Do You Know Him? Part 3

Although the Holy Spirit was not available to every person in the Old Testament, He was seen working among the chosen nation of Israel. Looking at His work in the Old Testament we see that His work was generally seen in four major areas...

• The work of creation. (Genesis 1:1-31)
• The progressive work of redemption (Genesis 6:3, Hebrews 1:1, 1 Peter 3:18-20)
• The work of inspiration of the scriptures (2 Peter 1:21)
• The work of the Spirit in the affairs of Israel (Genesis 41:38, Exodus 28:3, 31:1-6. 35:31, Numbers 11:16-29, Judges 3:9-10, 6:34, 11:29, 14:6-19, 15:14, not all inclusive) 

The Old Testament Scriptures reveal that judges, kings, priests and prophets in Israel experienced the Holy Spirit upon them. All of these were a type of Jesus Christ, The Anointed One, who would be seen in the New Testament as having the fulness of the Holy Spirit upon Him. All who experienced the power and operation of the Holy Spirit upon them could testify that it was "not by (their) might, nor by (their) power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord of Hosts." (Zechariah 4:6)

At the close of the Old Covenant period and the ushering in of the New Covenant, there were particular and special operations of the Holy Spirit. Undoubtedly this was due to the new era that was about to begin with the unveiling of the Messiah into the history of mankind. This ultimately would open the door for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh. This would be the fulfillment of that which was spoken by the Prophet Joel, "And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservants and on My maidservants I will pour out My Spirit in those days." (Joel 2:28-29)

At the start of the New Testament we see the work of the Holy Spirit in a unique way. Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth had one of those experiences relative to the birth of their son John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah. John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother Elizabeth's womb, "And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:41) John himself would go forth to minister in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17) Also Mary the mother of Jesus was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit in order for the virgin birth of Messiah to take place. (Luke 1:46-55) We also see that both Simeon and Anna, a prophetess, came by the Spirit to the temple at the time of the dedication of the baby Jesus. (Luke 2:25-32)

It should be remembered that these working of the Holy Spirit happened only to chosen people of God who were equipped for a particular divine service. However, as it will be seen in part four of this series, there was a definite difference in the experiences of the Holy Spirit for the Old Testament saints as well as the New Testament saints prior to the Day of Pentecost. It starts with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit...

Do You Know Him? Part 2

In part one we saw that the Holy Spirit is a divine Person. Most believers would not ever think to refer to the Father or Son as "It," yet so many in the church refer to the Holy Spirit as "It." Basically, this is due to a lack of knowing Him. In fact the Scriptures do not only reveal Him in the personal sense, but they also reveal the fact the He is God. He is co-equal with the Father and the Son and yet He is a distinct Person. One example of this, is the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are connected together as one in the baptism of a new believer. Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." (Matthew 28:19)

This shows us that the Holy Spirit is not only co-equal with the Father and Son, but He is also co-eternal and one with Them also. Jesus clearly teaches us this, "But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me." (John 15:26)
"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.  (John 16:13-15)

Though the Holy Spirit is One with the Father and the Son, again, He is a distinct person from the Father and Son, notice, "When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, "You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased." (Luke 3:21-22) In John 15:26 (shown above) we also see that the Holy Spirit is sent to the believer from the Father through the Son.

Next, scripture reveals divine works attributed to the Holy Spirit in the same way various works are attributed to the Father and Son. This also gives witness to His deity. He was active in creation; "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters." (Genesis 1:1-2) He was active in the inspiration of the scriptures, "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,  for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:20-21) He is also active in the regeneration of fallen man, "Jesus answered and said to him, Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"  Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John 3:3-7)

It should be evident that the person of Holy Spirit is revealed in scripture as God. All that the scriptures reveal concerning the attributes of God can be seen actively at work in and through the Holy Spirit. Although Christendom refers to Him as the third person of the eternal Godhead, it does not in any way infer that He is not co-eternal, co-equal and co-existent with the Father and Son. In fact the Bible reveals the Godhead existing in three persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, distinguishable yet indivisible.

In part three we will begin to explore what scripture reveals concerning the work of the Holy Spirit as revealed in the Old Testaments.

Do You Know Him? Part 1

Before Jesus went to the cross to make man's redemption eternal, He gave some instructions concerning the coming Holy Spirit...
"Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high." (Luke 24:49)
"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever." (John 14:16)
"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (John 14:26)
"However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you." (John 16:13-15)  
What incredible promises we have been given. However, do you really know the Holy Spirit? The believer should see the Holy Spirit more than a mere influence or impersonal force. Although the Holy Spirit does influence, He is not merely an influence. He is a person and influences the believer is a personal way. Looking back to the scriptures above we can see that the Holy Spirit is revealed as a person,with the personal pronoun, “He” and He has a personal title, Helper (Comforter) He is also referred to in the masculine gender.

Next, we find that the Holy Spirit is spoken of as having personal qualities…
Acts 5:3 "...why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit..."
Romans 8:27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is..."
1 Corinthians 12:11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
Ephesians 4:30 "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God..."
Hebrews 10:29 "...and insulted the Spirit of grace..."
Although not all inclusive, we can see, the Holy Spirit can be lied to, grieved and insulted. He also has a mind and will which are certainly personal qualities. 

Now we will look at some of the personal acts that the Holy Spirit performs…
Nehemiah 9:20 "You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them..."
Isaiah 48:16 "...And now the Lord GOD and His Spirit Have sent Me."
Matthew 4:1 "Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit..."
John 3:6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."
John 14:26 "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things..."
John 15:26 "...the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me."
John 16:8 "And when He has come, He will convict..."
John 16:13 "...when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth..."
Acts 13:2 "...the Holy Spirit said,"Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."
Romans 8:26 "...but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us..."
1 Corinthians 2:10 "...For the Spirit searches all things..."
1 Corinthians 12:11 "But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."
1 John 5:6 "...And it is the Spirit who bears witness..."    

Again, although not all inclusive we see some of the personal acts of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit instructs, sends, leads, brings about regeneration,  teaches, testifies, convicts, guides,  speaks and calls men into ministry, prays and makes intercession,  searches, distributes spiritual gifts to believers, and bears witness. From Genesis to Revelation, relative to both creation and redemption, the Holy Spirit is seen in operation. Getting personal with the Holy Spirit is very important for every believer. We should have a desire to know, understand, appreciate and experience the person, work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. 

In part two we will look deeper into the workings of the Holy Spirit to get to know Him in a greater way. After all Jesus tells us, "...for He dwells with you and will be in you." (John 4:17) 
 

What's on Your Mind?

God has created man as a triune being.  The Apostle Paul reveals this to us, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23) The spirit is the faculty that relates to the spiritual realm. It is who we really are. The body is the vehicle that allows us to relate with the world around us. The soul is the part of man where we find the mind, will and emotions. To put this together in perspective, man is a spirit, he has a soul and they both dwell in a physical body. The soul is composed of the reasoning faculties. The physical body possesses the five senses which are the educators and teacher of the brain. The brain cannot function without the senses which means the mind cannot function without the senses. If a child is born without any of the five senses functioning the mind will not function.

It makes no difference whether one is "Born Again' or not, oft times people have many thoughts cruising back and forth through their mind. The mind can become so powerful in a sense that it will control a persons world whether in a good way or bad. Basically, what a person thinks is what they will believe. What they believer will manifest in their words, which in turn will be seen in their actions. So, whatever is on your mind, will basically govern your life. The Apostle Paul tells us, "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)

One of the things that we see here is how much the world system influences the mind. It tries to conform people especially believers, into its standard. However, we must always keep in mind that the world has been completely corrupted by Satan. The Bible tells us that he is the god of this world, "...whose minds the god of this age has blinded..." (2 Corinthians 4:4) and that he is the prince of the power of the air "in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience." (Ephesians 2:2). The Apostle Paul also tells us, "and be renewed in the spirit of your mind." (Ephesians 4:23) In other words, the entire old way of living was to be abandoned; a new one to takes its place. The mind is to be renovated, renewed not only in a general sense, but the very spirit of it. All of its faculties and powers must be thoroughly and completely renewed.

When one is Born Again, their spirit is recreated. For many believers their Christian experience seems to rise and fall as time goes by. Let's be honest, your mind has been fashioned after the things of this world. The world's ideals probably have been yours. It stands to reason then, when believers do not spend daily time in God's Word the recreated spirit in a sense is starved. Unless ones spirit is cared for by feeding on God's Word it becomes difficult at best for the mind to be renewed. We need to understand that all the knowledge the mind had prior to being Born Again, came from :he senses and the senses can never be renewed because they are a part of the physical body. The next thing to be mindful of is the soul also was not recreated, only the spirit. However, both can be brought into subjection and they can be controlled so to speak, by the recreated spirit through the Word of God. The mind slowly but surely as it feeds on the Word, meditates in the Word, practices and lives the Word, comes into the fellowship of the recreated spirit. This is the place where all believers should have as a top priority in their life. When the mind comes under subjection of the recreated spirit, then the body will also follow.

The renewing of the mind with the Word of God has a direct correlation with the believers faith, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17) Therefore, a believer with small faith is almost invariably a person whose mind has not yet been renewed. But we also must keep in mind, that the mind can't be renewed by simply believing the Bible. The Word of God must be acted upon. Many of our Bible teachers have never seen this because their senses govern their mind, meaning, their senses govern what they teach. Their recreated spirit has a very small place in their lives.

God spoke to Joshua and gave him the same principle that Paul reveals to the believer, "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." (Joshua 1:8) God tells Joshua to meditate on His Word day and night for a purpose, "For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success." In other words as Joshua meditated on Gods Word his ways (acting upon the Word) would prosper and he would have success.

Paul also exhorts us with these words, "If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth." (Colossians 3:1-2) So, what is on your mind? The things of God that bring peace and joy or the things of the world which steal away these very things. As Paul says, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy, meditate on these things." (Philippians 4:8) So let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly...

I Got This

There are three enemies that believers constantly face, the kingdom of darkness, the kingdoms of this world and the kingdom of self. Each one if left unchecked works against the believer to deceive and distract them from the Truth. When Jesus began His earthly ministry as the Son of Man the Bible records that He was water Baptized, filled with the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:13-16) and then led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness where He was tempted by the devil for forty day (Luke 4:1-2). Next, the Bible records, "Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time." (Luke 4:13) We see that the devil, even after he was defeated by Jesus in open combat, sought opportunity to get at Jesus.

For believers it is no different. We get victory from an assault of the devil and yet it seem that he looks for opportunity to come at us again.  We need to understand that the devil hates every human being especially those who are "Born Again." His objective is to have as many people as possible face the same fate that he is facing, unimaginable eternal torment in the lake of fire and brimstone (Revelation 20:10) However, for the believer, Jesus has conquered the devil and all his demon spirits. It is through His meritorious work on Calvary's cross that He has provided a way to be free from Satan's tyrannical reign over them. It is the believers faith in Jesus Christ that has set them free. Although the devil may still try to come against the believer, we must always remember that he is a defeated foe. Paul said it this way, "For sin or Satan shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace." (Romans 6:14) I added Satan because he is the originator and perpetrator of all sin into humanity. Sin and Satan are synonymous.

Next, the believer faces the kingdoms of this world. Unfortunately, most believers do not realize just how dependent they have become on the world. I am not saying this in a condemning way, but it is a reality. For many believers, when things go wrong the first thing that they do, is turn to the world, yet Jesus tells us, "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." (John 15:18-19) How does the world hate us? Look at how the world looks at Christianity. Whether a supposedly free country or not, the world has a growing hatred towards true Christians. I say true Christians because many people attend a church service every Sunday an act no different than the fallen world. They have fallen prey to "...all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life..." John finishes by saying these things "...are not of the Father but of the world." (1 John 2:16) It is no wonder why so many people in the church suffer or have broken hearts. For believers who look to the world for answers and still struggle, you need to know that the world will always take that which is good such as peace, joy, faith and love and then gives worry, stress, disappointment and destruction. The reason for this is due to the CEO of the world system. It is none other than Satan himself.

Finally, the believer faces, the kingdom of self. This is equally destructive to the other two because all three neutralize faith and lead believers away from the abundant life that Jesus brought to earth (John 10:10). The kingdom of self is summed up in this, the love of mammon or riches. In short, it says, "What is mine, is mine" but it does not stop there. It is motivated by the kingdom of darkness and the kingdoms of this world that drives people to get as much as they can. I have seen this in the lives of wealthy people who could retire and live in luxury for the rest of their lives, but are always striving for more. Mammon causes people to waste their lives on things not realizing that they are missing out on the true riches of this life. The kingdom of self unfortunately is a problem among many believers. The best way to see if you are under control of mammon is to examine yourself and see how much you worry about finances especially if you are going to have enough to retire.

So, now that we have taken a brief look at the three areas that believers face, how can we separate ourselves from them to experience the abundant life the Jesus brought? Paul tells us, "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:1-2) Believers should consecrate themselves to the Lord daily and use the Word of God daily to transform their mind. This will help believers to find the true riches such as peace, joy, faith and love. Now, I want us to look at another very important key that will help us to act upon the Romans 12:1-2 principle.

David the king was under attack not only by the Philistines but the very king that he served, King Saul. Both wanted him dead which forced him to be on the run and hide in caves. Yet in all of this he remembered who the God he served truly was, "I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies." ( Psalms 18:1-3)

Look at David's confession, The Lord is my strength, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my shield, my salvation, my stronghold. This is who our God is. When believers truly come to know this about God, the three forces that oppose them will have less and less hold. All believers must come to realize that our heavenly Father is faithful. What He says, He does or He would not have said it. When we find ourselves in a conflict with, the kingdom of darkness, the kingdoms of this world and or the kingdom of self it is not that we should not take a stand against them but we must foremost remember who our God and Father truly is. Confess these things, believe it in our heart and act upon it. Doing this will help us build our faith and when we find ourselves facing a seemingly indomitable task, don't be surprised to hear His small still voice say to you, "I Got This." 
   

The Power of Worship - Part 3

We have look at the power that true praise and worship has in releasing the power of God, defeating the enemy and blessings His people. Can we honestly say that the power of God is released in the average church worship service today? For most, it is not. So what is going on? For some time now, what is called contemporary praise and worship has infiltrated the church almost by storm. However, since the start of the 21st century there has come a noticeable difference in the lyrics that needs to be addressed. Revelation paints a glorious picture of the worship that take place before the throne of God, “The four living creatures, each having six wings, were full of eyes around and within. And they do not rest day or night, saying: "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!" Whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying: "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created." (Rev. 4.8-11)

We see further, “Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying: "You are worthy to take the scroll, and to open its seals; For You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, And have made us kings and priests to our God; And we shall reign on the earth." Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!" And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!" Then the four living creatures said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.” (Rev. 5.9-14)

Although this praise and worship is taking place in heaven, it no way infers that praise and worship should be different on earth. The point in this is, true praise and worship comes from a heart that is filled with great reverence, awe, fear, joy, adoration and exaltation that is directed to the Lord. We are to praise and worship Him. If you listen closely to many contemporary songs that have filled many congregation today, it has become somewhat difficult to know whom the song is addressing. The name of Jesus is hardly ever spoken and there is rarely the acknowledging Him as Lord. There are also many songs that do not contain scripture in the lyrics, but many of the songs that use scripture in the lyrics tend to take the scripture out of context, which twists their true meaning. Another unfortunate aspect that we see in many contemporary songs today is the words, He, Him, His have been replaced with me, my, I.

It seems that once again in order to reach the lost soul, the church has cut the Lord out of the equation. Music is a very powerful medium and if the church is not willing to worship God in Spirit and Truth with their focus on exalting Him, then we cannot blame our children for listening to secular music that focuses on the works of the flesh. This is not to say that contemporary music should be eliminated from the church, but that those responsible for music in every congregation should scrutinize the lyrics of every song before they refer to them as praise or worship songs. This also does not insinuate that hymns are the only songs that are pure worship; on the contrary, some of the sweetest sounding hymns also have lyrics that are not focus on the Lord but on the believer. In addition, many hymns place the focus on the afterlife for the believer. Examples of this are, “When we get to heaven we will have the victory;” “When we get to heaven we will be new;” “When we get to heaven we will have rest;” yet God’s Word assures the believer of their victory, new life and rest in Christ right here on planet earth. Regardless of which style of music individual congregation’s desire, the church today must put its focus on the Lord if it is going to truly worship Him.

The church must never exclude an intimate time of ministering to the Lord through praise and worship. We must refrain from placing a limited time of praise and worship in our gatherings. We must reject songs that are not the Word of God as well as songs that do not directly exalt the Lord. To abandon true praise and worship for any reason is to say that God is not worthy of our admiration and we do not need His presences to have a successful church service. Again, church leaders must scrutinize songs so that the music and lyrics is completely God focused. Otherwise, we cannot say that we are worshiping the Lord. Church can no longer fall prey trying to please men instead of God or just sing nice songs if we truly want to experience the glory of the Lord in our congregations. I want to challenge you the reader to take time everyday in praise and worship to the Lord. So let us "Let God arise, let His enemies be scattered..." (Psalm 68:1)

The Power of Worship - Part 2

As we saw last time, when God's people look to Him and not their circumstances and begin to praise and worship Him, He moves in our midst defeating the enemy and bringing deliverance to His people. Another story that the Bible record showing us the power of praise and worship is seen in the Book of Acts as seen in the lives of Apostle Paul and Silas. They were taken into custody for casting a demon out of a woman who was used to earn money for her master, “Then the multitude rose up together against them; and the magistrates tore off their clothes and commanded them to be beaten with rods. And when they had laid many stripes on them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to keep them securely. Having received such a charge, he put them into the inner prison and fastened their feet in the stocks. But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed. And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.  Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" (Acts 16.22-29)

We see several things unfold in this account. Paul ans Silas were beaten with rods, placed into the inner prison and their feet fastened in stocks. This would mostly be enough for the average believer to murmur and complain to God for being abused in such a way. But instead of murmuring and complaining, "...at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God." What took place due to their actions of placing their focus on the Lord rather than their circumstances, we note that "...the prisoners were listening to them." This is an important lesson for us to learn. How many people, saved or unsaved are listening to our words without us even knowing? Let's be honest, most believers, way to often murmur and complain aloud about their circumstances not giving any thought to the damage their words are causing and the negative affect that their words are having. They must believe that God somehow does not know their struggles or worse yet, that God Himself has brought these circumstances upon them for some reason that only He knows.

If Paul and Silas murmur and complained instead of praying and worshiping God, the situation would not have had the impact that it had. The fact that they chose to pray and worship gave God permission and access to release His power. Remember Psalms 22:3 "But You are holy, Who inhabit the praises of Your people." Let's look at God operating in this situation, "Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed." The power of God manifested right in the inner prison. Right in the midst of what we would consider a bad situation.

Finally, we see the distance that praise and worship can go in a situation such as this, "And the keeper of the prison, awaking from sleep and seeing the prison doors open, supposing the prisoners had fled, drew his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul called with a loud voice, saying, "Do yourself no harm, for we are all here.  Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved? The results of this situation is, “Now when he (the jailer) had brought them (Paul and Silas) into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household.” (Acts 16.34) Praise the Lord. The jailer and His household were saved opening a door for a church plant in Philippi.

Praising and worshiping God in any situation or circumstance unleashes the power of God. It defeats the
enemy and opens door for the preaching of the gospel and the salvation of lost souls. Next time we will take an honest look at the way most congregations today approach worship which will beg the question, "Are we really worshiping or just sing songs?"