Four Postures Of Worship

• Lift Your Hands (Yadah)

• Bring Your Gifts (Towdah)

• Pour Out Heart (Tehillah)

• Bow On Your Knees (Barak)

Bring Your Gifts

TowdahTowdah comes from the same principle rootword as yadah, but is used morespecifically. Towdah literally means, "anextension of the hand in adoration, avowal,or acceptance." By way of application, it isappratent in the Psalms and elsewhere thatit is used for thanking God for "things notyet received" as well as things already athand.

Christmas is not just a season of worship

but of giving.

Giving is the heart of Christmas.

Our Heavenly Father gave us the best gift through

Jesus.

Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in

Judea, during the time of King Herod,

Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2

and asked, “Where is the one who has

been born king of the Jews? We saw his

star when it rose and have come to

worship him.”

Matthew 2:1-12

3 When King Herod heard this he was

disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4

When he had called together all the

people’s chief priests and teachers of

the law, he asked them where the

Messiah was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem

in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what

the prophet has written:

Matthew 2:1-12

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of

Judah, are by no means least among

the rulers of Judah; for out of you will

come a ruler who will shepherd my

people Israel.’” 7 Then Herod called the

Magi secretly and found out from them

the exact time the star had appeared.

Matthew 2:1-12

8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said,

“Go and search carefully for the child. As

soon as you find him, report to me, so

that I too may go and worship him.” 9

After they had heard the king, they went

on their way, and the star they had seen

when it rose went ahead of them until it

Matthew 2:1-12

stopped over the place where the child

was. 10 When they saw the star, they

were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the

house, they saw the child with his

mother Mary, and they bowed down

and worshiped him. Then they opened

their treasures and presented him with

gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Matthew 2:1-12

12 And having been warned in a dream

not to go back to Herod, they returned to

their country by another route.

The secret to a joyful life can only be achieved through

giving.

Herod gave in order to take the life of Jesus. The magi gave in order to

honor Jesus.

Many Christians do not experience a joyful life either they don’t give or they give with a

wrong motive.

Your motive in giving is more

important than the gift itself.

Are you happy

when you give?

God loves a cheerful

giver.

Frankincensesymbolizes

Jesus’ priestly role.

Myrrhsymbolizes embalming.

Goldsymbolizes

Jesus’ kingship.

Bring your gifts as an

act of worship.

John 3:16

16 For God so loved the world that he

gave his one and only Son, that

whoever believes in him shall not perish

but have eternal life.

Romans 5:8

8 But God demonstrates his own love

for us in this: While we were still sinners,

Christ died for us.

Why are we afraid to

give?

Giving is not about how much you give but how much you

love God.

Proverbs 3:5-10

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own

understanding;6 in all your ways submit

to him, and he will make your paths

straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own

eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil. 8 This

will bring health to your body and

nourishment to your bones.

Proverbs 3:5-10

9 Honor the Lord with your wealth,

with the firstfruits of all your crops; 10

then your barns will be filled to

overflowing, and your vats will brim over

with new wine.

We bring our first and our best and trust God to bless

the rest.

Challenge:Overjoyed to

give.

God gave first.

What is Your ultimate

gift?

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and

sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer

your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy

and pleasing to God—this is your true

and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to

the pattern of this world, but be

transformed

Romans 12:1-2

by the renewing of your mind. Then you

will be able to test and approve what

God’s will is—his good, pleasing and

perfect will.

UP TV set up a social experiment to see if

children would rather receive a Christmas gift

for themselves - or give one to their families.

Their responses left everyone completely

shocked. The experiment took place at a Boys

and Girls Club in metro Atlanta, where 83% of

the kids come from low-income families. One

by one kids are brought into a room to answer

several questions.

Giving aligns your priorities It tells you those that

matters and those that do not.

Who are the people that

matters to you?

Pastor Nilo Dela Cruz

MANILA - Pastor Nilo dela Cruz sat worried on a bus

from Bulacan to Quezon City one Tuesday evening in

December as he rushed to a mall to meet his sons,

who told him they got into a scuffle. The frail 61-year-

old rushed to the parking lot expecting to see a fight

but got the surprise of his life from his eight children -

- a white Chevrolet Trailbrazer, a far cry from his

modest second-hand car. A video of the Christmas

surprise posted by his sixth child, Nilo Jr., has gone

viral on Facebook with 1.7 million views and some

36,000 shares as of Thursday.

"Lagi niya sinasabi sa amin na dream car niya yung

Chevrolet Trailblazer... Mahilig siya sa car, madami

siyang alam sa car, pero wala siyang sariling car,"

Brad, his fifth child, told ABS-CBN News. (He always

tells us that the Chevrolet Trailblazer is his dream

car. He loves cars and knows a lot about cars but

can't afford one on his own.) Nilo Jr., in a succeeding

Facebook post, said the "gift was not enough to

suffice all sacrifices made" by their father.

"Sa wakas! After almost 3 decades of your mission in

Pandi, hindi ka na magjijeep o sasabit sa jeep o kaya

sasakay sa tricycle at sobrang matatagtag sa daan,"

Nilo Jr. said in his post.

(Finally! After almost three decades of your mission

in Pandi, you won't have to ride the jeepney and the

tricycle anymore. You won't have to endure bumpy

roads during the commute.)

"Sobrang fulfilling... Sabi ni Daddy, hindi niyo ako

kailangan bilhan ng kotse... Treasure niya daw kasi

in life kaming mga anak niya," Brad added.

(It's very fulfilling... Daddy said, we didn't have to buy

him a car. We, his children, are his treasures in life.)

It took the six brothers and two sisters a year to save

up for the car, he said.

"Ang mindset namin, hindi pwedeng may pera tayo

ngayon, gagastusin na agad natin... Kailangan

istabilize muna finances, bayaran muna lahat ng

obligations, most importantly, invest our money," he

said.

(Our mindset was, we can't have money now and

blow it all up. We needed to stabilize our finances,

pay off our debts, most importantly, have

investments.)

"Daddy, kaya talaga kayo pumunta dito para iuwi

niyo yung bagong unit niyo," one of Dela Cruz's sons

told his shocked father in the video.

(Daddy, we asked you to come here so you can bring

home your new unit.)

The Dela Cruz brood cheered after their father

unlocked the vehicle and its headlights blinked.

The family patriarch gave up buying a dream car to

send his children to school. His 57-year-old wife,

Anastacia, had no steady job outside of selling

appliances and insurance on occasions.

"Our family's story is like an episode of ABS-CBN's

drama anthology Maalaala Mo Kaya. We were kicked

out of our house five times because we could not

afford to pay rent," Brad said.

While the children got through on scholarships, their

daily allowance was a challenge for their parents, he

said.

After years of hard work, the couple's eldest son,

Niño is now a supermarket manager in Japan. Their

two daughters Mary Grace and Viv Leah are co-

owners of a school for children with special needs.

Isiah owns a pharmaceutical business, while Brad

Neiel is a partner at a private equity firm.

Three children are still in school, Nilo Jr. who is

pursuing a master's degree in industrial engineering,

Josiah who is studying civil engineering, and Ron

Ayen who is in high school.

Dad, this gift is not enough to suffice all your sacrifices

you made, your selfless love and your service for the

Lord. This is God's blessing and He just used us to

bring this for you. Sa wakas! After almost 3 decades of

your mission in Pandi, hindi ka na magjijeep o sasabit

sa jeep o kaya sasakay sa tricycle at sobrang

matatagtag sa daan. Dad, sobrang saya naming

magkakapatid na ngayon makakabawi na kami sa

inyo. Maraming maraming salamat po Dad at mahal na

mahal po namin kayo. Kaya ngayon, enjoy your new

Chevrolet Trailblazer 2016! WE LOVE YOU DAD!

What is the best gift that you can give

to God?

Give your life to God.

It is only through giving that you’ll experience true joy

FAITHWORKS CHRISTIAN CHURCH GLOBAL

Presented By:

Ptr. Alvin GutierrezFCC Main, Ampid 1, San Mateo, Rizal, PH

10am Morning Service

December 11, 2016