ADVENT OF JESUS CHRIST: A CALL TO WORSHIP – December NewsLetter

DECEMBER 2021, Newsletter

Topic: ADVENT OF JESUS CHRIST: A CALL TO WORSHIP

Text: ISAIAH 40:9-11, Luke 2:1-20

Isaiah, 40:9-11
9. Zion, herald of good news,
go up on a high mountain.
Jerusalem, herald of good news,
raise your voice loudly.
Raise it, do not be afraid!
Say to the cities of Judah,
“Here is your God!”
10. See, the Lord God comes with strength, and His power establishes His rule.
His reward is with Him, and His gifts accompany Him.
11. He protects His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them in the fold of His garment.
He gently leads those that are nursing.

INRODUCTION:
The advent season is the preparation for the memorable celebration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

It begins on the last Sunday of November until the Sunday that precedes Christmas.

Advent (from Latin adventus, “coming”), in the Christian church calendar, the period of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas and also of preparation for the Second Coming of Christ (www.Britannica.com).

The alteration of the garden of Eden by Satan caused man to lose fellowship, communion, and a good relationship with God.

As God sought to restore man to His glory, He fulfilled a promise in Jesus Christ.
There were many prophets sent to make the world aware of God’s intentions, with Isaiah included.

The verse from Isaiah 40 above was not sent just to the Israelites, but to the entire world as a whole as well.

The Advent Season is all about reflecting on how we can prepare our hearts and homes for Christ’s birth in the world as it is today. It is a time for faith communities and families to remember, through prayer, reflections, special music, and good deeds what the true meaning of Jesus’ birth is (www.outlittleroses.org., Dec. 13:2019).

This season is a time to reflect on the promises made to Israel and to the church through Jesus Christ; He has come and will come again.

This is the essence of the Advent season.

Ultimately, we are created to worship God. In worship, we invoke the presence of God, and when done with all your energy, the glory of God will be reflected.

When the wise men saw the Angels, they sensed the glory of God.

In this writing, we shall focus on:
• Glory To A Born King:
A remarkable aspect of Jesus Christ’s birth that has caused rulers and religious leaders to be furious is the fact that no king could be enthroned while a ruling king was still at the seat with his staff.

In the event that the wise men had submitted themselves to worship the Lord, God reflected His glory through the angels and empowered them to break the hard news.

Luke 2: 8-14
8. In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock.
9. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
10. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:
11. Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.
12. This will be the sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.”
13. Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
14. Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!

You need to bring up whom you are before God in order that God’s glory can be reflected in your worship, just as wise men did.
Although they were busy people, they created time to let God speak to men through them and to use them as a vessel for communicating the message of heaven.

Let this be a great challenge for you.

• O Come, Let Us Adore Him: ‘Come’ means to call attention to something or to call for someone’s attention. As for this context, it is a call to embrace the one who deserves your paise and services.

Luke 2: 15-16
15. When the angels had left them and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see what has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16. They hurried off and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby who was lying in the feeding trough.

A group of angels flew to this group of men, and informed them of the divine love being released from Heaven. The wise men didn’t hesitate and they immediately began worshipping God.

What is distracting or keeping you from worshiping your God? Can you please put everything aside so you can worship the King of kings and Lord of lords?

• Worship Christ The Lord:
Matthew 2:11
“Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.”

A remarkable act of the wise men was that they found time to locate where Jesus Christ was laid to worship Him. Then they offered  Him worship materials as a sign to commemorate His Lordship as the one to reign forever. No one commands them to do so, but they see it as the right thing to do.

If Jesus Christ is so important to you, nobody would compel you to worship Him with all your heart.

Conclusion:
The birth of Jesus Christ has raised controversy around the world. However, the truth is that you can’t worship Him as Lord if you do not believe in His birth and set your heart up for His second coming.

A big worship gathering will take place in Heaven when He returns.

Finally, as a family and as individuals, make time to sing Christmas carols you know and hymns which echo the message of the season to worship Jesus Christ.

WISHING YOU A VERY HAPPY SEASON!!!

John Aderogba for ROPMI.

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YOUR HEART OF WORSHIP WILL FIND A PLACE FOR YOU IN GOD’S PRESENCE – Oct 2021 Newsletter

Text: Psalm 8 KJV.

1. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! Who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.
3. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4. What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5. For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
6. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
7. All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
8. The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!

INTRODUCTION

Adoration, hallowing, and worshipping God is what God created you for. Although you were created a little lower than the angels, yet the angels worship God. You, who are God’s image, should worship Him a lot better.

In worship, we show reverence and awe of everything God has done, what He is doing and what He will do in our lives.

As Christians, worship connects us to God. When we are connected to God, He will make a place for us in His presence.

Cynthia Holmes-Landry in [Spiritual Life ] July 17, 2020, says “Worship is about praising God and giving to Him, not receiving. God has already given us life, His Son on the cross, grace and the promise of eternal life. When we find ourselves falling into worship for our own gain, we need to come back to the heart of worship.”

There is no place in God’s presence for someone who worships in pride and self-exaltation; this is what caused Lucifer to lose his place in Heaven.

In this focus, we will explore some of the ways in which you can easily create a place in God’s presence, so that you will remain joyful when you may be feeling weak. They are:

• Create your preparation

• Use invocative Language

• Lunch into real worship

1. CREATE YOUR PREPARATION

You need to align your heart with God if you expect Him to respond to you. It involves all your being; your mind, body and spirit.

Psalm 24:3-4 KJV.
3. Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?
4. He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

With preparation in place as described in the Psalms above, you are ready for a befitting worship.

2. USE INVOCATIVE LANGUAGE

Invocation in prayer means to call on a deity or spirit as a witness or for inspiration. To invoke in worship is to invite the Spirit of God into your heart.

As part of traditional worship, the priest or worshippers will use chants or gongs with shakers in order to call upon the gods or the deity. Incense or sacrifices may be used with a sweet aroma to call upon the gods. If they can do that, you should do more.

Your God lives eternally and He is Omnipresent.

Psalms 8: 1.
“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.”

The Psalmist states the mightiness of God using invocational language. To enter the presence of the Lord, your language must be invocative.

3. LAUNCH INTO THE REALM OF WORSHIP

To enter the realm of worship, one does not have to sing alone. Dancing, contemplative reflections, hymn singing, clapping and waving, rolling on the ground, singing praise songs are all other options.

Use the language that feels natural to you to communicate or express your feelings to God. Select the best style that feels comfortable for you.

The language of worship has been mostly misunderstood. Some Church leaders misdirect their followers to prefer a certain language of worship, some people are stuck into a certain extent in the cause of worship because they have a limited ability to flow in the language.

Psalms 8: 3.
“When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained.”

God hears everyone’s worship individually and is pleased by the uniqueness of our languages as part of His great work.

CONCLUSION

You can’t find a place in God’s presence unless you’re a member of His family, and the only way to do that is to give your life to Jesus Christ and let Him be your Lord and Savior.

Finally, If you say you don’t have good singing voice, then you are wrong. Worship isn’t about how good one’s voice is, but how good one’s heart is towards God.

Let’s Worship:

Go ahead to worship the Lord as you read and meditate on Psalms 8 : 1-8. Feel God’s presence around you and be expectant of your miracle.

It is well with you.

John Aderogba, for ROPMI.

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