Day 2:    Thoughts About Worship                 home group 9-21-13

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Today we will be covering several topics; plans for the group and the worship cycle, exploring the different ministries that make our Sunday worship possible, reviewing the Bible passage together, an open discussion on worship and then we will go out and meet some people on the street of the downtown area.

 Objective One: What Is Worship and How To Enter Into A Worship Cycle

A.  Ask the question, ‘what is worship?’ Worship is drawing near to God. It is living in the presence of Jesus and practicing his presence daily. Deuteronomy 6:5, “ You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” (ESV) It is focusing our hearts and minds on entering into the presence of God.

B.  How did we go from a “worship of joy” in the 1st century to a more pagan style worship in the 3rd century to the selfish worship found today.

C. Wanted to establish the main theme of what  is called  the “Worship Cycle”.

1. We praise God on Sunday for our salvation and the good fruit of the week so that we

have joy and love and honor God in our hearts.

1. That praise, love and joy takes us into Monday, were we live it out in our

“Collections of Influence” (the people around us in home/work and school).

3.   That in turns causes us to bring praise on Sunday were the whole things repeats.

Objective Two: Pray For The Missions Of The Church

The second objective was to start injecting into the various missions of our church, so we could pray for them.

Maybe there could be a support team for each mission. When we pray for each team, faithfully, it will inform you and make your whole worship experience more full. Actually praying for mission is part of worship & praise.

Objective Three: .Ministries that Contribute To Our Sunday Worship

1. Steve’s message

2. Sunday school groups.

3. Music-

4. Sound team:

5. Set up team –Involves sign set up, tables in the lobby, chairs and worship area.

6. Greeting team –Every month there is a new family

7. Environmental overseers:

8. 9 Am prayer team

9. Brochure production

10. Info table:

11. Back Table ministry.

12. Christian book ministry:

13. Communion servants men and women

14. Sunday prayer representatives –

15.  Tithe management –

16. Fellowship after the service

Can you think of any more ministries that are involved in our Sunday worship?

Let’s pray this for these various ministries. We can find the needs and prayer.

These people are there every week, mentoring people. Some even are there at 6 am every Sunday morning. Find out their needs. Pray for the leadership of the various ministries and for the raising up new leaders in each area.

Objective four: Passage Discussion:

Trust God as Judge

Luke 18:1-8

Key verse 18:1b

“…always to pray and not lose heart.” (ESV)

Jesus told a parable to teach his disciples to pray and not to loose heart. The widow in the parable wanted justice. She didn’t give up, but came again and again to ask the judge for justice against her adversary. The judge did not fear God or care what people thought, but he couldn’t endure the widow’s persistent asking, so he granted her request. Like this woman, we should pray and not loose heart. God is not an unjust judge; he loves justice and what is more, he loves his elect, his chosen ones. When we cry to him in prayer and keep on praying, he will surely answer. Why, then, don’t God’s people pray? Jesus says that it is a matter of faith. If we have faith, we will pray. When Jesus comes again he will look for men and women of faith. May God grant us faith to pray and not loose heart.

1. How is the judge in the parable described? What kind of person was he? What kind of justice could ordinary people expect from such man?

2. What was the topic of the widow’s prayer? What was the unjust judge’s response to her request? Why did he change his mind? What did he finally do for her?

3. In comparison to the judge, what is God like, and what will he do about the persistent prayers of his people?

4. What does Jesus want to teach his disciples through this parable? What are the topics of prayers which Jesus’ teaches us here? (8) What does it mean to pray for justice? (8,14) What is the relationship between faith and prayer? (8b; 1 John 5;14)

 “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart. ² He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man. ³ And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ ⁴ For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, ⁵ yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’” ⁶ And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge says. ⁷ And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? ⁸ I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”  (ESV)

Objective Five: Open Discussion About Worship

We are hoping to embrace life long personal worship. In worship situations we are close to one another, side by side, interacting with God and his love and with our fellow believers.

There is emotional and intellectual type of worship (which is emotional elements for those who get great joy meditating on the things of God.)

Some churches were not worshiping in the presence of God. They might be simply enjoying exposition of the Bible instead of worshiping God. The Bible may have replaced Christ in the past 200 years for many.

God has a purpose in worship. God gives us meaning and purpose. Worshiping God brings life to us. It is a state of being. It is an experience. As we worship we must recognize who God is. We are not creating God’s presence when we worship. He is already here among us. We are entering into his presence. Open your eyes and acknowledge God’s presence. What a privilege it is to actually be able to worship in the presence of the Creator of the heavens and the earth. When we worship, we acknowledge God is here. He is opening his heart to his created world and we are opening our heart to him.

Worship is so important. It is one of the legs of the church, which includes community, mission and discipleship. What are we going to do in heaven? We will absolutely worship the Lord every day. Think about Revelation 5:13-14, “¹³ Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying: “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” ¹⁴ The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.” Our worship here on earth can give a small taste of heaven.

There are many different types of ministry.

1. Art for example. Once we saw an artist doing a mural of Jesus during a “Casting Crowns” concert.
2. Singing
3. Prayer
4. Quiet worshi

What ever type of worship we engage in, the point is to commune with the Lord.

How easy it is to miss the godly peace and the emotion of worship. We can get caught up in

getting things done. We may there just to learn a Bible lesson. We can easily just engage in “Sunday Business.” We must make an effort to enter into the peace of God, the rest God.

When we come to worship together, we let go of our roles. I let go of being a nurse. Julie lets go of being an administrative assistant. In worship we are just coming to God as a child of God.

During the week we suffer from all kinds of anxieties, vague fears and self condemnation. We all suffer in one way or another. The evil one tries his best to throw his darts at us. But when we worship Jesus, our spiritual eyes are lifted up to the Lord. We do not focus on our problems and issues, we focus on Jesus and strangely enough, God heals our hearts and strengthens us internally. God is the only one who can calm our vague anxieties. Think of the waves that were threatening to flood the boat that Jesus and his disciples were in. Jesus stands up and calms the storm. What did the disciples say? Mark 4:40-41, “ He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith? ⁴¹ They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!” Jesus is the Creator God. Jesus will calm the storms in my life. You can claim one word in the Bible that pertains to your particular situation. We can ask for it and God will reveal his word to us. The word seems to come out of nowhere. Some can testify that they have shed tears when this epiphany overtakes them. We need to trust in God. We need to worship God in spirit and in truth.

In the past we misunderstood worship to include grand Cathedrals and start a church full ceremony. In the Mass, they were making the sacrifice again and again. Sometimes worship can be selfish worship, focusing on me and my needs instead of the God we are called to worship. Worship is not just the Christian music. It must be God centered. Remember the words of the hymn, “Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty.” It is not about “me”. It is not about “you”. It is about Christ and bringing glory to God and coming into communion with our Creator. Think about this, every Sunday, Jesus is worshipped all day long as the time zones unfold.  To God be the glory. Great things he has done. So loved he the world that he gave us his Son. Praise God!

We want to enter into his peace, enter into God’s Sabbath rest. When we worship we need to lift our eyes and see God high and exalted on his thrown. Isaiah 6:1-4 reads, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. ² Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. ³ And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory. ⁴ At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.” (NIV) Don’t allow yourself to be dragged away from pure and sincere worship of the Lord, by your thoughts and negative feels or your sins. Repent and be forgiven. Enter into the right relationship with the Lord.  God is with you. He loves you. The worship of God is a state of being and we are included in Christ through faith. We dwell too much on what we are doing. Simply remain in Jesus.