Worship on Earth as It Is in Heaven: Exploring Worship as a Spiritual Discipline (audio)
Overview
Rory Noland addresses the challenges of Christian worship head-on, offering practical suggestions gleaned from Scripture on understanding and experiencing vibrant worship. The first half of Worship on Earth as It Is in Heaven explores what it means to grow as a private worshiper. The practices of the psalmist David provide insight to help people worship God on their own. Second, Noland discusses corporate worship by exploring the glorious gatherings in heaven, as described in the book of Revelation. He presents immediately applicable ideas for becoming a better corporate worshiper. This book includes:• Slice-of-church-life scenarios. Every chapter begins with a brief scenario that presents a worship-related issue or a conflict corresponding to the chapter topic.• Group discussion questions. Based on the opening scenario, these questions help readers think about and discuss worship-related topics from different perspectives. • Issue-by-issue practical guidance from a biblical perspective. • “Ponder and Apply” application questions. Each chapter ends with a series of discussion questions and action steps to help readers identify key insights and make personal applications. Tentative Table of Contents. Introduction: Worshiping Now … And Forever. Part One—Growing As A Private Worshiper:. Worship In The Psalms Of David. David is the prime example of an effective private worshiper. Drawing on incidents from David’s life as well as the psalms he composed yields insights into what it means to worship God privately. Chapter 1—Do What Matters Most. Make Worship A Priority. David made worship top priority (Ps. 27:4). When we make worship a priority, we enjoy an increased awareness of God’s presence, his presence is defined by his attributes, and worship becomes transformational. Chapter 2—Make It A Habit. Establish A Regular Routine. David observed a regular routine for private worship (Ps. 145:2). This chapter offers practical ideas on how to practice private worship, including how to meditate on the names and attributes of God, learn how to write your own psalm, and the importance of Sabbath keeping. Chapter 3—I Surrender All. Smash Your Idols. David regarded obedience as the highest form of worship (Psalm 40:6–8). At any given moment, we all worship something or someone. The opposite of worship is idolatry. The Bible implores us to smash our idols—to repent often, live like a dead person, flee idolatry, and choose to honor God. Chapter 4—Turn To God In The Hard Times. Worship Amidst Adversity. David worshiped amidst adversity. Many of his psalms are linked to difficult periods in David’s life. When we worship during tough times, God meets us in our pain and suffering, our problems get put within God’s larger context, faith increases, and peace abounds. Part Two—Growing As A Corporate Worshiper:. Worship In The Book Of Revelation. Every worship service here on earth is a rehearsal for the glorious worship we’ll enjoy in heaven. Drawing from the book of Revelation (mainly chapters 4, 5, and 19), we will glean insights pertinent to corporate worship gatherings. Chapter 5—You Are Worthy, O Lord!. Focus On God’s Attributes. Heavenly worship is pure ascription (Revelation 4:8, 11). There are no personal pronouns recorded in heaven’s worship—no “me,” “my,” or “I.” So focus on the attributes of God during corporate worship. Chapter 6—Go All Out. Bring God Your Best Worship. Heavenly worship is unapologetically passionate and physically demonstrative (Revelation 5:14 19:4). Passionate worship is the norm throughout Scripture, so bring God your best worship every Sunday. Chapter 7—Welcome All Ages. Set Aside Personal Preferences. Heavenly worship is intergenerational; we will worship with all the believers who have gone before us as well as those yet to come (Matthew 8:11). However, the trend in today’s church is toward strictly defined age-segregated services. If the generations are to worship peaceably alongside each other (like we will in heaven), we all need to set aside our personal preferences, especially in regard to musical styles and practice “heroic deference.”. Chapter 8—Welcome Every Tribe And Nation. Embrace The Spirit At Work. Heavenly worship is multiethnic (Revelation 7:9–10). Scripture makes it very clear that God intends his church to be a place where people of diverse backgrounds, social standing, and ethnicities come together to worship. No one race, nationality, or cultural group has cornered the market on worship, so we can learn a great deal from the worship practices of Christians from other cultures. Epilogue: Let’s Worship Like We’re Already There. Rory Noland, author of The Heart of the Artist, explains the why and how of Christian worship. Drawing lessons from the Bible’s examples of worship, Noland shows how individual and corporate worship are essential Christian disciplines that can be practiced more fully to the great benefit of individual believers and whole churches.
- Title: Worship on Earth as It Is in Heaven: Exploring Worship as a Spiritual Discipline
- Author: Rory Noland
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Print Publication Date: 2011
- Logos Release Date: 2020
- Era: era:contemporary
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Audio
- Subjects: Religion › Christian Rituals & Practice--Worship & Liturgy; Religion › Christian Living--Spiritual Growth
- ISBNs: 9780310426257, 0310426251, 025986426255
- Resource ID: LLS:9780310426257
- Resource Type: Media
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-28T22:05:14Z