Gratitude
“Enter into His Gates with Thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4. Thankfulness and gratitude encompasses a lot of ground for the believer. I’m sure we all are thankful to God for all that He has done, is doing and is going to do in our lives.
The heart of gratitude, I believe, comes out of a heart of generosity. The ability to “Give” not just out of need, but also out of generosity. In Acts 10 a man named Cornelius was as such. Cornelius was a devout man, one who feared God along with his entire household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed always to God. In verse 4 of the book of Acts an angel of God comes before Cornelius in a vision and tells Cornelius “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God.” As Cornelius lived this lifestyle of prayer and generosity God set up a memorial to remember Cornelius.
Giving isn’t always financial. There are many ways to give that can make a huge statement in the heavenly places. To give out of a heart that is generous to me looks like helping someone else get ahead and truly being happy for their success, being there to change a flat tire for someone who needs help, or giving money to someone who didn’t expect it. God is the father that wants to bless His children and when he does we are filled up so that we can go out and give again. To me, it is understanding that what we have we give out of generosity.
Out of this heart of generousity I can enter His gates with thanksgiving and rest in the strength of the provider who is there for all my needs both physical and spiritual. I am able to be thankful to Him for what he has done for me and through me to bless those around me.
Bless His Name!!!
Rod
Releasing the Sound
Releasing The Sound
On January 24th Pastor Dean participated in the 7th annual Mayor’s Prayer Service at Kawaiaha’o Church. Day’s prior to the Prayer Service, Pastor Dean felt that the Lord wanted him to blow the shofar. So, towards the end of Deans portion of the prayer service Dean read Isaiah 43:13-21. Dean mentioned that there is going to be water in dry places, and the Lord “will do a new thing” Isaiah 43:19. Dean also mentioned before he blew the shofar that with every move of God there is a “Sound” that is released. Dean blew the shofar and a powerful sound was released into the atmosphere.
- In Joshua 6:20 it says when the people heard the sound of the trumpet they shouted and the wall fell down.
- In 2 Chronicles 5:13 when the trumpeters and the singers made one sound praising and thanking the Lord, the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud.
- In Luke 2:13-14, at the birth of Jesus a multitude of the heavenly host praised God saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and goodwill towards men”.
Everything changes for the good of the Kingdom of God by us releasing a sound that is aligned with heaven’s sound.
The blowing of the shofar by Pastor Dean at Kawaiha’o Church released a sound that will usher in a fresh and new wave of God’s love and power over this land. As we at Unified… continue to worship in spirit and truth, a sound is being released, and gates of Heaven are opening.
Freedom
Freedom
Freedom is a word that’s been on my heart since the beginning of January. Freedom is a word that brings hope and liberty to me whenever I hear it. What does freedom look like in worship? In worship we are able to freely express our love and adoration for the Lord. In that expression the Lord himself inhabits our praises (Psalm 22.3) and His presence is real and tangible. Deep worship is an expression of love that comes from an honest and sincere heart broken before the Lord. The goose bump moments in worship or an aggressive shout declaring God’s goodness and character should be an outward expression of the inward heart of worship.
During the last LMI School of Worship, Ray Hughes spoke on the procession that King David led when bringing the Ark of God back to Jerusalem. David was at the front of the procession and the Ark of God followed. Ray mentions that in those times after an army would win a battle they would parade into the city with the captives or slaves of the opposing army in the front of the procession, stripped down and dancing so that everyone could see. The King of the winning army would be at the back of the procession. In the procession of bringing the Ark of God back to Jerusalem, David is in the front of the procession stripped down to a linen ephod dancing with all his might BEFORE the Lord. Although David was King, this act of worship before the lord was a declaration to all heaven and earth that God was the true King and that he would worship God and recognize God’s true and sovereign place in his life as a King, Priest and Prophet. I believe this was an example of true freedom in worship.
What holds us back from Freedom in worship? Well, it’s ourselves. When we start letting the things of this world get bigger than our view of God we rob ourselves of experiencing God’s freedom and love in worship. Soon the things around us seem to get our attention more than God. It is so crucial to develop a lifestyle of worship rather than to limit our times of true free worship to Church. Freedom is there for all of God’s children if we want it and truly hold on to it in our day-to-day lives.
Blessings,
Rod
Glory in the Highest
Glory in the Highest!!!
We should just be worship unto the Lord. It's often easy to get caught up in the latest sound, look or song in a worship context. Our minds can even have a picture of what we think worship should or shouldn't be. In a way we start to worship, worship. Everything we do, and say as children of the Most High God, should reflect a heart of worship to the Lord. It's a lifestyle that I want to encourage everyone to go deeper into, especially during this Christmas Season.
We sang "Glory In the Highest" by Chris Tomlin on Sunday. I remember Chris Tomlin saying in an interview about writing this song that "Glory in the Highest" was a declaration made by all the angels in heaven praising God at the birth of Jesus (Luke 2:8-14). It was amazing to hear the body sing, “Glory in the Highest.” It felt in my heart like we were singing with the angels. We were the worship to the Lord. It's so good to hear everyone in church sing!!!
May the Christmas season draw us closer to God. I want to encourage all of us, now more than ever, to be worship. Be God's love song, be God's victory song, be the song that heaven is singing and let the world see through you the King of Kings, and the Lord of Lord's!
In Christ Alone
The songs we sing when in line with heaven can displace darkness and replace it with hope and peace.
Reshel and I pastor the worship ministry together at Unified.. . It’s been a great experience “doing” ministry together. We pray and talk about what’s on the Fathers heart for the worship ministry, and even go through songs together from time to time. It’s really interesting because I’m a big rhythm and melody guy and she’s a real good word person and has the ability to really discern the meaning and feel of a song. It’s so wonderful to work together with my wife in ministry.
On Sunday, Pastor Kerry asked the church to stand and pray with a clean heart for our government leaders, leaders of the church, and anyone who is in a leadership position. Pastor Kerry reminded the church of the awesome 12 days of worship we just went through, and that the kingdom of God is at hand and is advancing. Pastor Kerry asked me to come up and play some songs. I was thinking of playing “It is Well With My Soul,” but, after looking at Reshel, my wife, she suggested “In Christ Alone”. It was a bit odd and I haven’t played it in a while. Then, I felt the Lord say to do that, and also trusted my wife was hearing from the Lord as well. We did “In Christ Alone” as a church and we really felt the comfort and peace of Jesus in the room. Fear, uncertainty, and hopelessness were displaced, and the power of Jesus was restored. We camped out on the last verse of the song by singing it a couple times. These words are powerful when the body of Christ, with one heart, comes together and proclaims this truth:
In Christ Alone
Words and Music by Stuart Townsend and Keith Getty
Vs: 4
No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
Till He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand
Blessings,
Rod
Worship Binge
I’m still basking in the Glory of the Lord after such a powerful week of worship. The challenge was put out that everyone at Unified.. . would worship at home to lift up the name of Jesus. This weeklong challenge ended with two powerful Holy Spirit packed nights of worship this past Sunday and Monday. In the midst of Halloween and the Hawaii General Elections, our minds and hearts were focused on Jesus. As our hearts joined together as one family focused on lifting up the name above all names, Jesus the Lord revealed himself very powerfully.
The sight of people dancing, singing, shouting, waving flags, crying, and surrendering to the Lord was a sight I’ll never forget. As God invaded our worship through His spirit, the truth of our hearts towards him as Unified.. . was revealed. This journey we are on as a family at Unified.. . will lead us to more and more encounters with Jesus, increase a passion in our hearts for Jesus, and reveal to us His fullness of joy as we honor His presence among us.
Psalm 16: 11 “You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
Amen!!!