A LIFE OF WORSHIP
“A time has now come when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” John 4:23
A life of worship is critical to our faith journey. Worship is the area of discipleship that indicates the depth of our relationship with God. Though we most commonly view worship as a specific act at a specific time, in reality it is the manner in which we honor God and engage others in the every day. For most disciples, worship begins as a participant in a corporate worship experience. But worship is much greater than participation in an event. Worship is a lifestyle. It is about who or what gets our attention, loyalty, devotion, and priority. It is about our commitment to living life fully in the presence of God, and the offering of our lives to God so that every aspect of each given day brings honor and glory to God.
The movement of a disciple toward maturity in the arena of worship is a flow of God's grace through which we discover the joy of a relationship with God, begin to sense a longing to experience that joy more frequently, discover ways to continue the experience in personal worship, and place ourselves squarely in the presence of God in all places and situations.
The true measure of worship...is not how many people come, but how many people live differently because they came.
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
In the Psalms, seven Hebrew words are translated into the English word praise, each of which represents a different aspect of what it means to truly praise God. Encounter a fresh perspective from the worship practices of the ancient world and grow in your understanding of praise.
CORPORATE WORSHIP CONNECTION
Ways to connect:
Saturday Night Worship & Hymnsing @ 6pm in Sanctuary
Sunday Morning Worship @ 10am in Sanctuary
Daily Devotionals Online CLICK HERE
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
ways to engage in the worship service
Stewards
Sound
Media
Worship Leaders
Worship Team
Worship Welcomers
Choir
Praise Band
Bells
Chimes
Greeters
Ushers
Communion
A LIFE OF HOSPITALITY
“Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples” John 13:34,35
A life of hospitality is about creating relationships with others, especially the unchurched, based on the value in which we hold God within our hearts.
Hospitality is the area of discipleship indicating the level of our connection to other believers in the body of Christ, as well as the community beyond. Christianity is a relational faith. It is about the relationship we develop with God through Jesus Christ and the impact that relationship has on our relationships with other disciples and with the other people. For most disciples, the degree of intimacy we develop with God directly determines the degree of connection we have with fellow believers and with the greater world around us. Each impacts the other.
The movement of a disciple toward maturity in the arena of hospitality is a flow of God's grace through which we are drawn into a relationship with other believers, engaged in authentic community with other disciples, empowered to share God's love with those beyond the church, and equipped to build relationships with the unchurched for the purpose of sharing God's love.
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
Relationships are critical to the human race. We all have them, we all need them. Growing our faith relationships is an essential part of sharing our faith relationships however they are not mutually exclusive opportunities. Learn how to be in the right place, at the right time to touch a soul searching for that divine relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
small group connectioNS
A LIFE of DISCIPLESHIP
“A life opening to Jesus includes not only hearing sermons that teach the Scriptures, studying the Scriptures, and reading Scripture devotionally, but also engaging in those spiritual practices that develop our awareness of the presence of God.” - Phil Maynard
A Life of Discipleship carries dual dimensions. The first is a life open to Jesus which is that dimension of faithful living where we place ourselves in the path of God's grace so that we might continue to be filled to overflowing. Grace is simply defined as "God's unmerited love." We can't do anything to deserve God's grace.
People experience God's grace through the working of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Sometimes that grace is at work even before we know it (what we call prevenient grace). It is grace that establishes our relationship with God as we commit our lives to Jesus. And it is grace that continues to work in our lives as God (through the Holy Spirit) forms us into the likeness of Christ.
While it is true we can't do anything to deserve God's grace, it is also true that there is much we can do to make ourselves available to God's grace. The prophet Micah (6:8) reminds us that there are three things the Lord requires of us: love mercy, act justly, and to walk humbly with our God. The walk humbly with our God reflects the discipleship dimension of our faith journey. Mercy refers to the things we do to meet the needs of those in our communities who often find themselves on the margins and struggle with the basic necessities of life.
For example, showing mercy might include:
● Providing shelter for the homeless
● Providing food for the hungry (meals or food pantry)
● Providing clothing for the needy
● Providing medical care for the sick or injured
These are all important ministries but they fail to address the things that cause people to be homeless, hungry, or needing clothing or medical care. They address the symptoms but not the causes. The prophet encourages us to take things to the next level by acting justly. This might include things like:
● Tutoring/mentoring
● Job training or job creation
● Providing livable wages
● Affordable housing
Addressing restrictive ordinances
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.” - John 14:23-24
The second dimension of a life of discipleship is that of a life obeying Jesus. This involves becoming more like Jesus in our actions, attitudes, and responses to others. It begins with the acceptance of a relationship with Jesus and a commitment to growth as a disciple. Obedience is important because it is the means of shaping us, molding us into the person that God intends us to be, but obedience isn’t the goal, collaboration in the Kingdom of God with the Lord of all creation is the real goal. As we make ourselves available to God through the Holy Spirit, God also becomes more available, or present, or at least our awareness of God's presence is increased. This is the goal of a life of discipleship.
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES
SMALL GROUP CONNECTIONS
A Life of Service
‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
“He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’ - Matthew 25:44-45
Central to the faith journey of a disciple of Jesus Christ is the call to serve others. The concept of service is at the core of the identity of the people of God, who from the beginning were called to be a "blessing to the nations.”
It is through our 'life of service' that we become expressions of God's love for the world, that we make a difference in the lives of people whom God love, and that we transform the world to bring an expression of the 'kingdom of heaven' on earth as it is in heaven.
The Scriptures are clear that every person has been gifted and called by God to serve others. It is also clear that the Church exists not for itself, but for the community it is called to serve.
A 'life of service' is a growth in grace toward joining Jesus in mission to the world, using the gifts, passions, and talents God has given.
As people of the Word, we are invariably looking for opportunities to transform the “serve us” mentality into bon-a-fide, God-glorifying, Son- celebrating, Spirit-sharing service to others. The church is at it’s best when we are participants in the transformation of lives, rather than moments.
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY
SMALL GROUP CONNECTIONS
A LIFE OF GENEROSITY
“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” - Acts 20:35
A life of generosity is a lifestyle that is exemplified by God, who has given humanity far more than is necessary or expected.
Disciples are called to be extravagantly generous people. This includes our time, our energies, and our financial resources. The generosity of our time and energies is included in the discipleship dimension of 'a life of service.' Here we focus on the use of our financial resources.
In a culture that struggles with what has often been referred to as 'affluenza'-the disease of consumerism and materialism that is eating away at our lives-a life of generosity provides an antidote. It reminds us that our worth comes not from what we have, but from whose we are. It weans us away from a dependence on material things and frees us to be responsive to how God might use us to transform the world and make a difference in people's lives.
A life of generosity is a movement of God's grace that invites us to discover that we are merely managers of what God has provided. When we are faithful with the resources with which God has entrusted us, not only are we blessed, but God blesses others through us.