Practicing Unity

Rob Latham — Fri, 04 Feb 2011 04:30:54 +0000

Unity is a word we’ve been talking a lot about during worship at Chapel Hills Church these days. As the church, unity should be important to us because it is important to God, and to the mission on which He’s placed us. Practicing unity is not rocket science. In fact, one of the reasons we’ve been talking about unity in worship is because worship is the best place to start practicing it. Regardless of our backgrounds, our preferences or our present circumstances, we all have one thing in common as believers; the Holy Spirit. God’s one spirit lives within every believer in Christ, and that living spirit ties us together in unity. I love how Paul describes this concept of unity in Romans, and how it starts with worship!

“May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God.” -Romans 15:5-7

Worship starts with practicing untity, and we can’t worship God if we have not accepted each other as Christ accepted us; without condition or judgement or grievance. And the gospel of Matthew further confirms the importance of unity in the church, and as a priority in worship:

“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.” -Matthew 5:23,24

We are given a picture here that we must settle matters we are holding against our brothers and sisters in Christ before our offering of worship is acceptable to God. If you desire an authentic worship encounter with the living God, but continue to hold grudges and grumblings against your fellow Christ followers, then it’s time to start practicing unity.

Uprising Worship

Rob Latham — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 23:30:51 +0000

Welcome to the inaugural post on the Uprising Worship Blog site. You may be asking yourself just what is “Uprising Worship”. Well, it is sort of a play on words. There is duality in its meaning in that we desire our worship to be authentic and spiritual, while at the same time revolutionary and non-traditional. The purpose of this blog is as a forum for encouraging those who desire for God to get the credit for everything good, and for how we can live a life that is pleasing to Him. This is a journey we are just beginning. I hope you will join us on this journey and as a result, you will be encouraged to become a worshipper in spirit and in truth.