Help in preparation for worship
Tomorrow, God willing, we shall gather as an expression of the Church of Jesus Christ. Our purpose will be two-fold: supremely it will be our calling to present together to Christ spiritual sacrifices of corporate praise, thanksgiving, faith and love; secondly it will be our responsibility to give and receive edification. The New Covenant places peculiar emphasis on what we do together both toward Christ and toward each other…singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to one another in the fullness of the Holy Spirit. In these ways we testify to God and to the world our commitment to Christ and to His Church according to the Scriptures.
This is a great work and it involves tremendous privileges. But, in order to be up for the task, we must be prepared in our souls. Our minds must be taken off the unreality which we call the “real world” with its combustible things and relationships and pleasures and set squarely on the eternal realities of Christ and His kingdom. That shift will require some effort. Our hearts must be “warmed to sing His praise”. We must remember! We must remember who God is, who we are, who Christ is and what He has done that we might draw near to God. We must remember who He has made us to be in Him and what a destiny He has given us. Our emotions must be focused and renewed. The world so abuses and uses up our emotions. We need revived emotional energy in our attempts to worship and fellowship for God’s glory. Above all, we need to be cleansed. How dirty we become each day in terms of spiritual defilement. We must seek Christ for fresh cleansing by the power of His death and through the confession of our sins.
In a humble effort to assist you in preparing mind, heart and emotions I am going to post some music for you to listen to and ponder. Music has been designed by God to stimulate our minds and emotions and to express both our thoughts and our desires. So, I submit a few songs for you to think upon and to take in for the purpose of helping your souls prepare for tomorrow. I am not endorsing the people who sing the songs. I am posting the songs so that you might focus on the words in their particular melodic context. If you do not like a selection (after all they are my choices not yours), simply move to the next. If you like none of them, then please find some of your own.
I look forward to participating with you in the privileges and responsibilities of tomorrow as being together the “house of God”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-KnzSwuJoU&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFHfoEadyz0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Voawjjqg8zw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENtL_li4GbE&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tkx8WAycYAc&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQMxdymSxHc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8_EfDqF7YI
