The Gathering Place Christian Center is an experience. You have come to a “full service” church.   Our worship is totally scriptural. This family of God, or church, that meets here, is the living Body of Christ. We, therefore, do the work that Jesus did when He was here on earth. So, with open hearts, we can be blessed of God.  (read Acts 7:48, Ephesians 2:19-22, 1 Peter 2:5)

Why do we stand when we sing?
And the Levites, of the children of the Kohathites, and of the children of the Korhites, stood up to praise the LORD God of Israel with a loud voice on high. 2 Chronicles 20:19

Why do we clap our hands?
O clap your hands, all ye people; shout unto God with the voice of triumph. Psalm 47:1

Why do we lift our hands?
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD. Psalm 134:2
I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 1 Timothy 2 :8

Why do we have audible praise unto God?
I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. Psalm 34:1

Why do we sing in tongues and English?
For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful.
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
1 Corinthians 14:14-15

What is prophecy?
For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted. 1 Corinthians 14:31

Why do we sing choruses as well as hymns?
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Ephesians 5:18-19

Why are musical instruments a part of the worship service?
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Psalm 150:3-5

Why do we have this type of worship?
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. John 4:23,24

Why do we anoint with oil and pray for the sick?
Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:
And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. James 5:14,15

Why does the whole church pray at once for specific needs?
And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Acts 4:24

There have been numerous prophetic words given to The Gathering Place Christian Center concerning the uniqueness of our worship; the fact that we will be known as a fountain house of worship; a place where people can get a fresh drink. As we approach the subject of worship, we must stop and take time to understand why worship is so vital and important today. We must first understand that God had three chief angels, who were in the presence of God. These three were Gabriel, the messenger, Michael, the warrior, and Lucifer, the worshipper.

Today, Gabriel and Michael are still ministering, however, Lucifer fell because of pride and his ministry has been given to the Church. Lucifer was the highest angel in Heaven; he was worship, glorifying the Father (Isaiah 14:12). Jeremiah 33:11 tells us that there will be heard once more, the voice of joy and the voice of gladness; the voice of the Bridegroom and the voice of the Bride. The voice of those, who shall say praise the Lord, for the Lord is good and His mercy endures forever and of them that shall bring the sacrifice of Praise into the house of the Lord. This scripture is talking about the church taking the ministry of Lucifer. It is talking about the fact that our worship and that of those who have gone before us, will be heard around the throne of God.

Psalm 50:23 says that whoever offers praise, glorifies me. The word for praise in this passage as well as Jeremiah 33 is yadah, which means to revere or worship with extended hands. Worship involves more than religious emotion; it involves more than body movement. All that is good; the emotion, the physical and cultural expressions, however, worship must originate in our hunger for intimacy with God, which was God’s original purpose for creating man. David discovered that God delights in our passionate pursuit of Him. Worship is not just some formality that we involve ourselves in prior to the giving of the Word. It is a vital part of who we are. We were created to worship our Father in Heaven.

God works on our hearts during the worship time. He softens and plows up the fallow or hard ground of our hearts, so He can speak to us. In the early church, worship created an atmosphere that was suitable for the manifestations of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. To be emotionally and spiritually involved with God is not at all fanaticism. It is the heart of true worship. Worship involves the enthusiasm of both God and man. It is free-flowing, spontaneous, joyful and Spirit inspired. It is devotional and personal; it involves a full adoration of the heart. It embraces the full range of our emotional expression from silence to jubilation.

The early church had fire in their worship. There was an active manifestation of the Holy Spirit, which we need today. The vitality of the church is directly linked to their devotion. Meaningful, dynamic worship is an integral part of the life force in a healthy church body. We are exhorted to be filled continually with the Spirit, speaking to one another in Psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. We are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus. A healthy faith encourages a healthy worship. (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; Phil. 3:3)

The Hebrew and Greek for Spirit are translated wind or breath. The basic idea of ruah (Hebrew) or Pneuma (Greek) is air in motion. That violent wind that came from Heaven on the Day of Pentecost. It is time to let the Spirit blow through the church and allow the spiritual respiratory systems of people to breathe and worship fully. Let the Spirit move now, just as God’s breath moved on the dry bones of Ezekiel’s bone yard. (Acts 2; Ezek. 37) The breath of God, that holy wind, makes us alive; it inspires people to worship. True dynamic worship will be in, by and of the Holy Spirit, not just an emotional expression, although, emotions are definitely involved.

The early church esteemed the Holy Spirit as being absolutely essential in their individual and corporate worship. The inspiring worship of the early church arose out of meaningful encounters with the Lord (1 Cor. 12:3; 14:15; Eph. 2:18; Jude 20). Our level of worship will be an indicator of our individual spiritual life; of the time spent in His Word; the time spent in our prayer closet hearing the heart of God; hearing what is on God’s mind; those God thoughts. The vitality of the church is best indicated by the nature of its worship.

In John 4, we see the most important, single statement that has ever been made concerning the vital subject of worship. Jesus’ journey takes Him thru Samaria, where he meets a woman and asks her for a drink of water. It was Jesus; request for a drink that actually began the conversation regarding the subject of worship. Jesus quickly establishes the importance of the Holy Spirit, who enables people to worship correctly. Jesus refers to the gift of God and the living water, which both refer to the Holy Spirit. Jesus likens the Holy Spirit and His activity to artesian, fresh flowing water that creates and maintains life. Those streams of living water that flow from within (John 4:10-14; Acts 2:38; 8:20; 10:45; 11:17; Heb. 6:4; John 7:37-39). Jesus’ application of this thought to worship is exciting; the fact that the indwelling Spirit quickens us to worship the Father. What transformation takes place when our inner person is caught up in the current of the Spirit, because it is the Spirit who give life (John 6:63).

The Samaritan woman then asks, where must I go to worship God properly? For many years she had seen the Jews travel through her city on their way to Mount Zion, while the Samaritans were involved in empty worship at a decaying temple on Mount Gerizim. Her lifestyle reveals an inner emptiness. She attempted to find peace and satisfaction in relationships with me, however, there was a receptive heart in this woman to receive this important message concerning worship. Heathen worshipers in that day believed that their gods resided at specific locations. Pastor Cho in Korea once said, that before he got saved, he went to the temple and knelt down before idols, however, after he got saved, he began to see through the Holy Spirit that the address of God was his address, because Jesus lived in him (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19).

Jesus says that the time of true worship is coming, yet it exists at this moment. Many people have interpreted Jesus’ expression of in spirit and in truth to mean heartfelt worship; sincere worship with the right motive, however, we must remember that there are sincere, motivated people in every religion, who don’t know the Spirit or the Truth. I believe that Jesus was referring to the Spirit-enabled worship that had not yet been experienced by man, because the Spirit had not yet been given. The Spirit was poured out on the Day of Pentecost. Why was it the, that Jesus said that a time is coming and at the same time, He says that it has now come? I believe that it was because Jesus had offered worship to His Father and the confirmation to this is found in Luke 10:21, where it says that Jesus rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit and declared, I praise Thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth. (John 7:39)

Jesus rejoiced, praised and prayed in the Holy Spirit. Jesus meant that true worship, which was exemplified in His own life, would become possible within the Church. That enablement came through the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The worship that God seeks is not a worship that is dependent upon a sacred place, a sacred building or loyalty to a particular tradition, but it is a worship that is living; an ever new response to God, who is Spirit, which is prompted and enabled by the Spirit of God. Our Father has always desired an intimate relationship with His people. Three times in Scripture, the Aramaic word, Abba, is used, which means dear Father or daddy. It was used by children to address their father. It implied trust, courtesy, confidence and intimacy. It was not traditionally used to address God, because it was thought to be too familiar to be used for the King of the Universe.

Romans 8:15-16 tells us that we have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear, but we have received the spirit of adoption as sons. When we cry out, Abba Father, it is the Spirit, Himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are the Children of God. Galatians 4:6 says that because we are sons, God sent the Spirit of the Son into our hearts. The Spirit, who calls out Abba Father. In other words, the term Abba Father can only be used by those who have the inner experience of the Holy Spirit, who generates it. Only those Born of the Spirit are capable of worshiping God the way He desires to be worshiped. The Spirit produces sonship and brings us into a dynamic, new relationship with God, which means that He is now our Heavenly Father
Basically, Jesus was saying, Honey, the time is coming when people won’t be concerned about whether to worship the Father here or in Jerusalem, because it isn’t where we worship that counts, but how we worship; is it spiritual and real? Do we have the Holy Ghost’s help; for God is Spirit and we must have His help to worship as we should. To worship in Spirit is to tap into the very source of worship Himself. The inexhaustible, endless praising Spirit of God and to allow Him liberty to join with our own spirit in expressing through our mind and body, the worth of our Saviour, Jesus and the love of our Heavenly Father.

Not only did Jesus say that we are to worship in Spirit, but we are also to worship in Truth. When Pilate asked the bleeding, battered Jesus the classic question, what is truth, He did so because he couldn’t relate to Jesus’ simplistic statement that He was the Truth (John 18:38). Jesus said that He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Word of God says that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten from the Father, who was full of grace and truth. The Word also says that grace and truth came through Jesus Christ and if we know that Truth, it will set us free.

In all of these verses, the same Greek word is used for Truth. As in John 4, Jesus didn’t claim to be just one truth or one reality, but He claimed to be the Ultimate Reality. The root of what is and what was; the point of origin and framework for all that we see, know and understand. All meaning flows from Him. Authentic worship must involve Jesus at the heart of our worship, because we are to worship in Truth. That is, in and through our Lord Jesus Christ, the invisible God of the Old Testament psalmic worship, has now been made visible; it has been given a face in the person of Jesus Christ.

Perhaps the clearest statement on how worship involves the tri-unity of God, the Father, Son and Holy Ghost, is found in Ephesians 2:18, where it says that through Him (Jesus) we have our access in one Spirit to the Father. The coupling of Spirit and Truth in our text is a strong declaration of the Holy Spirit of God and the Son of God. The revelation of God is so completely incarnated in Christ and so satisfies the faithful fulfillment of God’s purposes, that it can be established that Jesus is the Truth of God, personified. The Holy Spirit, being the Spirit of Jesus is without question the Spirit of Truth. Worship of the Father is impossible without the help of the Son, who is our mediator, our heavenly intercessor. To worship in Truth is to worship the Father through the Son by the Holy Spirit.

A man by the name of Thomas Torance put it this way; he said, in our worship, the Holy Spirit comes forth from God, uniting to the response, obedience, faith and prayer of Jesus and returns to God, raising us up in Jesus to participate in the worship of Heaven and in the eternal communion of the Holy Trinity. Our God has all power; He knows everything; He exists in all places and He creates anything He wants, yet He seeks and searches for worshipers, who will be genuine, true and proper in their adoration of Him. Our worship must be enabled by the Holy Spirit and directed to the Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.

When Jesus spoke of worshiping in Truth, he meant that worship must involve the mind. The mind must be exerted. Worship involves all of our mental faculties. If we are to worship in Spirit, we must be spiritually renewed and indwelt by the Spirit. We must be growing in the knowledge of the reality of Christ, which is growth in Truth and there must be a constant hungering for God. To worship in Truth means to worship according to God’s own revelation of Himself and His purposes for mankind, not according to the philosophies of men or the ideas of inventions. So we worship according to the Truth about Jesus, that He is our Saviour, Prophet, Priest and King. Our supreme example of manhood and our undistorted image of our Creator. Without the knowledge and application of these and other marvelous Truths about Jesus, our worship would be shrouded by mists of ignorance and uncertainty.

The Bible teaches that whatever is worshipped is supreme to the worshiper. It rules, reigns and governs. In fact, we take on the attributes of that, which we worship. The theme of worship is a trickling stream in the opening books of the Bible and it swells into a river through David and the Prophets. The New Testament saw it burst out as an overflowing flood
of blessing and finally in the book of Revelation, the worship of the redeemed thunders throughout eternity as the voice of many waters cascades throughout the creation of the Almighty.

We have been given the awesome privilege of coming into the throne room of Heaven and covering the throne with our worship of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords; of a Heavenly Father, who longs for intimacy with His people. The primary purpose of our worship is not to feel better, it is to minister to our Father; it is to cover the Throne of God, as Lucifer once did; it is sweet incense to our Heavenly Father.