 Good to have you back, Divya. Hey, welcome everybody once again. Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, wherever you are in the world. It's wonderful to connect with you all. It's such an awesome privilege just to share. So in this course, we are going to be studying, learning together about praise and worship. The course code is BC105. That's awesome. Everybody's doing okay. Everybody's doing all right. Yeah, awesome, awesome, okay. All right, can I request, Titus, would you mind starting us off with the word of prayer, please? Yes, pastor. Yes. Gracious 70 Father, thank you for your time. Thank you Lord for being with us again. To hear your words, to make me powerful. With the word of moving God. Thank you Lord, speak to us. As a family, we are here to be molded. We are here to be equipped by a word, strengthen us by a word, deliver us by a word, as it is said in the Bible. We should know the truth in books such as three. Thank you Lord for the wonderful session that we are going to have today. And especially speak to us through your servant, Pastor Roshan. We are here to hear your words. Speak to us. And we give this whole session, all day into your hands. May we pray Father. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you Titus, thank you so much. All right, let's get started. Are we ready? Are we ready? Are we ready? Okay, I'm excited to go on this beautiful journey for the next couple of months or so, three months or so. Just learning about praise and worship. I've been teaching on the subject for a while. But I never get bored of this. I never get bored of it and not tired of it, you know, sharing about it, learning about it, so much more. And after all these years, I can honestly say that I still haven't arrived to a place where I can say, I know everything about praise and worship. And I don't want to come to that place where I can say, I know everything about a place in worship. I want to always be in the position of the place of continuous learning, right? So that's why I'm super excited about it, right? And so today we're going to start off with the first chapter. And I hope you have downloaded the course notes, everybody from the Classwork tab. And I've also shared on the stream section, just in case if you missed out on that. Okay. So just to quickly go to go over the course object, right? In this course is designed to teach us the principles of praise and worship as revealed in the word of God. Great topics dealt will include what praise is, what worship is, the purpose of congregational worship, having a lifestyle of worship, et cetera, et cetera. And if you look at the table of contents, we have 10 chapters in all. So it's fairly very small. So we start off with the introduction by defining praise and worship, what that is. And then we look at the Hebrew words for praise and worship. Why do we have to learn about the Hebrew words for it? We will look at that. And the foundations of praise, the power of praise. And then we go deeper and deeper into what is worship, becoming a worshiper, and then learning how to enter the presence of this beautiful almighty God. And then learning a little bit about personal worship and corporate worship, and moving prophetically in praise and worship, and then living a lifestyle of worship. Okay, so there's a lot of theological aspects to it as well as practical aspects to this course. Yep, is that cool? All right, so, and I've also mentioned some wonderful books for y'all to read. If you can get your hands on that, recommended reading, reading without reading, Divya. See if you can use that superpower here. Exploring worship, worship his majesty by Jack Hayford, praise and worship by Rod Parsley, lift him up, unquenchable worship of face down. These are all brilliant, brilliant books on the topic, on the subject of praise and worship. So yeah, if you are able to, you know, buy it, download, and get your hands on those books, go for it. And are you guys not able to hear me well? It's fine, right? Okay, okay. Evinas, could you please check your systems of volume levels, please? All right, thanks guys. Thanks for responding. Okay, so just coming back to page one, please get your hands on some of those books. At least one of those books is going to have a huge impact on the subject of praise and worship, all right? So let's dive right in chapter one, Introduction, Defining Praise and Worship. Now, I've started all my classes every time I've taught on praise and worship. And I've seen so many of them do ask this question. And so I'm going to ask the question again. Okay, what is the question? What, according to you, in your words, does worship mean to you? Feel free to unmute the mic. I mean, raise your hand so that we can go in order. Otherwise it'll sound like we are talking in tongues. So what does worship, I'm not, okay, so here's the thing. Before you all start off, let me say this. There is no right or wrong answer, okay? So don't hold back thinking, oh, what will this person think? What will sir think? Oh, which is not the, I don't care. Okay, what does worship mean to you? Let me know. Good morning, sir. Hi, Adesh, yes, go for it. Yeah. Worship, first worship did by the son of Adam and Eve. And other worship did by Abraham when he was going with his son on the mountain. So I think worship is something giving by man, something giving by man, something giving to the Lord by the people. That is like thanking an ATC, this is worship. Thanks, thank you, Adesh, yeah. All right, we see subashish, right? I'm right, subashish. It says adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. Nice, okay, thank you. Alice says expressing our love back to God, all right? Because it says, thank giving to the Lord and lifting, lift up high to Lord Jesus, yeah. Sacrificing our bodies as living and holy sacrifice, yeah. Giving glory that the Lord deserves, yeah. Worship is a way of confession and thanksgiving. To the Father with the flow of music, okay, all right? Worship is a lifestyle, giving glory and honor to God that is due to Him expressed through our lives. Okay, Jafina, yeah, go for it. I see you raised your hand. Yes, I believe worship is something that builds a very strong relationship with God because I worship every time, like whenever I walk or whatever I do at home. So it's something that builds our relationship and I really love to worship, thank you. It's awesome, okay, thanks for sharing that, Jafina. All right, Adivya says worship is a lifestyle, giving glory and honor to God that is due to Him expressed through our lives. Any act showing a given individual that is higher than you, he, she, is a source of your life, okay? Worship is a lifestyle, worship is praising God for who He is, expressing love, respect and honor to Lord because He deserves all our respect, amen, yeah. Yeah, awesome. Yeah, you know what, all of y'all, you've passed the final exam, okay? You don't have to sit through this course, okay? We can end this course right now. Okay, you all have figured it out, so. Amazing, amazing. Seems like my job is very easy. It's going to be very easy. Right, yeah, thanks, guys, thank you. Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and what it is, what worship means to you all. Another question for us, okay? Has there been a point in your life? I'm sure there's been many moments, many circumstances, many times in your life where you would worship in this context, the aspect of singing or just praying, whatever it is, has there been one moment in your life where you felt low and you worship and you saw breakthrough happen? I did not understand, sir. So has there been time, fish, in your life where you felt really low, you're not having a very good day but then you chose to worship and you saw Jesus coming through. There was a breakthrough. Has there been days like that? Yes. Does anybody like to share one of those moments? Can I share? Sure. To tell you something that happened recently is joining in this Bible college because I've been searching for a Bible college for a long time and since I was a girl there wasn't much support in family. So I hear a song called Whatever Your Plan is and for a long time I was singing that song because I had no hope. I don't know where I'm going. I don't know where is my college and I don't know anything about this. And after the night, I met this college through some monuments that ran and then I felt deep in my heart that this is where I belong. So that's how I joined. It's amazing. Amen. Thanks for sharing that. Thank you. Praise God. I'm super glad that you're here. I'm so glad too. Thank you. So worship song and prayer and a word of God and this is all the part of worship, not worship. So worship song is very important and words of God is also very important in our life because when we are singing the worship song and in that time giving thanks to the Lord with the joy that that is important because the Havil, Havil, the son of Adam, he gave this offering with the joyful. Oh, okay. Yeah, thanks. Right. I'll say one more person. Divya here. Go for it. Yeah. Thank you, Pastor, for the opportunity. Yeah, I feel worship really changes our perspective but because for me there had been seasons in my life where I couldn't even, for days, I couldn't pray or read Bible because I would be so dry even if I opened the Bible, it doesn't speak to me or make any sense for me but worship just changes that. My dry seasons are turned and then I'm feeling negative that is turned over and there was a particularly one time where it was really bad for me. So the first words that came out of me was, God is good, which I was not able to say for a long time. So remembering God's goodness, faithfulness, really makes us recalibrate us to God. So yeah, worship is really important, I feel. Awesome. Thank you, Divya. Thanks for sharing. Abu Bakr, please go ahead. See how you raised your hand. I normally use worship to quicken my spirit anytime I weak. Or I really, I don't feel like praying, I don't feel like reading the Bible, the moment I enter worship, start worshiping God, I will discover that my spirit will be quicken and I will be alive. So all the powers of the flesh will be reduced and I will be more spiritual and going to the another levels of spirituality. So I see worship as an instrument to quicken my spirit because I normally see God anytime I worship God. I normally experience supernatural power from heaven. So I see as a tooth for my life. So that is it. Awesome. Hey, thank you. Thank you for sharing that Abu Bakr. All right, thanks guys. Thank you everybody for sharing. And again, because of them, you might have to just continue. But yeah, I mean, this is one of the reasons. And if I were to just think about one of those moments in my life is when I was 18 and I failed in my 12 in mathematics. Whose favorite subject is mathematics? Definitely not mine. But so I remember those days when I was 18 and I got the news that I failed in mathematics and that season, the next two months, I mean, for a long time. I mean, all I did and all I knew to do, all I knew how to react or respond, whatever was to worship, like I would rent my anger in worship, my disappointment in worship. And you see that David doing that in Psalms as well, right? And so the thing, that moment has had a huge impact in my life. And one of the reasons why I'm so passionate about worship is that those days, I did not know what it is to do. I seriously did not have any other option. I didn't know what to do and all I could do was worship. And ever since, it's been very passionate about it. It's, they don't need to have a reason, et cetera, to just go into that zone and that mode of worship. So yeah, I mean, worship is powerful, like we've all explained and like we've all experienced, and we say we use worship to quicken our spirits and whatnot for breakthroughs and et cetera, et cetera. So I think we all agree that worship is important, but now let's go into this chapter saying, okay, what are the few definitions that's out there regarding worship, okay? Adding to the list of definitions that you've already provided, okay? So here we go, page one, I'm sorry, page two. So the dictionary defines worship as the act of expressing love, adoration, respect and honor for someone or something, okay? Do you all see the words that you all used? It's already there in the notes, okay? It's the act, okay? Act, action, it's a verb, okay? You're doing it, so the dictionary defines worship as an action, act of expressing love, adoration, respect and honor for someone or something. That means a thing can also be worshiped. A thing, okay? A thing can just, you know, can receive all my adoration, affection, et cetera, et cetera, okay? And it derives its meaning from worship, that's Anglo-Saxon word, we get the word worship from that Anglo-Saxon word called worthship, which means esteeming something very highly, okay? Which means you give it your highest regards to that someone or something. You have your utmost respect, utmost honor to that person or a thing, okay? So as humans, we are all designed to worship whether we realize it or not. We are all designed to worship, okay? To be totally in awe of something or someone. We as human beings, we love to worship. I mean, we are constantly looking for someone or something that is above us to just give all our worship. It doesn't matter who it is, right? And if you see that in Genesis three, you know, you eat this fruit even you will be like God and it's okay, you know? And then now we start creating gods for ourselves of our own in whatever you think of so many other things. And for example, superheroes. One of the reasons why I asked, what superpower we would have? And in the comics, they call Superman a God, isn't it? He has God-like powers. And immediately how the response is like, okay, you know, the response is to worship. So as human beings, like it or not, we realize it or not, we are all designed to worship. It is in our DNA. We just have to figure out that our worship has to go to Jesus. That's it. It has to be changed properly, right? So as human beings, once again, we are all designed to worship whether we realize it or not, okay? So everybody worships, not just the religious ones. Everybody worships something or someone like I shared, okay? But the object of worship differs. Right, do you agree with that? Okay. Everybody worships something or someone, but the object of worship differs, isn't it? I mean, especially for us people from India, we see, you know, we have the capacity to worship stones and trees and rivers, the sun, the moon, et cetera, et cetera, right? But the object of our worship differs. For some, the object of worship could be creation itself. For others, it could be money or our opposition and ideology and the list goes on. So the point there is that everybody worships something or someone, but the object differs. Why? Because we are all designed. We were all made to worship. It's in our DNA, okay? So that's that. Now coming into the context of the church, the church talks about worship and spends time and effort in worship. Before the sermon comes in, there is a worship team that leads us into a time of worship and whatnot. Okay, so a simple question. And again, it's not a tricky question. Is worship the time spent in singing? That's question one, let's answer that first. So is worship the time spent in singing? Not only. No, no, no, no, no. Okay, so my question again is why not? Because singing is the point of worship. Yes, yes, singing and playing an instrument, dancing is all an aspect of worship, but it is not the only, right? We can't put it in a box and say only singing is worship. Everything else doesn't matter, how you live your life. No, okay, so. And then worship is a genre of music. Not really, that's okay. So we have all these definitions of music, right? And as we just dig a little bit more deeper, right? This is what we've made of worship, at least in this day and age. It's a little bit like Galileo's discovery, okay? Just journey with me, okay? In the early 16th century, in the beautiful midnight clear sky, Italian sky, this little known, not very famous person called Galileo, he builds this device, polishes his glass all the really nicely and builds this device that helps him see the planets a little closer. So at that point in time, the humanity believes that they have the constant. Everything else that revolves around them, right? Every other planet, the sun, the moon, the stars, everything revolves around them. And then Galileo makes this discovery and suddenly everybody's offended. We are not the center of the universe. What does this mean, you know? The truth hurt them really bad, you know? I mean, just think about it. Everything had to change, the textbooks that was printed had to change, the education system, everything, the libraries that was filled with books that said, we are the constant, everything revolves around us, had to be changed, the ideologies, the calendars had to be changed, everything. Simply because they thought they are the center. And it's very similar when it comes to the worship universe, if I may say that, right? In the worship universe, we think, okay, I am the recipient. Your worship comes to me. It's important how I feel. Yeah, so does any of these statements, you know, sound familiar to you, okay? It's again in the notes page too, okay? Does any of these comments sound familiar? It says, by the third song, I was really worshiping. Who or what were you worshiping before the third song? And the next one says worship gets me to the place where I don't have to think about anything. Yes, trance. But worshiping God actually requires thinking, isn't it? You know, the word is very clear in saying, okay, you have to worship with your mind as well. Will there be worship at the meeting? The question is who or what? Okay, and here's another famous comment that I have heard so many times. With only 20 minutes, we really didn't have time to worship. As though we warm up, okay. Let's look at the next comment. Fred is doing a worship this morning. That means everybody's going to be excited and everybody's going to sing along. Is it only me or is it, have you all, okay, some of you all heard some of these comments. Okay, interesting, okay, let's just keep going, okay. I really love your worship. This person means well, you know, this is a comment. I mean, some of the worship leaders get, you know, after leading worship and whatnot. And we understand what they say, but then one of the ways that we can beautifully respond to that is we say, thank you, praise God. I hope you worship too. We immediately, you know, change the focus back to God. Susie is a real worshipper. That means Alice is not. Why is Susie is a real worshipper? Oh, she's so expressive. She lifts her hand, she spreads her hands. Why? And she's swinging left and right and spinning. It's like, wow, Susie is such a beautiful worshipper, whereas Aradhana just sits, you know, she doesn't do anything really, you know. So these are the ways that we've defined worshipers, you know, in our worship universe. We think we are the recipients, you know. Are you guys with me? Are you able to get what I'm saying? Yes, sir. Yeah. Yes, sir. Okay. All right, thank you, thank you. Okay, so. Yes, sir. That is, it's so important for us to just come to that realization immediately, that realization that we are not the center of the worship universe. Jesus is, he is the center of our worshiping universe. Okay, we are not the recipient of our worship. Jesus is the center of our worship. So when that focus changes, we will stop judging or commenting, it's like, you know, I didn't really feel, you know, I didn't feel a single feather of an angel today, et cetera, et cetera. Okay, so the point one is that Jesus is the recipient of our worship, it's not us. Cool, I think we can make peace with that, right? And let's move on. I've put together more definitions on worship for us to just because it's fun and we'll see what people have said. Defining worship, one of the first quotes out there is by Dutch humanist, Desiderius Erasmus. I put that in there simply because I like the name. Desiderius Erasmus, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's amazing, it's scary. All at the same time, it's so cool. So he always says is this, every definition is dangerous. And I agree with that, you know, every definition is dangerous. And explanation is that may explain why when we try to define a word simply and precisely, we often end up missing significant aspects of the word we are defining. Attempts at explaining worship as love or intimacy or relationship say something true, but end up leaving out more than they contribute to our understanding of worship. It's this beautiful, isn't it? Yeah. Okay, so that's one, let's look at this next one. This is from the book, Music Through the Eyes of Faith by Harold Best. And he says, acknowledging that someone or something else is greater, worth more and by consequence to be obeyed, feared and adored. Okay, I love those words. Okay, acknowledging that someone or something else is greater, worth so much more and by consequence to be obeyed, feared, adored and worship is the sign that in giving myself completely to someone or something, I want to be mastered by it. That's powerful, isn't it? Yeah, worship is the sign that in giving myself completely, 100%, not 99.99, giving myself completely. I'm consumed by my affections for that person or that thing. I'm absolutely consumed and obsessed. And then in that, you say, I want to be mastered by that thing or that someone. Is it speaking? Is it saying something to some of us? Right? He sure is saying something to me. Okay, let's move on. The third definition, this is by Warren Reesby. I'm sure some of us know it's from his book, The Real Worship. He says, worship is the believer's response of all that they are. Mind, emotions, will, body, to what God is and says and does. Okay, can I read that again? Worship is the believer's response of all that they are, which is mind, emotions, will, body, to what God is and says and does. That's his definition of worship. And David Peterson in his another book, Engaging with God, he says, worship of the living and true God is essentially an engagement. Okay, with him on the terms that he proposes. Let's just pause there, okay? Now I'm gonna ask you to repeat a few words, but you'll have to repeat it with your mic's mute, okay? So don't unmute your mic and say this, okay? And I'm just gonna believe by faith, saying that, okay, everybody's saying those words, okay? So here's the thing, what I want you to say is, worship of the living and the true God is essentially an engagement. Everybody say engagement with your mic's muted. Okay, it's an engagement. Okay, you are engaging with that person, with God, you are conversing, you are not just turning a blind eye or a deaf ear, you are getting in in that conversation, isn't it? With him on the terms that he proposes and in the way that he alone makes it possible. I love that. Let's go to the next one, next definition. Worship is the activity of the new life of a believer in which recognizing the fullness of the Godhead as it is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ and his mighty redemptive acts. He seeks by the power of the Holy Spirit to render to the giving God the glory, honor and submission, which are his view. That's from the book, O Come Letters Worship by Robert Rayburn. Okay, are you guys loving these quotes? I am, I am, I am. It's been, these quotes have, and I've read this so many times, okay? I've read these quotes at least since 2011. And every time I read these, you know, it's like, where did these guys get this revelation? You know, how, yeah, but let's move on. This is the last one by Bob Coughlin. He says, Christian worship is the response of God's redeemed people to his self revelation that exalts God's glory in Christ, in our minds, affection and wills in the power of the Holy Spirit. Okay, I wanna read that one more time. Christian worship is the response of God's redeemed people to his self revelation that exalts God's glory in Christ, in our minds, affections and wills in the power of the Holy Spirit. Okay, so now what we're going to do is we're gonna take this quote and we're going to break it down and see, okay, what he really means by that, okay? What is Christian worship? And I've broken it down so that we'll go through it, you know, little by little. Okay, but because that's gonna take time and I'll pause now and we take a break and we'll resume, okay? Well, after the break, getting extra five minutes grace because I'm a very nice teacher that way. Okay, so go on for your break and I'll see you in 15 minutes, we'll be back. All right, see you guys, bye-bye. Thank you, sir. Thank you, sir.