring something that’s of worth,
That will bless Your heart.
I’ll bring You more than a song,
For a song in itself
Is not what You have required.
You search much deeper within
Through the way things appear;
You’re looking into my heart.

In the chorus I tried to sum up where we were at with worship:

I’m coming back to the heart of worship,
And it’s all about You, All about You, Jesus.
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it,
When it’s all about You,
All about You, Jesus.