All posts tagged: Worship

Inmate leads a powerful worship service at a woman’s prison

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‘God Behind Bars’, a Christian ministry to the incarcerated, recently posted a video of a woman inmate leading 300 women in a worship service at a Colorado prison, God TV reports. According to the article, the woman called Miss T, had desired to lead worship at church service while growing up, but a change in direction led her to prison. But while in prison, Miss T accepted Jesus. In its Instagram post, God Behind Bars explains what happened next: “Right away she had a passion to lead her prison in worship spread Jesus to every inmate. She had always felt like God was going to give her an opportunity to lead her prison in worship.” Listen to part of the service below, it’s powerful: READ: Inmate Leads 300 Prisoners To Worship After Accepting Jesus

Reformed pastor denounces contemporary worship

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A reformed pastor with a Presbyterian church recently caused controversy when he publicly criticized the styles of worship being used in many churches today. In his presentation to the Gospel Reformation Network conference, David McWilliams, who pastors Covenant Presbyterian Church in Lakeland, Florida, criticized the modern worship that is moving away from the hymns sung in traditional churches. In his presentation, Pastor McWilliams not only focussed on such trends as using smoke, lighting and video displays in sync with the music, but as well on the type of music being incorporated in these worship services. In his presentation, McWilliams noted: “For example, who can think that a service peppered with salsa rhythms will lead the congregation to worship God in reverence and awe? Or rock music. Will sentimental tunes or music that remind one of night clubs lead us to reverence and awe?” “Therefore, certain forms of music, attitudes, and actions are immediately excluded from worship by the one principle that we are to worship our God in reverence and awe.” It is an interesting …

My new favourite spiritual warfare song

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We have weapons to pull down spiritual strongholds: 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 NKJ) And in the days of King Jehoshaphat: 21 And when he had consulted with the people, he appointed those who should sing to the Lord, and who should praise the beauty of holiness, as they went out before the army and were saying: “Praise the Lord,For His mercy endures forever.” 22 Now when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated. (2 Chronicles 20:21-23 NKJ)

Christian woman flagging outdoors in Banff, Canada

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In the midst of the lockdown, Claire Shieh, a Christian woman, took to the streets of Banff, Alberta, Canada, to worship God in dance and with flags. God TV writes: A woman worshiped with flags and danced in an open street in a Canadian town. The woman, Claire Shieh, hopes to bring peace to the tension of pandemic by inviting the Presence of God through her worship. Called to Flag, is a ministry in Canada that aims to equip the Body of Christ with techniques and teachings of praise for worshiping with flags. Claire and her husband, David, founded the ministry with the heart to serve and see people restore their identity in God. And just last Sunday, they took their flags and boldly worship at the heart of downtown Banff. READ: Woman Worships With Flags At Open Street In Canada Mesmerizes Viewers On her YouTube Channel, Claire explains what happened in Banff: Everyone in the downtown core is required to wear a mask. I can feel the tension from the moment I checked into …

Anointed worship song leads man to confess to murder?

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An interesting story emerged during the recent trial of Danny Dashay Holmes about the power and anointing on Christian music. Danny was on trial in Indiana, for the December 16, 2016, murder of Cesar Lopez-Flores. According to the Daily News Journal (DNJ), after kidnapping a woman by the name of Brittany Johnson, Danny forced Brittany to drive to Lopez-Flores home where Danny and others murdered Lopez-Flores. Johnson was then released unharmed. During his trial in August 2019, Danny dramatically announced to the court he would plead guilty to the murder. Danny stated that a year earlier he had become a Christian, but what prompted him to confess was Big Daddy Weave’s song called “Redeemed.” Now I must confess I had never heard of Big Daddy Weave, but the Christian band features a former worship leader of a church in Pensacola Florida, Mike Weaver. And though I had never heard of Big Daddy Weave, I am apparently one of the few who hasn’t because the video of the band’s song “Redeemed” has been viewed over 39 …

Hillsong Worship Service at Acer Arena in Sydney, Australia Credit: Michael Chan/Flickr/Creative Commons

What does it mean God is enthroned in (or inhabits) our praises?

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Español: ¿Qué significa que Dios está en su trono (Entronado – Habita) en nuestras alabanzas? It is a question I have wondered about for years. Does God really need our worship? Or is it that we need to worship God, meaning it’s for our benefit? I think it is the latter and there is a verse that provides a hint to why we need to worship God. The Psalmist writes: Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. (Psalm 22:3 NASV) This verse tells us that God is enthroned in our praises. Other translations state that God “inhabits” the praise of His people. The Hebrew word “ysb” translated “enthroned” by the New American Standard Bible means to sit and remain sitting, to inhabit and to dwell. It implies the idea of ownership and control. We see the word used as Abraham and Lot dwelt (ysb) in the land (Genesis 13:6, 7, 12) and because of their growing size they were in conflict because both were trying to inhabit and …

Credit: Ram Balmur/Flickr/Creative Commons

Skillful Musicians or Musicians of Snobbery?

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While there has been much discussion that  musicians must excel to be part of a worship team, one wonders if Christian leaders often revert to snobbery rather than skilfulness when selecting musical players. Biblical Pattern In the first book of Chronicles we are shown the selection pattern used in David’s tabernacle to determine those who were to have a ministry in music. “And these are they whom David set over the service of song in the house of the LORD, after that the ark had rest.  And they ministered before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then waited on their office according to their order.” (I Chronicles 6:31-32) The musicians selected were Levites, those separated to the work of the LORD. “And David spake to the chief of the Levites to appoint their brethern to be the singers with instruments of music, psalteries and harps and cymbals, sounding, by lifting up the voice with joy.” (I Chronicles 15:16) …

Credit: Justin/Flickr/Creative Commons

Come-back Singers

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Michael Jackson was just 50 years old when he died June 25, 2009. While no one will deny the man’s God-given talent for song and dance which was displayed in his early years, there are many questions surrounding his bizarre behavior in the second half of his life. The day of Michael Jackson’s death, I attended a weekly worship and prayer meeting where one spirit-filled Believer stated that she had been thinking about all the ‘old’ singers who have started touring again. Since many things in life begin with the natural (I Cor. 15:46) and then the spiritual, she wondered what implications this resurfacing of old musicians might have in the spiritual realm. Michael Jackson, as so many legendary acts like “The Eagles” and “The Rolling Stones,” wanted to make a come-back into the entertainment world. But as a believer that Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and the only one to be worshiped, I have to wonder if any person who claims himself to be the King of the music world will be …

Eurasian Wren singing (you can hear their song at the end of the article) Credit: Pieter van Marion/Flickr/Creative Commons

Birds teach us about songs

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Birds Sing at Certain Times It is recognized that there is a time for the singing of birds and their songs communicate different messages.  King Solomon recognized this truth and even sang about it. The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come…” (Song of Solomon 2:12). It appears that the Psalmist realized the power in song when he wrote; “I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being.” (Psalm 104:33) Singing at Dawn The best time to hear bird songs is at dawn when birds all over the world demonstrate their greatest amount of singing activity.  With little wind and less disturbances, sound travels the best in the early morning.  Songs which are broadcast at dawn can be twenty times as effective as those broadcast at midday. However, with so many variety of birds competing for the same audience, they have a remarkable knack of sharing the stage. Mankind also is encouraged to worship …

Songs of deliverance

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“The Lord God is my strength – he will make my feet like those of a deer, equipping me to tread on my mountain heights.” (Habakkuk 3:19) Beautiful worship songs have brought God’s voice and presence to me these past few days. The Holy Spirit has entered into these songs and lifted my spirit and carried me to places of deep comfort and peace. I don’t understand why I had a need for assurance this past while, but my restlessness in the night has reflected inner stirrings. Through the lilting and uplifting notes of these songs God spoke, “I love you, you are mine, everything is as it should be, you are enough, you are more than enough” For the past three days, I have woken  in the middle of the night and played these songs over and over.  I have danced in our living room, worshiped and prayed. One night as I danced, I picked up my worship flags and as the flute played, I skipped, danced and floated over mountains, valleys and streams. …

Credit: Jonathan Chen/Flickr/Creative Commons

Does God Dance?

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A Bible verse recently caught my attention: “The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior. He will exult over you with joy. He will be quiet in his love, He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.” (Zephaniah 3:17 NASV) The Hebrew word, ‘rejoice,’  means to “spin around under violent emotion.” The phrase “rejoice over you” literally means to “dance, skip, leap, and spin in joy.” So, the latter part of this verse is more accurately translated, “He will dance over you with singing.” I love the visualization that comes to my mind when I read this.  God is portrayed as a mighty warrior, singing and dancing over me with shouts of joy. It describes how a warrior must have felt in the Old Testament after winning a hard-fought battle and realizing the victory was his. I can envision power, authority and strength exuding from him as he steps into a victory dance. I imagine whooping, hollering, leaping, dancing and victory shouts. We see it today, as well. It’s not much …

King David moving the Ark of the Covenant from Gibeon to the Tabernacle of David in Jerusalem. Painter unknown

Why did King David set up the Tabernacle of David?

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ESPAÑOL: ¿Por qué el rey David estableció el Tabernáculo de David? Perhaps one of the most controversial articles I have written is “King David’s deep dark secret.” I have had more comments on that article than any others I have written and I have easily had more people disagreeing with me. In the article I contend that King David was illegitimate. When he said in the Psalms that he was conceived in sin — he meant it quite literally. His mother conceived him in an act of sin. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. (Psalm 51:5 NASV) This explains what happened when God told Samuel to go to Bethlehem to anoint one of the sons of Jesse as the next king of Israel, replacing Saul (1 Samuel 16:1-13). The Bible tells us the elders were trembling when the prophet showed up (v 4). Samuel terrified the elders, so when God’s prophet asked for all the sons, the elders would make sure they were there. But they excluded …

A church worship service. Photo: Joachim S. Muller/Flickr/Creative Commons

Did God create you to dance?

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Should we be dancing in church? Well, if a 2006 study is correct, it appears when God created humans, He hard-wired each of us to dance — more on that in a moment. I still remember a service at a church I was attending in the 70s. The Jesus people movement was in full swing and the congregation was made up of people 30 years and younger. Back then everybody had long hair, including the girls. One particular Sunday evening service we kicked back the chairs and began dancing before the Lord. We broke up into groups, joined hands and whirled around in circles dancing and singing. The thing that struck me the most was the utter joy and excitement on people’s faces as they danced and worshiped the Lord. I was attending seminary at the time, in a denomination that frowned on this type of activity. But they faithfully preached the Bible and people were saved through this ministry. I had a professor by the name of Dr. Dahns. He was a former United Church Minister …

Photo: DrOjOhn/Flickr/Creative Commons

The Big Money in Hallelujah

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“Let me hear a hallelujah. Can I get an amen?” Those are popular words with some people right now. I’m no music critic, but I keep hearing a country song on the radio “My Church” with those words. The song is a huge hit and it has a powerful lesson. When I first noticed this song on the radio, I thought I was hearing a gospel song, and I liked it, without knowing the words. Who listens to lyrics on the radio? I liked it enough to learn more, and it really is a song about not going to church. A young woman,  Maren Morris, finds freedom from her sins and spiritual revival by driving her old car on back roads, and listening to country songs on the radio. Back road therapy is a big thing in country music. So it’s a feel-good popular song that is slightly offensive to Christians. That makes it like most songs on the radio. In seventies talk, the powerful lesson is in the vibes and the ripoff, which is …

Thiago Brado: YouTube Capture

New Brazilian worship song “Minha Essência” (My Essence)

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I encourage you to listen to this video by Thiago Brado, a worship singer from Brazil.  The song sung in Portuguese, entitled My Essence in English, has nearly 4.3 million views on YouTube. Thiago, 25, whose real name is Thiago Oliveira da Silva started singing at the age of 10. At 14, he attended a musical conservatory for further training after his grandmother gave him a guitar. Three years later in 2007, Thiago encountered the Holy Spirit at a Catholic Charismatic meeting in Brazil that transformed his life. He has been attending ever since. During these gatherings his attention was drawn to worship and today Thiago says: “I sing what the Lord wants me to sing.” Several years back, my wife and I met a young couple involved in the Catholic Charismatic movement in Peru. I was genuinely impressed with their faith. We spent an evening with them and our discussion eventually turned to doctrine. Ok I confess, I asked them their views on Mary, the mother of Jesus. Though they were still Catholic in …

A woman’s perspective: Was Victoria Osteen wrong about worship?

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My husband and I were having coffee with friends last September and I shared with them Victoria Osteen’s controversial statement from a video clip of a Sunday worship service where she said: “Do good for yourself, God doesn’t need your worship.  Worship is for you because it makes you happy and God wants you to be happy”. I along with a crowd of verbal naysayers had picked up a stone and hurled it at her. Our friends were silent. Wise friends!  Their silence made me question my tone. Victoria and her husband Joel pastor Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas. They have  gathered their share of critics. I turned to my husband for support. He leaned back contemplating her statement.  “I think she is right, God doesn’t need our worship but he deserves it,” he said. I was surprised.  I had hoped he would go along with me. I always believed that worship was for God because He needed it, but does He? Is it our worship that keeps God going day-to-day fueling Him to greater …

American marines singing “Days of Elijah”

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Days of Elijah, based on Psalm 91, is one of my favorite worship songs. When I came across it being sung by a group of American marines, I had to post it. It involves marines based at Camp Pendleton in California. The video was posted by Merrie Pardee Baldwin to her Facebook page. Merrie attends Arbor Christian Fellowship in Lake Forest, California. She and her husband Jim volunteer every second Sunday for worship services at Camp Pendleton. The video was taken during the service held Sunday, September 14, 2014. In an interview with Christian Post, Merrie said: