Any believer can agree that when prayer is answered there is so much to be thankful for. A prayer was answered, and for a moment it is so easy to be thankful! What happens when an attitude of gratitude is hard to find? Where in our hearts do we search in order to be thankful?
Paul’s thankfulness in 1 Thessalonians 2 comes from the great love he had been pouring out into the church through sharing the gospel, “And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the Word of God…you accepted it not as the word of men, but as what it really is, the Word of God”, verse 13. Our brother Paul is teaching us to be thankful for the salvation of others, and their spiritual growth! He mentions that his glory and joy is the church (1 Thess. 2:20) He heard that the lives he so passionately poured into, for the love of Christ, were living out the gospel, and that was where the thankful joy came from. Paul imitated the Lord’s attitude in our walk, He desires for us to continue growing, never to grow stagnant and dull. If you’re not walking forward, you might as well be walking backwards.
What does this means in terms of everyday living? Jr. Higher, it means we are to be constantly thanking God for His work, that is; for every close friendship that we can call Christ-centered, every family member who is saved, and the growth of believers all around us. Our joy should derive from our relationship with Jesus and the relationships we continue to build because of His love. An attitude of gratitude can be found everywhere you go by looking at God’s hand upon every circumstance and person.

Untitled from Chris Mathis on Vimeo.

Chris teaching in 1 Thess 2: 17-20 on Joy on Earth & Glory In Heaven.

 

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A few Wednesdays ago, Pastor Chris had mentioned that worship is the one act we will continue to do in heaven that we do now on earth.

( Rev. 19:5~“Then from the throne there cam a voice, saying, Praise our God, all you servants of His, you who reverence Him, both small and great! ) That has really stuck in my head. Once we are present with the Lord, there will be no more street witnessing. No more Jr. High events.  No more listening to men preach or teach.  No more Sunday school classes to LIT in.  No more VBS to volunteer for. But, what there will be, is WORSHIP! From Genesis to Revelation, we are called to worship the Lord.  So, if this is so important, why is it, that we take the act of worshipping and praising God so lightly?

What is worship to you?  Is it something that we are all required to do before a teaching?  Is it repetitious songs that we get tired of singing?

William Temple defines worship as this:

“Worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His Beauty; the opening of the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose – and all of this gathered up in adoration, the most selfless emotion of which our nature is capable and therefore the chief remedy for that self-centeredness which is our original sin and the source of all actual sin”.

On Wednesday nights and Sunday mornings, we gather together to worship God in praise, in music and in song. But we don’t worship for the sake of letting others stand before us and give us a concert, we worship because we are saying, “Lord you alone are worthy to be praised!” It is a time of realizing who God is, and who we aren’t. Who is God seeking to worship Him? In John 4:23~“A time will come, however, indeed it is already here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking just such people as these as His worshipers.”

So as the music begins, do you come to a place where you are undistracted?  Or, are you paying attention to what the person in front of you is wearing? Or, what key the singer is singing in? Or, whether or not your friend is coming that you saved the seat next to you for? In Psalm 29:2~”Give to the Lord the glory due to His name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness or in holy array”

When we are worshiping we need to be occupied with Him. I looked up Worship in Hebrew, and these were a few words that came up to describe worship:

Shahhah~ The act of getting down on ones knees and placing the face down on the ground before another worthy of respect.

Yadah~ Worship with extended hand

Tehillah~ To sing. Singing from a melody in your heart by adding words to it.

Barak~ To kneel or bow. Reverence to God as an act of adoration.

Towdah~ Worship in aggreance and sacrifice.

Zamar~ To sing with instruments. Music accompanied by the voice.

Shabach~ A loud tone, a proclamation. Unashamed. Not just loud, but putting your whole being into it.

“In Prayer we are occupied with our needs and the needs of others. In Thanksgiving we are occupied with our blessings. In Worship we are occupied with HIM.”~Bob Krepps

These Hebrew definitions above have put the way I worship to shame. They have given me a picture of how the saints have worshiped in the past and how we are to worship in the future. But, most importantly, how we are to worship today. I want to challenge us, Jr. Highers and leaders, to worship with the realization of what true worship is. To realize it is an eternal act for an eternal God.

Chris Teaching in 1 Thess 2_13-16

 

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Chris Teaching in 1 Thessalonians 2_7-12

 

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Chris Teaching in Acts 2:42

 

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Come to Summer Camp from Chris Mathis on Vimeo.

Mmmmm good!

Think of the one thing that you love to eat! For me, it is crab legs dipped in fattening, melted butter. Or, better yet, chocolate malted crunch ice cream from Rite Aid. I never get tired of these delicious delicacies! Whatever your ‘delight’ might be, thinking of it makes your mouth water doesn‘t it? You can almost taste it, smell it, and even close your eyes and picture it. Am I right?
Well, there is one thing that is far more satisfying than the above, and that is the Word of God! In Psalms 119:103 it says: “How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” In the Old Testament, honey was a symbol of luxury, rarity, and valued highly. With this in mind, do we treat the Bible as such? As rare, valuable, and highly regarded in our lives? I hope as we are taking in the fulfillment of God’s word, that it drips from our lips, and we want to share it with those around us. When we see and read the words of Christ on each page, speaking to our hearts, our mouth should water and hunger for more of it. Do you close your eyes and meditate on Its goodness? When you walk away, does It leave you satisfied? Does the word of God have this kind of impact on you today?
As a group of Jr. Higher’s, and leaders made our way to Azusa Pacific University, to experience the Dead Sea Scrolls, I was amazed at how the Bible is unchangeable, powerful, and truly unstoppable! There was so much physical proof that the Bible has been uncompromised. There were people throughout time that were persecuted and even killed, so that the Word of God could continue to be translated, read, and understood over time. They knew, what was in the text of these scrolls, was the very living, powerful, breath of God. They knew without a doubt the Bible was Truth! Experiencing that first hand at APU was great, because even if you had a little doubt of the authenticity of the Bible, it was depleted. You could see the impact of the Bible as it has traveled through eras, cultures, and dialects. Yet through it all, today it still has the same impact and message, Jesus!
So why must we take knowing the Scriptures, and understanding the Scriptures so importantly? Well, if you know the Word of God, you will know the living God. His character. His holiness. His authority. His love. His grace. Not just a head knowledge of Jesus, but experience Jesus.

“Wanting more of the Word is the result of our love for God” ~Matthew Henry

2 Timothy 3:16-17 says: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine (teaching), reproof (conviction), for correction (setting us straight), for instruction in righteousness (training), that the man of God may be complete (capable), thoroughly equipped (fully prepared) for every good work.” So we read the Scriptures not only to know Jesus, but the Word of God has direction for every area in our lives. Whether it is our circumstances, our fears, our desires, our struggles, or our future. The Word is for ALL and is available to ALL.
So as you take it in (read it), chew on it (meditate on it), and then burp the burp of satisfaction (telling others) after digesting it…walk away satisfied. As you walk in this life, live out what God has taught you, shown you, and has done through you. The same Word of God is given to all; the same Spirit reveals to all, the same salvation of Jesus is available to all. Whether you are young or old, God is the same and His Word has never changed.
So, as you grab your bible of the shelf, off the floor, out of the back of the car, (where it’s been since last week), dust it off and think of all those who were persecuted and killed so that you could freely read and understand it today. So that you could have the knowledge of Jesus and the salvation He offers. That you may live in such a way that is pleasing to God, and that you may love others in a way that only Christ could enable you to love.

“What we love, we love to think of. All true wisdom is from God. A good man carries his Bible with him, if not in his hands, yet in his head and in his heart.” ~Matthew Henry

Jr. Higher’s, I challenge you today, to carry on the love for His Word as those before you did. Not only will your life be transformed but the lives of those around you. You will find a love and understanding for Jesus that you have never experienced before.

10 reasons you should go to summer camp from Chris Mathis on Vimeo.