Worship

The Influence of Music (illustration)

Blaise Pascal observed that the people who have the greatest influence in shaping the hearts and minds of any generation are not the folks who write the laws, but those who write the songs. Plato observed, musical training is a more potent instrument than any other, because rhyth …

Wiersbe: True Biblical Worship (illustration)

True biblical worship so satisfies our total personality that we don’t have to shop around for man-made substitutes. William Temple made this clear in his masterful definition of worship: For worship is the submission of all our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience b …

Franz Haydn give praise to God (illustration)

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was present at the Vienna Music Hall, where his oratorio The Creation was being performed. Weakened by age, the great composer was confined to a wheelchair. As the majestic work moved along, the audience was caught up with tremendous emotion. When t …

Worship (illustration)

There is a story about a church that had a man in the choir who couldn’t sing. Others tried to help him find other places of ministry in the church but he insisted on being in the choir. The choir director became so desperate that he went to the pastor. “Pastor, you have to …

The Man Who Couldn’t Sing (illustration)

There is a story about a church that had a man in the choir who couldn’t sing. Others tried to help him find other places of ministry in the church but he insisted on being in the choir. The choir director became so desperate that he went to the pastor. “Pastor, you have to …

The Participants of Worship (illustration)

After attending church one Sunday morning, a little boy knelt ...

William Temple defines Worship (illustration)

Barclay quotes William Temple, the renowned archbishop of Canterbury, as defining worship as quickening the conscience by the holiness of God, feeding the mind with the truth of God, purging the imagination by the beauty of God, opening the heart to the love of God, and devoting …

Behold I come quickly (illustration)

A young man who was preaching his first sermon announced his text in Revelation 22 and read, “Behold I come quickly.” At that point his mind went blank and he couldn’t think of anything else to say. Then he remembered being told that if this happens to you, just repeat …

Patience Can Turn Wrath to Worship (illustration)

Waiting for a light to change at an intersection was a man in a car anxious to make a right turn. He was impatient because the car in front of him would not make a right turn. He did not see the pedestrian in the crosswalk for whom the man in front was waiting. Furiously he honke …

Distracted From Worship (illustration)

I am reminded of the little boy who asked his mother if she could remember the highest number she ever counted to. The mother didn’t know so she asked him about his highest number. He answered, “5,372.” The mother was puzzled and asked why he stopped at that particular …

Havner - Why people don’t go to Church (illustration)

In various surveys, when people are asked why they don’t go to church, they often reply that church is just too boring. Vance Havner used to say, “Church often starts at 11 o’clock sharp and ends at 12 o’clock dull. (Source Unknown). …

Franz Joseph Haydn Arose From His Wheel Chair. (illustration)

Franz Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) was present at the Vienna Music Hall, where his oratorio The Creation was being performed. Weakened by age, the great composer was confined to a wheelchair. As the majestic work moved along, the audience was caught up with tremendous emotion. When t …

The Boy Who Prayed I Wish You Had Been at Church Today (illustration)

After attending church one Sunday morning, a little boy knelt at his bedside that night and prayed ...

Who are you worshiping? (illustration)

A question to ask ourselves is, “Who Are You Worshiping?” During the tenure of the great orator Henry Ward Beecher, a visiting minister (Beecher’s brother) once substituted for the  popular pastor.  A large audience had already assembled to hear Beecher, and w …

Tony Evans - Limiting Worship (illustration)

Tony Evans says, “If you limit worship to where you are, the minute you leave that place of worship you will leave your attitude of worship behind like a crumpled-up church bulletin.” (Tony Evans). …

Havner - Start at 11 Sharp, End 12 Dull (illustration)

Our Lord approved neither idol worship or idle worship but ideal worship in Spirit and truth. Too many church services start at eleven o’clock sharp and end at twelve o’clock dull. Too many church members sit smugly in church on Sunday, some closing their eyes and others eyeing t …

Catherine Booth’s Comments on Revival Ministry (illustration)

Catherine Booth, along with her husband William Booth, co-founded the Christian Revival Association, a precursor to the Salvation Army. She pioneered the women’s work for that movement, and she was so well-loved that when she died, 36,000 people attended her funeral. A tireless w …

Dante failed to kneel at the appropriate time (illustration)

Deeply immersed in meditation during a church service, Italian poet Dante Alighieri failed to kneel at the appropriate moment. His enemies hurried to the bishop and demanded that Dante be punished for his sacrilege. Dante defended himself by saying, “If those who accuse me h …

Satan Standing on The Sidewalk (illustration)

One Sunday morning, Satan happened to be standing outside of a large Baptist Church. Inside, the people were singing, praying, and listening to a sermon. Someone passed by on the sidewalk and noticed Satan standing on the steps of the church. The passerby asked Satan if it bother …

Michael Card - Four Successive Curve Balls (illustration)

Songwriter and author, Michael Card reminds us of the four ‘successive curve balls’ that Job had thrown his way. There were the three ‘curve balls’ of financial destruction as Job’s wealth was taken away in a string of attacks on his property and possessions. Then a f …

Brooklyn Tabernacle Grows Through Prayer (illustration)

Jim Cymbala began at the Brooklyn Tabernacle as an ill-equipped, under-educated, time-strapped preacher who led a second congregation in New Jersey. The Brooklyn church had no money to pay him, a ramshackle building, and barely enough attendance to bother with weekly meet …

George Barna - Experiencing God in Worship (illustration)

In His book, “Experience God in Worship,” Christian Author George Barna says that the main reason millions of people in America go to church every week is not to worship God, but is instead to have a pleasing experience. He goes on to say that “most Americans …

Signature of Denver Broncos Lineman (illustration)

I was eating in a restaurant when Mike Croel, a linebacker for the Denver Broncos walked in. I was so excited because he played for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in college and I had followed his career closely. I happened to be wearing Huskers stuff and went and got his autogra …

Definition of Worship (illustration)

Barclay quotes William Temple, the renowned archbishop of Canterbury, as defining worship as quickening the conscience by the holiness of God, feeding the mind with the truth of God, purging the imagination by the beauty of God, opening the heart to the love of God, and dev …

The Forty Martyrs of Sebaste. (illustration)

“History knows them as the forty martyrs of Sebaste. They were soldiers in the imperial army, One day the Emperor Licinius sent down an edict commanding all soldiers to offer a sacrifice to his pagan god. Forty of the soldiers were followers of Christ, and they refused. &quo …

The Coronation of Queen Elizabeth (illustration)

Jack Hayford and his wife Anna were vacationing in Britain during the 25th anniversary of the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. While there the Hayfords saw constant reminders of royalty. That, along with visits to several castles, caused Hayford to sense what it might be like to …

People Fall Asleep in The Worship Service (illustration)

Jim Dunn was serving as the pastor of the First Baptist Church, and his wife, Gladys, was very friendly and welcoming to people. One particular Sunday when the sermon seemed to go on forever, many in the congregation fell asleep. After the service, to be sociable, she walked up t …