Raised to Worship

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Meeting God in Worship

Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas: this woman was full of good works and alms, deeds which she did. 

And it came to pass in those days, that she was sick, and died: whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber.  And forasmuch as Lydda was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had  heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. 

 Then Peter arose and went with them. When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber: and all the widows stood by him weeping, and shewing the coats and garments which Dorcas made, while she was with them.  

But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up.  And he gave her his hand, and lifted her up, and when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive.  

And it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord. - Acts 9:36-42

God is still raising the dead through the power of the Holy Spirit. Not every demonstration of resurrection power is as immediately obvious as that of Dorcas, but each is as dramatic and life altering. With as much certainty and amazement as the word spread over her return to life through the ministry of Peter, new, changed lives send shock waves through our communities.

No one can estimate or account for the power of testimony in the life of one who has encountered God in worship and the new birth experience. As you worship today, history is potentially being changed because this is a resurrection experience – a dynamic exchange in which the Holy Spirit is present.

What happens in your life as you meet God has implications far beyond your well-being and that of your family and church. As you pause before God today and worship Him, you come into His presence. In that presence, if you enter fully, you will be raised to a new level of spiritual living.  It will be impossible for the change in you to go unnoticed.

People are watching you at school and work. Once you have identified yourself as a disciple of Jesus Christ, your life is on display. Folks are observing the changes that God is making in you. It behooves you to allow Him to work, to be sensitive to His Spirit, to be totally engaged in praise, and to listen intently to what He is saying today.

This is a critical moment. Lives will be transformed if you will meet God in worship.

The Immediacy of Submission

“  But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake … As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called    And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” - Acts 9:14-15; 13:2-3; 

“But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his    to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood.” - Galatians 1:15-16

Paul’s testimony is one of being sanctified by God for God’s purposes. Our stories are not different in that regard. Paul’s progresses from that point. Some of us fail to move beyond the starting place. Paul, however, recognized his separation unto God’s calling and responded immediately with submission and obedience.

God had something in mind for Saul from day one. He would transform his life so that he might be set apart for a particular service.

It was woven into the purposes of God that Saul would be lifted from his cultural identity and become the apostle to the Gentiles (thus the Greek name, Paul).

He would be sent forth into the world as a missionary. That is a redundancy, since “apostle” and “missionary” are synonymous in the Bible for the word which means, “one who is sent.”

Submission for Paul meant being what God had called him to be, going where God had called him to go, and doing and saying what God had called him to do and to say.

It is no different for us.

We surrender our self-will when we come to Christ, and we need constant reminders that such surrender is at the heart of holiness.

Submission to God opens countless doors of opportunity and becomes to very fount of joy and fulfillment once we have dealt with the artificial pain of surrender.

Immediacy means no hesitation when God calls.

Is God calling you today?

What will your response be?