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The FlagstaffVol.2, Issue 2 Summer 1999Davidic WorshipThroughout the psalms, David continually refers to praising the NAME of the LORD. Some references to this can be found in Psalms 7:17, 8:1, 9:2, 18:49, 20:1, 22:22, 29:2, 30:4, 33:21, 34:3, 44:8, 45:17, 52:9, 54:6, 66:2, 68:4, 69:30, 72:17, 75:1, 76:1, 83:18, 86:9,11,12, 91:14, 92:1, 96:2,8, 97:12, 99:3, 100:4, 102:12, 103:1, 105:1, 113:1-3, 116:4,17, 124:8, 135:1,13, 140:13, 142:7, 145:1,2,21, 148:5,13. While these scriptures exhort us to praise the NAME of our LORD, He desires that we KNOW Him by those names, not just sing a vague or impersonal reference to the act of praising His name. During the years he spent as a shepherd, warrior and king, David came to know God intimately and personally as his Shepherd, Healer, Comforter, Restorer, Banner, Peace, Lord of Hosts, Righteousness, Holy, Shield, Jehovah (or "Yahweh" ... translated LORD), Stronghold, Horn of Salvation and much more. When our hearts are ravished in love with another, we generally do not hesitate to describe our loved one in great detail to anyone willing to listen. This is how our relationship with the Godhead is destined to be. While flags are a dramatic, visible expression of our awesome God, they remain but one way to communicate to Him and about Him. We must continue to hold fast to the purpose of exalting our LORD, no matter what instrument might or might not be in our hands. David’s being described as a man after God’s own heart takes on a whole new dimension as we see how his motives foreshadowed the heart of Jesus. "That they may know that You, whose name alone is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth." (Psalm 83:18) At The Heart Of It AllJohn 17 records heartfelt cries from the depth of Jesus’ spirit ~ "Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You...I have manifested Your name to the men whom You have given Me out of the world...As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world...O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it, that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them." Jesus’ purpose one earth was redemptive and restorative. He came to reconcile us to His Father, our Father. Let’s face it, the majority of humanity had lost that lovin’ feeling for our Creator. The truth is that to know Him is to love Him. So Jesus was sent by Father to re-introduce us, to re-call us to the arms of Father. As human beings, we have a difficult time understanding what we do not see with our natural eyes. That is why Jesus told us, "I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also, from now on you know Him and have seen Him...He who has seen Me has seen the Father." (John 14:6,7,9) Just as the rod of Moses was a touchpoint of faith for the Israelites for healing (Num. 21) and victory in battle (Ex. 17), flags used in worship become the visual expression or touchpoint of our faith in a specific aspect of Father’s character. It is our desire that each flag that is brought forth depicts a name of God. Many names of God are revealed throughout the Old Testament, each giving us a greater expansion of understanding of Who this God Who made us really is. He continues to reveal more of Himself and the essence of His character page by page throughout scripture. If it were possible to comprehend all the names of God that are used to describe Him in scripture, we would only be at the starting line. We will continue to learn of His character for all eternity and just when we think we have gotten to the end of that learning, we will round another corner to see another magnificent display of Who He is! Could that be one reason why the angels and 24 elders continue to cry, "Holy, holy, holy!" Are they exclaiming over the continual revelation and unfolding of His magnificent Being? My earthly father also had many names. "Dad" was my personal favorite. But I enjoyed hearing others address him by their favorite names as well. He was a father, a husband, friend, uncle, son, grandson, nephew, neighbor, employee, war veteran, fisherman...and more. All these "titles" or "names" describe him, but are only one-word captions that open the door to many stories and personal experiences which give greater understanding and revelation about who he really was and the fullness of his personality. While my earthly father had a limited number of names, God the Father has an infinite number of ways to be described by name. Jesus came to reveal the Father to us, and to bring glory to Him. But the wonderful mystery is that they are One. Paul explains in Philippians 2:9-11, "Therefore God has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Father sent His Son, Who prayed to the Father to send us another Helper, the Holy Spirit of truth (John 14:16). Jesus actually imparted the Holy Spirit to His apostles and continues to do so to us, with His words, "Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you"... And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit." Jesus is the New Testament, and came to fulfill the law, the Old Testament (Matt. 5:17) Filled with His Spirit, commissioned by Him, we become the NOW Testament. Our mission (and there is no question that we have decided to accept it!) is to continue in the manner of Jesus. To declare the name of the Father throughout the earth. To give people a revelation of the knowledge of God and let them know what our Father is like. Mike Bickle says it best in Passion for Jesus, "Our most vital ministry is revealing the beauty and splendor of God’s personality to others." We must continually seek a first-hand, personal, intimate knowledge of Him. The depth of our worship reflects the depth of our relationship. As we worship our God and King with beautiful flags depicting His names, we are making both His name and His praises glorious through-out the earth. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit...the God of the Old Testament, the New Testament and the NOW Testament...Who Was and Is and Is To Come! Habakkuk 2:14 "For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea." TODAH!Psalm 95:2 encourages, "Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving; let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms." The Hebrew word for thanks, thanksgiving, praise or adoration is todah. It is derived from two words, one which means "to give thanks", and the other meaans "hand". The full intrepretation of todah is to lift or extend one’s hands in thanks to Him. We lift our hands to You, LORD, today to say todah for all You are to us! He alone is more than sufficient for all our needs, but He is also aware that since we are yet on this earth, some supplies for the journey are helpful. We are happy and blessed to report that Wings of Worship was given a Four Thread Serger a few months ago, and just this month we were blessed with a Plymouth Voyager mini van! We have also had volunteers step forward to intercede, work at conferences, help with office details and flag making. We continue to say TODAH! to our Father and todah! to our friends and teammates. Practical needs yet to be filled:
Let us know if you are called to help! Psalm 22:22 Home | Newsletter | Prophetic |
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International Ministry , Inc. ~ Phone: 513-459-9772 Fax: 513-942-6211
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