From the Pastor's Desk

Last Sunday, the message was on "Prophetic Worship." And God has been speaking to us a lot lately about moving forward. As we have been studying in Wed. Night Adult Discipleship, the whole concept of the book of Joshua is to urge the believer to move forward in Christ. There are a couple of stories in that book teaching us that advancing growth in the life of miracle faith comes by learning to apply the principle of praise as God's primary means of conquest.

When the walls of Jericho came 'a tumblin' down in Joshua 6, praise and worship were essential to that victory. They shouted when God told them to shout. Scripture instructs elsewhere, "Oh, clap your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph!" (Ps. 47:1). "Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, you righteous; and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!" (Ps. 32:11). "Let the saints be joyful in glory...Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute...the written judgment"(Ps. 149:5-9).

Then later when the Gibeonites deceived them and Israel failed to pray, rather than executing the deceivers, they made the people from Gibeon servants for the Tabernacle from then on (Josh. 9). In other words, Israel tied their mistakes to their worship. So we must bring even our failures and worship God with them.

How do we move forward and take all God has for us? We worship our way into it. We do it in our lives. We do it together. We are a worshipping community. It is our primary identity.

-Pastors Mark and Jennifer