Inside Out
(This Weekly Prayer Summary was written by Devi Susanto, from the CBC English Prayer Ministry, and edited by Brigitta Tedja)
Watch full sermon here
Pastor Dion Kurniadi continued on the Praise & Worship Series with a sermon entitled, “Inside Out.” He began by sharing how he came to salvation through the praise and worship at his Church in Indonesia. It was not due to big events but through weekly praise and worship sessions in his high school. There are particular words that are used only in Christian conversations taken from the Bible that are not commonly utilized outside of Christianity. One of those phrases is, “the presence of God.” It describes when God Himself shows up. We know about Jesus and how He abides in Heaven and is the creator of Heaven and earth, but sometimes we do not believe that God can show up in front of us right here and right now. How many of you know that God is with us right now and that He wants to reside in us through our praise and worship?
Luke 19:45-48 “Then He went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in it, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house is a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”
This story comes right after Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Right before He was crucified, people received a revelation. The disciples took off their coats and put it on the donkey, then the people began to take off their coats and put it on the streets so that the King can pass on it. Coat represents honor. People were shouting “Hosanna!”, but the Pharisees told them to be quiet. Jesus told them that if they shut up, the rocks will shout out. In Luke 19:45-48, God wanted to restore, reset, and correct the prayer life in the Church.
Amos 9:11-12
“In that day I will restore the fallen house of David. I will repair its damaged walls. From the ruins I will rebuild it and restore its former glory. And Israel will possess what is left of Edom and all the nations I have called to be mine. The Lord has spoken and He will do these things.” This is us! We are the nations that God has called to be His.
Tabernacle of Moses
The Outer Court consists of the Slaughter Tables, Brazen Laver, and the Holy Place.
Slaughter Tables: Jesus died as a sacrificial lamb so that we can be forgiven represented in the Outer Court. People can come into this place of God through what Jesus has done for us.
Brazen Laver: The place where the Levites washed their hands and feet daily, just like how Jesus washed His disciples’ feet.
The Holy Place: Only the Levites can come into the Holy Place.
Golden Lampstand, the Table of Showbread, Altar of Incense. Only a selected few can enter and only the High Priest can enter once a year and meet God face-to-face.
The Philistines conquered Israel and stole the Ark of the Covenant. During the days of Saul, they were able to retrieve the Ark of the Covenant, but Saul did not put it back in the original place.
After David became King, he decided to put a tent over the Ark of the Covenant. Now for the very first time, it became visible to the public. King David instituted the ministry of music. He hired worshipers and musicians to go around the Ark and minister to God.
Amos the prophet stated that God will restore the fallen house of David, not Moses’ Tabernacle or Solomon’s Temple. This is important because in the last days, there is no more separation, people can now have direct access to God. If we have access to God directly, what are we doing with that access? How have we been taking advantage or have been walking in this access?
Expression
This month, we will speak about praise and worship per Pastor Paul’s direction, but today we will focus on expression. Expression is something that happens externally that should originate from something internal. How many of you want to experience the presence of God in a different way?
Psalm 100
“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, And His truth endures to all generations.”
In the time of David, if you want to get into the presence of God, you just needed to have an understanding on how to be thankful for what He has done and how to praise Him for who He is. If you do this, you get immediately transported into His gates and you are walking in the Outer Court. If we are talking about progression, everything healthy on earth grows into maturity. Now, the question for you and I is this: Are we growing in our walk with the Lord? Are we growing in our expression of praise and worship? Or do we remain reluctant and stay like we were before? We are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.
Thanksgiving and Praise
Thanksgiving is the expression that arises from our desire to show appreciation for the goodness of God or the gift God has given us.
Praise is the expression that stems to love and to glorify, exalt for who He is beyond what He does.
Worship comes from the word worth and ship. Worship is the expression that comes from the core of who the worshiper is, coming from the heart, and coming from the spirit and what God means to them. Worth is equal to value. How much do you value God? Worship cannot be judged by others—only God can see that. Worship can never be delivered through a third party. Worship is always personal and it is only about what you do when you meet God face-to-face.
God is looking, searching, and seeking for somebody who worships Him in spirit and in truth. This is what God is doing in the last days. Pastor Dion’s hope is that we will be transformed so that God can say He found many worshipers in City Blessing. We are all generous to somebody who we think is worth receiving our value. We can all give extravagantly to somebody. It is not about the amount but who we think deserves to receive that value. In Church, if we know that Jesus Christ who does not need to come on earth, does not need to die, and does not need to pick you, and yet He did all of these, is that not enough of a reason for us to praise and worship God? Worship needs to stand out from the depths of who you are. Base your worship on His worth-ship.
An Expression
An unexpressed expression is NOT an expression. Yes, God sees the heart, but He also asked what happened to the 9 lepers who were healed and did not come back to thank Him. It is all about the heart for, “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Whatever happens in the heart realm will overflow through the expression realm.
David had a revelation of music in Heaven. He loved God so much that he brought the atmosphere of the praise and worship of Heaven and expressed it on the earth. David came to God’s presence because he loved God’s company and to give generously to God, not to receive anything from Him. David changed the whole setting and what he did was revolutionary at that time. We now have access to God and give generously our sacrifices of praise.
YADAH
It means to give thanks or praise, to revere with the extended, uplifted hand.
Action: The extended hand.
Attitude: Expresses gratitude, thankfulness and surrender.
Psalms 92:1 It is good to give thanks [yadah] to the LORD; And to sing praises to Your name, O Most High.”
2 Chronicles 20:21 Give thanks [yadah] to the Lord, for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
TOWDAH
It means thanksgiving, an extension of the hand.
Action: The uplifted, raised hand.
Attitude: Expresses adoration.
Psalms 100:4 “Enter His gates with thanksgiving [towdah], And His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him, bless His name.”
Psalms 107:22 “Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, [towdah], And tell of His works with joyful singing.”
HALAL
It means to be clear, to boast, to rave, to be clamorously foolish, to praise, to celebrate hilariously, to make a show, to shine forth.
Action: Celebrate extravagantly.
Ex: Supportive fans during a game.
*There is power in unified praise!"
Attitude: Expresses joy, jubilation and celebration.
Psalms 104:35 “Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise [halal] the LORD!”
Psalms 150:1 “Praise [halal] the Lord! Praise [halal] God in his sanctuary; Praise [halal] him in his mighty expanse.”
SHABACH
It means to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph. It is a “shout of praise.”
Action: Loud shout of praise.
*The sound that activates Heaven! God will restore the VOICE of the Church!"
Attitude: Expresses confidence in God’s ability.
Psalms 63:3 “Because your love is better than life, my lips will praise and glorify [shabach] you.”
Psalms 147:12 “Exalt and praise [shabach] the LORD, Jerusalem; praise your God, Zion!”
TAQA
It means strike, sound, clap hands, blow an instrument.
Action: Clap, applaud.
Attitude: Expresses joy and victory.
Psalms 47:1 “O clap [taqa] your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joyful triumph.”
2 Chronicles 23:13 “And all the people of the land rejoiced and blew [taqa] trumpets, the singers with their musical instruments leading the praise.”
TEHILLAH
It is derived from the word halal and means the singing of halals, to sing or to laud; perceived to involve music
Action: To sing.
Attitude: Expresses joy, willingness to engage through singing.
Psalms 22:3 “But You are holy, Enthroned in the praises [tĕhillah] of Israel.”
Isaiah 61:3 “Sing to the LORD a new song, And His praise [tĕhillah] from the ends of the earth.”
ZAMAR
It means to make music by striking the fingers on strings or other parts of musical instruments.
Action: To play instruments.
Attitude: Expresses joy, rest, confidence.
Psalms 33:2 “Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre; Sing praises [zâmar] to Him with a harp of ten strings.”
Isaiah 12:5 “Praise [zâmar] the LORD in song, [zâmar] for He has done excellent things; Let this be known throughout the earth.”
BARAK
It means to kneel down, to bless God as an act of adoration.
Action: Bless the Lord, kneel.
Attitude: Expresses humility.
Psalms 95:6 “O come let us worship and bow down; let us kneel [barak] before the Lord our maker.”
1 Chronicles 29:20 “Then David said to all the assembly, "Now bless [barak] the Lord your God." And all the assembly blessed [barak] the Lord, the God of their fathers, and bowed low and did homage to the Lord and to the king.”
SHACHAH
It means to depress, prostrate in homage. It includes bowing down, falling down flat and reverencing.
Action: Lie prostrate.
Attitude: Expresses homage and humility.
Genesis 22:5 “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship [shachah] there, and then we will come right back.”
Proper Expression
1. Understanding Your Role
Who is worship for? It is for the Lord. Do you only listen to praise and worship and not become praisers and worshipers yourselves? Our music team is not here to entertain us, but to entertain God.
1 Chronicle 13:9-12 “When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly overturned it. But the anger of the Lord burned against Uzza, so He struck him because he had put out his hand toward the ark; and he died there before God. Then David became angry because [e]of the Lord’s outburst against Uzza; and he called that place Perez-uzza as it is to this day. David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God home to me?”
2. Intimacy, not Familiarity, He is a KING
In 1 Chronicles, the Lord’s anger burned against Uzzah because he touched the Ark. God struck him down due to his irreverent act. There is a protocol. The Church is the Bride of Christ and we need to practice the protocol. After Lazarus was raised from the dead, even though Mary, Martha, and Lazarus were friends of Jesus, Mary worshiped Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair.
John 12:1-3 “Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate[a] with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance.”
3. Giving the Best
Genesis 4:3-5 “When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.”
4. Loving and Knowing God
Matthew 22:36-37 “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’”
* You Can’t Worship Someone You Don’t Love *
Matthew 22:36-37 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
** You Can’t Worship Someone You Don’t Know **
John 4:23-24 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Prayer Points:
Pray for an open heart to experience God in a fresher way as lovers of His presence and lovers of who He is in our lives.
Pray for renewed minds and hearts.
Pray for a move of God to quicken and restore us and to cause us to grow into the calling that God has for us.
Pray against the mute spirits that the enemy has put upon us to leave so that we can praise and worship God freely
Pray for all of us to grow in our expressions and to praise and worship God in a fresher and deeper way.
Pray that we worship God based on His worth-ship
Be the Salt & Light:
Pray for California:
AB2223’s next hearing is expected on May 19th, 2022. Please continue to pray that this bill will not move forward. Pray for Holy Spirit to convict our lawmaker's hearts and end AB2223.
We concluded our movie-showing for ‘WHOSE CHILDREN ARE THEY?’ Pray that those who watched are awakened, will take action, and will not go back into slumber.
Pray against the spirit of violence in our state and nation. There were 3 mass shootings that happened this week alone and 2 of them happened in Southern California.
California primary election is on June 7th, 2022:
Pray for election integrity.
Pray that God will elevate godly candidates and open up the doors for them to get elected.
Pray that Christians will rise up and vote for godly candidates.
Pray for America:
Inflation, supply chain disruptions, and threats of global food crisis are still very much in the fore-front of our lives. Now, there are news of a baby formula shortage. Pray for wisdom for our leaders to come up with policies that will get these issues under control.
SCOTUS leak on draft opinion for Roe vs Wade has caused many protests all around the nation:
Pray that there will be peaceful protests and that Antifa does not infiltrate the protests to create chaos.
Pray for the safety of SCOTUS justices (Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas) and their families. They are facing tremendous pressure from the pro-abortion groups. Pray that they fear God more than they fear men and stand for justice and righteousness.
Pray for the leaker(s) to be identified and punished to the fullest extent of the law. What the leaker(s) did has undermined the court.
DHS (Department of Homeland Security) recently announced the formation of ‘Ministry of Truth’ whose role is to identify any disinformation in the media. This is a threat to the First Amendment of our Constitution, our free speech.
On May 23rd, 2022, the Biden administration plans to end Title 42 which has played a role in limiting the number of illegal migrants coming in from our southern borders. If Title 42 ends, CBP (Custom & Border Patrol) expects that there will be an increase in the number of illegal migrants coming in from the southern borders:
Pray for wisdom upon our leaders to enact and enforce a just and lawful immigration policy.
Pray for our CBP agents to not be overwhelmed by this increase and pray for their safety.
Pray for Ukraine:
Let’s not forget that war is still raging in Ukraine. The number of casualties keeps increasing. There are on-going war crime investigations. Please continue to pray for Russia-Ukraine war to end swiftly.
Let us express our thanksgiving, praise, worship, and love to God in a deeper way this week!