Weekly Protein (07/02/22)

      1Shout joyfully to the LORD, all the earth.

     2Serve the LORD with gladness;
            Come before Him with joyful singing.

     3Know that the LORD Himself is God;
            It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
            We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

     4Enter His gates with thanksgiving,
            And His courts with praise.
            Give thanks to Him; bless His name.

     5For the LORD is good;
            His lovingkindness is everlasting,
            And His faithfulness to all generations.

(Psa. 100, NASB 1977)

Tomorrow, you will be at church. Well, at least you should be. What's the main reason you should be there? To worship. In this psalm, the writer instructs readers how to worship God.

• Worship with joy and gladness (vv. 1-2).

• Worship with humility (v. 3). You are not self-made or self-sustaining.

• Worship with thankfulness (vv. 4-5).

Here is your weekly protein.

1.  Answer these questions.

• Of the three (joy, humility, thankfulness), which is the most challenging for you?

• What adjustment can you make so that, as you participate in tomorrow's service, you will be more aligned with Psalm 100?

2.  Re-read Psalm 100 in another translation.

3.  Communicate with your pastor. Ask him or her, “Do you have a one-sentence definition 

     of worship?”

My Gladness, His Greatness (Psa. 92:4-8)

Read Psalm 92:4-8.

The theme is found in verse 4.  Why should I be glad in the Lord?

1.  His works are great (92:5).

2.  His thoughts are superior (92:5).

3.  His majesty is eternal (92:8).  cf. 93:1-2, 4.

Amazement Was Enough (Mt. 17:4)

Read Matthew 17:4.

Peter is often disparaged for offering to make booths for Jesus, Moses and Elijah.  Peter's supposed motive was that he just had to say something since that was his track record. His hasty words were ill-timed, irresponsible or inappropriate.  That very well might be the case here.

What if there was another motive?  What if Peter's motive wasn't to interrupt Jesus' conversation with Moses and Elijah?  What if Peter's motive was to shield himself, James and John from the glory?  After all, this was an intense situation!  Jesus was present, the giver of the Law was present and a great prophet was present.  Glory radiated from Jesus.  Peter knew that he was out of his league.

The silence of the three disciples, to this point, was prompted by awe and fear.  They knew something was required from them but didn't know what.  Come to find out, they had already demonstrated the proper response.

Don't offer activity in place of awe.  Don't offer to cut down trees when you need to fall on your knees.  Don't ruin a glorious moment by speaking.  There are times in worship when the most appropriate response is to say and do nothing.  "I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene..."  Amazement is enough.

Matthew 8:1-2

Read Matthew 8:1-2.

1.  The contrast:  Crowds gather and follow but only individuals worship.  Only when all the individuals choose to worship is there a situation such as Rev. 7:9-10; 19:1-2.

2.  We worship the Lord when we do two things:  acknowledge His capability and character; acknowledge our needs and Him as the only salvation.  Only Jesus can heal our leprosy (sin).

Worship And Obey (Jn. 9:31)

God hears the one who worships and obeys Him.  If you think God isn't answering or even listening, here are some questions to ask.

1. Are you a worshiper of God (as revealed in the Bible)? Notice that I didn't ask if you attend the worship service.
2. Do you know God's will and are you doing it?  Read Jn. 13:17; Psa. 143:10.
3. If you don't know God's will, are you seeking it?  Read Jer. 29:13.
4. If you don't know how to seek God's will, are you taking steps to learn?

Note on Mark 6:1-3

Don't let what you do know about Jesus become the ceiling for your experience with Him.  Don't allow what you do know about Jesus interfere with what you don't yet realize. Allow for mystery and wonder.  Too much understanding can be a stumbling block.  Don't try to explain Jesus.  Worship Him.  May Jesus never become common to you.

Fed And Satisfied (Mt. 15:29-39)

The same crowd that experienced the miracles was fed.  There are two things that happen when you are in Jesus' presence.

1. When you are in Jesus' presence, your body can be healed (Mt. 15:29-31).
2. When you are in Jesus' presence, your hunger can be satisfied (Mt. 15:32-39).

Jesus is the One who heals your body and satisfies your soul.  What was the link between the two? The link was worship (Mt. 15:31).

It is interesting to note that satisfaction came after the people were three days in Jesus' presence. Satisfaction comes to those who expend and extend themselves in His presence.  There is no substitute for investing long hours in the presence of Jesus.

The Four Kings of Christmas (Magi) (Part 2) (Mt. 2:1-12)

FIRST, NOTICE THREE THINGS THE MAGI DID CORRECTLY.

• THE MAGI NOTICED THE STAR'S RISING AND INVESTIGATED ITS MEANING (Mt. 2:2).
• The star's rising must have meant something. Their conclusion was that a King had been born.
• THE MAGI REALIZED THAT THIS NEWBORN KING DESERVED WORSHIP (Mt. 2:2).
• Their worship would be expressed in several ways.
• They would worship Him through initiative.  They determined to go and see this King for themselves. They didn't send a delegation, didn't send a registered letter with an attached survey, and didn't send an e-mail, text or Snapchat.
• They would worship Him through inconvenience. They traveled an inconvenient distance over uncomfortable terrain; they left behind familiarity, preference, and comfort; they requested leave from their king.
• They would worship Him through insight.
• Insight #1 > Preparation > The correct way to worship this King is by rejoicing when you anticipate meeting Him (Mt. 2:10; Psa. 100:1-2).
• Insight #2 > Place > The correct way to worship this King is by entering into where He is (Mt. 2:11; Psa. 100:4).
• Insight #3 > Posture > The correct way to worship this King is by bowing down (Mt. 2:11; Psa. 72:11; 95:6).  Bow physically (kneeling) and internally (humility).
• Insight #4 > Presents > The correct way to worship this King is by offering gifts that are worthy (Mt. 2:11; 1 Chron. 21:24).
• THE MAGI WERE WILLING TO BE LED BY GOD.
• There were three things God used to lead the magi.
• God used a star to lead the magi (Mt. 2:1-2,9-10; Psa. 19:1).
• God used a politician to lead the magi (Mt. 2:8a).
• God used a dream to lead the magi (Mt. 2:11).
• It is never that God isn't speaking and doesn't want to direct us, only that we are not listening.

Will People Be This Excited to Worship Jesus Tomorrow?



Celebrating the United States' First Gold Medal at The Olympics in Sochi

Prescribed Worship (2 Kin. 13:11)

"He did evil in the eyes of the Lord and did not turn away from any of the sins of Jeroboam son of Nebat, which he had caused Israel to commit; he continued in them" (2 Kin. 13:11).

That sentence, or something close to it, appears repeatedly in 1 & 2 Kings. Reading through these books you think, "Isn't there a king who will do away with Jeroboam's sin?"

The sins of Jeroboam were diverse. Perhaps his most famous violation was the construction and placement of the golden calves. Bottom line -- the people became accustomed to worshiping what they wanted, where they wanted, when they wanted and how they wanted. Worship became about convenience, comfort and compromise. God's prescribed manner of worship was minimized. (Doesn't that sound familiar?)

Jesus told us how to worship (Jn. 4:23-24). Anything less is inferior and unacceptable.

Sharon Husarik in Concert

Apollo Assembly of God
609 First St.
Apollo, PA  15613
(724) 478-4929

Saturday, January 26, 2013
7:00 P.M.

Keep Singing (Isa. 42:10)



Roaring Run Trail, Apollo, PA  12.27.12



It was cold and windy during my walk.  This bird didn't care.  It was snowy all around him.  This bird didn't care.  In spite of the cold, wind and snow, he kept singing.  That is how I got this shot.  Had I not heard his song, I'd have missed the picture.  

Sometimes we don't see clearly, so we misinterpret things if we're not careful.  Something is happening, but we can't quite define it.  During such times, keep singing.  Sing the song and you'll eventually get the picture.  Don't let your wintry surroundings silence your song.

"Sing to the LORD a new song, sing His praise from the end of the earth!" (Isa. 42:10)

The Give-Give of Worship (Psa. 29)

Worship is an activity of giving.  There is no such thing as passive worship transactions.  You cannot accidentally or passively "ascribe to the Lord."  In return, the Lord gives strength and peace.  God is a Giver (Psa. 29:10-11) and He invites us to be givers -- givers of worship that is rightfully His.

God could've chosen to receive worship only from those who must praise Him.  Certainly the seraphim (Isa. 6:2-3) do a more consistent job ascribing worship, right?  Instead, God has created humans with a choice.  Choice is always a more pleasing motive for worship than compulsion.

The motive for worship is to "ascribe" -- to tell God things He already knows to be true about Himself and then behave accordingly (in posture, perspective and pursuit).  The motive is to ascribe, to give.  It is not to get.  However, you will never walk away from an authentic worship experience un-blessed.  When you give, the Lord gives back!  You give Him worship, He gives you something in return -- joy, peace, guidance, provision, etc.

Worship Arts Team Meeting

Thursday @ 6:30 P.M.

I invite everyone interested in singing, playing an instrument, running the sound, capturing the video, flagging, doing drama, leading parts of the service, etc. to attend. Those interested in ushering or greeting, you're welcome too. Right now all you need is interest. Let's be concerned about placement later.

This is our focus for the evening: How can we make each service a work of art instead of just a predictable order to follow? One of the ways is to involve more people. More people mean more talents. More people and more talents mean increased participation and greater variety.