Quotes from David Ruis

For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life. And who is equal to such a task? (2 Cor. 2:15-16).

He is not a president who is voted into power via a democratic process. He is not a prime minister acting on behalf of some heavenly parliament, nor is He a CEO. God does not rule as a dictator, usurping authority and maintaining power through a reign of terror. No. He is King.

Over and over in the book of Revelation, we see the elders throwing down their crowns, bowing low before their God (see Rev. 4:9-11). The original language is clear. It is voluntary. This is not a reaction to being overwhelmed by His glory or overcome by something external. The elders are moved by the revelation of who it is they stand before, and by a deliberate act of the will they bow.

Though we sing with the tongues of men and of angels, if we are not truly worshipping the living God, we are noisy gongs and clanging cymbals.

God's desire today is for worship that is centered more on relationship than liturgy.

The worship God seeks relies completely on His initiative, knowing that the only true expression of worship is through the abandonment of all our agendas for His, as we trust in His sovereign power and unlimited grace.

The throne from which God rules is in Zion; the place of unending worship. It is here that God delights to dwell. His throne is the praises of His people (see Ps. 22:3), and the place He delights to be is where His people gather to praise Him.