Praise & Worship Workshop
Purpose of Praise & Worship
An appropriate place to begin a study on praise and worship would be with God's presence. We need to understand that the purpose of praise and worship is two-fold. First, to glorify God, and second, to enter His presence.
Is there anything more wonderful than entering into the presence of God? The definition of presence is "being within sight or call, being in company with, personal attendance". It means to sit and worship at His feet, and be overcome with His love. After all, we were created to fellowship with the Father.
The Hebrew word K'vod is translated chabod or kabod, and means weight or weightiness. "Glory" is the definition we most often attribute to this word, but it also means "honour, power, dignity, authority, splendour, and magnificence". The word K'vod comes from a root word meaning "to be heavy, to be glorious, to be honourable". When we pray and praise the Lord asking for His glory and His presence to dwell in our midst, we are asking that His presence, His magnificence, His splendour, His power would be displayed among us.
In Exodus 29:43-45 God says, "And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by my glory.
And I will sanctify the tabernacle of the congregation, and the altar: I will sanctify also both Aaron and his sons, to minister to me in the priest's office. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will be their God."
In this passage of scripture the Lord is saying that the tabernacle will be consecrated by His glory; that He himself will dwell in it and make it holy by His presence. We have become the tabernacle; the temple of God. We are His sons and daughters, and have assumed the priest's office. We are the Bride of Christ. He desires to dwell in us, in each of us; to make us holy, consecrated, and set apart by His presence.
Stop and think about it. Isn't that awesome? God loves us, and nothing delights Him more than for us to spend time with Him. May we learn to spend time apart with Him, our loving Father, entering into His presence. Our lives will be forever changed by doing so.
What is Worship?
Basically, worship comes out of a heart that loves God, understands what He has done for mankind and is thankful for the big difference this has made in their life. If this does not sound anything like your experience, the following link will take you to a good starting place to find out more.
Singing is a talent inborn or developed but worshipping is anointing which would bring down God’s presence and glory here on earth.
Worship is not something that can be explained in a few sentences, it is even possible to spend most of your time while studying for a degree looking at just worship in all its forms. However, there are some things that need to be remembered about what worship involves:
Worship involves a relationship with a personal God.
Worship is a response to the many astounding benefits of this personal relationship both those experienced in the present and those promised for the future.
Worship involves submission, service and reverence.
Worship takes place on both an individual and corporate level.
Worship may be informal as well as formal.
Worship may take the form of various activities and yet, at its heart, it is still the same thing.
Worship is about attitude not just activity. In other words, it is something beautiful for God rather than a performance to make ourselves look good in front of other people.
Worship is holistic. It involves the whole person as it takes all our strength, all our mind and all our body to love God enough to become living sacrifices for him.
What are praise tools?
Praise instruments are only symbolic, but we can hold them in our hands and physically wave them to express our love and gratitude to Christ our Saviour. When Jesus entered Jerusalem the people waved palm branches as an expression of their love, victory, and freedom. Today, we are waving our flags and hand kerchiefs as an expression of our love, victory, and freedom. We are waving our symbolic "palm branches" to welcome our soon returning King.
Many people consider these instruments of praise to be a new form of worship, when in fact they are only new to us. They are mentioned throughout the Old Testament, and really have just been re-discovered. God is restoring these to His bride. Isaiah 61:10 talks about the bride adorning herself with jewels. These are adornments for the bride to use. Some praise tools are tabrets, flags, hand kerchiefs, praise hoops, streamers, etc. are all physical adornments that symbolize the spiritual. Our whole purpose in using them is to minister to the Lord. They are used as instruments of praise, worship, warfare and intercession.
Why We Use These Instruments Of Praise And Worship?
Although it may not look like it at first, there is actually a great deal going on when we use our flags, praise hoops, and tabrets. It isn't just a pretty show of colors, or an outward exercise of flashiness. Something begins to happen in the heavenlies whenever Jesus is lifted up.
Some of the reasons we use these instruments are:
They are instruments of praise and worship.
They exalt a specific characteristic or name of the Lord.
God is lifted up in our midst.
It is an outward demonstration of what we feel inside.
We confer honour on God when we worship with these instruments.
We use them to minister to the Lord.
They are symbolic weapons of warfare displayed in the midst of the people in order to glorify God and disrupt the enemy's kingdom. At times, you can actually sense the disrupting affect it has over the enemy's ability to control the atmosphere.
This is a form of communication. Angels are aware of our communication with the Lord, as are the demons. The latter are irritated and fearful; at times even cringing and cowering because of the worship going up unto the Lord. Demonic forces hate any type of praise and worship. When you raise your hands in praise, or speak words of praise, or dance unto the Lord; the enemy hates it. He hates the sight of flags and tabrets, and even the sound of them; it grates on his nerves.
You see, Satan had been the worship leader in heaven. Now he is a fallen angel; and we are the worship leaders. Ezekiel 28 says that he was the most beautiful angel, and that he had instruments of music and praise built into him in the form of tabrets and pipes. When we worship, Satan is reminded of everything he lost when he fell from his place in heaven and he is reminded of his coming defeat. This is why he hates it so.
God is watching and to Him it is beautiful. It is a sweet smelling savour, an acceptable offering of our love. But the enemy is also watching, and takes no pleasure in our worship. Be prepared: anything that lifts up and exalts God is going to be fought by the enemy. You can expect opposition. By using these weapons you are entering a war....a war against the enemy. But we need not fear, because we have God on our side. We just need to be obedient in what he tells us to do. At times, God told Israel to send in the praisers and worshipers first; then He rose up and He fought the battles for them.
Worshiping God is the focus here. We are to lift up God, not ourselves. Whether you choose to use the flags and tabrets or not - WORSHIP! Our bodies are instruments of praise and worship. We have a mouth, hands, and feet that can be used to praise the Lord. Find your personal worship style, whether it is clapping your hands, singing, shouting, dancing, or waving a flag or tabret, and exalt the Lord with all your might. He loves us and He is worthy of our praise.
Why should we praise God?
Because of who He is (Ps 149:1)
Praise glorifies God (Ps 50:23)
Because God commands us to do
For all His benefits (Ps 103:2)
For His goodness (Ps 107:21)
For His mighty acts (Ps 150:2)
It is good (Ps 92:1-2, 147:1)
He is worthy (2 Sam 22:4, Ps 18:3)
Praise magnifies God (Ps 69:30)
Praise is proper (Ps33:1)
God inhabits praise (22:3)
Praise generates power (Ps 84:4-7)
To receive right desires (Ps 37:4)
Praise precedes victory (2 Chr 20:21-22)
Worship & Warfare:
Many of us have such a pretty, comforting picture of the cross. We see the forgiveness of our sins, our reconciliation to the Father, and provision for our healings. But do we see the rest of the picture? Jesus was in physical and emotional agony on the cross. Jesus was also in spiritual warfare on the cross. Numerous people view the cross as completely foolish. Many also consider worship to be foolish and weak, when in reality it, too, is a form of warfare.
1 Corinthians 1:27 says, "But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty". Who would have thought that David could really slay Goliath with one small stone? Who would have believed that the walls of Jericho would fall down flat at the shout of the people? Or what about when Samson slew a thousand Philistines with the jawbone of an ass? To the natural eye each of these things seems totally foolish. Yet God was at work in each one of them. How much more foolish is it to stand in front of the entire congregation waving a flag or a tabret around in the air?
Just as there was no actual power in David's stone or Samson's jawbone; there is no actual power in the flags or tabrets. They are symbolic weapons. Praise and worship are weapons in themselves because they lift up God, and tear down the enemy's kingdom. Every time you give true praise unto the Lord a spiritual missile is hurled into the enemy's camp. A missile that causes confusion and destruction. That is why the enemy so hates and so fights our praise. "Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight", Psalm 144:1.
Remember: This is Warfare.....not just waving a flag.
By using these instruments of praise and worship you are entering into spiritual warfare.
We are an army! We are the militia of the Lord. A militia by definition is an assemblage of armed citizens brought together for the common defence. In Colonial America, when the militia was mustered, you would see men armed with whatever they had - some with rifles, some with shotguns, some with muskets, others with just pikes and spears. They were there, armed, ready to defend their liberty, their homes, and their families from the onslaught of the enemy.
When you are giving praise to the Lord with your flag or tabret, or even just your bare hands, you, too, are standing up to the onslaught of your enemy. You are in battle for, and with, the Lord. You are a member of the army of the Lord.
We have all heard of hand-to-hand combat. In man's army hand-to-hand combat is a physical one-on-one confrontation with the enemy. In God's army hand-to-hand combat is lifting your hands in praise. Although our enemy is unseen - the combat is real.
Remember: The Lord inhabits the praises of His people.
This means God lives in, dwells in, our praise. Our praise actually creates an atmosphere for God to dwell in. Where God dwells there is peace. Where God dwells there is joy. Where God dwells there is salvation. Where God dwells there is deliverance. Where God dwells there is victory!
The definition of praise is "to laud, to celebrate; a joyful tribute of gratitude or reverence paid to the Divine Being. To commend, to applaud, to extol, to magnify".
Psalm 66:1-2, "Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious!"
Psalm 100, "Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands. Serve the LORD with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves; we are his people and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations."
Psalm 150, "Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals; praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD."
Dress Code:
Some may feel this is not necessary, but after much prayer and consideration I have decided to go ahead and include it. It has, however, been difficult to write because I do not want to offend or appear legalistic. I feel it is important because this type of worship is new to many people, and also new to many churches. I present this information in the hope that it will help you avoid problems before they occur.
Care needs to be taken in the area of dress. We have to be aware of how we appear to others. We are endeavouring to bring praise to our Saviour, and to lift up and glorify the Lord; not to call attention to ourselves because of improper attire. We do not want to offend others, or cause our brother to fall.
Romans 14:12-13 says, "So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother's way".
Webster's dictionary defines a stumblingblock as "any cause of stumbling; that which forms a difficulty in one's way or which causes offense". Modesty is the key here. Modesty is "being restrained by a sense of propriety; not forward, unpretending, free from anything suggestive of sexual impurity; moderate; not excessive, extreme, or extravagant".
With this in mind let's look at a few specific areas:
Inner garments -
Make sure your undergarments fits properly
If necessary consider buying good quality garments
Blouses/Shirts -
Make sure necklines are not too low and revealing
Make sure sleeve lengths or openings are not too revealing
Length not too short when stretching or bending
Dresses/Skirts -
Not too constrictive
Modest length
Slits should not be cut too high
Not too short when bending over
Garment should not creep or ride up
If you spin; do not wear full skirts
Slacks -
Should fit properly but not be too tight
Tight fitting clothes -
These are not modest or appropriate
If you are unsure about whether or not your clothing is suitable; try it on in front of the mirror and move around. Check to see how you look while bending over, raising your arms, and etcetera. We have both done this and found it to be quite helpful.
Lastly, relax and enjoy praising and worshiping the Lord. By taking the time to check your attire beforehand you will have freed your mind from needless distractions.
Hindrances for Praise & Worship
Sin (Ps 66:18)
Condemnation (Hebrews 12:2)[forgive yourself]
Worldliness
A Wrong concept of God
Religious traditions [religion represses but redemption releases]
Pride (James 4:10, 1 Peter 5:5)
Fear of man (Proverbs 29:25)
Satanic suppression
Who is a worship leader?
One who cannot worship alone can never be a good worship leader. A person who leads worship should follow the above instruction in order to lead by example and not by command.
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