Why is Worship Central?

Hi guys,

I’ve got to say I’m really excited that we got to FINALLY start our Worship Central course last thursday night and even more excited as I’ve had a few stories come in from you about how its changed your perspective on Worship already.

As I’ve started preparing for this Thursday nights session, Leading Worship, I’m filled with such hope of what God can and I’m sure will do through our team throughout this journey....so thanks for being part of it!

In preparation for Session Two of the Worship Central Course, I’d like if you could each just read the below and I’d be very interested to hear your responses, which you can do by joining this blog site and posting your comments below.

NOTE: One thing before you start, remember that none of us have this all “sorted”. There are areas that really challenged me in the content we went through last week, but thats great because I know that God won’t give me more than I can handle. I also know that he reveals things to us not to condemn but to actually bring us freedom. So remember...we’re on a journey, NONE of us have this all sorted out, but with God and also one another we can grow into becoming all God created us to be!

So in summary of last weeks course, Why is Worship Central?

1. Worship is Our Purpose
- Worship is a dynamic relationship between us and our heavenly Father that impacts EVERY level of our lives.
- We were created to worship
- Worship involves the whole of our lives. Worship is the total alignment of our heart, soul, mind and strength with the will of God. It is our wholehearted response to God’s extravagant love and mercy.

I LOVE William Temple’s, the great Archbishop, definition:

“Worship is the submission of all of our nature to God. It is the quickening of conscience by his holiness, nourishment of mind by his truth, purifying of imagination by his beauty, opening of the heart to his love, and submission of will to his purpose. And all this gathered up in adoration is the greatest of human expressions of which we are capable.”

2. Worship is Our Priority

- Worship is our response to what we value most

Genuine worship involves giving everything of who we are to God. He needs to become our number one priority above every other ambition, affection and activity.

- We choose to make worship our priority

“God does not force us to worship him. We are left with a decision to make: will we choose to be like Martha, caught up in the busyness of life, even distracted by doing things for Jesus; or will we choose to be like Mary, whose priority was to sit at Jesus’ feet, completely focused on him, not letting anything, not our ambition or self-interest, not the expectations of others, nor any kind of distraction, get in the way. That choice has implications for our time, our lifestyle, our money, our energy and our ambitions in this life.”

3. Worship is Our Privilege

- Worship changes us

- Worship changes the world

“When we nurture that dynamic relationship, guess what - we want more. Worship sparks worship. Whatever type we’re talking about - the singing or the living, the face-down silence at the foot of the cross or the determination to sacrifice that which we value in pursuit of a deeper connection with God - when we live like this we cannot help but be changed, be made whole and be inspired to want more.

Questions/Thoughts:

Take a moment to ask God to reveal His truth to you as you look at the following questions. Please, if any of you get stuck, have any questions, need a little guidance feel free to email or call me privately rather than writing in this public forum.

1. How has worship changed you?
I started last week by sharing how a Worship experience in Uganda, Africa, changed my world forever. Do any of you have a story you can share on how worship has changed you?

2. What do you worship? (feel free not to answer this one “out loud” on the blog site)

- Everybody worships something. Whatever captivates our heart’s affection, our mind’s

attention and our soul’s ambition, it effectively has our worship. What captivates your heart?

3. What does choosing to make Worship your priority look like to you?
In the example of Jesus visiting the home of Mary and Martha, Mary made a choice that went against her culture and her belief system so that she could worship at the feet of Jesus. For me personally its learning to turn the TV off and spend time with God daily. For some of you it may even be looking at the people you hang out with, the music you listen to, the programs you watch - being conscious of what you’re feeding your mind, where your priorities are being placed. 

Prayer:

So father, I just want to thank you that you love us too much to leave us where we are at. I thank you that you want the best for us and that you’ve given us this Worship Central Course as a tool to highlight areas that we are both doing well and also the areas that we can gain freedom in by submitting them to you.

Father I just want to thank you for every member of my team and I would ask that you be with all of us as we do this journey of becoming more intimate with you together....thanks so much for the gift of community and that we’re not in this alone.

We love you and give you permission to work within us, amongst us and through us in bringing more of your love and kingdom onto this earth and into our lives and circumstances.

Family

Part one

In some ways this feels like the beginning of the year for me, although a month has already passed! In asking God where and how to begin this year I just felt two things. This week we’ll take a brief look at the first thing.

1. FAMILY

The first was to start the year with relationship, hence our BBQ last week. I feel so strongly that as Worshippers we are to love like our God loves and he is all about loving people. I believe that God is going to really make us a true “family” so that we can be united as one with one common purpose to extravagantly praise and serve our King.

God paints a beautiful family of life together:

Romans 12:4-13

“For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.....Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality....”

As Christians we’ve chosen to live our lives differently and part of that is doing our relationships differently. Its not about what we can get out of a relationship but rather how we can best help and bless others in their day to day life and also in helping them become all God created them to be.

Relationship/Family is not easy and can sometimes get a little messy! I have no doubt there’ll be moments that we disappoint, annoy and maybe even hurt each other but I think if we’re prepared for that, if we choose to believe the best and see the best in people, ask God to help us love each other as He loves us then together we can do great things.

One last thought. Some of you may not know how to do relationship well....we’re all on a journey on this one so you’re not alone! However, if you need any help or advice please ask for help, the doors always open!! Also it’s not too late to come to our “Peace-wise Seminar” Saturday at church, just call the office and book yourself in....this will be a useful tool for all of us!

Are you committed to the journey and to your peers?

Lets do family the best way - Gods way!!

Graham Cooke “relationships are the business of Heaven on earth: that we love one another as he has loved us”