Digital Logos Edition
The vast majority of churches have a “worship service”—but is that all worship is, a once-a-week gathering to sing together? In The Beginner’s Guide to Worshiping God, readers will find out that Christian worship is not a service but a way of life. Worship is encountering God, learning who he is through an experience of his presence. As believers practice giving thanks and praise for all the Lord has done, they learn to love who he loves and daily do his will. This indispensable handbook shows readers how to worship in every moment of life.
“Grace is not God’s good help along the road of life, it’s his radical intervention in our helplessness. Worship is not a catalyst of grace, it’s a response to God’s gloriously free gift.” (Page 13)
“The lesson here is that worship doesn’t just focus on God, it starts with God. It’s not about what you do in a church service or how you do it to get a response from God. It’s about who God is and what God does and our response to that. Whatever we think about worship, however we think it should be done, worship that’s not rooted in the freedom of grace is not true worship.” (Page 17)
“Is there something inside you wanting desperately to know and experience more of God? Are you longing for the indescribable joy of being in the presence of the Lord of the universe? Are you yearning for an encounter with eternity, where time stands still and your life is changed forever? St. Anselm wrote, ‘Let me seek Thee in longing; let me long for thee in seeking; let me find thee in love, and love thee in finding.’” (Page 7)
“One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple’ (Ps. 27:4). Only one thing: just to be with God. As the much-quoted Westminster Confession of Faith declares, our ‘chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever.’” (Pages 7–8)
“God does just about everything he can to get our attention, because we are not naturally cooperative with what God wants to do in us. The human heart is bent away from God. The human heart is just plain bent!” (Page 14)
Whether you are a new believer or a mature worshiper, read The Beginner’s Guide to Worshiping God and grow in your relationship with the Lord.
—Charlie LeBlanc, worship leader and songwriter, Joyful Word Ministries
Gary D. Kinnaman served as senior pastor of Word of Grace Church in Mesa, Arizona, for 25 years. He now serves as pastor-at-large, mentoring and networking church, government, and marketplace leaders serving the Phoenix area. He is the author of Leaders That Last: How Covenant Friendships Can Help Pastors Thrive.