October 16, 2016 |
2 Thessalonians 1:1-12 |
exposition, suffering
Suffering often causes a theological problem for us. We put our trust in God, yet bad stuff still happens. We pray for healing, yet a loved one dies. We pray for reconciliation in marriage, but it ends in divorce. We share our faith with a neighbor, and they reject both our message and our friendship. Suffering tests our faith! Are you going through a time of suffering today? The apostle Paul told the believers in Thessalonica that they could stand firm in their faith in Christ Jesus during times of suffering.
In this series, we will see how closely linked our worship is to our witness. We will see that our worship and witness is foundational, transformational, relational, missional and reproducible to our faith. This series is loosely based on the book, The Great Commission to Worship by David Wheeler and Vernon M Whaley
October 2, 2016 |
2 Timothy 2:1-7 |
discipleship
Do you ever wonder what sort of legacy you are leaving? Do you wonder if people will remember you the way you want to be remembered or some other way? Do you think about what it is that you are really passing on to your kids or your friends or coworkers? In the book of 2 Timothy, Paul tells his disciple Timothy that the grace of Christ can be shared to future generations. Paul teaches that the worship and witness of Jesus Christ is reproducible.
September 25, 2016 |
Psalm 96:1-10 |
evangelism
In the 96th Psalm, the Psalmist wrote that the nation of Israel should worship and bear witness to the glory of God so that all the earth would join in. The mission of that nation was to let their worship of God be a witness among the nations. We too can be missional through our worship and witness.
September 18, 2016 |
2 Corinthians 5:14-21 |
community, discipleship
Why is there divorce, murder, and war? Why are we relationally broken? Our sin has separated us from God. We need to be relationally restored. We need to be reconciled to God and with others. In Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth, he told them that God’s reconciling love should move them to be in right relationship with Him in our worship and in right relationship towards others in our witness. We too can let the reconciling love of God as expressed in Christ lead us to a right relationship with Him through worship and a right relationship to others in our witness.
September 11, 2016 |
Romans 12:1-2 |
discipleship
Do you feel like your are running in place sometimes or just not moving at all? Sometimes we can feel that our lives have no meaning or that we are going nowhere. We often put our focus or our worship on things that don’t move us or give us meaning. Newton’s first law of motion says that, “An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.” You may feel this way now, like a stagnant person or a person in motion towards the wrong things. God has designed us for more. He is the unbalanced force that can get us not only moving but moving in the right direction.
In the book of Romans, Paul appeals to his fellow believers that they would become living sacrifices as worship before God. He tells the believers in Rome that their worship of Jesus will transform their life. We too can be transformed by our worship and witness of Jesus.
September 4, 2016 |
John 4:7-42 |
discipleship
We are all worshipping, but sadly many are worshipping false idols which leave us in lack or with a void. We put our hopes and dreams and affections in things that neither help us nor ground us in anything. Right worship puts the foundation in our lives. Some of us put worship on this day or in this box, we put our witness in this box, but the call to Christ is a completely de-compartmentalized life of worship. The truth is everyone worships something and everyone bears witness to that worship, but God has called us to a specific worship and witness.
In the gospel of John, Jesus revealed Himself to a Samaritan woman as the only foundational way to worship and witness God. We can receive Jesus as the only true foundation for our worship and witness.
People today are looking for authenticity. They want something real. And they have a deep seated need for relationships, for community. Whether they recognize it or not, God has made all of us with a deep desire for a relationship with Him and with one another. We long for authentic community. In the book of Acts, Luke described the “authentic community” of the first century church. He said they were marked by four “devotions.” They were: a shared faith, a shared family, a shared food, and a shared focus. We can experience this authentic community when we pursue these four devotions.
