Together # 1
A Together of Relationship with God
A Together of Relationship with God
Worship God Together
copyright by Dick Wulf, 2018
God is especially delighted when His people praise Him with thoughts, feelings and actions that match truth, especially about His character. This worshiping “in spirit and in truth” requires vigilant help from extremely close Christian relationships.
Ex 8:1; Ex 20:2-11; Ps 100:4; Jn 4:23-24; Rom 12:1; Heb 12:28-29; Heb 13:15-16
For Christians, loving God is what life should be all about.
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’” Mark 12:28-30
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Proclaiming God’s great and wonderful value is worship and the essential element in loving God. It should encompass all of life, not just when we are alone or participating in activities of the organized church. To place God at the highest of importance, we must worship in our relationships with other Christians, particularly our most frequent, those of our Christian friendships, Christian families, and Christian marriages.
We worship God together in church services and ascribe worth to God. Singing and praying in services of believers goes back thousands of years. We should do this, but we should not stop worship there. Hopefully, between these organized church worship services we pray and sing, or listen to worship music in our private moments.
However, since our lives should be continual worship and love for God, it must comprehensively include our relationships. God must be of highest importance there as well as in church services or private moments. The other 64 Togethers of Scripture are ways to worship and value God above all else with other Christians, in one way or another. They are essential to loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Perhaps there is resistance to the idea that worship includes all of life, not just worship services and private worship time. We need to understand that Jesus worshiped God all of the time and He was seldom in a synagogue. It should be impossible for us to conceive of Jesus not worshiping as He walked with His disciples or healed people, in fact, in all He did.
To understand how we are to worship God together, we must first explore how Jesus changed the standard for worship. It is recorded in the Bible when He talked with the woman at the well in Samaria.
We worship God together in church services and ascribe worth to God. Singing and praying in services of believers goes back thousands of years. We should do this, but we should not stop worship there. Hopefully, between these organized church worship services we pray and sing, or listen to worship music in our private moments.
However, since our lives should be continual worship and love for God, it must comprehensively include our relationships. God must be of highest importance there as well as in church services or private moments. The other 64 Togethers of Scripture are ways to worship and value God above all else with other Christians, in one way or another. They are essential to loving God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength.
Perhaps there is resistance to the idea that worship includes all of life, not just worship services and private worship time. We need to understand that Jesus worshiped God all of the time and He was seldom in a synagogue. It should be impossible for us to conceive of Jesus not worshiping as He walked with His disciples or healed people, in fact, in all He did.
To understand how we are to worship God together, we must first explore how Jesus changed the standard for worship. It is recorded in the Bible when He talked with the woman at the well in Samaria.
Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
John 4:20-24
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First, Jesus challenged the place of worship. The primary place for worship, Jerusalem, would cease to be the height of religious worship. He did not necessarily eliminate praise in places of worship, but He certainly downgraded their priority.
Soon, Jesus said, worship would be in spirit and truth by true worshipers. And it is this worship in the core of the believer, his or her spirit, that the Father wants.
Therefore, a believer’s spirit must be connected to the truth to be true worship. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that soon it would be possible for people’s spirits to be permeated with truth. This is our situation. We have been redeemed and purified. We have the Holy Spirit. Ever since the resurrection, Christians have been new creatures capable of worshiping in their spirits as we are more and more connected to God’s truth.
Our spirits are who we really are. Down deep inside, are we connected to God’s truth? How consistent with God’s truth are our spirits? True worship extends only as far as our spirits are melded to truth. The test is in how we think, feel and act. If our words of worship do not match our actions, it is not true worship.
For example, a person who speaks and acts politely in church but is harsh with his wife and children is not a polite person. He is a harsh person acting polite sometimes. Down, deep inside of him his spirit is harsh. He may desire to be polite all of the time, but his spirit is not yet changed. Such a man needs to let the Holy Spirit change him so that his spirit matches that of Jesus.
Soon, Jesus said, worship would be in spirit and truth by true worshipers. And it is this worship in the core of the believer, his or her spirit, that the Father wants.
Therefore, a believer’s spirit must be connected to the truth to be true worship. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that soon it would be possible for people’s spirits to be permeated with truth. This is our situation. We have been redeemed and purified. We have the Holy Spirit. Ever since the resurrection, Christians have been new creatures capable of worshiping in their spirits as we are more and more connected to God’s truth.
Our spirits are who we really are. Down deep inside, are we connected to God’s truth? How consistent with God’s truth are our spirits? True worship extends only as far as our spirits are melded to truth. The test is in how we think, feel and act. If our words of worship do not match our actions, it is not true worship.
For example, a person who speaks and acts politely in church but is harsh with his wife and children is not a polite person. He is a harsh person acting polite sometimes. Down, deep inside of him his spirit is harsh. He may desire to be polite all of the time, but his spirit is not yet changed. Such a man needs to let the Holy Spirit change him so that his spirit matches that of Jesus.
I have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.
Gal 2:20
It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.
And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.
Gal 2:20
When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians, he had come to this point in his spirit, in who he really was. He had let Jesus take control of who he was, of his spirit. We cannot make the same statement just because we have memorized this verse. We need to die to self and get out of the way of Jesus in us. This is our hope of glory!
. . . the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Col 1:26-27
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Paul wrote this letter to the believers in Colossae, not to an individual believer. It should be clear that worship in spirit and truth must go beyond individual worship to worship together. Christ is in us corporately. We are His body.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
1 Cor 12:27
1 Cor 12:27
Worshiping together in spirit and truth then includes friends with spirits connected to God’s truth wherein Jesus lives through them when they get together. Families worship in spirit and in truth when Jesus lives in and through them in family life. Husbands and wives worship in spirit and in truth when they are in Christ within the boundaries of truth.
The important thing for us to grasp is that if we want to be true worshipers and not play-actors in Christian disciplines, we need to be changed so that we believe the truth without doubt. Then we will live the truth automatically and consistently.
For example, it is not uncommon for us to say we believe that God is sovereign and plans the events of our lives. Yet, when life gets tough, we often do not have the calm peace that comes from true belief in God’s actual sovereign control. It is one thing to say that God is sovereign and quite another thing to live like He *is* sovereign. But, we can do so with one another’s help. This is worship together. It will not happen consistently in autonomous faith.
Jesus lives in us, and when He has our permission to live through us, we will grow to want only what He wants. Our spirits will become welded to truth.
The important thing for us to grasp is that if we want to be true worshipers and not play-actors in Christian disciplines, we need to be changed so that we believe the truth without doubt. Then we will live the truth automatically and consistently.
For example, it is not uncommon for us to say we believe that God is sovereign and plans the events of our lives. Yet, when life gets tough, we often do not have the calm peace that comes from true belief in God’s actual sovereign control. It is one thing to say that God is sovereign and quite another thing to live like He *is* sovereign. But, we can do so with one another’s help. This is worship together. It will not happen consistently in autonomous faith.
Jesus lives in us, and when He has our permission to live through us, we will grow to want only what He wants. Our spirits will become welded to truth.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Psalm 37:4
Scripture tells us unequivocally that God wants a people to call His own, not just individuals. Therefore, we must accept that worship is the responsibility of Christians when we are together, especially in our closest relationships. This “relationship worship” becomes lifestyle worship – together being like Jesus in character. Not only do we help one another live by the truth and declare to God His importance to us, but when we act together like God acts, we worship Him. The other 64 Togethers are powerful ways to worship, first because obedience to Scripture honors God, and second because each of the Togethers has us acting together like God and reflecting His character back to Himself.
Christian friends, Christian family members and Christian spouses must help one another worship with behavior and thoughts that are in line with the truth of Scripture. Hopefully, we have shown enough love to each other to safely confront and help one another when our lives show holes in our faith. We all have many areas of our lives that have not yet fully yielded to truth. Trust that we are in the faith together can allow us to help one another live the faith we profess.
For example, Easter comes and we sing, “Christ the Lord has risen today!” It is tremendous joy to sing those words at that time with Christians all around us. Right then we strongly believe in life after death. Later, only those close to us will see that we are afraid of dying or not just quite sure that we will live after death in a real heaven, truly without sin and pain. Someone we love will die and we will act like we lost them forever. Or we will hesitate to take risks for the sake of the gospel because we do not realize that in a few years we will be completely taken care of in heaven. We lose physical abilities and do not realize that it is temporary due to old age and they will soon reappear.
Christian friends, Christian family members and Christian spouses must help one another worship with behavior and thoughts that are in line with the truth of Scripture. Hopefully, we have shown enough love to each other to safely confront and help one another when our lives show holes in our faith. We all have many areas of our lives that have not yet fully yielded to truth. Trust that we are in the faith together can allow us to help one another live the faith we profess.
For example, Easter comes and we sing, “Christ the Lord has risen today!” It is tremendous joy to sing those words at that time with Christians all around us. Right then we strongly believe in life after death. Later, only those close to us will see that we are afraid of dying or not just quite sure that we will live after death in a real heaven, truly without sin and pain. Someone we love will die and we will act like we lost them forever. Or we will hesitate to take risks for the sake of the gospel because we do not realize that in a few years we will be completely taken care of in heaven. We lose physical abilities and do not realize that it is temporary due to old age and they will soon reappear.
That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our inner strength in the Lord is growing every day. These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. Yet this short time of distress will result in God’s richest blessing upon us forever and ever! So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever.
2 Cor 4:16-18 Living Bible
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We are to help one another worship by living in truth. C. S. Lewis did this when he wrote for us the children’s stories in the Chronicles of Narnia. To help us live in the truth of heaven, Lewis has Aslan, who is allegorical for Jesus Christ, say the following to the children in the seventh book titled The Last Battle when they are first in heaven.
Then Aslan turned to them and said:
“You do not yet look so happy as I mean you to be.” Lucy said, “We’re so afraid of being sent away, Aslan. And you have sent us back into our own world so often.” “No fear of that,” said Aslan. “Have you not guessed?” Their hearts leaped and a wild hope rose within them. There was a real railway accident,” said Aslan softly. “Your father and mother and all of you are – as you used to call it in the Shadow-Lands – dead.” “The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.” |
Likewise, Christians are to help one another worship in spirit and in truth, to honor God by living in His truth. When we know we doubt some aspect of the Bible’s truth and are dishonoring Him by not truly believing, we can turn to one another. It will often take a while for truth to be understood, accepted and then lived. That is why this is a task for our Christian Inner Circles where devotion to one another is not a passing thing or limited to Sundays. This is Faith Together where our spirits can receive help from the Holy Spirit and from God’s presence in the others we interact with frequently.
Opportunity to Become More and More Like Jesus Christ
Opportunity to Become More and More Like Jesus Christ
When Dave first heard that worship was supposed to be more than the worship services at his church, he was intrigued. He had been worshiping the same way for years, and it got to where it could be done without thinking.
Worship, Dave learned, was reflecting back to God his own character. Being like Jesus naturally was the best way to do that. So, Dave determined to work toward becoming more and more like Jesus for the rest of his life. Dave believed in basic biblical doctrine and appreciated that much of his thinking was, therefore, like Jesus. However, he realized that his behavior also needed to be like Jesus. Dave was excited when he learned that over time, his frequent, biblically-obedient relationships in his Christian friendships, family and marriage would elicit more and more Christlikeness. Eventually Dave wondered what it meant to worship God in spirit and in truth. Realizing that only thinking, emotions, and behavior that truly matched biblical truth was acceptable worship, Dave made agreements with his Christian friends and his Christian wife that they would point out where one another’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors were not consistent with true belief in the Bible. |
Worship is ascribing worth to God. We can only describe God’s magnificence by showing Him Himself. Anything less than God Himself is inadequate praise. (We can’t really say that God is as beautiful as a sunset; it reveals a glimpse, but He is much more than that!)
Therefore, since Jesus is the exact visible representation of God and His character, the best way to worship is through Christlike thoughts, feelings and actions.
Therefore, since Jesus is the exact visible representation of God and His character, the best way to worship is through Christlike thoughts, feelings and actions.
”Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.”
John 14:9
John 14:9
The more we are like Jesus, the more God sees our Savior’s reflection from our lives. Being like Jesus brings our spirits, the deepest inner part of ourselves, into harmony with truth. Then we can worship in spirit and truth. Living like we believe what we say is truly worshiping in spirit and truth consistently in daily life.
We know Jesus attended some religious events and celebrations. Likewise, we can be like Jesus and participate in worship services and reflect to God his magnificent character in words.
However, Jesus also reflected back to God His own character continually in daily life. Jesus was God, so it was natural for him to reflect the Father’s character. But, Jesus as human had to choose to stay true to his holiness and not give in to the temptations of sin.
We know Jesus attended some religious events and celebrations. Likewise, we can be like Jesus and participate in worship services and reflect to God his magnificent character in words.
However, Jesus also reflected back to God His own character continually in daily life. Jesus was God, so it was natural for him to reflect the Father’s character. But, Jesus as human had to choose to stay true to his holiness and not give in to the temptations of sin.
. . . has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin.
Hebrews 4:15
Hebrews 4:15
We can choose to be like Jesus. Implementing the scriptures that underlie the Togethers of Scripture in our closest relationships of Christian friendships, Christian families, and Christian marriages will produce in each of us more and more Christlike character. These relationships are crucibles for transformation into exceptional Christlikeness. They shape our spirits to more and more thoroughly reflect Jesus back to the Father.
Jesus lived absolutely in harmony with God’s truth, Thus, to become more like Jesus, it is important that Christians help one another eliminate thoughts and behaviors that are not consistent with God’s character or the truth of the Bible. Thus, Bible study is important for more than learning. It is also to help one another live the truth we learn.
Our help must go far beyond Bible study or else the Scriptures would not tell us to build up one another’s faith in various ways. It is easy to spout off doctrine without going further to living it. When we realize that we do not live any particular aspect of God’s truth and discover how it hinders true worship, we should want help from one another. We should want everyone in our Christian Inner Circles to walk in God’s light as a worship offering. We then will confess to one another what we do not believe in hopes of soon being able to live the truth that alludes us and worship God more fully in spirit and in truth.
All of us worship God in spirit and in truth to some degree. Don’t we all want to worship Him more fully? If we do, then we will help one another by recognizing one another’s doubts without judgment and share our certainty through teaching and how we live. We will make huge progress in this process by studying the Togethers and living them out. The Togethers open up Bible obedience to be performed at the Olympic level.
Each of the Togethers develops our spirits to be more like that of Jesus and godliness, or Christlikeness, blossoms. This is because looking at what God wants from us when we are together, especially in our closest relationships, challenges us to change our thinking and behavior. This process transforms our spirits.
It is insufficient to privately ask ourselves, “Does Jesus think like I am thinking? Does Jesus act like I am acting?” We are too prone to give ourselves passing grades when we barely measure up. But, if together we ask those same questions, we will hopefully be more honest with ourselves. For the real treasure is not in patting ourselves on the back, but in discovering some new way to be more like Jesus.
Jesus lived absolutely in harmony with God’s truth, Thus, to become more like Jesus, it is important that Christians help one another eliminate thoughts and behaviors that are not consistent with God’s character or the truth of the Bible. Thus, Bible study is important for more than learning. It is also to help one another live the truth we learn.
Our help must go far beyond Bible study or else the Scriptures would not tell us to build up one another’s faith in various ways. It is easy to spout off doctrine without going further to living it. When we realize that we do not live any particular aspect of God’s truth and discover how it hinders true worship, we should want help from one another. We should want everyone in our Christian Inner Circles to walk in God’s light as a worship offering. We then will confess to one another what we do not believe in hopes of soon being able to live the truth that alludes us and worship God more fully in spirit and in truth.
All of us worship God in spirit and in truth to some degree. Don’t we all want to worship Him more fully? If we do, then we will help one another by recognizing one another’s doubts without judgment and share our certainty through teaching and how we live. We will make huge progress in this process by studying the Togethers and living them out. The Togethers open up Bible obedience to be performed at the Olympic level.
Each of the Togethers develops our spirits to be more like that of Jesus and godliness, or Christlikeness, blossoms. This is because looking at what God wants from us when we are together, especially in our closest relationships, challenges us to change our thinking and behavior. This process transforms our spirits.
It is insufficient to privately ask ourselves, “Does Jesus think like I am thinking? Does Jesus act like I am acting?” We are too prone to give ourselves passing grades when we barely measure up. But, if together we ask those same questions, we will hopefully be more honest with ourselves. For the real treasure is not in patting ourselves on the back, but in discovering some new way to be more like Jesus.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
No one comes to the Father except through me.
John 14:6
It is true that this verse mainly applies to gaining salvation. It only comes through Jesus. However, if worship is also coming to God through Jesus, Jesus is the way we are to follow, the truth we are to believe, and the life that is to blossom within us and emerge out of us. This cannot happen without the other Christians we gather with frequently. Life is not isolated from others or even troubles. Faith together is absolutely necessary for us to worship in spirit and in truth by taking on more likeness to Jesus Christ.
The close relationships of Christian friendship, family and marriage can help us bring our lives into conformity with what we know about God and the truth He has revealed. It is in these relationships that we can help one another live what we believe. It is in these relationships that we can powerfully help one another become more and more like Jesus. Christlikeness is the ultimate reflection back to God of his own character.
Christlikeness is the ultimate worship!
Opportunity to Worship God
The close relationships of Christian friendship, family and marriage can help us bring our lives into conformity with what we know about God and the truth He has revealed. It is in these relationships that we can help one another live what we believe. It is in these relationships that we can powerfully help one another become more and more like Jesus. Christlikeness is the ultimate reflection back to God of his own character.
Christlikeness is the ultimate worship!
Opportunity to Worship God
Simone burst out of church and exclaimed, “I was so blessed by that service!” Charity, her closest friend in all the world responded, “But, wasn’t the worship service to bless God? Do you think it did?”
The blank look on Simone’s face said it all. She had not thought of the worship service as being primarily for God. Then she responded, “Why haven’t I looked at it that way? I think we Christians live to be blessed by God rather than to bless Him.” They went to lunch at a local restaurant they loved. But, before they left the church, they invited a few others to join them for a life-changing discussion. Of course, curiosity ruled and those lured joined them. There at the café the Holy Spirit revealed through the synergy of their conversation that not only was the church service to be for worshiping God, but that how they lived either honored God and was praise and worship or dishonored Him by either ignoring His desires for their lifestyle or minimizing all that they could be and do in the likeness of Jesus. One year later these lunch companions had multiplied their worship of God many times over. |
God has made it possible through Jesus Christ to worship Him together as His people in spirit and truth. Worship is reflecting back to God his own marvelous nature, character and attributes. Worshiping in church services does so in words. Obeying the scriptures as categorized by the Togethers is worship through our very lives.
It is far too easy to be satisfied with church worship services as sufficient worship. But, does that make sense in light of all that God has done for us up until now and still continues to do?
The Togethers give us a way to expand worship exponentially to show God how great and wonderful He is. If we are willing, we will see that we do not fully obey the scriptures that make up each Together. Thankfully, there is much growth possible on each Together, at least ten to a hundred times, to show God how really important He is to us. Why would we not want to magnify our worship of God to more assertively worship in daily life in the ways described by the 65 Togethers?
Since Jesus died and rose again, paying for our sins and making it possible for us to be slaves to righteousness, worship was altered from largely outward ceremony to include a daily lifestyle of worship in spirit and truth. Faith together opens up so much more opportunity to ascribe worth to God. Those of us who want to do so can look into the Togethers and discover wonderful opportunities for the kind of sacrificial love that pleases God and worships Him. Since perfect reflection to God of his own character is done through Christlikeness, each Together is essential because each reflects back to God the character of His Son. Every Together is in itself worship.
Unfortunately, although each Together is based on truth in the Bible, we often pay insufficient and superficial attention. Perhaps we foolishly want to feel like we are doing well in the faith as if we are at the end of our journey. However, we are only doing well in our Christian faith if we are still traveling further into righteousness by the grace of God with the help of the Holy Spirit and other Christians. We can continually grow more in spirit and truth worship. We will still grow similarly in heaven.
When we obey the scriptures that instruct each particular Together, behavior becomes Christlike and is an act of worship. Thus, Christian relationships are opportunities for very valuable worship. However, it takes effort to implement the Togethers. Sometimes we have to let the Holy Spirit push us into deeper obedience to Scripture in our closest relationships. Such costly worship shows great love for God.
Particularly important for reflecting Jesus’ character now and in heaven are those Togethers that disappear upon death. 28 Togethers cannot at all be done in heaven. So, there are 28 qualities of Jesus’ character that must be gained here in the sinful environment, 28 opportunities to worship God that will be lost in heaven. For example, the Together “Bear with One Another”, where we put up with being hurt by another, will not be needed in heaven where there is no sin and no hurtful behaviors. To become like Jesus who bore with Peter’s denial at the time of his crucifixion, we must let God help us overlook being hurt by one another to worship through this Together.
We want to go to heaven having reflected God’s forbearance. In heaven we will not have that opportunity to worship by mirroring God’s having put up with us all the times we hurt Him. To develop this worship ability, we need close Christian relationships over time wherein the sinful environment will ensure such occasional hurt comes our way.
There are 28 more Togethers where attaining some aspect of Jesus’ character will disappear when we leave this sinful environment through death. For example, in heaven we will still communicate with God through prayer, but not with the great distraction of sin. Only now can we worship by coming together to pray about each other’s vulnerability to sin. (Read how Jesus prayed in this way for his disciples in John 17.) Only now can we develop that Christlikeness. Only now can we change so that we carry that particular degree of godliness, that degree of concern for one another, to heaven. There we will use the capacity to care about others that we allowed to develop in us in a way different from praying against sinful attacks, but still for worship and God’s eternal glory.
It should also be pointed out that behaving, thinking or feeling in any way that denies God’s character, like putting our trust in a bank account and discounting His role of taking care of us, is the opposite of worship. We might call it “un-worship”. We all do this. However, through faith together we can help one another do less and less of it.
Going a bit further, we cannot avoid the fact that when we do not do the Togethers, we do not act like God. That dismissal of Scripture or limited concern for God’s will expressed in the Bible could also be called “un-worship”.
For example, forgiving others for hurting us is worship because God does that with us as we continually hurt Him. Conversely, not forgiving is unlike God who grants us forgiveness we do not deserve. One of the Togethers is to forgive one another without requiring an apology. Not doing so should be seen not only as disobedience, but as the opposite of worship. Once we see this, hopefully we will combine repentance with our love for God and see it positively as an opportunity to grow in worship.
Likewise, if we are faithful to the Together to look out for one another’s good, we are aware of the necessary good things other Christians need for spiritual growth, relationship obedience, and physical security. Then we work with other Christians to see that they get these good things, whether or not they are seeking them. This is very much like God and tremendous worship. He looks down on us and sees His Son and Himself in us. But, if together we do not look out for the good of others, especially those in our Christian Inner Circles, we do the opposite of worship in that we reflect back to God what He is not.
This concept of worship versus un-worship is evident everywhere. If guests come to our door and we greet them, we are hospitable. If we just open the door for them and say nothing, we are inhospitable. If we can be of crucial help and make sure that we and other Christians rise to someone’s need, we are being compassionate as is God. If we do not, we are not being like God and it should be considered the opposite of worship.
It is far too easy to be satisfied with church worship services as sufficient worship. But, does that make sense in light of all that God has done for us up until now and still continues to do?
The Togethers give us a way to expand worship exponentially to show God how great and wonderful He is. If we are willing, we will see that we do not fully obey the scriptures that make up each Together. Thankfully, there is much growth possible on each Together, at least ten to a hundred times, to show God how really important He is to us. Why would we not want to magnify our worship of God to more assertively worship in daily life in the ways described by the 65 Togethers?
Since Jesus died and rose again, paying for our sins and making it possible for us to be slaves to righteousness, worship was altered from largely outward ceremony to include a daily lifestyle of worship in spirit and truth. Faith together opens up so much more opportunity to ascribe worth to God. Those of us who want to do so can look into the Togethers and discover wonderful opportunities for the kind of sacrificial love that pleases God and worships Him. Since perfect reflection to God of his own character is done through Christlikeness, each Together is essential because each reflects back to God the character of His Son. Every Together is in itself worship.
Unfortunately, although each Together is based on truth in the Bible, we often pay insufficient and superficial attention. Perhaps we foolishly want to feel like we are doing well in the faith as if we are at the end of our journey. However, we are only doing well in our Christian faith if we are still traveling further into righteousness by the grace of God with the help of the Holy Spirit and other Christians. We can continually grow more in spirit and truth worship. We will still grow similarly in heaven.
When we obey the scriptures that instruct each particular Together, behavior becomes Christlike and is an act of worship. Thus, Christian relationships are opportunities for very valuable worship. However, it takes effort to implement the Togethers. Sometimes we have to let the Holy Spirit push us into deeper obedience to Scripture in our closest relationships. Such costly worship shows great love for God.
Particularly important for reflecting Jesus’ character now and in heaven are those Togethers that disappear upon death. 28 Togethers cannot at all be done in heaven. So, there are 28 qualities of Jesus’ character that must be gained here in the sinful environment, 28 opportunities to worship God that will be lost in heaven. For example, the Together “Bear with One Another”, where we put up with being hurt by another, will not be needed in heaven where there is no sin and no hurtful behaviors. To become like Jesus who bore with Peter’s denial at the time of his crucifixion, we must let God help us overlook being hurt by one another to worship through this Together.
We want to go to heaven having reflected God’s forbearance. In heaven we will not have that opportunity to worship by mirroring God’s having put up with us all the times we hurt Him. To develop this worship ability, we need close Christian relationships over time wherein the sinful environment will ensure such occasional hurt comes our way.
There are 28 more Togethers where attaining some aspect of Jesus’ character will disappear when we leave this sinful environment through death. For example, in heaven we will still communicate with God through prayer, but not with the great distraction of sin. Only now can we worship by coming together to pray about each other’s vulnerability to sin. (Read how Jesus prayed in this way for his disciples in John 17.) Only now can we develop that Christlikeness. Only now can we change so that we carry that particular degree of godliness, that degree of concern for one another, to heaven. There we will use the capacity to care about others that we allowed to develop in us in a way different from praying against sinful attacks, but still for worship and God’s eternal glory.
It should also be pointed out that behaving, thinking or feeling in any way that denies God’s character, like putting our trust in a bank account and discounting His role of taking care of us, is the opposite of worship. We might call it “un-worship”. We all do this. However, through faith together we can help one another do less and less of it.
Going a bit further, we cannot avoid the fact that when we do not do the Togethers, we do not act like God. That dismissal of Scripture or limited concern for God’s will expressed in the Bible could also be called “un-worship”.
For example, forgiving others for hurting us is worship because God does that with us as we continually hurt Him. Conversely, not forgiving is unlike God who grants us forgiveness we do not deserve. One of the Togethers is to forgive one another without requiring an apology. Not doing so should be seen not only as disobedience, but as the opposite of worship. Once we see this, hopefully we will combine repentance with our love for God and see it positively as an opportunity to grow in worship.
Likewise, if we are faithful to the Together to look out for one another’s good, we are aware of the necessary good things other Christians need for spiritual growth, relationship obedience, and physical security. Then we work with other Christians to see that they get these good things, whether or not they are seeking them. This is very much like God and tremendous worship. He looks down on us and sees His Son and Himself in us. But, if together we do not look out for the good of others, especially those in our Christian Inner Circles, we do the opposite of worship in that we reflect back to God what He is not.
This concept of worship versus un-worship is evident everywhere. If guests come to our door and we greet them, we are hospitable. If we just open the door for them and say nothing, we are inhospitable. If we can be of crucial help and make sure that we and other Christians rise to someone’s need, we are being compassionate as is God. If we do not, we are not being like God and it should be considered the opposite of worship.
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
James 2:15-16
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We will never be complete worshipers, but it is possible to honor God more and more through lifestyle worship. Just as we continue to worship God regularly in church services, we can increase our worship in life by learning the Togethers and watching for when God wants us to implement them. Interactions with people in daily life will provide many opportunities for us to be Christlike and worship God through reflection of His character. Let’s do this rather than ignore such opportunities and pass up opportunities to honor and glorify God.
How Used in Battle to Defeat Evil and Satan
How Used in Battle to Defeat Evil and Satan
When I (Dick Wulf) was inventing the youth discipleship program in game form called “DragonRaid” in 1983, my dictation would come under demonic attack. A few times what I dictated on cassette tape would play back with paragraphs mixed up. A whole day’s work would be lost and I would become quite discouraged. When I realized what was happening, that the devil was trying to stop me, I would play praise music on my cassette player and my spirit would lift. Then I would dive back into the task, making sure that what I now dictated would be better than what had been lost, making it counterproductive for Satan to attack what I was doing.
But when my typist’s old manual typewriter (1983 was before computers) would not print the letters she was typing, more serious worship was needed. She was working on a really old machine where the letter was at the end of a metal arm. She would tap a key with the letter written on it similar to computer keys of today. But, a different letter would print than the letter at the end of the metal arm. This was physically impossible and stopped progress cold. Warfare against Satan’s evil spirits was required, not only prayer but worship through the applicable Togethers of Scripture. I had to bring my friends and family into obeying the scriptures that make up the Battle Together (#52) of “Stand Up to the Devil at One Another’s Side”. Together we were stronger than Satan and drove him away through Christlike obedience. It was worship in that we honored God by taking His instructions in the Bible seriously. Then my friend’s typewriter began working again. In the end, thousands of kids and young adults playing fantasy role playing games with sinful values came to know Christ as their Savior through “DragonRaid”. |
Spirits aligned with truth and dedicated to Jesus Christ bring great joy to God as true worship. Furthermore, such worship in spirit and in truth defeats the devil. It has always been Satan’s goal to be served and worshiped in the place of God. Therefore, this Together to worship God together in church and also in daily life is a necessity.
Worship defeats the cause of Satan. The devil cannot stand it when Christians worship, especially when they worship together. Two or more Christians living the truth together, not just believing it, can mightily defeat the evil one. Worshiping in spirit and in truth is very powerful against every kind of evil.
Satan will do many things to make our worship dishonorable to God and, thus, not really true worship. The evil one will especially do all he can to interfere with worship in spirit and in truth, meaning that he will get us to act contrary to what we say we believe. The devil knows that worship services not accompanied by lifestyle worship in spirit and truth is rejected by God.
Worship defeats the cause of Satan. The devil cannot stand it when Christians worship, especially when they worship together. Two or more Christians living the truth together, not just believing it, can mightily defeat the evil one. Worshiping in spirit and in truth is very powerful against every kind of evil.
Satan will do many things to make our worship dishonorable to God and, thus, not really true worship. The evil one will especially do all he can to interfere with worship in spirit and in truth, meaning that he will get us to act contrary to what we say we believe. The devil knows that worship services not accompanied by lifestyle worship in spirit and truth is rejected by God.
“I hate, I despise your religious festivals;
your assemblies are a stench to me. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. . . . But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! |
Amos 5:21, 22, 24
Since worshiping God is to go beyond church worship services to worship in spirit and in truth, Christians must help one another live together, as well as privately, in obedience to the truth of the Bible. Only thinking, emotions, and behavior that truly matches biblical truth is acceptable worship. Therefore, Christians should agree with one another to point out where one another’s thoughts, feelings and behaviors are not consistent with the truths of the Bible. This is to be done in love without judgment, so that it can be safely welcomed.
Christian friends who are close and in regular fellowship should give each other permission to point out inconsistencies with biblical truth and to be helpful to one another until they more accurately align their spirits to God’s truth. The same for family members and husbands and wives. This requires that Christians in close relationship with one another get past guilt or defensiveness and recognize that it is the believer’s natural position to not be perfectly like their Savior. When they point out to one another that God’s truth can be better applied to belief and life, guilt and defensiveness will cloud the needed perception that a great opportunity is present. Given the choice to feel bad about being unlike Jesus in some way or to feel challenged and excited to become more like Jesus in some way, we need to make the latter choice.
Doubts diminish worship. Truth expels doubt. Usually, it is only in close, trusting, honest relationships that doubts are spotted. There are doubts that are easy to reveal to other Christians. But, there are more subtle doubts that show themselves only when things are said in the course of daily life that illuminate only partial belief in biblical truth and doctrine. Or, the words are connected to God’s truth but the behavior does not logically follow the stated belief. Many of these doubts will be seen by Christian friends, Christian family members, and the spouse. This is no time for the kind of politeness that acts like everything is okay. Realizing that worship is at stake, that doubting God’s goodness at any level is dishonoring Him, friends, family members and spouses should want to help out. They should want to teach, counsel, and live out the truth that is doubted.
This truly is battle at the spiritual level, not usually against evil spirits, but to help one another yield to the Holy Spirit and let truth prevail. Prayer is always foundational to this process of helping one another be more able to worship with spirits in line with truth. Sometimes it is necessary to expel evil spirits in the power of the name of Jesus, but often when the devil sees us helping one another grow in trust of God and His Word, he will leave because his attempts to distort truth are foiled.
Satan also rejoices when we settle for only a little truth. Those of us who do not study our Bibles once salvation has been attained are often limited in our lives with God and worship suffers. Not much better are those believers who study the Bible to become proficient in doctrine and do not go further. They end up knowing about God very well, but not knowing God very well. We Christians cannot let one another fall into such traps. We must work together so that God doesn’t get just the minimum in the way of lifestyle worship.
We are surrounded by evil that needs to be attacked by worship in spirit and in truth – biblical truth acted out and aggressive to take control over bad things. Each of the 65 Togethers, as expressions of worship, defeat evil. For example, the Strengthening Together of “Encourage One Another” (#27) gives Christians courage to take on difficult assignments from God which will defeat evil. The Healing Together of “Hurt With One Another” (#31) keeps Satan from injuring a Christian as much as possible. The Battle Together of “Arm Yourselves” (#49) has Christians taking up the weapons of spiritual warfare together.
Together Faith is called for to defeat Satan and evil on a daily basis through lifestyle worship.
How in the Sinful Environment this Together Prepares Us for Heaven
Christian friends who are close and in regular fellowship should give each other permission to point out inconsistencies with biblical truth and to be helpful to one another until they more accurately align their spirits to God’s truth. The same for family members and husbands and wives. This requires that Christians in close relationship with one another get past guilt or defensiveness and recognize that it is the believer’s natural position to not be perfectly like their Savior. When they point out to one another that God’s truth can be better applied to belief and life, guilt and defensiveness will cloud the needed perception that a great opportunity is present. Given the choice to feel bad about being unlike Jesus in some way or to feel challenged and excited to become more like Jesus in some way, we need to make the latter choice.
Doubts diminish worship. Truth expels doubt. Usually, it is only in close, trusting, honest relationships that doubts are spotted. There are doubts that are easy to reveal to other Christians. But, there are more subtle doubts that show themselves only when things are said in the course of daily life that illuminate only partial belief in biblical truth and doctrine. Or, the words are connected to God’s truth but the behavior does not logically follow the stated belief. Many of these doubts will be seen by Christian friends, Christian family members, and the spouse. This is no time for the kind of politeness that acts like everything is okay. Realizing that worship is at stake, that doubting God’s goodness at any level is dishonoring Him, friends, family members and spouses should want to help out. They should want to teach, counsel, and live out the truth that is doubted.
This truly is battle at the spiritual level, not usually against evil spirits, but to help one another yield to the Holy Spirit and let truth prevail. Prayer is always foundational to this process of helping one another be more able to worship with spirits in line with truth. Sometimes it is necessary to expel evil spirits in the power of the name of Jesus, but often when the devil sees us helping one another grow in trust of God and His Word, he will leave because his attempts to distort truth are foiled.
Satan also rejoices when we settle for only a little truth. Those of us who do not study our Bibles once salvation has been attained are often limited in our lives with God and worship suffers. Not much better are those believers who study the Bible to become proficient in doctrine and do not go further. They end up knowing about God very well, but not knowing God very well. We Christians cannot let one another fall into such traps. We must work together so that God doesn’t get just the minimum in the way of lifestyle worship.
We are surrounded by evil that needs to be attacked by worship in spirit and in truth – biblical truth acted out and aggressive to take control over bad things. Each of the 65 Togethers, as expressions of worship, defeat evil. For example, the Strengthening Together of “Encourage One Another” (#27) gives Christians courage to take on difficult assignments from God which will defeat evil. The Healing Together of “Hurt With One Another” (#31) keeps Satan from injuring a Christian as much as possible. The Battle Together of “Arm Yourselves” (#49) has Christians taking up the weapons of spiritual warfare together.
Together Faith is called for to defeat Satan and evil on a daily basis through lifestyle worship.
How in the Sinful Environment this Together Prepares Us for Heaven
Jerome realized that his life in sinful culture presented the opportunity to prepare for heaven, just like boot camp had been the way to prepare for military life. If he could worship God within the distractions of a difficult life, he knew he would have to become more committed to worship now. Later, sinless heaven would not so stretch worship by serving God in the absence of evil. He wanted to enter heaven with that higher level of commitment to worship.
Jerome recognized that it did not take much individual choice and commitment to worship in a church service. Such worship was a wonderful offering to God, but not one that would make him a dedicated worshiper. So, Jerome gave himself to growing in lifestyle worship with his friends and wife. When children came along, he brought them into obeying the Bible’s instructions for relationships. And he taught them that they were honoring God when they treated others God’s way; that it was praise and worship. When God looked from heaven, He saw his son Jesus in Jerome and the others, as well as in their interactions with one another. Later in heaven, God would enjoy such “higher level” worship right in His own home. |
Worship of God will be our primary activity in heaven. The more we purposely learn to worship and glorify God now, the better we will be at it when we get there. Even though worship of God will be primarily for Him, as it should be now, worship of God will also be our own #1 joy and priority in heaven.
However, if the thought of standing around heaven singing songs forever sounds unexciting, consider that lifestyle worship will also be in heaven to continue our wonderful and fascinating walk with God that we enjoy now.
The problem might be that we don’t think we can envision what heaven will be like. Surely that is true to the extent that we don’t know what the dwelling places Jesus promised to prepare for us will be like.
However, if the thought of standing around heaven singing songs forever sounds unexciting, consider that lifestyle worship will also be in heaven to continue our wonderful and fascinating walk with God that we enjoy now.
The problem might be that we don’t think we can envision what heaven will be like. Surely that is true to the extent that we don’t know what the dwelling places Jesus promised to prepare for us will be like.
In my Father's house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you?
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John 14:2
So, can we know anything about our dwelling place? Yes, we can. Perhaps our focus on the physical aspects of heaven have distracted from the fact of relationships in heaven. We have been told we will see our redeemed loved ones in heaven, but it has not been made clear what our relationship with them will be like. Well, they will certainly be as biblical as relationships are instructed to be in the Bible. Certainly, if we are to love others now, we will love them there. We won’t see people as zombies with deadened emotions and intellect. Quite the opposite. We will be more alive in our relationships in heaven than we have ever been!
Every Together that has some aspect that does not exclusively deal with sin will be operative in heaven. Although much easier without sin, we will still love one another by being devoted to one another, acting humbly with one another, living in harmony together, and a few others. We will offer hospitality to one another all of the time. These Togethers will have little change from their expression today, except their unneeded power over sin. We will still serve God together and it will be extremely easier. We will still encourage one another, not to fight evil but to take advantage of the many new opportunities in heaven. We will still examine one another’s faith and help it to grow, just not in opposition to competing sinful philosophies.
We will not do some Togethers in heaven, but doing them here and now changes our spirits for priceless benefits there in eternity. For example, we will not need to forgive one another in heaven. Forgiving people now who hurt us and recognizing, as Jesus did on the cross, that they do not know what they are doing (not really know how influenced they are by the evil powers of Ephesians 6), will give us more awareness of our own forgiven sin against God. This will give us expanded capacity for joy when we are in heaven because we will know much more how we do not deserve to be there. The gift of heaven will be magnified, and this will magnify our joy to the extent we appreciated our salvation before death.
Therefore, every Together prepares us for eternity, either because it exists in heaven mostly unchanged, or it exists there with aspects of dealing with sin removed, or it has changed our spirits to enjoy heaven more even though the need for it will have disappeared.
Worship during a church service now prepares us for worship assemblies in heaven. Lifestyle worship through the Togethers now prepares us for lifestyle worship in heaven. So, let’s be sure to put our hearts into doing both of them now for more joy in heaven.
How this Together Can Make it Really Good in Heaven
Every Together that has some aspect that does not exclusively deal with sin will be operative in heaven. Although much easier without sin, we will still love one another by being devoted to one another, acting humbly with one another, living in harmony together, and a few others. We will offer hospitality to one another all of the time. These Togethers will have little change from their expression today, except their unneeded power over sin. We will still serve God together and it will be extremely easier. We will still encourage one another, not to fight evil but to take advantage of the many new opportunities in heaven. We will still examine one another’s faith and help it to grow, just not in opposition to competing sinful philosophies.
We will not do some Togethers in heaven, but doing them here and now changes our spirits for priceless benefits there in eternity. For example, we will not need to forgive one another in heaven. Forgiving people now who hurt us and recognizing, as Jesus did on the cross, that they do not know what they are doing (not really know how influenced they are by the evil powers of Ephesians 6), will give us more awareness of our own forgiven sin against God. This will give us expanded capacity for joy when we are in heaven because we will know much more how we do not deserve to be there. The gift of heaven will be magnified, and this will magnify our joy to the extent we appreciated our salvation before death.
Therefore, every Together prepares us for eternity, either because it exists in heaven mostly unchanged, or it exists there with aspects of dealing with sin removed, or it has changed our spirits to enjoy heaven more even though the need for it will have disappeared.
Worship during a church service now prepares us for worship assemblies in heaven. Lifestyle worship through the Togethers now prepares us for lifestyle worship in heaven. So, let’s be sure to put our hearts into doing both of them now for more joy in heaven.
How this Together Can Make it Really Good in Heaven
For most of her Christian life, Rosemary considered worship as only what happened in her church. She loved God and loved praising Him on Sundays.
But, ten years before Rosemary died it came to her that to be more like Jesus was worship because it reflected back to God His own wonderful character. She then looked for opportunities to be more like Jesus and reflect praise to God in that way. Six years before she entered heaven Rosemary escaped the trap of individualized faith and discovered that much more worship was possible by elevating her love for God and giving Him what Jesus asked for when He gave His disciples the new command to love one another as He had loved them. Together Faith blossomed in her relationships with Christian friends. Finally, Rosemary felt her thoughts, feelings and behavior becoming more consistent with the truth she knew from the Bible. With six years of dynamic lifestyle worship before dying, it was automatic to live worshipfully in the kingdom beyond the grave. Rosemary’s worship took off like a rocket ship when she entered heaven. |
Worship in heaven will fill God with joy and the joy we give to Him will be the source of our joy.
Then he said to them, “Go your way. Eat the fat and drink sweet wine and send portions to anyone who has nothing ready, for this day is holy to our Lord. And do not be grieved, for the joy of the Lord is your strength.”
Nehemiah 8:10
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Those who translated The Voice Bible clarified that it is God’s joy that is our strength in Nehemiah 8:10.
Ezra: Go back to your homes, and prepare a feast. Bring out the best food and drink you have, and welcome all to your table, especially those who have nothing. This day is special. It is sacred to our Lord. Do not grieve over your past mistakes. Let the Eternal’s own joy be your protection!
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Nehemiah 8:10 (The Voice Bible)
We have probably thought of “the joy of the Lord” as our joy in the Lord, and we do have that! However, just as our strength will come more from knowing that we gave God joy, so will our joy come in that way. When we want to do something nice for someone we really care about, we are driven by the thought that what we are going to do will give them joy. Even though we can be joyful in doing, the greater joy comes when we see that what we did brings the other person joy. The joy from giving joy to another motivates us to do it again and again. Likewise, if we can finally grasp that we can give joy to God, knowledge of His joy will be our strength to continue sacrificial love and His joy will increase our joy.
Therefore, let us consider how much more joyful heaven will be for us if we arrive there already having given God joy through the lifestyle worship of the Togethers. Of course, in heaven we will be able to put a smile on God’s face, so-to-speak, by continuing to live together with the citizens of heaven expressing biblical love. He has asked of us love for one another now, and the worth we ascribe to Him in doing what He wishes brings joy to God. We can extend minimal love to others now and then in heaven amp up our love. But, then, does it not make sense that we will always be behind in joy of those who before death allowed God’s love to flow freely through them to others?
However, there are gifts of lifestyle worship we can only give God this side of heaven. During this time before we die, there are Togethers that must have the environment of sin to do what God has asked for. They cannot be done in heaven. They can only give God joy now. For an example, in heaven we will never be able to reflect back to God His character of enduring our troubles with us. The Together to endure hardship and trouble together will have no application to life in heaven. There won’t be troubles there. Therefore, this particular gift of worship will never be able to be given to God once we die. The time to give that gift of lifestyle worship is now in going through troubles with others.
We have many wonderful opportunities to give joy to God by exalting Him enough in our hearts to interact with others His way in a sinful world. There are 28 such Togethers, 28 ways to give God joy now but not in heaven. (Hurt with One Another, Comfort One Another, Confess Sins to One Another, Carry One Another’s Burdens, and Restore One Another in the Faith, to name only a few.) We can be assured that in heaven God will still enjoy our past obedience to these Togethers that we can no longer give to Him. Great joy will be the atmosphere of heaven, and that joy of the Lord will flow from God’s own joy.
Let’s look forward to making God joyful through our worship, both in songs and lifestyle worship. Let’s give Him gifts of worship now. And let’s look forward to His joy and ours soon to come in heaven.
Opportunity for a Closer Relationship with God through Eternity
Therefore, let us consider how much more joyful heaven will be for us if we arrive there already having given God joy through the lifestyle worship of the Togethers. Of course, in heaven we will be able to put a smile on God’s face, so-to-speak, by continuing to live together with the citizens of heaven expressing biblical love. He has asked of us love for one another now, and the worth we ascribe to Him in doing what He wishes brings joy to God. We can extend minimal love to others now and then in heaven amp up our love. But, then, does it not make sense that we will always be behind in joy of those who before death allowed God’s love to flow freely through them to others?
However, there are gifts of lifestyle worship we can only give God this side of heaven. During this time before we die, there are Togethers that must have the environment of sin to do what God has asked for. They cannot be done in heaven. They can only give God joy now. For an example, in heaven we will never be able to reflect back to God His character of enduring our troubles with us. The Together to endure hardship and trouble together will have no application to life in heaven. There won’t be troubles there. Therefore, this particular gift of worship will never be able to be given to God once we die. The time to give that gift of lifestyle worship is now in going through troubles with others.
We have many wonderful opportunities to give joy to God by exalting Him enough in our hearts to interact with others His way in a sinful world. There are 28 such Togethers, 28 ways to give God joy now but not in heaven. (Hurt with One Another, Comfort One Another, Confess Sins to One Another, Carry One Another’s Burdens, and Restore One Another in the Faith, to name only a few.) We can be assured that in heaven God will still enjoy our past obedience to these Togethers that we can no longer give to Him. Great joy will be the atmosphere of heaven, and that joy of the Lord will flow from God’s own joy.
Let’s look forward to making God joyful through our worship, both in songs and lifestyle worship. Let’s give Him gifts of worship now. And let’s look forward to His joy and ours soon to come in heaven.
Opportunity for a Closer Relationship with God through Eternity
In heaven Loreen is talking with Jesus. He turns to Loreen and says, “It was so loving when you worshiped in spirit and in truth. In lifestyle worship you reflected to the Father my very presence in you. You did not often insult my Father by living in a way that doubted His nature. You honored my Father and Me by letting the Holy Spirit guide you toward loving others as we wanted you to do and had communicated to you through the Bible. You praised us by your spirit growing into consistency with the truth. You became more and more like me, and that gave the Father and I and the Holy Spirit great joy. Thank you.”
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Here before death with sin dulling our spiritual senses, we can barely perceive God’s joy. Self focus makes it too easy to look only at our own joy in the Lord. The joy of the Lord (not our joy in the Lord) comes to consciousness all too faintly. We want God to make us happy more than we want to make Him happy. If we obey what God wants in order to selfishly receive His blessings, we are still by such worship giving our wonderful God joy. But not the pure joy He receives when we obey for Him to be blessed.
How fantastic it is, then, that in heaven without the sensory distraction caused by sin, God’s joy will come through loud and clear! How great it will be to have shed self-concern and feel the joy we give to God! There will be His joy in what we did before death to exalt Him through song, prayer, and thanksgiving as well as in lifestyle obedience. And, then we can add to His joy by continuing those same ways of worship in heaven, every day for all eternity.
When we sense God’s joy in heaven upon our arrival there, His joy will come upon us like the largest smile our faces have ever expressed. His joy will dwarf our joy because in heaven we will finally comprehend that everything is all about Him. Will it be the smile and wide-open arms of Jesus when He visits us in Person? Probably. Will it be a strong conscious awareness of God’s joy within our spirits like the joy in smelling apple pie at Thanksgiving? Probably much more than that. However it will be, we can be sure that God’s happiness will become our overwhelming joy.
And that will make us much closer to God. Although we will all be thrilled by God’s joy in our worship, we will have differing capacities to experience God’s joy. That will be determined by how much we grew in sanctification to value God receiving joy through our worship before our deaths. Each of us will be full of joy, just some of us more than others. The joy of God more intense than we have prepared to receive will be lost just as water overflowing a damn is lost to the reservoir. Each of us will be a different sized lake, using this analogy, and quite happy to be full to our shoreline. Therefore, now is the time to maximize our worship of God together if we wish to have higher ability to sense God’s joy throughout eternity.
Let’s attend church worship services more to give God joy than to enjoy ourselves while still finding our own great joy in worshiping God. And, let’s live together through the Togethers as God has asked, not only as the best way to live, but to give our Lord great joy through our daily lifestyle worship. Let’s grow closer to God through worship, not just for His blessings, but to be a blessing to Him.
Praise & Prayer Regarding this Together
Magnificent Lord of All, I and those in my Christian Inner Circle will need Your help to grow our spirits to worship You together as You wish. I seek Your grace for all of us to give You more glory. Help us to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives in this way.
Please help us all to become more like Jesus and have His thoughts, emotions, and actions. May You see Your Son’s reflection in our lives.
Help us to absorb the Scriptures categorized by the 65 Togethers into our lives and actions and glorify you by our obedience to them. May our lives worship You more because we live by Your instructions for relationships with each other in our Christian Inner Circles.
Make us strong in Your power to defeat the devil by worshiping You in spirit and in truth. Help us to help one another in our Christian Inner Circles to live more and more with lives consistent to the truth we know from the Bible. When Satan tries to distort our understanding of truth, help each of us to have spirits that discern his deception that we will continue to live by Your truth.
Help us to grow in having the joy of the Lord be our strength. Help us all to prepare for heaven by growing more completely to enjoy worshiping You. And, please help us to grow in our own joy at giving You joy through our lives lived consistent with Who You are and what You desire as we learn more and more from the pages of Scripture.
How fantastic it is, then, that in heaven without the sensory distraction caused by sin, God’s joy will come through loud and clear! How great it will be to have shed self-concern and feel the joy we give to God! There will be His joy in what we did before death to exalt Him through song, prayer, and thanksgiving as well as in lifestyle obedience. And, then we can add to His joy by continuing those same ways of worship in heaven, every day for all eternity.
When we sense God’s joy in heaven upon our arrival there, His joy will come upon us like the largest smile our faces have ever expressed. His joy will dwarf our joy because in heaven we will finally comprehend that everything is all about Him. Will it be the smile and wide-open arms of Jesus when He visits us in Person? Probably. Will it be a strong conscious awareness of God’s joy within our spirits like the joy in smelling apple pie at Thanksgiving? Probably much more than that. However it will be, we can be sure that God’s happiness will become our overwhelming joy.
And that will make us much closer to God. Although we will all be thrilled by God’s joy in our worship, we will have differing capacities to experience God’s joy. That will be determined by how much we grew in sanctification to value God receiving joy through our worship before our deaths. Each of us will be full of joy, just some of us more than others. The joy of God more intense than we have prepared to receive will be lost just as water overflowing a damn is lost to the reservoir. Each of us will be a different sized lake, using this analogy, and quite happy to be full to our shoreline. Therefore, now is the time to maximize our worship of God together if we wish to have higher ability to sense God’s joy throughout eternity.
Let’s attend church worship services more to give God joy than to enjoy ourselves while still finding our own great joy in worshiping God. And, let’s live together through the Togethers as God has asked, not only as the best way to live, but to give our Lord great joy through our daily lifestyle worship. Let’s grow closer to God through worship, not just for His blessings, but to be a blessing to Him.
Praise & Prayer Regarding this Together
Magnificent Lord of All, I and those in my Christian Inner Circle will need Your help to grow our spirits to worship You together as You wish. I seek Your grace for all of us to give You more glory. Help us to yield to the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives in this way.
Please help us all to become more like Jesus and have His thoughts, emotions, and actions. May You see Your Son’s reflection in our lives.
Help us to absorb the Scriptures categorized by the 65 Togethers into our lives and actions and glorify you by our obedience to them. May our lives worship You more because we live by Your instructions for relationships with each other in our Christian Inner Circles.
Make us strong in Your power to defeat the devil by worshiping You in spirit and in truth. Help us to help one another in our Christian Inner Circles to live more and more with lives consistent to the truth we know from the Bible. When Satan tries to distort our understanding of truth, help each of us to have spirits that discern his deception that we will continue to live by Your truth.
Help us to grow in having the joy of the Lord be our strength. Help us all to prepare for heaven by growing more completely to enjoy worshiping You. And, please help us to grow in our own joy at giving You joy through our lives lived consistent with Who You are and what You desire as we learn more and more from the pages of Scripture.
Ever increasing practice of the Togethers of Scripture will (1) create in you the loving essence of Jesus, (2) give Jesus the kind of love He requested, (3) provide you with the most significant spiritual lifestyle which is attainable only through Christian community, (4) offer significant worship to God by reflecting his own character back to him through your behavior, and (5) bring God’s kingdom to earth as asked for in the Lord’s Prayer. And for heaven, such growing obedience to Scripture now will later (6) qualify you for a more responsible place of service as reward in heaven, and, (7) most important of all, give you greater empathy with God for a closer relationship with Him for all of eternity.