"Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens;..in the heights!..all His angels;..all His hosts!..sun and moon;..all you stars of light!..you heavens of heavens, and you waters above the heavens!...Praise the Lord!" (From Psalm 148)
Have you ever taken note that the last five Psalms begin and end with, "Praise the Lord"?
Maybe each day should "begin and end" with, "Praise the Lord." And notice that, "Praise the Lord!" rings throughout the universe, not just in some church gathering.
First of all, some make a difference between "worship" and "praise"; I don't. To me, "Praise the Lord," is the same as, "Give unto the Lord the glory due to His Name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." Worship and praise are communion, a communion giving all glory, laud and honor to the Living Triune God in Jesus Christ. There is no longer an "outer court" and an "inner court" which limits Presence. There is just Presence, "....for Thou art with me." Whether it is "upbeat" songs or "solemn" ones, the relationship does not change. It does not change whether I am dancing or bowing. Life is worship and praise, or at least it should be. Whether in Church meetings or worship gatherings or here in my chair with the computer I am in His Presence, no more in one location than in another.
Secondly, I think over the years "location" theology has led to a great misunderstanding of what our Lord Jesus has brought us into through His Precious Blood of the Cross. When Jesus died, "the veil of the Temple was rent in two." Prior to that great event the saints were only in the "outer court." In Jesus Christ mankind can now live, dwell, go about life in the, "Most Holy Place." Since the Cross and Resurrection and Ascension, I now live, "abide," sleep in Jesus, as in what 1 Thessalonians says, "whether we wake or sleep we are the Lord's." When I awake at night, I am just as much in His Presence as when I am in the greatest worship gathering anywhere.
Much of the "come into the presence" is for religionists to get you into their kingdoms. It is sort of a "pyramid theology." An "out-there presence" is not like the "in-here presence." They believe that you can only experience "great worship" if you are in the right "place." Of course, there is the command to, "forsake not the assembling," but the Church "assembled" does not have a corner on the Presence of the Living Triune God. There is no one here with me right now. I am still, however, in His Presence. In all of this, I say with the Ancient, "Let all that is within me praise the Lord....Praise the Lord."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I say with Moses, "If Your Presence does not go with [me]," I have nothing. Only, "In Your Presence is fullness of joy." Amen.
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Posted By Antipas Prayer Force: to Antipas Prayer Force Devotionals at 12/30/2016 12:54:00 PM
Have you ever taken note that the last five Psalms begin and end with, "Praise the Lord"?
Maybe each day should "begin and end" with, "Praise the Lord." And notice that, "Praise the Lord!" rings throughout the universe, not just in some church gathering.
First of all, some make a difference between "worship" and "praise"; I don't. To me, "Praise the Lord," is the same as, "Give unto the Lord the glory due to His Name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness." Worship and praise are communion, a communion giving all glory, laud and honor to the Living Triune God in Jesus Christ. There is no longer an "outer court" and an "inner court" which limits Presence. There is just Presence, "....for Thou art with me." Whether it is "upbeat" songs or "solemn" ones, the relationship does not change. It does not change whether I am dancing or bowing. Life is worship and praise, or at least it should be. Whether in Church meetings or worship gatherings or here in my chair with the computer I am in His Presence, no more in one location than in another.
Secondly, I think over the years "location" theology has led to a great misunderstanding of what our Lord Jesus has brought us into through His Precious Blood of the Cross. When Jesus died, "the veil of the Temple was rent in two." Prior to that great event the saints were only in the "outer court." In Jesus Christ mankind can now live, dwell, go about life in the, "Most Holy Place." Since the Cross and Resurrection and Ascension, I now live, "abide," sleep in Jesus, as in what 1 Thessalonians says, "whether we wake or sleep we are the Lord's." When I awake at night, I am just as much in His Presence as when I am in the greatest worship gathering anywhere.
Much of the "come into the presence" is for religionists to get you into their kingdoms. It is sort of a "pyramid theology." An "out-there presence" is not like the "in-here presence." They believe that you can only experience "great worship" if you are in the right "place." Of course, there is the command to, "forsake not the assembling," but the Church "assembled" does not have a corner on the Presence of the Living Triune God. There is no one here with me right now. I am still, however, in His Presence. In all of this, I say with the Ancient, "Let all that is within me praise the Lord....Praise the Lord."
Father, in Jesus' Name, I say with Moses, "If Your Presence does not go with [me]," I have nothing. Only, "In Your Presence is fullness of joy." Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
Hebrews 12:2
Hebrews 12:2
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Posted By Antipas Prayer Force: to Antipas Prayer Force Devotionals at 12/30/2016 12:54:00 PM
