Hey Jeramy, 
This really moved me too.  A lot to think about here. 
Virgie and Hoshi 
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeremy Gilley" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 5:45 PM
Subject: THE HEART OF A WORSHIPPER


>I am interested to hear opinions on this... this has hit me personally
> and deeply, and now I have to go reflect upon this more... all I can say
> to this is wow, it is very long, but well worth your time.
> 
> THE HEART OF A WORSHIPPER
> 
> Many Christians today are talking about a renewed desire - even a new
> desire - to worship the Lord in a deeper, more meaningful way. But what
> is true worship?
> What is the absolute essence, the common denominator, in all of worship?
> I believe it is seen in the lives of men like Abraham and Job, who
> worshipped
> in the midst of the most life-shattering circumstances.
> The fundamental essence of worship is this: Regardless of negative
> circumstances or complete emotional turmoil, I bow my heart and life
> before God Almighty,
> acknowledging His supreme lordship.
> The bottom line on worship is confessing God's lordship when everything
> that surrounds your life screams, "God's unjust! He doesn't love you! He
> has forsaken
> you!" At such a time, the true worshipper says, "The Lord is God.
> Blessed be the name of the Lord."
> Perhaps this is what the Psalmist meant when he said, "Deep calls to
> deep in the roar of Your waterfalls." (Ps.42:7). In the context of that
> verse, the
> writer was speaking of deep emotional turbulence in difficult times.
> When everything is crashing down on us like a roaring waterfall, we must
> resort to
> the deep-down faith that we have in God.
> When we feel overwhelmed and don't know why God has allowed a situation
> to come into our lives, we must reaffirm our basic faith in God. "Though
> He slay
> me, yet will I trust Him!" (Job 13:15 NKJV). This is the deep within us
> - that expression from the depths of our souls that affirms our trust in
> God regardless
> of the changing circumstances of life. Worship is the deep within us
> calling out to the deep in God.
> Sometimes this level of worship is best expressed in quietness. "Be
> still, and know that I am God." (Ps. 46:10 NKJV). This verse has nothing
> to do with
> praise, but it certainly applies to worship. There are times when our
> worship will not constitute the forming of words or phrases but will
> involve the
> humble prostration of our souls before God, revering His greatness in
> silence and stillness.
> Since worship is an expression of love, it frequently functions very
> similarly to marital love. Love does not always need to be verbalized in
> order to be
> expressed or appreciated. Sometimes more is said through eye contact
> than could ever be expressed verbally. Worship involves "eye contact"
> with God. Worship
> is staring at God!
> Block quote start
> Never Postpone Worship
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> When facing turbulent circumstances, we have a tendency to complain now
> and postpone worship for later. But Jesus said, "Yet a time...has now
> come, when
> the true worshippers will worship the Father..." (John 4:23). Worship
> operates in the present tense. True worshippers are not satisfied with
> waiting to
> praise God around the throne in heaven. The fact that we may have
> worshipped in the past, or that glorious worship awaits us in the
> future, is unsatisfactory.
> Now is the time to enter true worship.
> "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you." (Ps. 89:15).
> Worship must be learned. It is not a talent with which one is born, nor
> is it a special
> gifting for a select few. Worship is the art of expressing oneself to
> God, and we must learn that expression and open our hearts as channels
> of the Holy
> Spirit.
> Just as preaching is an art that is learned, our ability to worship is
> developed through application and experience. Worship is not learned by
> reading books,
> or by taking classes, or by going to seminars. Like the art of prayer,
> worship is learned by doing it.
> We should not be impatient with ourselves if we are not now able to
> worship as we would desire. Learning the fullness of worship is a
> lengthy process and
> does not come easily. The lessons God brings into our lives to teach us
> worship can sometimes be as dramatic as those of Abraham, Job, and
> David. Responding
> positively in worship rather than bemoaning the trying circumstances
> will cause us to grow as worshippers. In many churches we have been
> taught to work,
> and we have been taught to witness - but we have not been taught to
> worship.
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> God Seeks Worshippers
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> We know from Jesus' own declaration that the Father seeks worshippers
> (see John 4:23). God delights in the lifestyle of worshippers; nothing
> pleases Him
> more than the quality of life displayed by a worshipper. It is our duty;
> then, to endeavor to please Him by learning to become increasingly
> Christ like
> in every way.
> We want to be worshippers, but sometimes we do not fully understand all
> that this involves. One of the most outstanding instances of worship in
> the New
> Testament is seen in the story of the sinful woman who anointed the feet
> of Jesus. Let us explore this account in Luke 7:36-50 to see more dearly
> the qualities
> that characterize a worshipper:
> Now one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner' with him, so He
> went to the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. When a woman who
> had lived
> a sinful life in that town learned that Jesus was eating at the
> Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster jar of perfume, and as she
> stood behind Him
> at His feet weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears. Then she
> wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.
> When the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he said to himself, "If
> this man were a prophet, He would know who is touching Him and what kind
> of woman
> she is - that she is a sinner'."
> Jesus answered him, "Simon, I have something to tell you."
> "Tell me, Teacher'," he said.
> "Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred
> denari, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him
> back, so he
> canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
> Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."
> "You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
> Then He turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this
> woman? I came into your house. You did not give Me any water for My
> feet, but she wet
> My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give Me
> a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing
> My feet.
> You did not put oil on My head, but she has poured perfume on My feet.
> Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven - for she loved
> much. But
> he who has been forgiven little loves little."
> Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
> The other guests began to say among themselves, "who is this who even
> forgives sins?"
> Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."
> When this woman came into Jesus' presence, she was weeping. This was the
> outward manifestation of a heart that was deeply stirred before her
> Lord. She was
> repentant, overcome, unreserved. This was not a show. This woman's tears
> were sincere.
> I will confess that, as a man, I find it very difficult to cry. Few are
> the times when I come to tears before God. And that concerns me, because
> I ask,
> "Lord, is my heart too hard before You? I want to be soft and tender in
> Your presence!" The times of worship that have been most meaningful to
> me are the
> times when I've cried before God. Brokenness and tears are truly key
> elements in worship.
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> The True Meaning Of Worship
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> We see also that this woman kissed Jesus' feet. This is a beautiful
> aspect of worship, for the Greek word for worship - proskuneo - means
> "to kiss the hand
> toward; to do reverence or homage by kissing the hand; to bow one's self
> in adoration." The derivation of proskuneo is thought to come from the
> Greek word
> for "dog." Thus the original meaning was "to kiss, like a dog licking
> his master's hand."
> When I first discovered this, I was somewhat repulsed by the idea. I
> asked God, "Lord, am I like a dog before You? Is that all I mean to
> You?" But then
> the Lord began to show me some beautiful lessons through studying the
> origins of this word.
> Although I have always been a dog lover, I had a dog for only a few
> years while I was growing up. Among my fondest memories of "Buster" are
> the times when
> we would come home from church and be greeted by him at the door. From
> outside we could hear his tail thumping against the wall and his paws
> scratching
> at the door. And when we stepped inside, he was all over us! Jumping,
> licking, wagging, thumping, twirling - you would have thought he hadn't
> seen us for
> weeks! As I remembered those royal welcomes, the Lord whispered to my
> heart, "How excited are you about being with Me again when you enter the
> house of
> the Lord?"
> Then there's the time when your dog comes over to sit by your chair. But
> he isn't satisfied with sitting next to his master; he has to plop his
> body right
> on top of his master's feet. Dogs desire the closeness of physical
> contact with their masters. Let's not be satisfied just with being near
> the Lord; let
> us come close to His heart in worship and lean upon His breast!
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> Fear Of Man Or Fear Of God?
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> worshippers cannot go unnoticed. They will attract attention to
> themselves. For this very reason, many have refrained from entering into
> the fullness of
> worship. They are afraid of what others might think of them. Peer
> pressure affects worship. It has held back countless saints from the
> blessing of opening
> their hearts to the Lord. Some folks might say, "Oh, that's just Sister
> Brown doing her thing again." Others might shake their heads and think,
> "Straaaange."
> But this is part of the cost of being a true worshipper.
> Obviously Mary was not following the conventional forms of worship
> -weeping, kissing, and wiping His feet with her hair. There is no
> mention in the Psalms
> of pouring perfume on our Lord's feet. David gave no guidelines
> concerning these things. So we must consider how tolerant we are of
> unique or "overboard"
> expressions of genuine worship. There are no formulas for worship
> because worship is a function of the heart, and the heart will find
> expression in a variety
> of external forms.
> David escorted the ark of the covenant to Zion, and while dressed in a
> linen ephod and dancing before the Lord with all his might, he was
> rebuked by his
> wife, Michal - "How the king of Israel has distinguished himself today,
> disrobing in the sight of the slave girls of his servants as any vulgar
> fellow
> would." (2 Sam. 6:20) Because of her criticism, Michal was barren for
> the rest of her life. Likewise, if we become critical of genuine acts of
> worship,
> we are in danger of spiritual barrenness.
> In the church today, nothing is quite so controversial as worship.
> Entire churches have been split over matters of worship and the proper
> way to conduct
> it. But a choice is set before us: we can either choose to please men,
> or we can decide to please God.. It rarely seems possible to do both.
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> God's Loving Response
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> Mary was willing to endure the disapproval of others for the sake of
> hearing her Master's "Well done." The disciples were surely thinking,
> "Why doesn't
> Jesus do something? This woman is obviously out of order! Why doesn't He
> rebuke her? Why is He letting this thing drag on?" And when Jesus
> finally did
> give her His attention, the disciples heaved a sigh of relief. "It's
> about time He took control of this situation!" But rather than rebuking
> her Jesus
> commended her.
> What a beautiful assurance this is that when we worship, He will
> respond! He will turn to us! He will speak to us, for He is eager to do
> so. The disciples
> had much head knowledge about worship; but it took a sinful woman -
> someone who was uneducated in the many forms of worship - to reveal the
> heart of a
> true worshipper to these disciples.
> Spiritual maturity does not exempt one from being a worshipper. We will
> never grow to the point where we are "above" worshipping the Lord. In
> the Book of
> Revelation we read of the elders repeatedly falling down in worship
> before the throne of God - "... and the twenty-four elders fell down
> before the lamb,
> having each one a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the
> prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying 'Worthy art Thou
> to take
> the book, and to break its seals; for Thou wast slain, and didst
> purchase for God with Thy blood men from every tribe and tongue and
> people and nation."'
> (Rev. 5:8-9 NAS) In truth, there should be a greater responsibility
> resting upon elders and the spiritually mature to worship the Lord and
> to be examples
> of worship to others.
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> The Cleansing Power Of Worship
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> The last words of Jesus to this woman - "Your sins are forgiven" -
> contain a beautiful lesson. The woman worshipped, and then she received
> forgiveness and
> cleansing. The point here is that it is possible to approach God in
> worship, even if there is sin in our lives, and become purified. But too
> often we allow
> feelings of guilt to rob us of this blessing.
> There was a time in my life when I was struggling with a specific,
> recurring sin that I had difficulty conquering. And oh, the guilt, when
> it was time to
> worship! I could not find a release in my spirit because I felt like a
> failure before God. I withdrew from God, supposing that He was not
> interested in
> fellowshipping with a sin-ridden son. For years I allowed guilt and
> condemnation to rob me of the blessedness of continual communion with my
> Father!
> I had to learn that I must never allow sin to deter me from intimate
> fellowship with God. God is never shocked by sin in our lives. He never
> condemns us
> for sinning. And He never holds us at arm's length when we do sin.
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> Conviction vs. Condemnation
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> God does convict, but He never condemns. Conviction and condemnation are
> poles apart. Conviction leads to repentance. Condemnation leads to
> despair
> Conviction results in victory over sin. Condemnation results in abject
> defeat. Conviction motivates us toward God. Condemnation leaves us
> deflated and powerless.
> God convicts. We condemn.
> Jesus said. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the
> world, but to save the world through Him." (John 3:17). Jesus' statement
> to the
> woman caught in adultery, after her accusers slipped away one by one,
> was - "Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."
> (John 8:11).
> Guilt and condemnation are among the greatest hindrances in our worship
> services. And for too long we have heard the wrong solution. We have
> been told "Repent
> before the Lord first, receive His cleansing, and then come into
> worship. Don't come before God unless you've first been purified."
> But God has never said that to us! That is a human solution The Lord
> made His solution very real to my heart one day as I was meditating on
> this passage
> in Luke 7. I was impressed with the fact that not until after this
> sinful woman had worshipped the Lord in such a beautiful and extravagant
> manner did
> Jesus declare her sins to be forgiven. The progression was this: first
> she worshipped, and then she was forgiven!
> Jesus never says to us, "Wait a minute. There's sin in your life! Don't
> try to get close to Me and love Me in that condition!" On the contrary,
> He says,
> "Come close to Me; lean upon My breast, and let us commune together.
> Then His promise comes: "And you will be purified as you worship Me!"
> We do not get purified in order to worship - we worship and are
> consequently purified. The only time it is inappropriate to worship God
> with sin in our
> lives is when we have no intention of changing. To worship while
> purposefully maintaining a sinful life, without any intentions of
> repentance and change,
> is hypocrisy. But to worship despite any known sin, when we acknowledge
> it and desire to receive God's strength to gain victory over it, is the
> first step
> toward the solution.
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> Flee Into His Presence
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> I am not supporting a new brand of "cheap grace" - God hates our sin! No
> sin can survive in God's presence. But this is precisely why, when we
> need cleansing,
> we must flee into His presence. There we receive healing, cleansing,
> holiness, and purity. This was the message of Charles Wesley when he
> wrote:
> Jesus, Lover of my soul,
> Let me to Thy bosom fly
> While the nearer waters roll,
> While the tempest still is high!
> Plenteous grace with Thee is found,
> Grace to cover all my sin;
> Let the healing streams abound,
> Make and keep me pure within.
> Too often, in the throes of guilt and condemnation, we have turned and
> hidden ourselves from our source of healing and forgiveness.
> Condemnation has driven
> us away from the very Balm that would heal our souls!
> Condemnation will rob us of the blessed purification that will come
> through worship. Condemnation is a whirlpool that will siphon our
> spiritual vitality
> until we are consumed. The more we abstain from worship, the greater the
> separation between us and God. It is our blessed privilege as God's
> redeemed to
> draw near to Him in times of sin and uncleanness and receive of the
> cleansing power that flows from His presence.
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> The River Of Life
> Block quote end
> Block quote start
> In worship, we partake of the very river that flows from the throne of
> God. The Psalmist wrote of that river, "There is a river whose streams
> make glad
> the city of God" (Ps. 46:4). This is an allusion to the water of Siloam
> whose several different courses ran underneath and through Jerusalem and
> supplied
> the city with water. Similarly the Holy Spirit provides us with renewing
> waters as we worship from our innermost beings. Through our worship, the
> river
> of God washes over our souls with cleansing and refreshment.
> When Ezekiel was caught up in this divine river, the waters rose from
> his ankles to his knees and then to his waist, until he could no longer
> walk in the
> current. During this experience, Ezekiel was told, "And it shall be that
> every living thing that moves, wherever the rivers go, will live. There
> will be
> a very great multitude of fish, because these waters go there; for they
> will be healed, and everything will live wherever the river goes. "
> (Ezek. 47:9
> NKJV). As the river of God begins to flow during our times of worship,
> it brings life, abundance, and healing, washing over broken hearts and
> restoring
> parched souls.
> Block quote end