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We are unashamedly a Classical Pentecostal Fellowship of Believers. When you enter the doors of the Church of God Worship & Ministry Center, you will experience a vibrant worship experience grounded within the Word of God. Why Do We Praise Him? |Back to Top| - It is Bibilically based. Praise is the Christian's way of thanking God for His provision in Jesus Christ and abundant, eternal life. It is written in His Word that if we don't praise Him, the rocks will cry out in our place.
- Psalm 148:13 "Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven."
- Psalm 150:1-2 "Praise God in His sanctuary -- praise God for His mighty deeds."
Why Do We Worship God? |Back to Top| - Worship is the Christian's way of expressing to God their appreciation for who He is.
- Jehovah Jireh - The Lord God my Provider
- Jehovah Raah - The Lord God my Shepherd
- Jehovah Shalom - The Lord God my Peace
- Jehovah Tsidkenu - The Lord God my Righteousness
- Jehovah Rapha - The Lord God my Healer
- Jehovah Nissi - The Lord God my Banner
- Exodus 34:14 "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."
- John 4:23-24 "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship Him."
- Philippians 3:3 "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh."
Why Are We Exuberant and Audible in our Praise? |Back to Top| - Psalms 103:1 "Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me bless His holy name."
- Psalms 34:1 "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continuously be in my mouth."
- Acts 4:24 "And when they had heard this, they lifted their voices to God."
- Psalms 66:2 "Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious."
- Mark 12:30 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment."
Why Do We Shout in Worship? |Back to Top| - Psalms 47:1 "Shout unto God with the voice of triumph."
- Psalms 100:1 "Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands."
Why Do We Lift Our Hands? |Back to Top| - The lifting of the hand is a symbol of surrender, and gratitude, of yielding, of even pausing.
- I Timothy 2:8 "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."
- Psalms 63:4 "Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name."
- Psalms 134:2 "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the LORD."
Why Do We Praise God with Instruments? |Back to Top| - It is Biblically based. When Lucifer was in Heaven, he was beautifully created with fine jewels and timbrels (Ezekiel 28:12-19). He was banished from Heaven for wanting to take over the Most High God's position (Isaiah 14:12). His sinful pride came at a high cost because he lost his leadership role, which was to guard God's throne. Therefore, he is angry that believers approach God with praise and worship.
- Psalm 150:3-5 "Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals."
- Revelation 14:2 "And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps:"
Why Do We Sing to God? |Back to Top| - Psalms 147:1 "Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for it is pleasant and praise is becoming."
- Psalms 81:1-2 "Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob. Take a psalm, and bring hither the timbrel, the pleasant harp with the psaltery."
- Psalms 66:2 "Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious."
- Psalms 66:8 "O bless our God, ye people, and make the voice of his praise to be heard:"
Why Do We Stand to Sing? |Back to Top| - 2 Chronicles 20:19 "the Levites, stood up to praise the Lord God of Israel with a loud voice."
- Revelation 7:9 "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands."
Why Do We Sing Choruses as Well as Hymns? |Back to Top| - Ephesians 5:19 "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"
- Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
Why Do We Pray and Sing in Tongues and in English? |Back to Top| - 1 Corinthians 14:14-15 "For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."
Why Do We All Pray at Once for Specific Needs? |Back to Top| - Acts 4:24 "and when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, Thou art God which hast made Heaven and Earth."
- Matthew 18:19 "Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven."
Why Do We Dance In the Spirit? |Back to Top| - Spontaneous, non-choreographed dancing is Biblically based. In Exodus 15:19-20, God has already brought Israel through the sea victoriously over the Egyptians. Miriam takes the timbrel in her hand and all the women went out after her with timbrels and dancing.
- Psalms 149:3 "Let them praise His name with dancing."
- II Samuel 6:14 "And David danced before the LORD with all [his] might; and David [was] girded with a linen ephod"
Why Do We Clap our Hands? |Back to Top| - Psalms 47:1 "O Clap your hands, all ye people."
Why Do We Anoint With Oil? |Back to Top| - Oil does not heal people, God heals people. The oil is symbolic of the Spirit of God and a point of contact.
- James 5:14-15 "Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."
Why Do We Believe in Divine Healing? |Back to Top| - Sickness is not from God, it is a result of the sin curse that is on this world and mankind's flesh, originating from the original fall of man. Though our soul is redeemed, our flesh is not yet redeemed, therefore we must hold to the promise of God believing this human flesh must line up with God's Word and desire for us.
- Acts 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him."
- Isaiah 53:5 "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."
- I Peter 2:24 "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."
Why Do We Speak in Other Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues? |Back to Top| - Mark 16:17 "And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;"
- Acts 2:4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."
- I Corinthians 14:2, 4 "For he that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries. He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church."
- I Corinthians 14:5 "I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater [is] he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying."
- I Corinthians 12:7,10 "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another [divers] kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:"
- I Corinthians 14:27 "If any man speak in an unknown tongue, let it be by two, or at the most by three, and that by course; and let one interpret."
- I Corinthians 14:39 "Wherefore, brethren, covet to prophesy, and forbid not to speak with tongues."
Why Do We Believe We Should Physically Attend Worship Services Every Time We Possibly Can? |Back to Top| - Hebrews 10:25 "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
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