Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth.
​Psalms 96:9 (NIV)

Four Foundations for Worship

PRESENCE of God

The presence of God in worship is real and palpable.  Jesus tells us that the kind of worshippers the Father desires are those who worship in the spirit and in Truth.  These are both dependent on the very real presence of God.  Our worship is presence-based, not program-based.  We seek His manifest presence in the gathering of His Body as He promised, that wherever two or three are gathered in His Name He (Jesus) is there with them.

​At Healing Word Ministries Church of God, we desire to experience the very real presence of God each time we gather to worship.

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POWER of God

In worship, God displays His power through His people.  On the day of Pentecost, God so displayed His power through ordinary men that it caused those who witnessed it to be "amazed and perplexed." At Healing Word Ministries Church of God, we expect the power of God and welcome it when He provides it.  We understand that some expressions of His power may not be understandable to some people at first.  You can ask any and all questions you want on these topics and we'll be glad to answer them for you based on the Truth of the Scriptures.  Here are some of the manifestations of God's power we expect and welcome:

• ​Words of Knowledge/Wisdom: ​God speaks through a human voice to give His revealed knowledge and wisdom to the Body.​
• ​Prophetic Words: ​God reveals His plans, desires, and will for individuals and the whole body through a spoken or sung message. 
• ​Speaking/Praying in other Tongues: ​The scriptures teach us that God, who divided language at the tower of Babel, restore unity to language on Pentecost.  God gives gifts of tongues (languages) both earthly and heavenly to people to speak and pray.
• ​​Slain in the Spirit: ​Whenever people in the Scriptures encounter the pure glory of God, they fall down in worship.  When God's glory is present in prayer, people often are overcome and fall before Him.  This is not new, nor is it a mere religious form.  God's power is real and human flesh is often overcome by His power and presence.
• ​Healing, Miracles, Signs & Wonders: ​God's power is always demonstrated tangibly as evidence that His Kingdom has arrived on this earth.  We expect and welcome the power of God to do miraculous things in our worship gatherings and on the streets in our daily lives as we minister His power to others.

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PRAISE to God

Praise is our expression of honor and gratitude, thanksgiving and adoration.  Praises are both sung and spoken.  Praises are also expressive.  Because we praise God with our whole being, we use our voices, our hands, and our hearts.  We may dance with joy or weep before Him. Our praise engages our posture.  We may stand, bow, kneel, or lay prostrate before Him.

​God's presence demands praise.... our praise offered freely to Him.  We believe He deserves our highest praise and therefore we honor Him more than anything else in our lives.  We are passionate in our praise because that is what His presence calls out of our lives. 

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PURPOSES of God

Worship is not an end unto itself.  At Healing Word Ministries Church of God we believe that all of these expressions and manifestations have very specific purposes.

• Salvation: ​To be saved is to be released from the penalty and power of sin that separates us from God.  Worship draws people into salvations and calls the saved regularly back to the glory and joy of their salvation.
• Build your faith: ​With every revelation and experience from God, people are built up in their faith and strengthened.
• Sacrament: ​Holy Communion and Believer's Baptism in Water by immersion​ are declarations of the Body of Christ that testify to the world of His rule and reign in our day. 
• Discipleship: ​Disciples follow Jesus.  Worship is, in part, the ways we grow deeper as disciples of Jesus as we follow Him and witness others follow Him.
• ​Baptism in the Holy Spirit: ​Beyond salvation, each believer is invited to pursue God for an entire surrender to His call and to be completely and entirely immersed in the power of the Holy Spirit.  In the scriptures, people who experienced this baptism or immersion in the Spirit immediately spoke in other tongues or languages as the Holy Spirit gave them ability.  We believe God is the very same today and we encourage all believers to seek this full surrender to God and immersion in His Spirt.
• Personal Purposes: ​God has called many to ministry and service to Him in the atmosphere of worship.  Wee rejoice over those events and expectantly watch for God to call forth people during worship.

​​In the end, we allow God to be God, and we allow Him to define Himself based on the revelation we have in the scriptures.  God's purposes for individuals and churches are called forth in the atmosphere of worship.  We expect lives to be healed and transformed in the atmosphere of worship.