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Ever Wonder Why?: Week 4

Ever Wonder Why?: Week 4

EVER WONDER WHY… WE DO WHAT WE DO IN A WEEKEND WORSHIP SERVICE?

  •  Jesus said, “…I will build my church…” (Matthew 16:18), making it clear that the Church is God’s.
  •  The first church is what we must measure ourselves by; we’re to be devoted to all the first church was devoted to.

TOGETHER, WE ARE DEVOTED TO…

  •  God’s Word as our authority
  •  Taking communion together regularly
  •  God’s house being a house of prayer
  •  Worshipping God together

EVER WONDER WHY… WE COME TOGETHER TO SING?

Matthew 26:30 (ESV) And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.

• We come together to sing in worshipping our God.

• Worship is the intentional activity (practice or discipline) of both ascribing back to God the glory of which only He is worthy and expressing our adoration and devotion to Him in His presence with our whole being.

1 Chronicles 16:29 (NLT) Give to the Lord the glory he deserves! Bring your offering and come into his presence. Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.

• Since God alone is worthy of our worship, we prepare ourselves to be all in and present with Him.

Ecclesiastes 5:1 (ESV) Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. To draw near to listen is better than to offer the sacrifice of fools, for they do not know that they are doing evil.

 

Acts 2:42-47 (ESV) 42And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

 

Romans 6:12-14 (ESV) 12Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. 13Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 14For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

 

Hebrews 2:11-12 (ESV) 11For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12saying,”I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” [quote of Psalm 22:22]

Matthew 22:37 (ESV) And he said to him,”You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.

 

Colossians 3:12-16 (ESV) 12Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

PERSONAL APPLICATION:

• What is a favorite Scripture of yours about worship? What about it do you love?

• What is a favorite Psalm of yours? How is it worshipful?

• How do you prepare yourself to be engaged and present in coming to church to worship?

• What are some of your favorite ways to worship?

• How and/or why do you choose to have grace and still participate in church gatherings even though you may not prefer a certain thing?

• How could you help someone else grow in maturity and understanding of why we do what we do in our weekend worship services?

• What is one of the most significant ways you’ve ever grown in or through worship?

 

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright 1996, 2004, 2007. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, IL 60189. All rights reserved.