I used the King James phrase for this because it is a great explanation for an event in the future that we will probably be a part of. in I Cor 15:51-52 (New King James)
"Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed"
That is just an awesome thought that in the part of a second it takes to blink your eye, the amount of time it takes to just shut your eye and open it in a blink, that is all the time it will take for Him to return. That's it.
A blink.
a "twinkling"
it is less than a second. that is all that separates us from the return of Christ. When will that be? is it this blink? the next one? how about the next blink?
It is a moment... a twinkling... and we will be changed.
The thing i love the most is that that is how quick it will take to get to the greatest worship service that will go on for eternity. unfathomable!
we complain about worship services being too long, we have to stand, it's too loud, we don't like the songs, we can't wait for church to be over... gotta eat, gotta watch a game, gotta see mom and dad.... it goes on and on... It seems that the worship part of the service (all 4 songs) is just too much to deal with. Some people time their arrival to coincide with the end of the "singing" because it isn't "their thing". Some leave the second the sermon is over (something about the offering) and some as soon as communion is over (communion saves us thank God, and as long as we get our bread and juice, we are ok till next week).
The saddest part of it all is that a lot of people never really worship! we are too busy getting there and waiting to leave to actually give any reverence to the reason we are there! I have to admit it makes me angry, but I just trust God enuf to know that He can handle it. I think we must become indignant to the things that hurt the heart of God. We need to be bold and loud to the ones that break the heart of God.
And when is it even reasonable that 4 songs and a sermon change the world. It can, and it has, but when is that the definition of worship.
And when is it acceptable that we complain because we don't like a style of music or a song or that we don't sing enuf hymns??? Who has given us the right to tell God what he needs. I always shake my head when someone tells me we need more hymns or newer songs or .... what does God want? Is it songs He is looking for? Is it a musical style? Is God looking to see what we are wearing on? or what the lady on the 4th row was doing during the sermon? What is God doing during the drama in Pew # 5??? He is looking at our hearts.
So what is the answer to all these questions? When we seek more to our own personal desires in "worship" and what we want to see and hear, we do not have the heart of God. God is looking at our hearts. He is checking our motives. He knows when we've been bad or good...
My other thought is this. If we can hardly make it to a worship service here while we are live, how do we think we will enjoy heaven with the "eternal' worship service? Why would we think that heaven would be the place to end up with when we can't even "sit thru" the rehearsals. DO NOT TELL GOD WHAT WANT IN A WORSHIP SERVICE. It is not about YOU... it has nothing to do with YOU... the questions is WHAT DOES GOD WANT???
that being said and ranted... i started this with a great thought... and I will end this post with the same thought. The greatest worship experience can happen here on earth, not in most churches, but it can happen. We have to prepare our hearts, and our minds, and our lives. It has nothing to do with the hour and ten minute event that takes place millions of times each week. It has nothing to do with what we want and like and demand. It is about the worship of the Creator of all things. Only through grace have we been made worthy to be in His presence. Only through grace will we be able to worship in spirit and truth, for EVER... eternally... in the twinkling of an eye.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
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