June 2009
Worship at Military Street Baptist Church
At Military Street Baptist Church, we view Worship as one of our top priorities, because it is a priority to God. To that end, we seek to be the kind of worshipers that the Father seeks: those who worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4). First and foremost, we are to love Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength. This is purpose statement for our Worship Team: The Worship Team exists to help and encourage the church body, corporately and individually, to develop a lifestyle of God-honoring worship. This is our Mission Statement: We encourage our people to give genuine and authentic worship in… W hole-hearted commitment O ffering our best R esponse to the revelation of God S pirit and Truth balance H onoring Christ above all I ncluding a variety of expressions P leasing sacrifices to God Check back for more information on the different worship ministries at MSBC. ~Melanie Burns, Minister of Music and Worship FOOD FOR THOUGHT I have been thinking a lot lately about what it means to love God with all that I am. In my limited studies, I find when I obey, that proves my love for God (John 14:15, 21, 23). But is rote obedience all God wants? I don't think so! That leads to legalism and the pursuit of righteousness based on my performance. In looking at Deuteronomy 6:5 and 6, we are to "love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts (emphasis mine)." The New Interpreter's Bible commentary states: "All the familiar vocabulary of worship concerning the necessity to fear God, to revere God's name, and to offer service and gifts at a sanctuary at the appropriate times of the year is fully present in Deuteronomy. Yet now there comes a fresh, and less obviously expected, demand that seeks to provide motivation and reason for all the rest: Israel is to love God." And God, being the supreme expression of love, motivates and inspires us, making possible a deeper understanding of the nature of love in our lives. If that is true, then the more I know God (His love and grace), the more I will love Him. The more I love Him, the more Jesus will reveal Himself to me (John 14:21). And as He reveals more of Himself, then the obedience that He seeks will ultimately flow out from a sense of my love toward Him. "Lord, help me to seek You more, to know You more, and to love You more. Thank You for being the God of Love Who draws near to us when we draw near to You. Amen."
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