LUKE 24:50-53
50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he
lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshipped him, and returned to
Jerusalem with great joy:
53 And were continually in the temple, praising and
blessing God.
Then notice the second chapter of Acts, verses 46 and 47:
ACTS 2:46,47
46 And they, continuing daily with one accord in the
temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did
eat with gladness and singleness of heart,
47 Praising God, and having favour with all the
people. And the Lord added to the church daily such
as should be saved.
Notice the expression, "with gladness and singleness of
heart, praising God." One reason the ministry of the early
Christians was so effective was their continual gladness of heart
and praising God.
Worship and praise to God were a part of the daily lives of
the early Christians. It wasn't something they did occasionally.
Too many times today we see people who pray through about
once every six months. You'd have to write of them that they
praised God "occasionally" or perhaps "semi-annually" rather
than "daily" or "continually," as did the New Testament
believers.
The late Smith Wigglesworth once said, "First thing every
morning, when I get out of bed, I jump out. I don't just drag out,
but I jump out! And when my feet hit the floor I say, 'Praise the
Lord!' And I praise God every morning." That's a good way to
start the day!
When Paul and Silas were thrown in jail at Philippi, it was
only natural they should pray and sing praises to God. Not only
did the prisoners hear them, but God heard them. Suddenly there
was such a great earthquake that the foundations of the prison
shook! All the doors sprung open. Everyone's bonds were loosed. Deliverance came while they were praising God!
An Old Testament counterpart is found in Second
Chronicles 20, when Jehoshaphat went out against the enemy.
Three armies—the Ammonites, the Moabites, and the
inhabitants of Mount Seir—had banded together against
Jehoshaphat. He didn't have the manpower to stand against them,
so he called a prayer meeting. The people fasted and prayed.
The Spirit of God moved upon a young man in the
congregation, and he stood and prophesied. The Lord told them
not to fear. He told them where the enemy was and said to go
against them because the battle was the Lord's.
The next morning they marched against the enemy and the
Bible says they put the praisers upfront. Picture these men going
against three armies of trained soldiers who had swords, javelins,
and spears. Right up front to lead the parade of God's army were
the praisers. They weren't led by a man with a sword or a spear.
They were led by men singing and praising the Lord.
They ministered to the Lord. As they marched along, they
shouted, "Praise the Lord; for His mercy endureth for ever" (2
Chron. 20:21).
We see in the next verse what happened as a result: "And
when they began to sing and to praise, the Lord set
ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab, and mount
Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten."
When they began to sing and praise, God did something for
His people. They saw a manifestation of His power. They didn't
have to draw a sword or throw a javelin. The enemy ran off and
left all their goods. There was so much spoil it took three days to
gather it up and carry it home!
Paul and Silas had their feet in stocks. Their backs were
bleeding. From a natural standpoint, they had every reason to
be downcast. But at midnight, as they ministered to God, there
came a manifestation of God's power.
There are many today who have been praying and petitioning God to move in their behalf. If they would quit
praying and begin praising, God would give them so much they
couldn't carry it all home at one time!
We need to have praise services where we gather to praise
God and to minister to the Lord—not to minister to one another
—not to brag on one another—not to tell what I have and you
don't—or what I'm trying to get.
We need services where we minister to the Lord and sing
praises to Him. Then we would see mighty manifestations of
God's presence in our day.
...To be continued
FFT: Murmuring does not produce the miraculous but ministering to the Lord does.
ACTION POINT: stop murmuring, starting ministering to the Lord!
INTERACTIVE SESSION; Share your experience on the power of praise... (in the comment section below)
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