FROM THE INSIDE OUT

As I was finishing the last blog, Renewing the Mind, I knew there were a couple of very important points about renewal that I had not included in the blog.

The first is that both the Holy Spirit and the Word do their renewal work from the same place. In contrast to our human attempts to renew, both the Word and the Holy Spirit work from within us.

The Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us at salvation and does His work as a guest in our temple. “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19, ESV).

The inside-out working of the Word is the reason the Psalmist said, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11, NKJV). When Joshua was preparing to take over for Moses, God’s instructions to him were, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night” (Joshua 1:8, NKJV). God was instructing Joshua to get the Word in him, to literally ingest the Word, and fill his mind with the Word (meditation). Joshua filled his life with God’s Word and then he became successful . . . from the inside out.

Also, in the last post, I didn’t talk at all about the place of worship in the renewal process.

A man who has deeply impacted my life is Dr. Jack Hayford. Our family began attending The Church on The Way in Van Nuys, California, in 1977 and we were members and very active there for nearly fourteen years. We still refer to Dr. Hayford as Pastor Jack because of the deep and lasting impact his ministry had on us. One of the great areas of teaching that Pastor Jack opened up to us was the place, the power, and the purpose of worship. Much of what I will refer to in this brief article I learned sitting under the teaching of this great man of God.

Ephesians 5:18-20 is a key passage in understanding the importance and power of worship. ^“Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making  melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (ESV).

Verse 18 instructs us to be filled with God’s Spirit. Being filled with the Spirit is not a one-time happening but is a continual filling, a continual activation of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. The original language here is “be being filled,” indicating an ongoing receiving and activation of the Holy Spirit.

Verses 19 and 20 tell us how to fulfill the directive of the previous verse by worshipful singing and giving thanks to God in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. An important question is, “What part does worship play in your prayer life? Do you take time to worship?”

I fully understand that there are many ways we worship. When we give of our finances, that is an act of worship. When we live our lives as good witnesses of God’s grace, that too is a form of worship. But my question is, “Do you directly express your worship to Him? Do you give thanks to Him for all He has done and is doing for you? Do you really worship Him?” Or perhaps you are one of those who just talks about it—but never does it!

“I will sing of the steadfast love of the Lord, forever; with my mouth I will make known your faithfulness” (Psalm 89:1, ESV).

It is through our worship that God’s power is released and the Holy Spirit is freed to work in our lives.

It was out of a worship service that the church was birthed. Carefully read Acts 2:1-13 and especially note verse 11. The crowd that gathered because of the commotion of the Pentecostal outpouring (the birthing of the church) was amazed and awed as they heard the Christians worshiping God in the languages of their native countries. Birthing is the bringing forth of new life and is accompanied by worship of the Creator. If you are looking to God to birth some new life and new breakthroughs in you, then it’s time for worship!

Throughout Scripture whenever the church was at prayer or in worship, there was a tremendous release of divine power. In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi. After being beaten, they were thrown into a dungeon and their feet were locked into restraints.

“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” (Acts 16:25-26, NKJV).

From the inside flowed the worship that affected the circumstances they were caught in and it was all to the glory of God.

“Where God’s presence is, there will be power. Where worship is released, God’s presence will abide. Our hearts are the ground on which the battle is decided. If we will worship, God’s power and rule will be established in and through us to flow to others.”  Dr. Jack Hayford