What if you create an atmosphere of praise and worship? (Ft. AllWorship.com)

"But You are holy, O You who are enthroned in [the holy place where] the praises of Israel [are offered]." (Psalm 22:3; AMP) 

When you create an atmosphere of praise and worship, you are making room for God to be enthroned and saturate your life. 

In a constant atmosphere of praise and worship, you would consciously and subconsciously be attuned in your heart to give God the adoration and worship that is due and proper. God is seeking for true worshippers who worship Him in Spirit and truth. (John 4:24)

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Revelation of God's Glory

"Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John the brother of James, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And His appearance changed dramatically in their presence; and His face shone [with heavenly glory, clear and bright] like the sun, and His clothing became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Jesus. 

Then Peter began to speak and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good and delightful and auspicious that we are here; if You wish, I will put up three [sacred] tents here—one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased and delighted! Listen to Him!” When the disciples heard it, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone."(Matthew 17: 1-8; AMP)

In this account of Jesus' transfiguration, Peter, James and John saw Jesus in a totally different light. Peter had wanted to build three shelters: one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Moses represented the law, Elijah represented the prophets, but Jesus is at a matchless level as the Son of God, and God the Father spoke from the cloud in an audible voice from the cloud that, "“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased and delighted! Listen to Him!”"

In the account of Jesus' baptism, John the Baptist receive a similar revelation of Jesus' standing before God the Father. "After Jesus was baptized, He came up immediately out of the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he (John) saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him (Jesus), and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased and delighted!” (Matthew 3:16-17; AMP)

And, in the Book of Revelation, John the disciple has many revelations of Jesus' glory and power such as the following:

“Behold, I (Jesus) am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to each one according to the merit of his deeds (earthly works, faithfulness). I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End [the Eternal One].”

Blessed (happy, prosperous, to be admired) are those who wash their robes [in the blood of Christ by believing and trusting in Him—the righteous who do His commandments], so that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter by the gates into the city." (Revelation 22:12-14; AMP)

We may not be direct witnesses of Jesus' glory, but we have read and envisage His glory from the Word of God. With this revelation of Jesus' glory, our worship of Him would take on a whole new level as we see Jesus for who He is truly and humble ourselves under His Mighty Hand.

As we come into His Presence, let us truly honour Him with awe, reverence and devotion to live a life of loving God and people that pleases Him while using the gifts and talents that have been entrusted to us.

And, when it comes to corporate worship, our revelation of Jesus propels us to be a true worshipper and no longer a bystander because we get it. Yes, Jesus is the big deal and in a league of His own. It is time to extinguish idols such as a favourite influencer, actor, singer, basketball player, baseball player, soccer player, etc. Our worship of Jesus is in direct proportion to our revelation of who Jesus is.

"For this reason also [because He obeyed and so completely humbled Himself], God has highly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow [in submission], of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess and openly acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord (sovereign God), to the glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:9-11; AMP)

And, it is also time for us to tune down on social media, and spend more time in the Word of God and the things of God as opposed to the things of this world.  

TITHING: THE TRIGGER OF FAITH by Kong Hee

(Source: City Harvest Church news bulletin, November 1 - 2, 2014)

When the prophet Nehemiah returned to Jerusalem to rebuild the broken city walls, the first few things he did were to restore the teaching of God’s Word, the weekly worship and –TITHING (Nehemiah 10:37-39). Why was tithing so important when it came to rebuilding the city? In fact, further down in Neh. 13:10-12, the prophet said, “I also realized that the portions for the Levites had not been given them … So I contended with the rulers, and said, ”Why is the house of God forsaken?”

The word “tithing” means “1/10” or “10%” of your increase or your income. It is important for three reasons:

#1: Tithing expresses HONOR.
Tithing is a powerful way of honoring God. Prov. 3:9-10 says to “Honor the Lord with your possessions. And with the firstfruits of all your increase; So your barns will be filled with plenty, And your vats will overflow with new wine.” That’s the tithe! When we give to God our tithe (10%), we are telling God in no uncertain terms, “Lord, everything I have is Yours.”

#2: Tithing expresses GRATITUDE.
In Matt. 6:21, Jesus says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If we desire to stay connected to God’s house, we must put “a part of our treasure” – our tithe – in our church. Every month, when we work out our tithes, we are reminded of the faithfulness of God. When we give toward our church, it locks our hearts to our Lord Jesus and the vision He has given to City Harvest.

#3: Tithing expresses LOVE and WORSHIP.
The first time the word “love” and “worship” appear in the Bible, it has to do with Abraham’s giving (Gen. 22:1-5,12). Abraham was so willing to give his son Isaac to the Lord because in his heart, he loved and worshipped the Lord. God Himself demonstrated this same love to us – He gave us His only begotten Son. Like giving the tithe, God gave Jesus Christ to express His love and devotion for us.


Now, what happens to the tithe and offering that is collected in the house of God every week? The Bible spells out three uses of the tithe we bring to God:

In-reach (Manpower) Num. 18:21, 24 “the Sacred Tithe” – Tithes are used to pay the wages of the full-time workers in the house of God.

Up-reach (Ministry) Deut. 14:23 “the tithe for the feasts” – In our modern day context, the tithes provide for the ministry and events of the church that help people grow in their walk with God.

Out-reach (Mission) Deut. 14:28-29 “the tithe for the lost and needy” –This was also called the tithe for the lost and needy, in other words, for evangelism and missions.


When we are faithful to tithe as God’s people, we will trigger seven great blessings of God laid out in Mal. 3:10-12.

Bring in all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house (STRONG CHURCH);

If I will not open for you the windows of heaven (OPEN HEAVEN); 

And pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it (SUCCESS);

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes (VICTORY);

So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground (PRODUCTIVE CAREER);

Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field (PROFITABLE INVESTMENTS); and

All nations will call you blessed, for you will be a delightful land (GLOBAL INFLUENCE & LEGACY).

To date, there are 77 churches in City Harvest’s network of affiliate and associate churches. Apart from these, we also have thousands of graduates from the School of Theology involved in the harvest fields of world. The message of the Great Commandment, the Great Commission and the Cultural Mandate is seeing contemporary churches sprouting all throughout Asia. Such influence and impact could only come about with financial resources. Without faithful tithers, the work of the kingdom could not have taken place on such a global stage.

City Harvest, let’s put God FIRST in our lives and let’s be MINDFUL of the work of the gospel. Make a decision to be a faithful tither and a generous giver!





Preaching the gospel of Christ in a way that’s both progressive and heartfelt, Dr. Kong Hee is a highly sought-after conference speaker worldwide, and his messages minister to millions of people around the world who are inspired to become true ambassadors for Christ wherever God has placed them. Kong is also the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church – a thriving, contemporary congregation in the heart of Singapore. His international TV program, Alive! With Kong, encourages millions around the world each week. For more information on Kong’s ministry and materials, please visit konghee.com. 


http://edition.konghee.com/

TRANSFORMED BY WORSHIP by Kong Hee

(Source: City Harvest Church news bulletin, October 11 - 12, 2014)

The Tabernacle in the Old Testament is a pattern of what is in heaven and it outlines how the believer can enter into the Presence of the LORD in today’s context.

Within the Tabernacle resided the Altar of Incense, a picture of worship and prayer. It is positioned in front of the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies.

Each time the priest entered into the Holy Place, he was commanded of the LORD to take a handful of incense and sprinkle it onto the burning coals of the altar. As the incense burned day and night, the perfumed smoke passed through the veil and into the Holy of Holies, as a pleasing aroma to the LORD.

The fragrance, mixed with the presence of God, would fill the Holy Place, saturating the clothing, hair and even the skin of the priest himself. The fragrance of God’s presence would then be carried by the priest to others in the Outer Court.

Today, as believers in the New Covenant, when we enter into the presence of God and offer Him our worship, our love and our adoration; we must come away with our spirit, soul and body so permeated with the fragrance of God that we will be “…to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing …the aroma of life leading to life…” just like how it’s described in 2 Cor. 2:15-16.

WORSHIP ALWAYS TRANSFORMS US

The goal of worship is to be transformed into the image of the One who is worshiped. In Luke 9 is a beautiful account of how Peter, John and James went up to the mountain to pray with Jesus. As Jesus spent time with His heavenly Father, His face shone like the sun and His clothes became white and glistening (Luke 9:28-31; Matt. 17:2). Jesus was transfigured by the presence of God.

In the original Greek, the word transfigured is the same word as “metamorphosis”, which means to change from one form to another. It is the same word used to describe the transformation of a caterpillar in a cocoon into a butterfly. So during His time of worship unto God, Jesus was metamorphosed from a human being into a glorious spiritual being.

The same word is used in another verse …”But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the LORD, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the LORD.” (2 Cor. 3:18)

This verse tells us that what happened to Jesus – when He was worshiping His Father – can also happen to us. For that to happen, based on 2 Cor. 3:18, we must know four things:

1. We must worship God with the REAL “US”

To worship with an “unveiled face” is to come before God without any masks – open honesty. Real change and transformation of our lives cannot take place without us being truly honest and open in the presence of the LORD.

2. We must look into the GLORY OF THE LORD

Introspection alone is not going to bring about the transformation we need in our lives. To that effect, even spiritual activities such as prayer, reading the Bible or Christian books would not change us either. It is only when we see the glory of God in Jesus Christ, then only will true transformation take place.

So, during prayer, when we see Jesus, we will be changed; as we read His Word, when we see Jesus, we will be changed.

3. We must expect the Holy Spirit to work in us

When we are looking at His face, the Holy Spirit is doing a deep inner work within us. In the Old Testament, during the plague in the desert, when Moses lifted up the bronze serpent on a pole, his message to the people was “Look and live”. Today, Jesus has already been lifted up on the Cross as our Savior to give us eternal life. So Paul’s message to us here is, “Look and be changed”.

4. We must allow the change to be PROGRESSIVE

Whatever glory we can see in God becomes the new platform to greater levels of glory to be revealed to us. As we spend time in worship looking at God’s nature, we will be adjusted to that nature – we become more loving, more forgiving, more faithful, more patient – from glory to glory!

The transformation is not instantaneous and there are no shortcuts; but as long as we hang in there with Christ, we will never fail. We are changed from “faith to faith” (2 Cor. 10:15) … “from strength to strength” (Ps. 138:3) … “from grace to grace” (1 John 1:16).

By the by, as we worship God, the Bible says that we will be changed “until Christ is formed in us” (Gal. 4:19).




Preaching the gospel of Christ in a way that’s both progressive and heartfelt, Dr. Kong Hee is a highly sought-after conference speaker worldwide, and his messages minister to millions of people around the world who are inspired to become true ambassadors for Christ wherever God has placed them. Kong is also the founder and senior pastor of City Harvest Church – a thriving, contemporary congregation in the heart of Singapore. His international TV program, Alive! With Kong, encourages millions around the world each week. For more information on Kong’s ministry and materials, please visit konghee.com. 

http://edition.konghee.com/