Experiencing Worship - The Study
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Saved to Worship
Have you ever thought about why God sent His Son to die on the cross for you? I asked you earlier to state why you felt you were created. Was it to keep you from Hell? Was it so your life would be easier? Why did God choose to send His only Son to die on a cross for you? John 3:16 states, "for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." I believe that love was the motivating factor as to why God sent His Son. He loved us that much. He desires for us to spend eternity with Him. And what do you think we will do in heaven for eternity?
Read Revelation 4:8-11. What does John say about what he saw in heaven?
God saves us so that we might spend eternity with Him, so that we might be the worshipers that He seeks in John 4:23. "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such the Father seeks to be His worshipers."
Who is a true worshiper? Can one who doesn't know Christ as Savior worship Him in spirit and truth? A true worshiper is a Christian, one who is saved. God saves us that we may be become worshipers. There is no difference between a Christian and a worshiper. Let's look a bit further in scripture. Read the following passage:
Acts 18 :13
Could the word "worship" be replaced with the word "salvation" in this passage? Try it, and read the scriptures again. What Paul was doing was persuading men to become saved. To Paul, when men became saved, they became worshipers. He used the both words to mean the same thing.
A believer is just another word for worshiper. I read once that "the goal of salvation is to produce truly acceptable worshipers." Our reason and goal for witnessing to people should not be to save them from Hell, although that is a good reason; it should be to call all people to worship the God who is worthy of worship.
When I first realized the truth of Jesus and the cross, I discovered that God loved me and desired for me to give my life to Him. I wept, fell on my knees, praised Him, and worshiped Him. It was the only response there could have been as a result of what Christ had done for me. Worship was the response, and at that moment I became a worshiper. This response was not special to my situation. It is revealed a number of times in the scriptures. Let's look at a few verses. List the different responses of worship:
Matthew 2 :11_____________________________
Matthew 8:1-2_____________________________
Matthew 9:18_____________________________
Matthew 14:33____________________________
Matthew 28:9_____________________________
God does not save us for our sakes but for His. When we become saved we are saved in order to worship Him. Because of our great redemption, we are to worship.
So as Christians the question is not should we worship, or whom do we worship, but how do we worship? What does it mean to worship in spirit and truth? Next week we will look at worship that is acceptable to the Lord and worship that is unacceptable.
These exercises are designed merely to help you begin a life of worship. They are not to manipulate anyone into worship but only to help.
Exercise for Week 1 - Every time the spirit prompts you to remember, voice externally "Praise the Lord. I praise you God for who you are."
That's all. Each time you think about it, voice this simple praise to the Lord. Do this every day this week.
Write down what you experienced after the first week. Plan to share this with those in your group.
We have included our Experiencing Worship devotional for you in this study to read each day of the week between sessions. We hope it adds to your growth as a worshiper.
Remember:
"Worship is not about the style of music, but the heart. Music is only a tool to better help us worship the Lord. To label worship with music is to limit the expression of worship."
End Week One
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Used by churches all over the world to help teach worship, the Experiencing Worship study can help your worship team too.
Your team will learn why we worship and gain a better understanding of how to worship.
One user said..."Your 5 week study course has made a tremendous impact on my life in the study of worship... I would like to express my thanks for a well written study course that leads into a higher realm of praise and worship."
This is the debut album by EXW friend Paul Langford. Paul is a Chicago based singer, arranger, keyboardist, producer and conductor. Paul has a career that spans 14 years. Paul's work includes arranging for groups like GLAD, Voices of Liberty, VoiceTrek, The Chicago based "Caroling Party" and Day of Discovery Singers. His arranging has appeared on recordings side by side with greats like Gene Puerling and David Maddux, and he has sung with Don Shelton, Bonnie Herman and Bob Bowker, among others.