Tuesday, 27 January 2015

WORSHIP


The Hebrew word most often used in the Old Testament for "worship" means "bow and indicates a humble submission like a servant to his master ( Genesis 33:3 ). In the New Testament, the Greek word that is most often used, " proskuneo " means " an act if respect" (Mathew 8:2, 18:26).

The same idea arises when we talk about the worship of God by man. We humble ourselves before our creator, with an attitude of reverence to God, to honour, serve and fear him for who he is and the expression of admiration of his majesty.
Worship is not only what we do at church. It is not only beautiful songs moving music, which constitute external worship.
Worship has nothing to do with style, volume or speed of a song.

True worship that is pleasing to God is the total, complete and joyous giving of the creature to his creator. It is expressed throughout  our life in a life of holiness. It is about trusting him, loving him, obeying him, helping our neighbor for his sake etc. It is not limited to religious buildings. It must have priority over anything else. It is a matter of a heart on fire for God. It is a completely selfless act. We do not worship God to have something in return.

The responsibility of any intelligent creature, the first purpose of our life, is to worship God (Rev4:10-11, 14:7). Angels worship him (Neh 9:6). His saints admire him. And soon all the earth shall worship him (Psalm 86:9, Rev 7:8-12). The Father seeks true worshipers, those who worship in spirit and in truth (John4:23-24).

Saturday, 24 January 2015

STEWARDSHIP

A  steward is someone whom a person puts charge of his possession, usually for productive purpose, beyond merely guarding the asset, and is expected to subsequently give
account of his performance to the owner.
Christian stewardship is a way of living whereby I, as a christian, live in recognition of God's ownership of all I am and I have, and hence, I faithfully use all these for the advancement of Christ' s kingdom in this world. In this case, God is the owner, and I am the steward. It is instructive to note in particular six categories of possessions: Life, time, material possessions, talents, money, and environment. 

STEWARDSHIP OF LIFE


Lifeis a gift from God. Belivers define life as begining from conception till death and regard it as sacred (Genesis 1:27; 2:7).
Even our lives are entrusted to us. We cannot do just whatever we like with our lives. And we are also accountable for where and how our lives, actions and decisions affect other people's lives.

The live of a chritian is special, Once a person is born again, he is expected to live unto Christ ( 2 Corinthians 5:15 ; Galatians 2:20 ). God owns me; I am his ( Psalms 95:6-7 ). I am to honour him with even my physical body ( 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ; 6:18-20 ).

I live from an eternal perspective. It is a purpose-driven life. In the Vineyard, stewardship of life is about making my life count for God - the strategic value of every moment, every choice, and every decision. It is about having a sense of urgency on the Great Commission - redeeming the time. The responsibility is awesome ( Ezekiel 3:18 ). I am called to live a life of witness and to be occupied in intentional gosple proclamation.