Acts 15:12-18
The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: "'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things' that have been known for ages.
From this verse we understand that David's tent had only one thing, which is the ark. In this tent, there is only one ministry, which is the praise and worship ministry. In this passage, we see how God established His worship team, including the instruments and the singers. David was not only focused on the act of praise and worship, he had the heart of praise and worship. As such, David said repeatedly in the book of Psalms, where David repeatedly said, "Praise the LORD, O my soul".
David did not only worship God with words. He worshipped the Lord with his entire being. In the Psalms, David mentioned clapping his hands in triumph to the enemy, falling down on his knees to worship, as well as singing, drumming and dancing. David even danced before God, which is something that is hard to imagine for the Chinese Church. If a person in the church were to start dancing, we might think that it is inappropriate. However, David knew how to worship God with his heart and soul and his entire being. No wonder the Bible refers to David as a man after God's own heart, because David really understood how praise and worship.
Praise and worship is not something new that was invented in this era. It has existed since the time of David. In this era, through the words of Jacob, God spoke about restoring David's tent to this generation in the New Testament era. In other words, God wants to restore the ministry of praise and worship in the New Testament era, so that the Gentiles may seek God. The main purpose of praise and worship is not only to satisfy ourselves, but to reach the nations so that all people may enjoy the benefits of the Gospel.
Pray with Pastor Tong Liu
Lord, we thank you because you are worthy of our worship and praise. We pray Lord that you will grant us a soft heart and an open spirit to come before you each time and praise you wholeheartedly. Let your name be exalted through our lives, so that people from all nations may come to know you. We thank you and we pray in Jesus' name, amen! |
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