Does God Need Our Praise and Worship?

Dear SS ( sincere seeker):

Trinity God is Love, so God the Father is exalting God the Son and God the Son is glorifying God the Father and exalting God the Holy Spirit because Jesus said anyone blasphemes Holy Spirit has committed an unforgivable sins though people could blaspheme Jesus Himself and still be forgiven. That means in a sense, Jesus has tried to exalt Holy Spirit above Himself, right?

(Matthew 12:31, “Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.” If a person truly listens to the promptings of the Holy Spirit and asks for pardon and forgiveness that person is not guilty of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. 

(John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak on His own, but He will speak whatever He hears. He will also declare to you what is to come. 14 He will glorify Me, because He will take from what is Mine and declare it to you. 15 Everything the Father has is Mine. This is why I told you that He takes from what is Mine and will declare it to you.)

The Holy Spirit is honoring and glorifying God the Father and God the Son to move human hearts to accept God the Father's plan through God the Son' sacrifice for the salvation of mankind. And now we are in God's grace period and Trinity God has exalted Holy Spirit so the Book of Acts is the Acts of the Holy Spirit who is continuing Jesus' redemption and salvation works on our world today.

You see, even when God exalts Himself, the Trinity God is actually exalting one another in the Godhead, so it is still full of love and not out of ego-centered selfishness.

In John 17, Jesus praying for Himself may seem odd in first glance, but please think deeper.

Father,
the hour has come.
Glorify Your Son so that the Son may glorify You, ( this glory Jesus is talking about is His "cross" and His purpose is still to glorify God the Father)
2 for You gave Him authority
over all flesh;[a]
so He may give eternal life
to all You have given Him.
3 This is eternal life:
that they may know You, the only true God,
and the One You have sent—Jesus Christ.
4 I have glorified You on the earth
by completing the work You gave Me to do.
5 Now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence
with that glory I had with You
before the world existed.)

Do you see the beautiful picture of Trinity God here? That is why you don't need to worry about God the Father exalted Jesus' name above all the names and not demanding full attention to Himself but want us to glorify God the Son by all means.

Here below is another link I dug out for you to ponder.

God Doesn't Need Our Worship. So Why Does He Command Us To ...

Why does God command us to worship Him?

Is it because He needs constant affirmation? Is He divinely insecure, so He requires us to praise Him day and night? To tell Him He’s good enough, smart enough and doggone it, people like Him?

In Psalm 50, God corrected His people who thought He somehow needed the sacrifices He commanded:

Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you;
your burnt offerings are continually before me.
I will not accept a bull from your house
or goats from your folds.
For every beast of the forest is mine,
the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills,
and all that moves in the field is mine.
“If I were hungry, I would not tell you,
for the world and its fullness are mine.
Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats? (8-13)

God didn’t need their sacrifices. He doesn’t need our worship either. God has no needs. He is infinitely perfect and complete. For all eternity the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have enjoyed perfect love and fellowship. God never gets hungry, lonely or unhappy. He is the fountain of all joy and gladness, satisfaction and fulfillment.

So what did God tell Israel to do to please Him?

Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and perform your vows to the Most High,
and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” (14-15)

God says here is how to please Him--" offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving, then perform your promises to thank Me when I deliver you from trouble, then call on Me the next time you’re in trouble. I’ll rescue you again and you will glorify Me again by thanking Me."

Our worship glorifies God. But He doesn’t need it. So why does God tell us to do these things? For our benefit!

All of God’s commands are for our delight in His glory.

He doesn’t need our obedience or our money. He is completely self-sufficient. When we thank and praise Him it blesses us! It increases our joy and delight in Him.

God has designed us to enjoy beauty and excellence and to express that enjoyment. We enjoy the glory of nature, amazing athletic feats, delicious food, great movies, and a thousand other blessings, and we increase our enjoyment when we express it. When we see a sunset or the Grand Canyon we can’t help but say, “Wow that is so beautiful.” When we watch an athlete make a fantastic play we have to cheer. And when we express our admiration of a Van Gogh or Hanz Zimmer soundtrack or say how delicious a steak is, it adds nothing to the painting or soundtrack or steak but increases our enjoyment of it.

Our worship and thanks add nothing to God but increase our enjoyment of Him.

Isn’t God good? He wants nothing but our ever-increasing joy and delight in glory. So He gives us worship, not because He needs it, but that we might have more and more pleasure in Him.

See also 

Why does God need our praise and worship? 

The fact is, God doesn’t need our praise and worship; we need it!

The Cross vs. the Sword

The Essential Difference Between Christianity and Islam  

BY MICHAEL BROWN

The essential difference between Christianity and Islam is the difference between Jesus and Muhammad. Jesus was a spiritual leader who laid down His life to save the world. Muhammad was a spiritual leader, who became a political leader, then a violent military leader. Jesus accomplished His mission by dying on the cross. Muhammad accomplished his mission (at least in large part) by ruling by the sword.

Michael Brown holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a professor at a number of seminaries. He is the author of 25 books and hosts the nationally syndicated, daily talk radio show, the Line of Fire.

There are, of course, great similarities between the world's two largest religions. Both point to a holy book, allegedly inspired by God, for faith and practice. Both call for high moral standards and serious personal commitment. Both share common traditions, since Muhammad learned from Jews as well as Christians. And both have a vision to spread their faith around the world.

But this is where the two faiths diverge. One follows the example of a crucified and risen Savior. The other follows the example of a prophet and military leader.

And so, the biblical verses of violence (as in, "Kill the Canaanites") were limited to a specific place and time, and no such commands are found on Jesus' lips. ( Click the link below for related post in this blog)

• Divine Genocide or Capital Punishment?

 The Quranic verses of violence (as in, "Kill the unbelievers wherever you find them") do not have such obvious limitations. And so, while many Quranic interpreters and Islamic jurists claim that those verses cannot be applied indiscriminately today, others differ, proudly citing them in their jihadi manuals.

Again, the difference is that of the cross vs. the sword. That's why Jesus and His followers never established the death penalty for leaving the faith. Muhammad established it once he assumed military dominance. And the death penalty for apostasy from Islam remains in force in a number Islamic countries today.

In the same spirit, Muhammad beheaded some of his enemies. Jesus forbade His followers from taking up the sword in His defense. The differences are glaring and clear.

Just compare the teachings of Jesus in the Gospels with those of Muhammad in the Hadith. Jesus never calls for violent acts against enemies of the faith; Muhammad often does. That's why there's no gospel (or apostolic) equivalent to the lengthy collection of Muhammad's military raids.

Accordingly, the most tolerant expressions of Islam are found when: 1) Muslims are the minority in a country, as in America; or 2) the Muslim-dominated country is quite secular, as in Indonesia. In contrast, in strictly observant Muslim countries, there is limited tolerance for non-Muslims.

If you don't believe me, try setting up a public Christian mission to Muslims in Saudi Arabia or Pakistan or Afghanistan or Iran. Tell me how many minutes it lasts.

I do commend those Muslims who call for a more tolerant expression of their faith, and they abhor the terrorism carried out in the name of their religion. But if they are honest, they will have to admit that violent Islam has a long and rich history.

To quote the noted Catholic scholar of Islam Samir Kahlil Samir, "I speak about the violence expressed in the Qur'ān and practiced in Muhammad's life in order to address the idea, widespread in the West, that the violence we see today is a deformation of Islam. We must honestly admit that there are two readings of the Qur'ān and the sunna (Islamic traditions connected to Muhammad): one that opts for the verses that encourage tolerance toward other believers, and one that prefers the verses that encourage conflict. Both readings are legitimate."

Thus, acts of violence carried out to advance the Christian faith are the extreme exception to the rule. Acts of violence carried out to advance the Islamic faith are all too common.

When it comes to freedom of religion, a country like America, founded on Judeo-Christian principles, has allowed this essential liberty from the start. And in a country like England, which also has a rich Christian history (despite its current backslidden state), Muslims can practice their religions freely, even proselytizing non-Muslims. In contrast, if Muslims became the majority religion in England, non-Muslims would become second-class citizens, with limited freedoms (like Christians in Pakistan), unless they converted to Islam.

It is true that both faiths seek to spread their message by disseminating information. And both faiths point to the sublime message of their founders. But the message of Jesus leads to liberation while the message of Muhammad leads to subjugation.

Again, I know there are moderate Muslims who seek to reform their faith, and many of them are honorable people. And I know that some of them believe they are being true to the real spirit of their faith.

But there's a reason that, generally speaking, true Christians are persecuted by true Muslims rather than true Muslims persecuted by true Christians. It is the difference between the cross and the sword.

Dr. Michael Brown (www.askdrbrown.org) is the host of the nationally syndicated Line of Fire radio program. His latest book is Breaking the Stronghold of Food. Connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.

"Through It ALL" and Other Songs

"He'll Be There" - Carroll Roberson 

"Through It All" - Carroll Roberson - YouTubewww.youtube.com

Through It All "

I've had many tears and sorrows
I've had questions for tomorrow
There've been times I didn't know right from wrong
But in every situation
God gave blessed consolation
That my trials only come to make me strong

I've been a lot of places
And I've seen so many faces
But there've been times I've felt so all alone
But in that lonely hour
In that precious, lonely hour
Jesus let me know I was His own

Through it all
Through it all
I've learned to trust in Jesus
I've learned to trust in God
Through it all
Through it all
I've learned to depend upon His Word

So I thank God for the mountains
And I thank Him for the valleys
I thank Him for the storms He's brought me through
Cause if I never had a problem
I wouldn't know that He could solve them
I wouldn't know what faith in His Word could do

Through it all
Through it all
I've learned to trust in Jesus
I've learned to trust in God
Through it all
Through it all
I've learned to depend upon His Word
Yes, I've learned to depend upon His Word
I've learned to depend upon His Word

Carroll Roberson "Sheltered in the arms of GOD"

I feel the touch of hands so kind and tender.
They're leading me in the paths that I must trod.
I'll have no fear for Jesus walks beside me
For I'm sheltered in the arms of God.

So let the storm clouds rage high,
The dark clouds rise,
They won't worry me;
For I'm sheltered safe within the arms of God.

He walks with me,
And naught of earth shall harm me,
For I'm sheltered in the arms of God.
Soon I shall hear the call from heaven's portals
Come home my child,
It's the last mile you must trod
I'll fall asleep
And wake in God's sweet heaven
For I'm sheltered in the arms of God.

So let the storm clouds rage high,
The dark clouds rise,
They won't worry me;
For I'm sheltered safe within the arms of God.
He walks with me,
And naught of earth shall harm me,
For I'm sheltered in the arms of God.

'Because of The Blood" Carroll Roberson ! [The blood of the Lamb]

Through It All Andrae Crouch - YouTubewww.youtube.com

"

Who is the liar--Comey or Trump?

Who is the liar--Comey or Trump?

( An extended question--who are the liars? The priests & Roman guards or Jesus' disciples, those simple fishermen? )

After ex-FBI director Comey testified under the oath on Thurs. June 8th, Trump denied most of his testimonies next day except " Trump was not under investigation then" confirmed by Comey's testimony. In a word, Trump and his chief lawyer tried to emphasize the only part to vindicate Trump himself and ignored all the rest implying Trump's intention to twist Comey's arm to stop the Russian probe.

Who is the liar--Comey or Trump? I think it is very easy to get the answer, if we check both persons' track records. Even if we only examine recent White House team's explanations of the reasons of Comey's sudden fire,Trump's own twitter and media interview offered contrary reasons and let his own team all fell under the bus (Trump's defenders all became liars if Trump was telling his true reason of firing Comey; that was out of concerns of Russian probe.)

Trump's flip flop sayings all his life also show us he is a habitual liar. On the other hand, Comey's politically independent mint records reveal to us his trustworthy memos about his one on one dinner with Trump and Trump's phone calls to persuade(kind of ordering him) to drop the Russian probe. 

So it is not hard to tell who is lying. Agree? However, if you are a strong supporter of Trump, there is no way for anyone to convince you Trump is a habitual liar because you are bounded by your political position and /or passions and can't see the underneath truth. Even the news about Special Counsel Mueller's widen investigations may not sway your opinions or firm position. For details, click this CNN link below)

(http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/15/politics/trump-obstruction/index.html

...As the Post story notes:

"The interviews (with Rogers, Coats and Ledgett) suggest that Mueller sees the question of attempted obstruction of justice as more than just a 'he said, he said' dispute between the President and the fired FBI director, an official said."

That's critical given that Comey's sworn testimony regarding the pressure put on him by Trump to leave off an investigation into deposed national security adviser Michael Flynn runs directly counter to Trump's assertions about their conversations. Trump -- while not under oath, it's worth noting -- has insisted flatly that he had never urged Comey to slow or stop the Flynn investigation...)

Likewise, I'd like you to re-examine the rumor most Jews believe even today that Jesus' body was stolen by His disciples. The guards of Jesus' tomb were the very first eyewitnesses of Jesus' resurrection ; a few of them went to report this amazing event to the high priests, then they were bribed to tell a biggest lie in history, namely,  “His disciples came in the night and stole the body while they were sleeping.” Just examine this rumor and it's irrational logic in it, we can find it's simply a lie. 

Why? Those Roman guards who would lose their lives if they sleep on duty according to the Roman laws, how could they all go to sleep while they were on duty?  Even if we assume they told the truth that all of them slept on the spot, then how could they know who came to steal the body? How could they identify the body-thieves in the darkness of night or early dawn as Jesus' disciples?" Remember, when they tried to arrest Jesus in the darkness of night, they needed Judas, one of Jesus' disciples, to identify who Jesus is. ( there were no photo IDs in that ancient Roman period of time.) So if they were all truly asleep, there was no way for them to tell who came to steal the body. Their statement is contradictory by itself. They got to be awake if there is any possibilities for them to identify the body-stolen thieves.( The high priests also need to bribe the Roman governor, so that he won't execute those sleeping guards.) Furthermore, when Jesus was arrested, even the bravest Peter denied Jesus 3 times, how could he and the other frighten disciples came to steal Jesus' body to fool themselves and fool others?

However, this statement does testify that Jesus' tomb is empty, otherwise, the high priests didn't need to come up with the excuse that Jesus' body was stolen.

I hope by examining this, it may help you to come to the conclusion that Jesus' resurrection is real if His tomb is empty, although if you are bounded by your worldviews and materialism assumptions that resurrection is simply impossible or any miracle is simply impossible despite all the testimonies of eyewitnesses who were willing to be killed for their testimony about Jesus' resurrection.( 500 eyewitnesses at one time, click the link below for more details)

Can 500 People Hallucinate Same Thing at Same Time?

We may then ask" Who are the liars? The high priests and their bribed guards or Jesus' disciples and those 500 plus eyewitnesses?" You be the judge!

(Matt 28: 11-15 Meanwhile, the guards had scattered, but a few of them went into the city and told the high priests everything that had happened. They called a meeting of the religious leaders and came up with a plan: They took a large sum of money and gave it to the soldiers, bribing them to say, “His disciples came in the night and stole the body while we were sleeping.” They assured them, “If the governor hears about your sleeping on duty, we will make sure you don’t get blamed.” The soldiers took the bribe and did as they were told. That story, cooked up in the Jewish High Council, is still going around. (from the Message)

( if you are interested in tracing the debated timelines, here below are a few New York Times links for you)

In a Private Dinner, Trump demanded Loyalty. Comey Demurred
(May 11)( this article was leaked by Comey's associates and not directly from his memo)

May 12 5:26 AM

Trump's twitter post

"James Comey better hope that there are no "tapes" of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!"

Comey's friend Columbia Professor of Law leaked Comey's memo to the reporter on May 16 

Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation - The ...

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/.../16/.../james-comey-trump-flynn-russia-investigation.h...

May 16, 2017 - Comey Memo Says Trump Asked Him to End Flynn Investigation. By MICHAEL S. ...

What is the sign of Jonah?

Question: "What is the sign of Jonah?" 

https://www.gotquestions.org/sign-of-Jonah.html

 ( Note: ...Jonah was soon thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish where he remained for “three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:15–17). After the three-day period, the Lord caused the great fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land (Jonah 2:10).)

Answer: The phrase “sign of Jonah” was used by Jesus as a typological metaphor for His future crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. Jesus answered with this expression when asked by the Pharisees for miraculous proof the He was indeed the Messiah. The Pharisees remained unconvinced of Jesus’ claims about Himself, despite His having just cured a demon-possessed man who was both blind and mute. Shortly after the Pharisees accused Jesus of driving out demons by the power of Satan, they said to Him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here” (Matthew 12:38–41).

To fully appreciate the answer that Jesus gave, we must go to the Old Testament book of Jonah. In its first chapter, we read that God commanded the prophet Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and warn its people that He was going to destroy it for its wickedness. Jonah disobediently ran from the Lord and headed for the city of Tarshish by boat. The Lord then sent a severe storm that caused the crew of the ship to fear for their lives. Jonah was soon thrown overboard and swallowed by a great fish where he remained for “three days and three nights” (Jonah 1:15–17). After the three-day period, the Lord caused the great fish to vomit Jonah out onto dry land (Jonah 2:10).

It is this three days that Jesus was referring to when He spoke of the sign of Jonah. Jesus had already been producing miracles that were witnessed by many. Jesus had just performed a great sign in the Pharisees’ presence by healing a deaf man who was possessed of a demon. Rather than believe, they accused Jesus of doing this by the power of Satan. Jesus recognized their hardness of heart and refused to give them further proof of His identity. However, He did say that there would be one further sign forthcoming, His resurrection from the dead. This would be their final opportunity to be convinced.

Jesus’ paralleling of the Pharisees with the people of Nineveh is telling. The people of Nineveh repented of their evil ways (Jonah 3:4–10) after hearing Jonah’s call for repentance, while the Pharisees continued in their unbelief despite being eyewitnesses to the miracles of Jesus. Jesus was telling the Pharisees that they were culpable for their unbelief, given the conversion of the people of Nineveh, sinners who had received far less evidence than the Pharisees themselves had witnessed.

But what are we to make of the phrase “three days and three nights”? Was Jesus saying that He would be dead for three full 24-hour periods before He would rise from the dead? It does not appear so. The phrase “three days and three nights” need not refer to a literal 72-hour period. Rather, according to the Hebrew reckoning of time, the days could refer to three days in part or in whole. Jesus was probably crucified on a Friday (Mark 15:42). According to the standard reckoning, Jesus died at about 3:00 PM (Matthew 27:46) on Friday (day 1). He remained dead for all of Saturday (day 2) and rose from the dead early on Sunday morning (day 3). Attempts to place Jesus’ death on Wednesday to accommodate a literal 72-hour period are probably unnecessary once we take into account the Hebrew method of reckoning of each day as beginning at sundown. So it seems that the expression “three days and three nights” was used as a figure of speech meant to signify any part of three days.

God would often use signs (or miracles) in the Bible to authenticate His chosen messenger. The Lord provided Moses with several miraculous signs in order to prove to others that he was appointed by God (Exodus 4:5–9; 7:8–10;19-20). God sent down fire on Elijah’s altar during Elijah’s contest with the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:36–39). He performed this miracle to prove that the God of Israel was the one true God. Jesus Himself would perform many miracles (or “signs”) to demonstrate His power over nature (Matthew 4:23; Mark 6:30–44; Luke 8:22–24; John 6:16–24). The “sign of Jonah” would turn out to be Jesus’ greatest miracle of all. Jesus’ resurrection from the dead would be God’s chief sign that Jesus was Israel’s long-awaited Messiah (Acts 2:23–32) and establish Christ’s claims to deity (Romans 1:3–4).