Passage

[Isaiah 43: 21]
"The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise."

This is Performing Arts Committee's devotional service.
Let us give all thanks and glory to God the Father who has blessed us to have the 2013 Performing Arts Committee devotional service.
I give thanks to all the devotees who have prepared for this devotional service with all your hearts, minds, and strength.
Dear devotees, Manmin praise number 111, Angel's Praise has the following lyrics.
On this place where there is beauty in the pure praise of the beautiful ones, His eyes came to rest on this place, forever to remain. He joyfully accepts their praises and receives it and once again. He is the One who is beauty. He is the Father God.
As it is sung, God is so delighted with the praises of His beloved children.
He listens to those praises, and He watches those children who are praising without taking His eyes off of them.
But that does not mean God the Father will indiscriminately accept all the praises.
God the Father pays attention to the hearts of those who are singing praises.
He accepts the aroma of the heart when somebody sings with all his faith, love, and hope stemming from the heart.
Suppose there is a flower that has beautiful colors.
But as you smell the scent, it has foul and decaying odor.
Then, who among you will put that flower on your desk or next to your bed?
Even though it is beautiful, you will stay away from it because of the foul odor.
Similarly, if those who offer to God praises, dances, and instrumental playing do not give out the fragrance of the Christ, God cannot accept what they are offering.
Psalm 66:18 says, "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the LORD will not hear;"
If you offer praises having sins and evil such as ill-feelings, jealousy, and adulterous minds, God has to turn His face away from such praises.
Dear devotees, for the last few years, God the Father has been purifying the Performing Arts Committee.
He has taken away the burden of your sins so that you could cast off your lingering attachment to the world and you could just look up to God the Father alone.
I have also been paying attention to each of you individually and supporting you both spiritually and financially.
And what is the result?
You are continually being borne as fruit of spirit, and many of you are very close to spirit.
Now, you must all go into spirit.
Just as King Jehoshaphat won the victory in a war by having a choir in the battle field, you should wonderfully fulfill the providence of God as holy warriors of praising.
Only those who have cultivated heart of spirit can stand up against and defeat the power of the anti-Christ that has penetrated this world so deeply.
In this message I will talk to you in three aspects about the kinds of God's works that will be manifested when you praise God after having cultivated a heart of goodness that is free of evil.
I pray in the name of the Lord that, through this message, you will long for heart of spirit even more, so that all of you Performing Arts Committee members will go into spirit since God desires it so much.
Dear devotees,
First, let us check as to what kind of heart of goodness you are offering your praises with.
Do you not boast or become arrogant?
I hope you will check whether you wanted to be recognized for your talents or that you wanted to stand out as you were singing on the altar.
If you sing praises with a boasting heart, it is same as the worldly people singing and dancing for popularity.
It will have no meaning before God.
Here comes the next question.
Have you rejoiced with the truth?
For example, if another team received an encore request while your team did not, how did you feel?
Did you really rejoice with the other team receiving the encore request?
Or, have you felt frustrated with your own team for not being able to get an encore request? Haven't you put the blame on one of your team members?
If you have a good heart, you will not be jealous if other teams are loved more than your own team, and you will try to learn the good points from the other teams.
You will think of the reason why that particular team is loved by the church members, and you will change the shortcomings that you have.
Lastly, do all your team members endure and believe in one another and become united with one another?
Cooperation among the team members is a must in order for you to create a piece of art work.
At times you have to move like one body without any error when doing some hand or body motions.
But rather than the motions becoming perfectly synchronized, it is more important to synchronize your hearts.
All of you have different characters, tastes, and talents.
Sometimes you might have different opinions. At other times, because a couple of team members lack the skills, the whole team might have to practice much more than they need to.
At such occasions, check whether you considered, waited for, and understood each other with a loving heart.
If other members lack something, you should not reveal it but you should encourage them and look at them with the eyes of faith.
When your genuine heart is delivered to them, they can also be strengthened and improve themselves.
Dear devotees,
Just by asking these above questions to yourself, you can check whether or not you are offering up to God the Father praises that are acceptable to Him.
I hope you will quickly fill up the heart of goodness, love, and truth, which God desires of you to have.
Dear devotees,
Now, what kinds of works will follow the praises that are offered up to God the Father with a heart of goodness free of evil?
First, such praises can touch the heart of God the Father.
Suppose on a grandfather's 70th birthday, his little grand-daughter did a performance for her grandfather.
The melody and rhythm are off, and her movements are not sophisticated, but she does her best to offer the performance to her grandfather.
Now, what would this grandfather feel seeing his grand-daughter?
Would he not feel that his grand-daughter is so lovely and pretty singing and dancing?
It must please him much more than performances of some very famous singers and dancers.
The same goes for God, too.
Rather than the best skills, good voice, or beautiful tone, what actually pleases God is the aroma of your heart that loves God the Father.
He accepts the praises that are offered by those children who are cultivating hearts of goodness by casting off evil.
Since I was a new believer, I always wanted to please God whenever I sang praises.
I never got any singing lessons. I never learned how to sing. But I feel that God the Father is accepting my praises with joy.
When I sing praises, you say you also receive the fullness and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
On January 1, 2012, during the New Year's service, I sang 'The Castle of the Shepherd' along with the church members through telephone connection.
At that time, many of you said that you received the grace and strength to cut off the worldly things and cast away sins and evil.
You said things like, "I was so moved I couldn't stop crying when I heard the praise." "I felt like my house was in New Jerusalem." "I don't want to look at the world ever again!"
One brother in Young Adults' mission burst into tears being touched by my praise, and since then he was set free from computer game addiction.
When you sing praises with a good heart, God the Father does not just accept it, but He gives you who are singing praises and the church members grace and blessings.
He shows to you that He has accepted your praises with joy.
In the future, you will be performing in international events more often.
And every time, you should be able to move the heart of God so the outpouring of God's grace will come upon so many souls.
Then, unbelievers will accept Jesus Christ and they will come to praise God, too.
I hope such works will be overflowing wherever you will be singing in the future.
Dear devotees,
Praises offered with a good heart free of evil, secondly, will bring down God's answers.
We say praises are prayers with melodies.
You can receive the answer to your heart's desires through earnest prayers, and it is the same with praises.
According to how much aroma of praise goes up to the Father God, the answer is given according to justice.
Also, such praises can set people free from the power of darkness by destroying the camp of the enemy devil and Satan.
For example, we can think about David who played the harp.
In the second part of 1 Samuel 16:23, it says, "David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would be refreshed and be well, and the evil spirit would depart from him."
Also, God's work took place through the praise of Paul and Silas.
The apostle Paul did not hesitate to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ even in the face of threats against his life and persecution.
In Philippi, he was beaten without cause, and he was imprisoned with his feet in stocks.
His bloody wounds were not treated, and he did not know at all what was going to happen.
And yet, Paul and Silas praised God the Father.
Then, suddenly there was a great earthquake which opened the prison doors, and all the chains were unfastened.
Dear devotees,
As above, praises that please God can open the gate of heaven and bring down the limitless power of God.
In the same way, if your praising is one that is filled with goodness, it can deliver peace and warm love to the souls who are oppressed by darkness and sins.
Furthermore, you can also quickly receive the answer to your own prayers, too.
Not just the devotees, but among all the church members here, are there any of you who are in hardships and difficulties?
I hope you will commit everything into God's hands and give Him praises with all your heart.
Then, you will receive answers and blessing through such praises.
Dear devotees,
The praises offered with a good heart free of evil, thirdly, becomes your honor and reward.
Psalm 69:30-31 says, "I will praise the name of God with song and magnify Him with thanksgiving. [31] And it will please the LORD better than an ox or a young bull with horns and hoofs."
Among the animals that were offered to God as sacrifices, a bull was the most expensive.
And God the Father says your praises will please God more than expensive sacrifices.
Once God the Father is pleased, He gives blessings to those who pleased Him.
Not just on this earth, but He gives great rewards in Heaven as well.
For example, when there is a big event in the church, many technicians with all their technical knowledge will make a stage that is full of brilliant lightings.
And if you can stand on such a stage in the spotlight, singing and dancing or playing instruments, how emotion-filled you will be while performing and giving glory to God?
And the stages in Heaven will be decorated with such glorious and beautiful lights that cannot be compared with anything of this world.
In some cases, a special stage will be set up just for you.
There, you will give glory to God before God the Trinity, many prophets and people of the kingdom of heaven, and heavenly host and angels, with your singing, dancing, and musical instruments.
You will also be treated very specially in Heaven, too.
Just like celebrities of this earth, you will be loved by the people and heavenly host and angels wherever you go.
And especially, how will God the Father treat you for He is so pleased with praises?
He will always have you next to Him, joyfully receive your praises and share love with you forever.
Also, He will also have the videos of your performances on this earth and show to you one by one.
Just like you take out and carefully look at the things that have the memories of your beloved ones, He will remember your praises that you offered on this earth and cherish the aroma of your praises.
I hope you will receive the love of the Father God who will tell you, "I remember all your praises. You gave me beautiful aroma of praises even while you were under trials. Now, sing praises forever beside Me."
Dear devotees,
What is the reason that God will pay you back with such great rewards for your praises?
It is because praising itself is great delight to the Father God, and it also plays a very important role in saving the souls.
In an allegory, if you sow the seeds on a very hardened ground, it is unlikely that the seeds will take root.
But what will happen if it rains and the rain wets and softens the hardened ground?
The seeds will be sown well and they will take root deep in the ground.
Your praising plays the role of this sweet rain.
It wets the dry and wounded hearts with the grace of God, so that the messages preached will be engraved deep in their hearts.
God the Father will open the door of their hearts so that they can receive the grace of God in full.
This is the reason why we sent performing teams to overseas crusades and handkerchief crusades, even though financial situation of the church was not very good.
Dear devotees,
The ultimate reason why God the Father established this church is to save souls.
From now, this church will awaken and save so many souls with the power of God and the holiness gospel.
And we will need the praises that the Father God will accept joyfully, and that will open the gate of heaven and bring down God's grace, blessings, and power to touch the hearts of the souls.
This is the reason why your praises will play such an important role in the ministry of saving souls.
As you fulfill this duty, God will give you overflowing blessings.
Are you looking forward to the glory and rewards that will be given to you?
God the Father is also preparing your rewards, waiting for you to come to join Him in the place of glory.
Having this hope, I hope you will perform your duties with more fervor.


Conclusion

Dear devotees, and church members,
Today's reading passage Isaiah 43:21 says, "The people whom I formed for Myself will declare My praise."
As said, we were created to praise God.
And you Performing Arts Committee members have received such a precious duty to give glory to God through praises.
In the future, you will more actively lead the Christian culture of the world in praising.
You must be so thankful just for the fact that you can praise God as a member of this Performing Arts Committee, and what great grace have you received for you will be rewarded greatly in Heaven, too?
To pay back this grace is for all of you to quickly cultivate the heart of spirit.
You must not have any lingering attachment to the world or look at any fleshly things, but only cultivate the heart of God the Father, which is a perfect heart of spirit.
As you do that, you will get closer to New Jerusalem in heavenly kingdom.
Why don't you imagine New Jerusalem where there will be praises, dancing, and musical instruments everyday?
I pray in the name of the Lord that you will offer up to the Father the kind praises that God wants, dreaming of the day when you will offer your praises to the Father God standing at the center of the stage in Heaven!