"The Flames of Worship burn with the liquid love of who God is!"
~ Bishop Tony Osuobeni
My focus is GOD! Worship is about divine Person. Worship is about divine Personality. Worship is about Spirit and truth. Who God is has been my fascination forever. If I could just see Him AS IS, then I'll worship Him AS IS. The revelation of true worship shapes the our demonstration of worship.
I have often defined worship as THE OUTWARD DEMONSTRATION OF AN INNER REVELATION. But still, it doesn't really tell us who or what God is. As visual creatures, we want to let our imaginations run wild and try and see if we can come to terms with what God looks like. This is he underlying current of worship; THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP IS KNOWING THE OBJECT OF OUR WORSHIP.
DOES GOD HAVE A FORM?
Perhaps, the greatest fascination with the Person of God is with His physical form. Now that’s an oxymoron – SPIRIT & FORM. Notwithstanding there is a kind of form that is attributed to God’s Person. God is Spirit and not flesh. His form is not corporeal; it is Spirit-form. Form relates to outward appearance and God does have an outward appearance. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." [Gen 1:26a]
The Hebrew word translated image is TSELEM which means “shade” or “resemblance.” Dake says “its usage proves it refers to outward form, not to attributes.” The other word in the verse is “likeness” or demuwth in Hebrew which means “shape,” model which also according to Dake refers to outward form as proven by its usage in Scripture (See Isaiah 40:18; Ezekiel 1:5).
So when the Bible says that God created man in His image and likeness it suggests a certain kind of form that can be attributed to God Himself. When Ezekiel saw Him he noted as follows:
I have often defined worship as THE OUTWARD DEMONSTRATION OF AN INNER REVELATION. But still, it doesn't really tell us who or what God is. As visual creatures, we want to let our imaginations run wild and try and see if we can come to terms with what God looks like. This is he underlying current of worship; THE ESSENCE OF WORSHIP IS KNOWING THE OBJECT OF OUR WORSHIP.
DOES GOD HAVE A FORM?
Perhaps, the greatest fascination with the Person of God is with His physical form. Now that’s an oxymoron – SPIRIT & FORM. Notwithstanding there is a kind of form that is attributed to God’s Person. God is Spirit and not flesh. His form is not corporeal; it is Spirit-form. Form relates to outward appearance and God does have an outward appearance. “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." [Gen 1:26a]
The Hebrew word translated image is TSELEM which means “shade” or “resemblance.” Dake says “its usage proves it refers to outward form, not to attributes.” The other word in the verse is “likeness” or demuwth in Hebrew which means “shape,” model which also according to Dake refers to outward form as proven by its usage in Scripture (See Isaiah 40:18; Ezekiel 1:5).
So when the Bible says that God created man in His image and likeness it suggests a certain kind of form that can be attributed to God Himself. When Ezekiel saw Him he noted as follows:
"And above the firmament that was over their heads was the likeness of a throne, as the appearance of a sapphire stone: and upon the likeness of the throne was the likeness as THE APPEARANCE OF A MAN above upon it. Ezekiel 1:26.
It is interesting to note that Ezekiel did see a form sitting on the eternal heavenly throne and even more interesting is that he saw the shape of a man. Think about the TSELEM and DEMUWTH and then try to connect that idea to what David says in Psalm 139:14-16;
"14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
"14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.
15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them."
The child of a cat is a cat; the child of a bear is called a bear; the child of a shark is a shark. It shouldn’t surprise us therefore that a child of God is called a “god.” It came from the mouth of Jesus Himself;
The child of a cat is a cat; the child of a bear is called a bear; the child of a shark is a shark. It shouldn’t surprise us therefore that a child of God is called a “god.” It came from the mouth of Jesus Himself;
“…Is it not written in your law, I said, YE ARE GODS? If he called them GODS, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken.” John 10”34-35.
God is man in shape, but He is Spirit in essence. He looks like a man in appearance, but His nature is Spirit. That is what the TSELEM and DEMUWTH mean. God's body is like that of a man. We were created in His image and after His likeness.
However, God is a SPIRIT-BEING. He is unlike anything He has ever created. He is not the sun, moon, stars; nor an image of wood, stone, or metal; and not beast or man. He is not the air, wind, universal mind, love or some impersonal quality. HE IS A PERSON WITH A PERSONAL SPIRIT-BODY, A PERSONAL SOUL OF SOME IMPERSONAL QUALITY! Instead of flesh and bones, however, God's "body" is of spirit substance.
Oh worshiper, do you ever think about God? Do you really long to see Him AS HE IS and worship Him AS HE SHOULD NE WORSHIPED? IT'S YOUR TURN TO SEE GOD! Let the flame of worship burn in your life like never before!
However, God is a SPIRIT-BEING. He is unlike anything He has ever created. He is not the sun, moon, stars; nor an image of wood, stone, or metal; and not beast or man. He is not the air, wind, universal mind, love or some impersonal quality. HE IS A PERSON WITH A PERSONAL SPIRIT-BODY, A PERSONAL SOUL OF SOME IMPERSONAL QUALITY! Instead of flesh and bones, however, God's "body" is of spirit substance.
Oh worshiper, do you ever think about God? Do you really long to see Him AS HE IS and worship Him AS HE SHOULD NE WORSHIPED? IT'S YOUR TURN TO SEE GOD! Let the flame of worship burn in your life like never before!
To read more about this: get my book, "THE TRUTH ABOUT WORSHIP" and read more about the God of our Worship under the "God Chapter"!
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