Prophetic Rhema – BT11:  Our control versus God’s prophetic control in worship

 

 

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“Worship by the [singular] Spirit” that the Father seeks in John 4:23-24 (a) eclipses our own self-control/mastery of our own “might and power” of Zechariah 4:6 because that’s when the Holy Spirit begins to exercise His self-control/mastery (b) over us.  We may even become like King David dressed as a king but he was dancing in a twisting, rollicking manner in front of mere commoners in Jerusalem’s streets while others like his slave-girl Michal were very upset about such a king acting in such an undignified manner in the biggest parade of his kingship (c). <Notes> a) See the Intro to Promised-Spirit for “Worshipping by [singular] Spirit and [singular] Truth,“ b) Galatians 5:23 – 1 of 8 ‘flavors’ of the singular fruit of the Spirit that is unconditional-love, c) 2 Samuel 6:1-23.

 

Why didn’t David care about being “decent and in order,” as so many church-people have misconstrued Paul’s advice to the exuberant Corinthians (a)?  Why was David willing to look so foolish?  Because the Ark of the Covenant was being carried down the streets, and David and all of Israel were celebrating before Yahweh with songs, lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets, and cymbals. <Notes> a) 1 Corinthians 14:40.

 

However, because a priest reached out to catch the ark from falling when the cart hit a rut and died as a result of the Ark’s holiness, it took 3 months before David had the courage to bring it back into Jerusalem.  He sacrificed in front of it.  David danced before Yahweh with abandonment and they shouted and sounded the horns.  David was going crazy but it didn’t bother him.  Why?  Because when you are in the presence of God, you are under God’s control/master and He captivates your attention, causing you to take your eyes off yourself and what others will think of you!  You have lost your self-control/mastery because you are under God’s self-control/mastery.  This is where our worship must take us!  <Notes> a) Galatians 5:23 – 1 of 8 ‘flavors’ of the singular fruit of the Spirit that is unconditional-love, b) 2 Samuel 6:1-23, c) 1 Corinthians 14:40, d) See also Intro to Promised-Spirit for “Worshipping by [singular] Spirit and [singular] Truth.”

 

God intends to control us, but are we willing to “let go and let God?”  God doesn’t want servants or slaves (a), but bond-servants by our own free-wills because of our love and gratitude for the Lord!  Ezekiel prophesied about the Everlasting New Covenant to come:  “I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall have zoe genuine-life . . . and you shall experientially, relationally yada/ginosko know that I AM Yahweh,” for “a completely different-in-kind New (b) Spirit I will put within them . . . that they may progressively (c) walk/live in/by/with My statutes (d) and progressively (c) guard/protect [against outside threat] My judicial decrees and ultimately do (e) them, and/thus they shall be My people, and I will be their God . . . I will put My Spirit within you, and completely (e) cause/make/fashion you to progressively (c) walk/live in/by/with My statutes/enactments and progressively (c) guard/protect [against outside threat] My judicial decrees and ultimately do (e) them” (f).  <Notes> a) His angels serve that purpose, b) chadash, kainos: fresh, completely different-in-kind, unprecedented, sharing nothing with its predecessors, unique, and superior, c) Hebrew imperfect tense, d) ordinances, prescribed manners, customs, e) Hebrew perfect tense, f) Ezekiel 11:19-20, 36:27, 37:5-6.

 

There is the radical difference between our own “might and power” FOR God in the old covenant and His “will being done in/by/with Him in the New Covenant.  Praise the Lord!  The “mighty hand that compelled the king of Egypt” (a)!  Paul new this control:  “For The Unconditional-Love of/belonging to Christ actually, ongoingly sunecho ‘seizes, constrains, confines, controls, compels’ us” (b).  This Greek word sunecho means to “completely ‘hold with hands’ together, constrain, hard-press in from every side, and to impel” us.  This intense pressure was how Christ felt about His “baptism (c) to undergo . . . until it is finished” (d).  Sunecho describes the smothering pressure of large crowds surrounding and pressing against Jesus (e).  It’s how Paul felt about the decision to die and be with the Lord or continue His ministry for others (f), because “Paul became continually (g) ‘seizes, constrains, confines, controls, compels’ with proclaiming the logos gospel message, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ” (h).  <Notes> a) Exodus 3:19, b) 2 Corinthians 5:14, c) baptismo means to be changed by immersion into something, in this case into extreme suffering – see Water-Baptism and Spirit-Baptism, d) Luke 12:50, e) Luke 8:45, f) Philippians 1:23, g) Greek imperfect tense, h) Acts 18:5.

 

Paul reminds us that “God saves us through our trusting-relying-faith in Christ, but this ‘saving through trusting-relying-faith’ is not our own doing and thus not a result of our works, but is a grace-gift of God so that nobody can boast.  In fact, we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (a), for “it is God who works in you, both to desire/will and to work/do for His good pleasure” (b).  It is God who empowers all the grace-gifts in us, service/ministry through us, and effectual workings into others (c).  God will “equip you with everything beneficial that you may do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight” (d).  God wants control, but are we willing to “let go and let God” by giving our “might and power” self-control/master up to Him freely?  Doesn’t that take trusting-relying-faith in God? <Notes> a) Ephesians 2:8-10, b) Philippians 2:13, c) 1 Corinthians 12:5-6, d) Hebrews 13:21.

 

Reflections:

 

As Christian musicians, the worship that God is looking for doesn’t come from our flesh’s “might and power” but surrenders all of this to Christ, The Truth, for God’s Holy Spirit to assume full control.  This is “worship by singular Spirit and singular Truth.”  When we “let go and let God” we will lose self-conscientiousness and likely will act very “un-decently and dis-orderly” in the sight of those outside of God’s presence.  In order to please God we will have to stop pleasing men.  We must get to the point that “the unconditional-love of Christ seizes us and impels us” and our actions “are caused by the Lord!”

 

 

 

 

 

Spiritual Education, Worship by the Spirit is surrender to His control, Worship by The Truth who is Jesus is surrender to His Lordship control, Surrender control, New Covenant where God’s controls us to do His will by His Spirit, FOR God versus WITH God service, We are God’s workmanship, God desires to work in us to desire will and do His will, Faith is the limiting factor