True Worship

 True Worship

August 2, 2026

John 4:23-24 (NKJV) 

23 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship theFather in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 “God [is] Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Revelation 5:11-14 (NKJV) 

11 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, 12 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!” 13 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!” 14 Then the four living creatures said, “Amen!” And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped Him who lives forever and ever.

Today is the day to worship Him in spirit and in truth.

Come Let Us Worship

 

Psalm 95:1-7 (NKJV) 1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. 2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; Let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms. 3 For the LORD [is] the great God, And the great King above all gods. 4 In His hand [are] the deep places of the earth; The heights of the hills [are] His also. 5 The sea [is] His, for He made it; And His hands formed the dry [land.] 6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker. 7 For He [is] our God, And we [are] the people of His pasture, And the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice:

Tabernacle of David- Sacrifice of Praise

 Tabernacle of David

May 2, 2026

1 Chronicles 16:7-10 (NKJV) 

7 On that day David first delivered [this psalm] into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the LORD: 8 Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 9 Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 10 Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD!

1 Chronicles 16:6 (NKJV) Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly [blew] the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.

1 Chronicles 16:41-42 (NKJV) 

41 andwith them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the LORD, because His mercy [endures] forever; 42 and with them Heman and Jeduthun, to sound aloud with trumpets and cymbals and the musical instruments of God. Now the sons of Jeduthun [were] gatekeepers.

In today’s scripture, we have the account of the ark of the covenant being restored to Jerusalem and installed in the tent that David had erected for it; the Tabernacle of David. This is an important scripture for all worshipers to understand as it establishes the importance of worship before the Lord. Moses’ tabernacle in the wilderness and the temple in Jerusalem had more of an emphasis on the rituals and sacrifices, but in David’s tabernacle, the major duties of the priests are listed as acts of music and worship. In fact this chapter on the dedication of the tabernacle is a psalm which King David wrote for the occasion. There were animal sacrifices at that time also, but the King realized the the most Important sacrifice was a sacrifice of praise. 

Psalm 69:30-32 (NKJV) 

30 I will praise the name of God with a song, And will magnify Him with thanksgiving. 31 [This] also shall please the LORD better than an ox [or] bull, Which has horns and hooves. 32 The humble shall see [this and] be glad; And you who seek God, your hearts shall live.

Hebrews 13:15-16 (NKJV) 

15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruitof [our] lips, giving thanks to His name. 16 But do not forget to do good and to share, for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.

So let us offer a sacrifice of praise and extol the. And of the Lord our God.

Tabernacle of David

 Tabernacle of David

February 8, 2026

Acts 15:14-17 (NKJV) 

14 “Simonhas declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. 15 “And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: 

16 ‘After this I will return And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, And I will set it up; 17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD, Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, Says the LORD who does all these things.’ (Amos 8:11-12)

In these last days, the Lord is restoring the tabernacle of David, which is a place of praise and worship for all nations. When I think of King David worshiping, I think of Psalm 100.

Psalm 100:1-5 (NKJV) 1 A Psalm of Thanksgiving. 

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Comebefore His presence with singing. 3 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. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, [And] into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, [and] bless His name. 5 For the LORD [is] good; His mercy [is] everlasting, And His truth [endures] to all generations.

We enter His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with Praise, and with great singing and rejoicing. Today is the Lord’s day, so enter the tabernacle of David and praise the Lord and worship His holy name.

O Lord, In The Morning…

 O Lord, In The Morning…

January 17, 2026

Psalm 5:1-12 (NKJV) 

1To the Chief Musician. With flutes. A Psalm of David. 

Give ear to my words, O LORD, Consider my meditation. 2 Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray. 3 My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct [it] to You, And I will look up. 

4 For You [are] not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You. 5 The boastful shall not stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity. 6 You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man. 7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship toward Your holy temple. 8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face. 9 For [there is] no faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part [is] destruction; Their throat [is] an open tomb; They flatter with their tongue. 10 Pronounce them guilty, O God! Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions, For they have rebelled against You. 

11 But let all those rejoice who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You. 12 For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; With favor You will surround him as [with] a shield.

Music and Worship

 Music and Worship

January 16, 2026

Psalm 100:1-5 (NKJV) 1 A Psalm of Thanksgiving. 

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands! 2 Serve the LORD with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. 3 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. 4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, [And] into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, [and] bless His name. 5 For the LORD [is] good; His mercy [is] everlasting, And His truth [endures] to all generations.

We’ve been talking about music all week, but what is the ultimate purpose for music? 

We read in Job that there was music at the creation of the worlds, so we know that God created music for a good purpose, But we also read in Isaiah that when Lucifer fell he took his music and instruments with him.

Isaiah 14:11-12

11 ‘Your pomp and the music of your harps

Have been brought down to Sheol;

Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you

And worms are your covering.’

12 “How you have fallen from heaven,

O star of the morning, son of the dawn!

You have been cut down to the earth,

You who have weakened the nations!

So since that day, music has served duel purposes. Back in the day, Larry Norman sang a song called “Why does the Devil have all the Good Music”, and that’s still a good question. Certainly, the musicians that make the most money and have the largest fan base are singing for the devil, or are at least performing for simple worldly entertainment. But what is the real purpose of music? If the angels sang at creation to worship the God of creation, certainly music was made to worship the Lord. 

Jesus quoted the prophet Malakai  to say that He had come to restore all things.

Matthew 17:11

11And He answered and said, “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; (Mal 4:5-6)

Acts 15:16

16 ‘AFTER THESE THINGS I will return,

AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN,

AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS,

AND I WILL RESTORE IT, (Amos 9:11)u

Then Peter quoted Amos to say that that was the day when the tabernacle of David was to be restored. The tabernacle of David is used in scripture to describe true worship, so the meaning of these passages is that Jesus came to restore true worship. Music plays an integral part in this, and our job in preaching the kingdom of God is to restore music to its rightful place in worship.

Matthew 6:10

10 ‘Your kingdom come.

Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

We pray for the kingdom to come and His will to be done on the earth, and in part, we preach this through music. When we listen to the Holy Spirit, and we play with the greatest skill, and sing with a voice of high praise, we can open the gates of heaven and lead the people to join in the praise and worship that is continually sounding in heaven. If you are in the congregation, and not on the worship team in the front, it is still your job to enter into worship with praise and thanksgiving. When we restore the tabernacle of David on the earth, we enter into that heavenly choir that we see in Revelation, singing worthy is the Lamb.

Revelation 5:11-14

Angels Exalt the Lamb

11 Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, 12 saying with a loud voice,

“Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

13 And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying,

“To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.”

14 And the four living creatures kept saying, “Amen.” And the elders fell down and worshiped.

Cloud of HIs Presence

 Cloud of His Presence

November 21, 2024

2 Chronicles 5:11-14 (NASB95) 

11When the priests came forth from the holy place (for all the priests who were present had sanctified themselves, without regard to divisions), 12 and all the Levitical singers, Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and their sons and kinsmen, clothed in fine linen, with cymbals, harps and lyres, standing east of the altar, and with them one hundred and twenty priests blowing trumpets 13 in unison when the trumpeters and the singers were to make themselves heard with one voice to praise and to glorify the LORD, and when they lifted up their voice accompanied by trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and when they praised the LORD saying,  “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” then the house, the house of the LORD, was filled with a cloud, 14 so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.

The dedication of Solomon’s temple is one of the best examples of pure worship in the Bible. You have 120 priests blowing trumpets along with uncounted other musicians with trumpets, symbols and lyres and many singers making themselves heard with one voice praising the Lord. Now that was a worship service to remember! The chorus that they sang was “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” Now this was spectacular enough, but the Lord’s response was even more wonderful. The presence of the Lord filled the temple with a visible cloud and HIs manifold presence was so heavy that the priests could not stand.

There have only been a few times in my life when the Lord’s manifold presence was so heavy that no one could stand. One time was at a revival meeting in Florida where there were hundreds of people. When the Lord’s presence came into the congregation no one could stand or make a sound, but we could still hear the sound of angels singing! In fact, there were even people prostrate on the lawn in such numbers that the neighbors called 911 thinking there was a gas leak or other disaster at the church. A manifestation like that is not one that you ever forget. In fact, the declaration of the evangelist at that meeting was “Never the same!”.

Such physical manifestations of the presence of God are rare. It’s only recorded one time for Solomon, but seeking His presence is something that we need to do every day. Most of the time the Lord speaks like he did to Elijah in a “still small voice.” But He does speak, and He is present, even if we don’t see the cloud and hear the angels sing. So find a quiet spot and seek the Lord. Meditate on His Word and listen for His voice. The chorus from Solomon’s temple is always appropriate to sing, “He indeed is good for His lovingkindness is everlasting,” and His presence is with us, even when we don’t see the cloud.

 

Tabernacle of David

 Tabernacle of David

November 19, 2024

Acts 15:13-18

13 After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first concernedHimself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. 15 With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, 

16 ‘AFTER THESE THINGS I will return,

AND I WILL REBUILD THE TABERNACLE OF DAVID WHICH HAS FALLEN,

AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS,

AND I WILL RESTORE IT,

17 SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD,

AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,’

18 SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO.

Yesterday we were talking about the musicians that King David assigned to minister before the Lord. In the book of Acts, James quotes the prophet Amos who said that restoring the tabernacle (tent) of David was a sign of extending the Kingdom of God to the gentiles. That would mean that the tabernacle of David is active in this age since the church has been extended to all peoples (gentiles). So what is special about the tabernacle of David? First Chronicles tells us of the founding of this tent when he had the ark returned to Jerusalem.

1 Chronicles 16:1-7

A Tent for the Ark

1 And they brought in the ark of God and placed it inside the tent which David had pitched for it, and they offered burnt offerings andpeace offerings before God. 2 When David had finished offering the burnt offering and the peace offerings, he blessed the people in the name of the LORD. 3 He distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread and a portion of meat and a raisin cake.

4 He appointed some of the Levites as ministers before the ark of the LORD, even to celebrate and to thank and praise the LORD God of Israel: 5 Asaph the chief, and second to him Zechariah, then Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, Obed-edom and Jeiel, with musical instruments, harps, lyres; also Asaph played loud-sounding cymbals, 6 and Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests blew trumpets continually before the ark of the covenant of God.

7 Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the LORD.

There were animal sacrifices in this tent, as there were in the tabernacle of Moses, but the distinguishing characteristic of David’s tabernacle was the continual praise and worship. He appointed hundreds of musicians and singers the celebrate with thanksgiving and praise 24 hours a day. The Levites appointed to this ministry had assigned shifts so there was a continual offering of praise and worship in the presence of the Lord before the Ark of the Covenant. And it was not a quiet kind of worship either. He specified that there be loud symbols, stringed instruments and the continual blowing of trumpets. Psalm 150 describes this as well.

Psalms 150

A Psalm of Praise.

1 Praise the LORD!

Praise God in His sanctuary;

Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

2 Praise Him for His mighty deeds;

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.

3 Praise Him with trumpet sound;

Praise Him with harp and lyre.

4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;

Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.

5 Praise Him with loud cymbals;

Praise Him with resounding cymbals.

6 Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.

Praise the LORD!

This is the kind of praise and worship that we should have in the restored tabernacle of David. So don’t be shy, but raise your voice and blow the trumpet. Sound the symbols and play the stringed instruments for now is the time to praise the Lord. Hallelujah!  Note that every mention of “praise the Lord” in Psalm 150 is “Hallelujah” in Hebrew. So raise a hallelujah for now is the time for all peoples to come into the tabernacle of David and praise the Lord together.

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Musicians in the House

 Musicians in the House

November 18; 2024

1 Chronicles 25:1 (NASB95) 

Moreover, David and the commanders of the army set apart for the service some of the sons of Asaph and of Heman and of Jeduthun, whowere to prophesy with lyres, harps and cymbals; and the number of those who performed their service was: …

1 Chronicles 25:6-7 

6 All these were under the direction of their father to sing in the house of the LORD, with cymbals, harps and lyres, for the service of the house of God. Asaph, Jeduthun and Heman were under the direction of the king. 7 Their number who were trained in singing to the LORD, with their relatives, all who were skillful, was 288.

Today’s scripture reading is out of Chronicles. It’s easy to get bogged down in this section of the Bible with all the genealogies and minute details of the history of the kings of Israel. However, this passage struck me as important to me because it lists the musicians that King David appointed to serve in the tabernacle. The fact that struck me as important, is that of all the officials appointed to serve the kings, the musicians were listed first. When you have been a church musician for a long time, such as I have been, you can get a bit jaded. There is a danger that the worship service can become simply a performance, but it is much more important than that. The king listed the musicians first because they were not just entertainment, but were a vital part of the worship which was an essential part of the business of running a kingdom. Note that it not does say that they played instrument, but that the prophesied with their instrument. Worship proclaims the glory and majesty of the Lord and invites the power of the Holy Spirit into the congregation which brings wisdom and power and healing. Worshipping first, before anything else, was essential for the king to rule in a godly way and not just out of his own wisdom and strength. King David knew that. It is said that David was a man after God’s own heart. He knew about seeking the Lord first before he made any significant moves as a king.

Also, there were not just one of two musicians. It says here that the choir had 288 members. Now that is a pretty impressive ensemble! Do we have that same dedication to prophesy with our instruments and to sing skillfully before we make any important decisions?  Looking back to the battle of Jericho we remember that it was the musicians that went first ahead of the army and that the Lord’s victory was announced by the trumpets before the wall fell! The army only went in to clean up after the sounding of the trumpets and shouts of the people brought down the wall.

So, if you are called to be a musician in the church, be encouraged. Our part is very important. Praise and worship opens the gates for the people to enter into the presence of the Lord and ushers in the Holy Spirit to bring power, wisdom and healing to the people. It is not a small thing and being skillful is also important. The King deserves the best that we have to offer. So take heart and worship the Lord with all your heart and all your mind. It will bless the Lord and His people.