"Blessed by Quietness - Part 2"

Definition of a Church:

“We are (a local church is) a community of true believers in Jesus Christ, established by God as His holy dwelling place, who gather together regularly in order to make the glory of God known through the Gospel, using every biblical means possible [preaching, Lord’s Supper, baptism, public reading of Scripture, studying the Bible together, prayer, fellowship, singing, worship, eating together, serving, caring for each other] under recognized spiritual leadership (qualified elders and pastors), who care for and affirm each other’s salvation, and then are trained and sent into the world to preach and practice the Gospel and multiply churches everywhere." 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; Hebrews 10:24-25; Exodus 33; 1 Timothy 3; Titus 1; Matthew 28:19-20; 1 Peter 1:10.

Worship: All of the believer’s life is an act of worship. Romans 12:1-2

Worship is the Christian’s delightful, obedient response to God, acknowledging and ascribing honor and worth to Him, because of who He is.

Worship

is focused on Christ’s cross-work,

is empowered and directed by the Spirit through the Bible,

is manifested in all of life,

is a corporate function of redeemed church members,

is displayed in adoration and action, in anticipation of the coming of Jesus.

1. Worship is a glad and serious business, God is not to be trifled with, He is jealous for our worship and therefore a dangerous delight, Leviticus 10:1-3; Hebrews 12:18-29.

2. Informed worship is pleasing worship; the God of the Bible is a particular God, John 4:21-22; Acts 17:23-24.

3. Careful worship comes from a full orbed understanding of grace, Malachi 1.

God has come to us, we would never do so.

4. Worship exalts our great King, not the worshippers or leaders, Malachi 1.

Technique and performances are wrongly focused.

Emotionalism that focuses on the feelings, short circuits the understanding, and is manipulative.

5. TACC is a temple, a dwelling place, a house of God, a unique worshipping community, Ecclesiastes 5:1; 1 Timothy 3:15; 1 Corinthians 3:16-17; Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-9; Revelation 1:12-13; Matthew 18:20.

6. We come together, as a community, on a regular basis to worship God,
Exodus 20:3; Psalm 50:21; Isaiah 40:12-31; 45:5-7; Matthew 22:37-38; Hebrews 12:18-29, 10:24-25.

7. Worship in humble quietness, Ecclesiastes 5:1-3; Psalm 50:16; 1 Kings 12:33; Isaiah 29:13; 1:10-15; Jer. 12:2; James 1:19-27.

You don’t find God by shouting “Me!” in a loud voice. And you don’t find grace by shouting “Fair!” in a loud voice either.

“Our God is not One who will be mocked, as Ananias and Sapphira discovered to their cost, Acts 5:1-11. If we speak at all, we should do what we say . . . In fact, those who know God will understand that it is much more important that he addresses us than that we address him. The first requirement laid on his people in the Old Testament was not ‘speak, O Israel,’ but ‘hear, O Israel,’…Without hearing there can be no understanding of the kingdom of God; thus Jesus repeats, ‘He who has ears, let him hear.’”
-Iain Provan

8. Worship includes adoration and obedient conviction. We leave the gathering with careful and resolute determination, Ecclesiastes 5:3-7; Isaiah 1:1-15; Malachi 1.

9. Come with spiritual life, Psalm 1.

It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life (John 6:63).