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PART III: THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER
CHAPTER 17
MINISTERING TO GOD
(WORSHIP)
Worship is a combination of two words, WORTH + SHIP. Worth
here means an intrinsic excellence resulting from superior moral
and spiritual qualities. Ship here means the quality of. Hence,
God is worthy of our esteem because of Who he is and the
wonderful gifts he has given to us. Worship encompasses both
thanksgiving and praise.
Thanksgiving
And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem,
that he passed through the midst of Samaria
and Galilee. And as he entered into a
certain village, there met him ten men that
were lepers, which stood afar off: And they
lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus,
Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw
them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves
unto the priests. And it came to pass, that,
as they went, they were cleansed. And one of
them, when he saw that he was healed, turned
back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
And fell down on his face at his feet, giving
him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And
Jesus answering said, Were there not ten
cleansed? but where are the nine? There are
not found that returned to give glory to God,
save this stranger. And he said unto him,
Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee
whole. (Luke 17:11-19).
INTRODUCTION. In the above narrative, Jesus healed ten lepers.
However, only one returned to give Jesus thanks. Nine were
guilty of the sin of ingratitude. Are only ten percent of
Americans grateful for what God has done for us? Jesus'
indictment of the nine lepers and the affirmation of the one who
returned to thank God seems to characterize our society.
Paul also seems to describe our day:
This know also, that in the last days
perilous times shall come. For men shall be
lovers of their own selves, covetous,
boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers,
incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that
are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers
of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having
a form of godliness, but denying the power
thereof: from such turn away. (2 Timothy
3:1-5).
Because that, when they knew God, they
glorified him not as God, neither were
thankful; but became vain in their
imaginations, and their foolish heart was
darkened. (Romans 1:21).
Please note the type of sins with which unthankfulness is listed.
Unthankfulness or ingratitude is a sign of degeneracy.
If there is anyone who should be thanked for all his gifts
and mercy to us it is God!
WHEN SHOULD WE THANK GOD? Always! We should thank God in the
good times and in the bad times:
Pray without ceasing. In every thing give
thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:17-
18).
Please note that we are to thank God IN all things, not FOR
all things. We certainly do not thank God for Satan's works, but
in spite of them, knowing that God will see us through the tough
times.
WHY SHOULD WE THANK GOD? Because God only does good things!
James reminds us,
Every good gift and every perfect gift is
from above, and cometh down from the Father
of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning. (James 1:17).
Jesus teaches us that,
The thief [Satan] cometh not, but for to
steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I [Jesus]
am come that they might have life, and that
they might have it more abundantly. I am the
good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his
life for the sheep. (John 10:10-11).
We thank God because it is right and proper to thank someone who
does something good for us.
We thank God for answered prayer before that prayer is
answered as an act of faith:
Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let
your requests be made known unto God. And
the peace of God, which passeth all under-
standing, shall keep your hearts and minds
through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5-6)
HOW DO WE THANK GOD? We thank God by our speech and by living a
godly life.
We thank God by praying in the Holy Spirit and by praying
with our understanding:
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is
excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs, singing and making
melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving
thanks always for all things unto God and the
Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
(Ephesians 5:18-20).
For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit
prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit,
and I will pray with the understanding also:
I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing
with the understanding also. Else when thou
shalt bless with the spirit, how shall he
that occupieth the room of the unlearned say
Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he
understandeth not what thou sayest? For thou
verily givest thanks well, but the other is
not edified. (1 Corinthians 14:14-17).
WHAT DO WE THANK GOD FOR? God is our Creator. Strong gives
probably the best definition of God:
God is the infinite and perfect Spirit in whom all
things have their source, support and end. [Augustus
Hopkins Strong, SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY (Old Tappan, NJ:
Fleming H. Revell Co, 1907), p. 52].
We thank God for creating us, sustaining us and for our ultimate
salvation.
We thank God for all good things:
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and
into his courts with praise: be thankful unto
him, and bless his name. For the LORD is
good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth
endureth to all generations. (Psalm 100:4-
5).
We especially thank him for our salvation:
O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good:
for his mercy endureth for ever. Let the
redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath
redeemed from the hand of the enemy; And
gathered them out of the lands, from the
east, and from the west, from the north, and
from the south. (Psalm 107:1-3).
Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the
spirits are subject unto you; but rather
rejoice, because your names are written in
heaven. (Luke 10:20).
We thank him for our inheritance:
Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath
made us meet to be partakers of the
inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath
delivered us from the power of darkness, and
hath translated us into the kingdom of his
dear Son: In whom we have redemption through
his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
(Colossians 1:12-14).
We thank him for peace that is beyond human understanding:
And the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and
minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians
4:7).
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto
you: not as the world giveth, give I unto
you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither
let it be afraid. (John 14:27).
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts,
to the which also ye are called in one body;
and be ye thankful. (Colossians 3:15).
We thank him for the Word of God:
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in
all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one
another in psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, singing with grace in your hearts to
the Lord. (Colossians 3:16).
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things out of thy law. (Psalm
119:18).
Thy testimonies also are my delight and my
counsellors. (Psalm 119:24).
Make me to go in the path of thy
commandments; for therein do I delight.
(Psalm 119:35).
I will speak of thy testimonies also before
kings, and will not be ashamed. (Psalm
119:46).
And I will delight myself in thy
commandments, which I have loved. My hands
also will I lift up unto thy commandments,
which I have loved; and I will meditate in
thy statutes. (Psalm 119:47-48).
This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy
word hath quickened me. (Psalm 119:50).
I remembered thy judgments of old, O LORD;
and have comforted myself. (Psalm 119:52).
Thy statutes have been my songs in the house
of my pilgrimage. (Psalm 119:54).
We thank God for physical and mental healing and deliverance
from Satanic oppression:
ACT 10:38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth
with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went
about doing good, and healing all that were
oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
(Acts 10:38).
When the even was come, they brought unto him
many that were possessed with devils: and he
cast out the spirits with his word, and
healed all that were sick: That it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the
prophet, saying, Himself took our
infirmities, and bare our sicknesses. (Acts
8:16-17).
We pray for and thank God for leaders in government in order
that we may practice the Christian lifestyle in peace:
I exhort therefore, that, first of all,
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and
giving of thanks, be made for all men; For
kings, and for all that are in authority;
that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life
in all godliness and honesty. For this is
good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved,
and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
(1 Timothy 2:1-4).
We thank God for spiritual, physical and material
prosperity:
Beloved, I wish above all things that thou
mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy
soul prospereth. (3 John 1:2).
We thank God for Jesus' abiding friendship and presence:
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,
All power is given unto me in heaven and in
earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I
am with you alway, even unto the end of the
world. Amen. (Matthew 28:18-20).
We thank God for the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit,
and for the Baptism of the Holy Spirit:
Ye are of God, little children, and have
overcome them: because greater is he that is
in you [the Holy Spirit], than he that is in
the world. (1 John 4:4).
CONCLUSION. Let us have a heart of thanksgiving. Let us
remember to thank God as a lifestyle.
Praise
Now there were in the church that was at
Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as
Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger,
and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had
been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and
Saul. As they ministered to the Lord, and
fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me
Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I
have called them. And when they had fasted
and prayed, and laid their hands on them,
they sent them away. So they, being sent
forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto
Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to
Cyprus. (Acts 13:1-4).
INTRODUCTION. Thanksgiving has to do with showing appreciation
to God for his gifts. Praise has to do with demonstrating to God
our appreciation for who he is.
Kenneth Hagin reveals our lack of praise in Christian
"Worship" Services:
Today when Christians gather for a church service, we
mostly minister to one another. Our services are
designed that way. We sing songs, but in very few of
them do we minister to the Lord; we minister to one
another. .... When we pray in church, our praying is
primarily a petition [asking God for something]. Then
when the minister stands to speak, he is not
ministering to the Lord, he is ministering to the
congregation. ....
However, the Christians we read about in the
account above in Acts 13:1-4 came together and
"ministered to the Lord and fasted...." [Kenneth E.
Hagin, PREVAILING PRAYER TO PEACE (Tulsa: Kenneth Hagin
Ministries, 1983), p. 49].
WHY DO WE PRAISE GOD? God created mankind for fellowship with
himself. Praising God is an excellent method of fellowship.
We praise God because the Early Church praised God
continuously:
And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and
he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
And it came to pass, while he blessed them,
he was parted from them, and carried up into
heaven. And they worshipped him, and
returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And
were continually in the temple, praising and
blessing God. Amen. (Luke 24:51-53).
And they, continuing daily with one accord in
the temple, and breaking bread from house to
house, did eat their meat with gladness and
singleness of heart, Praising God, and
having favour with all the people. And the
Lord added to the church daily such as should
be saved. (Acts 2:46-47).
Since the early church is an example for us, we should also
praise the Lord.
God is holy, loving and benevolent. It is right and proper
to praise him. In fact, he is the ONLY being worthy of praise
and worship.
Praise is one of the few things that we can give to God. He
is the creator and owner of everyone and everything. However, he
gave us a will. Our choice to thank and praise him gives back to
him an expression of love that is cherished by our Heavenly
Father.
It is wrong not to praise God. It is wrong not to give
someone something that is rightfully due him. Any kind of sin
hinders God from meeting human need. While it should be true
that we do not give with the motive to get, sin will hinder God
from doing what he wants to do: meet human need and bless people.
Hagin gives an example of what happened when a minister and
friends praised God:
A minister told me of an experience he had once
which illustrates the power of praise. Once very early
in his ministry, while he was a young evangelist, he
was staying at the pastor's home during one of his
revival meetings. During the night a call came for the
pastor to come pray for a baby who was having
convulsions. The pastor had been called out of town to
preach a funeral, but the pastor's wife asked this
young evangelist to go with her and a few other
faithful Christians to pray for the sick child.
Relating the experience to me, he said, "We
rebuked the devil, we prayed a the top of our voices
and went through all the motions that we sometimes feel
are necessary in order to get God to hear our prayers.
After about forty minutes of such rigorous praying, the
child was no better but continued having convulsions.
"I had done about all I knew to do. I'd done
everything I'd seen anybody else do. But nothing
happened. Then as I got quiet, it seemed that the group
who were gathered there to pray also grew quiet. The
pastor's wife began to say softly, `Praise the Lord,
praise the Lord,' and praises began rolling from her
lips. She continued in this spirit of praise for about
ten minutes. Finally, one by one all of us picked it
up until we were all praising God. In the midst of
that atmosphere the child's convulsions ceased and he
fell asleep.
"We stood around for awhile rejoicing in the Lord.
Then while we were talking the child awakened and went
back into convulsions. We became alarmed and started
to pray and rebuke the devil. We anointed the child
with oil and laid hands on him. We went through all
the usual maneuvers again, but nothing seemed to help.
"Then when we settled down again, the pastor's
wife began to praise the lord, ministering to the lord
and telling him how much she loved Him. We all joined
in and shortly the child's convulsions stopped and he
went to sleep, permanently healed. That night I
witnessed the power of praise." (Hagin, PREVAILING
PRAYER TO PEACE, p. 50).
WHEN SHOULD WE PRAISE GOD? We should praise God continuously,
both in the good times and in the bad times. Paul and Silas were
in a very bad situation, but still praised God in spite of it:
And the multitude rose up together against
them: and the magistrates rent off their
clothes, and commanded to beat them. And
when they had laid many stripes upon them,
they cast them into prison, charging the
jailor to keep them safely: Who, having
received such a charge, thrust them into the
inner prison, and made their feet fast in the
stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas
prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the
prisoners heard them. 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. And the keeper of the
prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing
the prison doors open, he drew out his sword,
and would have killed himself, supposing that
the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried
with a loud voice, saying, Do thyself no
harm: for we are all here. Then he called
for a light, and sprang in, and came
trembling, and fell down before Paul and
Silas, And brought them out, and said, Sirs,
what must I do to be saved? And they said,
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou
shalt be saved, and thy house. And they
spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to
all that were in his house. And he took them
the same hour of the night, and washed their
stripes; and was baptized, he and all his,
straightway. And when he had brought them
into his house, he set meat before them, and
rejoiced, believing in God with all his
house. (Acts 16:22-34).
When Christians are in bad circumstances, it does not necessarily
mean that they are out of the will of God. Paul and Silas were
beaten and placed in prison for doing the will of God. They did
not complain or become bitter or turn from serving God. Instead,
they praised God. The light of Christianity shines brightest
against a background of darkness. Paul and Silas' light shined
into the lives of many that night! As a result of Paul and Silas
praising God while in prison, God was able to save a whole
household!
Here is another example of praising God opening the way for
God to bless his people:
It came to pass after this also, that the
children of Moab, and the children of Ammon,
and with them other beside the Ammonites,
came against Jehoshaphat to battle. Then
there came some that told Jehoshaphat,
saying, There cometh a great multitude
against thee from beyond the sea on this side
Syria; and, behold, they be in Hazazontamar,
which is Engedi. And Jehoshaphat feared, and
set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed
a fast throughout all Judah. And Judah
gathered themselves together, to ask help of
the LORD: even out of all the cities of Judah
they came to seek the LORD. And Jehoshaphat
stood in the congregation of Judah and
Jerusalem, in the house of the LORD, before
the new court, And said, O LORD God of our
fathers, art not thou God in heaven? and
rulest not thou over all the kingdoms of the
heathen? and in thine hand is there not power
and might, so that none is able to withstand
thee? Art not thou our God, who didst drive
out the inhabitants of this land before thy
people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of
Abraham thy friend for ever? And they dwelt
therein, and have built thee a sanctuary
therein for thy name, saying, If, when evil
cometh upon us, as the sword, judgment, or
pestilence, or famine, we stand before this
house, and in thy presence, (for thy name is
in this house,) and cry unto thee in our
affliction, then thou wilt hear and help.
And now, behold, the children of Ammon and
Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not
let Israel invade, when they came out of the
land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and
destroyed them not; Behold, I say, how they
reward us, to come to cast us out of thy
possession, which thou hast given us to
inherit. O our God, wilt thou not judge
them? for we have no might against this great
company that cometh against us; neither know
we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee.
And all Judah stood before the LORD, with
their little ones, their wives, and their
children. Then upon Jahaziel the son of
Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of
Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the
sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the LORD in
the midst of the congregation; And he said,
Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of
Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus
saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor
dismayed by reason of this great multitude;
for the battle is not yours, but God's. To
morrow go ye down against them: behold, they
come up by the cliff of Ziz; and ye shall
find them at the end of the brook, before the
wilderness of Jeruel. Ye shall not need to
fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand
ye still, and see the salvation of the LORD
with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not,
nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against
them: for the LORD will be with you. And
Jehoshaphat bowed his head with his face to
the ground: and all Judah and the inhabitants
of Jerusalem fell before the LORD,
worshipping the LORD. And the Levites, of
the children of the Kohathites, and of the
children of the Korhites, stood up to praise
the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on
high. And they rose early in the morning,
and went forth into the wilderness of Tekoa:
and as they went forth, Jehoshaphat stood and
said, Hear me, O Judah, and ye inhabitants of
Jerusalem; Believe in the LORD your God, so
shall ye be established; believe his
prophets, so shall ye prosper. And when he
had consulted with the people, he appointed
singers unto the LORD, and that should praise
the beauty of holiness, as they went out
before the army, and to say, Praise the LORD;
for his mercy endureth for ever. And when
they began to sing and to praise, the LORD
set ambushments against the children of
Ammon, Moab, and mount Seir, which were come
against Judah; and they were smitten. For
the children of Ammon and Moab stood up
against the inhabitants of mount Seir,
utterly to slay and destroy them: and when
they had made an end of the inhabitants of
Seir, every one helped to destroy another.
And when Judah came toward the watch tower in
the wilderness, they looked unto the
multitude, and, behold, they were dead bodies
fallen to the earth, and none escaped. And
when Jehoshaphat and his people came to take
away the spoil of them, they found among them
in abundance both riches with the dead
bodies, and precious jewels, which they
stripped off for themselves, more than they
could carry away: and they were three days in
gathering of the spoil, it was so much. (2
Chronicles 20:1-25).
Jehoshaphat, King of Judah was between "a rock and a hard place."
An enemy alliance was coming after him and his army, and he was
no match for them. Jehoshaphat knew that it was God's will for
Judah to win and occupy the land that God had given them. So,
the good king went to prayer. The Holy Spirit then spoke through
Jahaziel, answering Jehoshaphat's prayer: Judah would be victor.
The battle then became the Lord's. Jehoshaphat then began to
praise the Lord before the victory was actually won. It would
seem foolish today if the U. S. Army band led the Armor and
Infantry into battle, but that is exactly what happened in this
historical incident with Judah's Army! Praise releases God's
power!
END
