The Art of Worship

Worship (Part 1) (John 4:1-26)

Study By: Bob Deffinbaugh

Introduction

Worship has innumerable forms. The Moslem worships Alla in prayer by turning toward Mecca five times a day and repeating the same prayer. At some time in his life he makes a pilgrimage to Mecca where he will walk around the Kaaba seven times and kiss the sacred black stone. An American Indian may have worshiped by erecting a totem pole, offering up tobacco in the peace pipe, by sacrificing a finger joint or even a human being. Satan worshipers allegedly sacrifice infants and use some of the organs of mutilated animals. All of us would probably be willing to acknowledge that these forms of worship are misguided and erroneous although those who follow these practices do so with great sincerity.

Then, of course, there are the pagan forms of worship which we find within civilized America. There are those who worship the sun by taking off their clothes in nudist colonies. There are those who would have us understand that they find it much easier to worship God on the golf course or out on the lake or in the woods on Sunday morning.

Then again within what might be called ‘non-evangelical Christianity’ there is great diversity in what is understood to be worship. As I was researching in some periodicals, I found two rather suspicious titles, neither of which I consulted for this message. One title was, Awareness Worship: A Clue to Creative Worship in the Out of Doors. Another which caused me to raise my eyebrows was one entitled, The Organist as Worship Leader.

We should expect considerable confusion in this matter of worship from those who have departed from the central truths of the Scriptures. Meland states that when the ‘myth’ of the doctrine of the atonement was rationalized away by liberal theologians the focal point for worship disappeared as well.¹⁰ Modern theologians have not yet found any workable substitute, nor will they.

But most distressing of all is the confusion which exists within the Protestant, evangelical, fundamental Christianity concerning the meaning of worship. Robert Webber, in an article in Eternity magazine, made this condemning statement concerning the ignorance of the Christian in the matter of worship:

… the majority of evangelical lay people don’t have the foggiest notion of what corporate worship really is. To questions such as: Why does God want to be worshipped? What is the meaning of an invocation or benediction? What does reading the Scripture, praying, or hearing a sermon have to do with worship? I received blank stares and bewildered looks.¹¹

In preparing for this message, I have consulted a number of books and articles, and if they are representative, not only do the laymen not know what worship is, neither do the so-called scholars.

The Importance of Worship

The Woman Lacking Loveliness Was Yet Loyal

Scripture References—Genesis 29; 30; 49:31; Ruth 4:11

Name Meaning—Leah as a name has been explained in many ways. “Wearied” or “Faint from Sickness” with a possible reference to her precarious condition at the time of birth, is Wilkinson’s suggestion. Others say the name means “married” or “mistress.” The narrative tells us that she was “tender eyed” (Genesis 29:17), which can mean that her sight was weak or that her eyes lacked that luster reckoned a conspicuous part of female beauty which Rachel her sister “beautiful and well-favoured” evidently had.

Family Connections—Because Jacob was Rebekah’s son he was related to Leah by marriage. Leah was the elder daughter of Laban who, by deception, married her to Jacob, to whom she bore six sons and a daughter. By her maid, Zilpah, Leah added two more sons to her family.

The romantic story of Jacob and his two wives never loses its appeal. After fleeing from and meeting God at Bethel, Jacob reached Haran and at Laban’s well he met his cousin Rachel drawing water for the sheep. It was love at first sight for Jacob, and his love remained firm until Rachel’s death in giving birth to her second child. Going to work for his Uncle Laban, Jacob was offered wages in return for service rendered, but he agreed to serve Laban for seven years on the condition that at the end of the period Rachel should be his wife. Because of his love for Rachel those years seemed but a few days.

At the end of the specified period however, Jacob was cruelly deceived by his uncle. As it was a custom of the time to conduct the bride to the bedchamber of her husband in silence and darkness, it was only with the morning light that Jacob discovered that he had been deceived by Laban as he saw Leah and not Rachel at his side. Laban condoned his unrighteous act by saying that the younger girl could not be given in marriage before the first-born, and Jacob covenanted to serve another seven years for Rachel, his true love inspiring him to be patient and persevering. Perhaps Jacob treated the deception as a retributive providence, for he had previously deceived his blind and dying father.

Whether Leah participated in the deceit to win Jacob from her more beautiful sister we do not know. The moral tone of the home was low, and Leah may have been a child of environment. This much is evident, that although she knew that the love of her husband’s heart was not for her but for Rachel, Leah genuinely loved Jacob and was true to him until he buried her in the cave of Machpelah. While Jacob was infatuated with Rachel’s beauty, and loved her, there is no indication that she loved him in the same way. “Rachel remains one of those women with nothing to recommend her but beauty,” says H. V. Morton. “She is bitter, envious, quarrelsome and petulant. The full force of her hatred is directed against her sister, Leah.”

The names Leah gave her children testified to the miraculous faith God had planted in her heart. Somewhat despised by Jacob, she was yet remembered by the Lord. In spite of the polygamous marriage, she became the mother of six sons who were to become the representatives of six of the twelve tribes of Israel. The names Leah chose revealed her piety and sense of obligation to the Lord.

Reuben, her first-born, means “Behold a son,” and Leah praised God for looking favorably upon her. Thus, divine compassion was carefully treasured in such a name which also the holder tarnished.

Simeon, the second son, means “Hearing,” so given by Leah since God had heard her cry because of Rachel’s hatred. Such a name as Simeon is a lasting monument of answered prayer.

Levi, the next to be born implies, “Joined” and Leah rejoices feeling that her husband would now love her, and that through Levi’s birth she would be more closely united to her husband.

Judah was the fourth son to be born to Leah, and she gave him a name meaning “Praise.” Perhaps by now Jacob had become a little more affectionate. Certainly the Lord had been good to both Leah and Jacob, and with the selfishness in her heart defeated, Leah utters a sincere Soli Deo Gloria—“I will praise the Lord.” Leah had two other sons named Issachar and Zebulun, and a daughter, Dinah. Leah was uncomely when compared to her lovely sister, but what she lacked in beauty she made up for in loyalty to Jacob as a wife, and as a good mother to his children. “It seems that homely Leah was a person of deep-rooted piety and therefore better suited to become instrumental in carrying out the plans of Jehovah than her handsome, but worldly-minded, sister, Rachel.”

One evident lesson we can learn from the triangle of love in that ancient Israelite home is that solemn choices should not be based upon mere external appearances. Rachel was beautiful, and as soon as Jacob saw her he fell for her. But it was Leah, not Rachel, who bore Judah through whose line the Saviour came. The unattractive Leah might have repelled others, but God was attracted toward her because of an inner beauty which the lovely Rachel lacked. “There are two kinds of beauty,” Kuyper reminds us. “There is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is a beauty which God grants when by His grace men are born again. That kind of beauty never vanishes but blooms eternally.” Behind many a plain or ugly face there is a most lovely disposition. Also God does not look upon the outward appearance, but upon the heart

TUFACE & DBANJ NOMINATED FOR BET 2011 AWARDS.

TUFACE & DBANJ NOMINATED FOR BET 2011 AWARDS.

Best International Act: Africa

2Face Idibia (Nigeria)

D’Banj (Nigeria)

D-Black (Ghana)

Angelique Kidjo (Benin)

Fally Ipupa (Congo DR)

The nominations for the BET Awards 2011 was officially announced live Tuesday night 17th of May on “106 & Park.” . The 11th annual show will be broadcast live from Los Angeles on June 26.
 Our own Tuface Idibia and D'banj were nominated for Best International act alongside Ghana's D-black,   Angelique Kidjo and Fally Ipupa

Six Reasons to Dare More Than One Man at a Time:

credit: essence.com. written by @PaulCBrunson. you can draw your conclusion...

The Dating Game

If I wasn’t a matchmaker, I would be a Scotch Bonnet farmer in Jamaica… seriously, no joke! Something about the simplicity of it is very compelling. On my last trip to the island, I hung out with a few farmers and I’ll never forget a nugget of wisdom one dropped on me: “Don’t stop watering all your crops when one seed starts to sprout.” WOW, can someone say #WINNING-QUOTE? It’s an idea that can be applied to nearly every aspect of life, dating being no exception!
There are two ways to date: sequentially (one at a time) or aggregately (more than one at a time). If you choose the former, I guarantee, on average, you’ll deal with more heartache, and finding a partner to jump the broom will take longer! If you choose the latter, on average, you will have a higher satisfaction level when dating and you will match with your beloved faster! I wish I had a longitudinal study I could cite to immediately silence the naysayers, but I don’t. However, what I do have is several years of hands-on matchmaking/coaching experience that has allowed me to interact with thousands of people, and it’s been through those experiences that I witnessed the strategy of “dating more than one at a time” is where it’s at!
Let me be clear about “dating aggregately.” I’m not saying to get your SuperHead or Kat Stacks on, nor am I saying to build a harem. Also, I’m not suggesting to juggle multiple “committed” partners. Dating more than one person at once is for you, only if you: 1) are in the casual dating phase; 2) are willing to be honest with people about “how you date”; 3) have the stamina to keep up with multiple dates.
If you can handle it, I strongly suggest giving it a try. There are 6 reasons why I consider “dating more than one at a time” to be the most effective dating strategy…

Dating Takes Time

Dating takes time — and one at a time equals A LOT of time! 
This argument is for the statistic junkies as well as the folks with “efficiency” as their middle name. The bottom line is that if you choose to date sequentially, on average, it will take you longer to meet your beloved. According to my calculations, nearly 5 times longer. Peep the math:
The average woman will date 127 men before finding Mr. Right. Assuming the average number of months you date each person is 1 (this is a very conservative estimate), dating sequentially would mean an average of 10 1/2 years of dating to find your beloved!
Now, let’s look at the aggregately dating woman. Based on my suggestion of dating up to 5 people at once, and assuming the same 127 line of men mentioned above, at an average of 1 month dating per man, it would take this person only 2 years of dating to find “the one.”
“Numbers don’t lie” —Jay Z

Dating Is a Learned Skill

This is a fact that those who are not “good” daters should take comfort in. There is a reason why the Pick-Up Artist industry thrives and that is because there are certain skills, such as building a rapport and reading body language, that are key when dating. While reading advice columns and self-help books is helpful (I should rephrase that to… reading “select” columns and self-help books is helpful), there is nothing better than putting theory to practice: the more you date, the better you will become! Also, the better you become, the more you’ll enjoy dating (which is very important).

Odds Are, He's Dating Multiple People

The reality of dating is that, whether we’re honest about it or not, MOST of us are already dating aggregately — however, only few disclose it. From a survey I did with my clients, 80% of them reported seeing more than one person (at a time) during their dating life. The dagger… only 30% fully disclosed their dating habits to all people they were dating. Today, with so many ways for us to date/flirt via online dating, social media, and mobile applications, we’re organically trending towards a society of “aggregate” daters. The key is to own up to it and be honest about what you’re doing.

Comparison Allows You to See Who's the Stand-out

“The New Guy/Girl” syndrome is something we’ve all faced in dating. It’s when a new person enters the picture and things seem great at first, but soon you realize they’re not perfect after all and that there were qualities of your former boyfriend or girlfriend that you liked just as much. Wouldn’t it have been great to have had the opportunity to compare apples to apples? Well, when dating aggregately, you won’t face this issue. In real-time you can see how they stack-up against the competition.

Your Dates Will Show Intention Faster

This is one of the most powerful arguments for dating multiple people at once. The “pursuit” phase of love is the stage when you and your beloved throw caution to the wind and actively court each other. The issue many of us (who date one at a time) run into is that this phase is lackluster with few fireworks because after dating for 5 years… well… the milk is being bottled up and served for free, so why “fight” for it? This situation will change faster than J. Lo’s popularity, if you have a few contenders vying to be “the one” at the same time! This world will always function on the premise of supply and demand…and as Michael Milken used to say, if you can’t change your supply, manipulate your demand (#shoutout to my fellow finance junkies who appreciated that line).

Don't Front... A Dating Strategy Is Effective

Ultimately, courting, wooing, dating is fun… yadda, yadda, yadda… but it’s most fun when the end result is a committed partner. I guarantee if you talk to 10 women/men in committed relationships, most would tell you they followed (even if very loosely) some type of plan to land them in the relationship they’re in. PLANS AREEFFECTIVE. This is a running theme in my pieces…we rarely do anything successfully in life without a plan… dating should not be different. Dating multiple people at once should be a component of that plan. Why? Simply because it works. Don’t believe me? Take the “aggregate dating challenge” — increase the number of people you’re dating at once to 5, and maintain that for 30 days. Report back to me on fb.com/PaulBrunson or on twitter @PaulCBrunson — when you do, I predict you’ll have grown exponentially in your dating skills and have an overall higher dating satisfaction rate!

Facebook Status

A few Facebook Statuses to make you smile... 

1. Dear ladies: if he tells you u guys will get closer and he will know u better/more after he "knows YOU", pls run, kos all dude wants to know is what your birthday suit feels like. Sucker will get to stepping eventually. Tell him to find a better excuse, then he should come talk.
2. Hello: if you have a problem with me, or bone to pick with me, pls let me know kos I cant walk thru you cluttered mind due to anger. Ur huffing, puffing, n fake laugh from humorless conversation with people just cracks me up kos it makes no difference. Hey! My life is going on fine, its u carrying the wahala. Hehehehehe
3. Note: as my husband, if you love me, u will bring maxwell to sing for us, well me on our wedding day, but if you really love me, don’t bring that dude. Kos I promise you I will not be at the reception, I will be at that flight out with the dude, making sure he is singing every moment of the day! Lawd! How dare he be that good? Not fair
4. when am faithless you are faithful, in my weakness you are stronger, for every selfish second u are exponentially selfless... when i forget u you draw me closer kos you never forget me, when i run u come chasing after me... You are the best thing that can ever happen to anyone, even though i dont say this very often God, THANK YOU!
5. Men say: “women? just run from them...", women say: "mmmm! men?? very evil, untrustworthy..." and bla bla bla.. hiss... but they dont leave each other o! u still see men with women, and women still chasing men. sharap and stop complaining.
6. He said: "Babe, i have changed, I am grown now, i think we should get back together...". She responded: "Dude, you claim you have grown when all you have done is graduate from 'Dumbo" to 'Professionally Licensed and Certified Dumbo...??" hahahahaha.. so hilarious.
7. isnt it just great when u find out that ur ex's nu gf is not half as good looking as u are??? hahahahaha! i saw my friend's ex tonight with his nu gf, and i was like na huh?!?, my friend is too hawt, a lil downgrade... hahahahahaha!
8. We were (almost) rapped my the chics..." so said Psquare.. buhhhaaaaahahahah!! rape fire.. hiss! na who dash u?? u better come out with that track of u and Drake o! hiss... if you want to see correct performance, what the movie D'comback. showing in the las gidi OCT 2010. by the way, P-Square, for future purposes, FIRE…
9. Public plea: I AM SERIOUSLY BEGGING PPLE, IF YOU ARENT SMART ENOUGH TO PATIENTLY TAKE SECONDS TO PROCESS MASS FORWARDED BBM MESSAGES BEFORE YOU SEND IT, THROW UR DARN PHONE OUT THE WINDOW AND GO PURCHASE A BRAIN... HISS.... don’t forward any crap to me anymore.. i mean seriously? lose my contact? dumbo, we backup blackberrys, U WILL RECOVER IT.
10. I wish I lived in a movie, I write the beginning n the end, I choose what angle to show, n how the plot will go. I carefully select the actors, location, equipment. I will manage every emotion at my call as the director. Unfortunately that is not the case! This real life
11. I am impatient, I am sweet. I am playful. I am structured. I am intolerant, I am a lover. I am giver, I do not take nonsense. I am caring, I am overbearing. I am talkative, I am a good listener. I am not the brightest; I am a bank of ideas. I am most definitely not perfect, most of all I AM A WORK IN PROGRES
12. Why I miss lagos: Mama kass, àmàlà síta, bánkólémo rice,good music, twins hair salon, ágege bread (in traffic), fan yoghurt, bolì ati epà,NTA2, danfo, bbq pple on island, comedy shows, n most of all okin biscuit. Lol. On the other hand, a deal breaker: NEPA! This trumps all others. Lol
13. Waiting for validation is like waiting for snow in spring: can happen but can be super weird. When you wake up in morning, say "Thank you God for another day". Go to your mirror and speak LIFE to yourself, tell yourself how wonderfully and fearfully you have been made, fashion and carved with care and attention to detail. No one except God knows you like you do, don’t wait for someone else to tell you who you are and/or who you can be
14. Something to remember: ONE THING YOU ARE SURE ABOUT IS THE ONES YOU LOVE AND CARE FOR, YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO SURE ABOUT THOSE WHO LOVE AND CARE FOR YOU. Stop assuming, assumption is the lowest level of knowledge. love yourself and don't wait for someone to love you before you do that!
15. When you wake up in morning, say "Thank you God for another day". Go to your mirror and speak LIFE to yourself, tell yourself how wonderfully and fearfully you have been made, fashion and carved with care and attention to detail. No one except God knows you like you do, don’t wait for someone else to tell you who you are and/or who you can be.
16. The Worst Type of People that can happen to anyone are those people who smile to your face and behind you slowly drive a poisoned knife into your back, bury you and sing sweet songs of nothing to you. I have met these people, time to cut them out!
17. Not everyone is a friend, you have friends and acquaintances! promoting someone who shld be an acquaintance to friend is what brings drama to one's life... acquaintances should be many, friends should be few
18. It’s amazing how people can take Tylenol/paracetamol for someone else's headache. isn't it easier to just easier to mind your own business?
19. I always remind myself: I am totally allergic to B.S, unresponsive to beefers, all about my sanity, and most of all I am super cute. hehehehe. I'm conceited, av got a reason!
20. Note to self: FALLBACK IN FALL. time to take the back seat, no need pleasing the "unpleasables", working for the lackadaisical, speaking for the silent murderers.. Fallback!