PoWeR SuRGeS: Being boosted by relationships influenced by Christ

Bible Readings
1 Samuel 18:1
1 John 4:7-8
1 Thessalonians 1:1-10

Sermon

One day two children were playing on the beach.

They built a magnificent sand castle.

It wasn’t just a sand castle it was a fortified city.

With gates, towers, moats and underground tunnels.

But just as they were about to finish a huge wave came along and knocked down the castle.

It was now nothing more than a pile of wet sand.

Together the children stood up, ran further up the beach, laughing and holding hands.

Then they sat down and built another castle.

These two children had lived out a valuable lesson.

All things in our lives

All the complicated structures we spend so much time and energy creating are built on sand.

They should be nothing but tools that are used to encourage and develop relationships with others.

It is our relationships with others that have the chance to survive through disasters and celebrations.

And it is relationships with others that will help us endure through disasters.

The truth is Christianity is about relationships.

Relationships with other Christians so that both of you benefit by being spiritually supporting each other.

And having relationships with others so that you are able to introduce them to Christ.

Many people have a picture of heaven that talks about it being a quite idyllic place.

A garden.

But scripture reveals to us that heaven is a city.

A splendid city, a perfect city

And for a place to be called a city it must have a significant number of people.

People living together.

That is what God is preparing us for.

Life with each other and others.

So our lives together,

as part of a congregation is about being prepared for life in heaven God’s city

In Luther’s Small Catechism we hear

In the same way the Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian church on earth….

Which is simply a reflection on 1 Thessalonians 1:4-5

^4 For we know, brothers and sisters loved by God, that he has chosen you, ^5 because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake.

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How do you view your relationships here in the congregation?

Do you see them as Holy Relationships?

Something God has initiated.

Our church relationships are something that God wants us to have.

This week.....

I encourage you to look through our members and friends directory.

If you don't have one contact our office for one.

As you read each name….

remember you are in a relationship with them initiated by God

and it is a relationship that God wants you to have

He wants each of us to have a Godly relationship with each other.

It is also a relationship that God wants you to develop.

To develop in ways that are centred on Him

and Him influencing our relationships with each other.

Our relationships at church are not just about being friends.

Although friendship is important.

Do you realise that if a person has at least 7 good close friendships at church they are likely to be actively involved in church life throughout their life?

Friendships at church actually benefit us by strengthening our relationship with God.

Our relationships as Christians are for encouraging each other in a relationship with God

and keeping each other accountable in our spiritual journies.

1 Corinthians 12:24-25 says

God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ^25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.

Recently I read a story about Bill

Bill has always been part of the church

He remembers attending a congregation at a young age where people of all ages talked to him and encouraged him

When he couldn't reach the counter at morning tea, adults would hand him the tin of biscuits to choose from

He remembers feeling encouraged.

As he became a teenager he was encouraged to participate in the various activities of the church

And not just in the things he like, but remembers being asked what he would like to be doing at church

At a young age he was invited into leadership roles.

He remembers people praying for him.

His parents encouraged him to care and pray for others, especially those he did not regularly mix with.

When he had some troubles he remembers people who were older than him offering help.

Now he has an active role in the church and feels part of the life of the congregation

He comments that the church is a great place to be and one of the few places in his life that is for all ages

Bill’s experience reflects what the local church is called to be,

a gathering of people that welcomes people of all ages,

regardless of their background, experience, age or standing in the community.

This reflects what Jesus was on about

Jesus encourages us to welcome everyone….

Not just those we regularly associate with and can relate to …

In Matthew, Mark and Luke….we hear the following encounter

^13 People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. ^14 When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ^15 I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ^16 And he took the children in his arms, put his hands on them and blessed them.

Are you encouraging younger people in our church?

Greet them with a smile.

Say hello to them

Showing interest in who they are and what they are doing.

Offering them a biscuit.

Carefully guiding and redirecting them.

Helping them feel welcome and that this is their place too.

That is the relationship God encourages us to have with others.

And younger people

Remember we are also called to encourage older people,

in 1 Timothy 5:1-2 we hear

Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, ^2 older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity.

Our relationship with each other is to be similar to equals not older or younger.

As Christians we have a unique opportunity.

To mix with people of other generations.

To grow together.

To learn from each other.

To care for each other.

To develop relationships that go across generations, races and boundaries.

Relationships that are centred on and influenced by Christ

This leads to the other part in having relationships with others.

Good Christian relationships not only bring comfort to our lives

But they also keep us on track.

They help us be accountable to filling our lives with activities that help us be in constant contact with God’s grace.

God’s perspective on life.

Two ways that this accountability occurs in our congregation which everyone can access.

One is through Small Groups

Small Groups play an important role in our lives.

It helps us see

that my way is not the only way

that my life is not all about me

that I don’t have to bear all my worries…

That when people come in our life needing help we are not alone in helping them

We get to see life and the bible from various perspectives

The other type of Christian Relationship that is important to us is one on one relationships, some people call these mentors.

It is important for each of us to develop close relationships with individuals where we discuss spiritual things,

Where we discuss life and the bible

And where we are accountable

In my life I have a number of people who I have a close relationship with

They understand me better than most others

They don’t expect me to become a replica of them

But they can challenge me

They ask me questions like…

how is my prayer life going…

what about bible reading

Am I avoiding things in my life?

Do I need to be so critical of myself?

Am I really worshipping when I am leading worship?

They challenge me when I am avoiding forgiveness from God’s perspective.

Such relationships are helpful as the Holy Spirit uses them to help me and help the other person gain encouragement and to give guidance.

So how are your relationships with others?

Are you experiencing the blessing from the Holy relationships God has placed you in?

Are you blessing others with the love of God?

Each one of us are called to continue developing our relationships with each other….

And as we do the love of God continues growing in each of us….

And extends into the lives of others…

Remember when we offer friendship to someone…

We are not just offering our friendship

We are offering the friendship of the one who

Created us….

Died on the cross for us

And cares and guides us

Amen

PoWeR SuRGeS: Being boosted by Serving in and outside the Church

Bible Readings
Micah 6:8
Philippians 4:1-9
Matthew 25:31-46

Sermon

Mother Theresa frequently said; “God loves the world……

through me and you!”

Serving is a natural and essential aspect of being a Christian.

Unfortunately though many people don’t understand the difference between Christian service

and service that takes place by non Christians or non Christian organisations.

Three marks help us identify what true Christian Service is about..

First….The reason why we serve is for God’s glory.

As 1 Corinthians 10:31 says

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

As Christians it is so important that as we serve that we focus on what God wants to happen,

And that is…...people connect our service to God.

In other words your service becomes a way God connects with others (in and outside our church) and they connect with God.

Martin Luther once commented,

what does it mean to serve God and do His will.

For it is others who need our service; God in heaven does not.

Serving in ways that glorify God has some major implications,

It means we recognise that the opportunity to serve

and the ability we have to serve originates from God.

It means we don’t get so hung up with getting credit for what happens

or what we have done in the past.

Instead we look for ways to connect people to God and other Christians through our service

And we get excited when people who are served connect with other Christians

and begin developing a relationship with God and them.

And it also means that we serve people even when we don’t feel like it,

but rather because God has placed them in our life

and under our nose.

Part of our service is that we connect people with others.

Our focus on serving others is for God’s glory.

The second mark….is that we serve people not because they deserve to be served,

but because they need to be served.

Did you notice in our reading from Matthew 25 that Jesus praises people for serving others who come into their lives when they fed the hungry, gave water to the thirsty, clothes to those who were in need of clothes and visited people in prison.

They served because people were in need.

That is the Christian basis for serving,

that we serve people who are in need.

A question for you.

Who is in need in your life?

Who do you know who needs help?

Who needs to see and experience God’s mercy and love through your service?

Now our service as Christians is not limited to simply giving water, food, clothes and visiting,

rather these things highlight that our service is about helping people be worthy and feel valued,

giving them what they need to have life.

Therefore the way we serve people is also important.

In other words it is not just what we give in our service

but how we give in our service.

That we give in ways that say to people I value you as Jesus values you.

One of the interesting twists on the Matthew 25 reading is that when we serve people in need we interact with and serve Jesus.

This may seem puzzling.

However look at it this way.

God has placed people in our lives so that they can be served.

Think about all the people in your life.

Your family.

Your work colleagues.

Your neighbours.

Your friends.

Everyone here at church and school.

And anyone else you interact with.

God has placed them in your life for you to serve them on His behalf.

Also consider that we serve people

because they need it

not because they deserve to be served,

this is exactly how Jesus serves us.

Jesus serves us because he sees us as valuable and worthwhile not because we deserve to be served.

And he serves us by paying the price for our sins, which cost him his life.

He serves us by making heaven possible for us

not because we have met His expectations,

but because we need Him to do so.

And so everytime you serve someone,

in a way that improves their quality of life

that is a significant reminder that Jesus is behind what is happening

and it is exactly what Jesus is doing for each one of us.

So at work, amongst your family and friends, amongst the people at church, your neighbours and other people who God places in your life

when you see someone in need,

don’t judge why they are in need

or how they have treated you

or whether they deserve to be served

instead look at serving them in ways that help them see they are valued and loved.

Serve them in ways that reflect the love, God has for you.

And the third mark of Christian service is that we are not individuals in our service,

but we serve as a body, a team.

As a congregation God has placed us together to serve each other in ways that help each other

And together we are called to serve the wider community, other Christians and non Christians together.

Working together is essential for every community.

Our congregation here has decided on some basic things in what it means to work together.

That we focus on knowing, growing in and sharing the love of Jesus.

Our service is orientated around this mission statement.

Is your service encouraging people to be involved in activities that help them know, grow in and share the love of Jesus.

Or is your service discouraging people to be involved in activities that help them know, grow in and share the love of Jesus.

I encourage you to reflect on this.

Also as someone who is part of our congregation it is expected that you be intentionally involved in activities that help you

Know Jesus love

Grow in the love of Jesus

And share the love of Jesus

This week I encourage you to undertake an assessment of your life.

Ask yourself are you being a team player?

Are you being part of Christ’s body

by being involved in activities that help you know, grow in and share the love of Jesus.

List them, write them down.

If you can’t identify them you have a responsibility as part of Christ’s body to change, to approach our leaders and Pastor Richard

and say you need help to identify activities

that will help you know Jesus love, Grow in Jesus love and share Jesus love.

There are two other important things in being part of a team, Christ’s body.

One is we speak well of each other.

That in being a good witness to Christ and His church that we don’t publicly put down or condemn anyone in our congregation.

But rather we speak well of people and use every opportunity to praise them publicly.

I know at times that some of us get under the skin of other people.

We should expect this because we are different and at times we are influenced by sin.

But as part of God’s team, God’s body where there are problems we should be focussed on forgiveness.

The scriptures relating to church life, emphasis that forgiveness between each other is important.

This is one of the ways we serve each other,

by taking the initiative to be involved in forgiveness.

Which means looking at ways to live and work with each other.

A question for you?

Is there someone or some people in this congregation you have a problem with?

Does someone offend you?

Do you avoid interacting with some people?

Do you realise that this not only affects you and them

but it affects each of us.

And it even affects those people outside the church you are interacting with.

We actually serve the church and others when we talk in public in a positive way about church and the people at church

When they hear this people are encouraged to connect with our community

and more importantly to connect to God through us.

Likewise when we talk negatively about the church and individuals at our church we are actually discouraging people to connect with God through us.

We are not only not serving them, we are also working against God.

The other aspect of serving as a Christian in a team

is that God places us under leaders.

God has placed us under leaders to direct us, make decisions on behalf of us, encourage us, teach us and guide us.

Whilst there are many different ways to serve,

God gives us leaders to help us live in ways that are more consistent with God

and consider a bigger picture

and not just what we personally believe is right.

As a Christian community, we need to follow leaders and the direction they are taking.

When we do our own thing,

or ignore the leaders God has placed among us

we are not just ignoring them,

we are potentially ignoring God.

When some of the Israelites stopped listening to Moses

and did their own thing

because they thought they knew what was better

they ended up building a golden calf

and so not only sinned against Moses they sinned against God.

Being part of a Christian community means placing yourself under the leadership of that community.

At the head of every Christian community and team is Jesus

then there are leaders,

which in our congregation includes Pastors, BCL, team leaders and leaders of our various groups.

Some of us will be both leaders and followers depending on the situations we are facing.

In a few weeks time we are electing leaders not to represent us,

but to lead us to develop our relationship with God

and to lead us in being an evangelising community.

Every leader in our congregation has the responsibility to lead people in ways that encourage us to develop as Christ’s disciples

to help us be part of the bigger picture

and to help others to connect to God through our congregation.

So as part of this congregation

I encourage you to support and encourage our leaders,

to listen to our leaders and follow their guidance

especially when they are encouraging you to be part of a team

and to work with others

and are helping you to connect with God

and are helping you to help others connect with God.

Being a servant is not an optional extra for a Christian

it is part of our life

When we serve others we are serving God.

We serve so people know what God is like and who He is

We serve so people experience God’s tremendous love even though they don’t deserve it

We serve not as individuals but as part of a team,

as God’s body of Christ connecting people to each other.

Look around you…

Who needs God’s love….go and serve them

And through you God is at work

Amen

PoWeR SuRGeS: Being boosted by Regular Bible Reading and Study

Bible Readings
Psalm 119:105
2 Timothy 3:14-17
Matthew 4:1-4

Sermon

Many years ago I was staying at the parents of a friends house.

I arrived at the house late at night.

Was invited in and shown my room.

And went promptly to bed.

But then it happened...i needed to go to the toilet

And I had no idea where it was…

Was it upstairs or downstairs?

So I carefully made my way out the door.

And fortunately there was a night light in the passage

So headed towards this light

And even more fortunate was the fact that this light was positioned just outside the toilet door.

I am very thankful for that light.

In our Christian lives

The bible acts as God’s light for us

It is the foundational tool for each one of us

It is the tool that the Christian faith is based on

It is how we get to know and experience Christ.

Martin Luther commented that the entire bible is the cradle that holds Christ for us.

Last week I said with Jesus Christianity can not exist so Christ must be central to all our worship

And the Bible is what reveals Christ to us’

Why we need Christ

What Christ has done and is doing for us

And Christ’s affect on the church

Throughout life we all make assumptions about God,

And it is important that these assumptions be tested by scripture

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

One example of this is that many people know God is a God of love.

And to understand what it means for God to be a God of love we need to open the pages of scripture

And discover how God sees love

In 1 John 3:16 we hear

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters.

One aspect of God’s love is that Him and us give up something so others can benefit.

In His case it was His life

And in our case it maybe our agendas, our material things, our goals so others can experience God’s love through us

The Reformation was sparked by the fact that Martin Luther identified that the church at the time had neglected significant parts of the bible and interpreted some parts incorrectly or not in relation to other parts.

In basic his concern was that the church and people were using the bible only to impose more and more unnecessary obligations and guilt on people

Rather than pointing out the truth that God was about freeing us from needing to earn our way into relationship with God because of the blood of Jesus,

And with this freedom we are free to help others develop and grow in their relationship with Christ.

Unfortunately, some people miss this last point.

Many people love having freedom.

But I keep having to remember that freedom is a gift from God for us to use for His purposes.

And the reality is when we get involved in reading and studying the bible it not only changes us,

It changes how we see and view others

And it has the potential to also change the lives of others.

When Luther read the bible it changed his life

But it also changed the life of others including me and you.

I saw this greatly a few years ago, when a former atheist presented his testimony at a Gideons conference

He mentioned that one night alone, away from home on work

He opened up the only book in the motel room, a bible.

As he flicked through the pages he was hit with the fact that despite being not right Christ died for us.

Over the next few months he gradually began changing, he wanted to discover more about this God and who God saw he was.

The truth is the more we read the bible

The more God will have an influence and affect on us.

Unfortunately though not every worshipping Christian reads the bible

In Australia in 2006

35% of all Church attenders said they read the bible privately more than once a week,

An additional 6% read it weekly

24% read the Bible occasionally, when it suited them

18% hardly ever

17% not at all.

And only around 41% of worshipping Lutherans read their bible at least monthly.

The same research also highlights that

People who say they sense a growth in faith

Are involved in small groups and other congregational activities that study the bible and life

And they read the bible privately

Something interesting for us as we head into the year of evangelism

73% of people who are actively involved in intentional evangelistic activities such as

sharing the Gospel verbally

and encouraging others to develop relationships with God

and other Christians read their bible at least weekly

Private bible reading when accompanied with regular involvement with other Christians in worship and small groups

is a powerful tool God has given us

As Romans 1:16 says

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile

Through regular bible study God continues speaking to us about how he saves us and how he gives us the opportunity to be involved in saving others.

Are you reading the bible regularly?

There is the story of a young man who applied at a forestry firm for a job.

The foreman asked him if he could fell a tree with an axe.

The young man walked over to a tree and felled it like an old pro.

The foreman hired him.

On Monday, the young man outdid everyone else on the crew.

But, each day after that, he got slower and slower until Friday, he could barely cut one tree down.

He went through all the motions; swinging his axe, hitting the tree and repeating it, but it just didn’t work very well.

Finally, the young man laid down his axe, sat on the ground in exhaustion and wondered what was causing this.

The foreman came over and told the young man he knew what caused it.

He said he had been so busy all week doing the things that a forester does, that he had forgotten to get back to basics and sharpen his axe. It has become dull and is all but worthless today because it had not been kept in good condition.

Have you been so busy in your life, that you have forgotten to go back to the basics and listen to God through scripture?

Do you know what God is really saying….or are you just guessing?

Do you need to sharpen up your faith….with some regular bible study?

Ever week in our bulletin we have short daily bible readings and devotions related to the worship service

that I encourage everyone to read.

Using them is a way of reinforcing God’s message in our life.

Some people say they have tried reading the bible….but it is too difficult or too hard and they don’t get much out of it

I once heard a story with a neat lesson.

There was an old man on some property near the mountains and a creek.

Every year a grandchild would visit.

One day one of the old man’s grandsons approached him with a problem.

The Grandson said, "Grandpa, I read the Bible and I don’t understand it, and what I understand I forget as soon as I close the Bible covers. What’s the use of reading the Bible!"

The Grandfather ordered the grandson to get the basket they used to carry the wood to the fireplace and the ashes to the garden.

He said run down to the creek and bring back a basket of water to the house.

To please his grandfather, the grandson grabbed the basket,

ran to the river and got a basket of water.

The lad ran back to the house with the water.

By the time the lad reached the house the basket was empty.

The grandfather said try it again but this time faster.

The lad ran quickly from the river, the basket was full when he left the river, but by the time he arrived at the house the basket of water was dry.

After his third trip, the boy told his granddad, it is no use, I can not retain the water in the basket until I get here. It is useless.

The grandfather looked at the disgusted young boy, and said, "So you think it is useless?"

"Yes! Grandpa it is useless to try!" the boy replied.

The Grandfather said to the boy,

"BUT LOOK AT THE BASKET, CAN’T YOU SEE SOMETHING?"

THE SMALL BOY WAS AMAZED, AFTER THREE TRIPS TO THE RIVER, THE DIRTY Wood and ash BASKET WAS CLEAN.

Grandpa said, " See, that is what the Word of God does to you.

As you read, you say you don’t retain and understand it, but your basket is cleaned.

THE WORD OF GOD DOES THE WORK OF GOD!

Frequent reading of the bible will continually reveal God’s light,

the way He works and the path we are to take

It will help us make better decisions in our lives

But importantly it will reveal and remind us that we are God’s children loved by Him and forgiven by Him.

There are many ways people have found in studying the bible.

Here are some basic questions I ask whenever I read scripture

How is this revealing that I need God?

What has God done, is doing or will do?

As a disciple of Jesus how is God asking me to live (for my own benefit and the benefit of others, especially those who are different)?

These are not sideline questions, but questions that direct and focus my life…..

Over time regular bible study and reading will change you….

Because God’s word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path…

And through His word God is at work moulding us an comforting us.

As Matthew 4:4 says 4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Keep using this wonderful tool God has given us

because Jesus and His love is the focus of all scripture and through it the Holy Spirit is guiding us.

Let us pray

PoWeR SuRGeS: Being boosted by Weekly Worship

Bible Texts
Psalm 100:1-5
Hebrews 10:18-25
John 4:23-25

Sermon

For many people when you ask them about what they think church is about,

Even those who hardly engage with the church,

They say church is about worship

And the truth is worship is central to the life of the church

So no wonder people get so passionate about worship.

True worship is an activity of the church,

God working through His people.

God bringing people together and God sending them out

We could preach on this topic for hours

Today though I will not be so much focussing on how to worship, but the importance of worshipping weekly.

Worship is about worshipping God.

We are commanded to worship only God...this is one of the commandments.

Why?

Now in an age when commands are not popular.

Like all good commands

The command to worship is not for God’s benefit but for our benefit.

An elderly lady reminded me of this.

As she talked about her life to me one day, it became apparent that she had had many difficulties.

Her life and family had not been an easy one.

So I asked her, “How did you continue having faith in God?”

Her response was instant, every week I went to church

I sang songs, prayed, listened to the sermon and the readings and spent time with other Christians,

And during this time God and not my life was the focus

And every time I met with God,

How God saw things seemed to be different to how I saw things.

Brothers and sisters the truth is when we worship, we benefit.

We benefit substantially from God.

Jesus has something to say about this.

Matthew 2:27 says

The Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

One of the areas worship has a significant impact on us,

Is it deals with the problems that isolation and the attitude of total independence causes.

The Western Societies of USA, Australia, New Zealand, and parts of Europe have been encouraging isolation, privatising and total independence for many years.

Non of which are godly.

All of which lead to problems including depression, substance abuse and the lack of love

At their extreme a life of isolation, privatisation and total independence severely affect people’s socialising skills and behaviours.

Juilan Knight, Martin Bryant and those involved in the Columbine killings some years ago lived very closed lives.

The Columbine shooters actually had so many walls up that they put locks on their own bedroom doors, so they didn't have to interact with family.

This is the extreme result of isolation.

Have you ever felt the effects of isolation or the failure of total independence?

When I lived in Melbourne I discovered that you could be around many people, but still feel isolated?

And what happens when we are isolated?

We worry about every little thing.

We worry what people might be saying.

We develop extreme levels of guilt.

One of the ladies I visited regularly in Launceston never left home.

She was so frail she only interacted with her doctor, and those who visited her.

On occasions when other people had visited her, she was happy and had a good outlook on life.

She would still feel guilty

However when no one had visited her she always had tremendous guilt.

She was guilty because she couldn't do what she had previously had been able to do

She said she was a terrible sinner.

However as I we spent time in worship,

Proclaiming God’s word and receiving His forgiveness her outlook changed.

When we are isolated we become self focussed.

We worry what people think of us.

We put up walls

We don't care how our action and words affect others.

We become more determined to get what we want.

When we are isolated, when we offend someine it is their fault,

And we fail to see that our words, actions and timing could have contributed to their hurt.

We become ruthless, others matter less

However worshipping God with a true heart helps us deal with the issues of isolation and independence.

Worship refocusses our lives to God’s reality.

One aspect of worship that we are often involved in is stating our faith using a creed.

Whenever I say the Apostles Creed I am reminded that everything in my life has been created by God

Think about the things you enjoy most.

That you are most thankful for.

What are they?

God has been behind them all.

But the God we worship is more than just a creator.

He is also our saviour.

A saviour that recognises we need his help.

A saviour that is prepared to suffer and die for us

Even though we don't always follow him.

And the creed also reveals that God is my guide, encourager and strength.

God is at work constantly redirecting me back to Him,

And reminding me He is constantly prepared to forgive my sins and give me a new life.

And is constantly encouraging and guiding me in how I am to live with others.

And this God is putting me in relationships with others

When we worship we can not ignore how important God is in our lives

And how important it is to have relationships with other people.

Scripture is clear true Christian relationships is centred around Loving God and Loving others.

True Christian worship is never a private thing

Many people mix up personal and private.

Private is keeping things to myself.

It doesn't involve others.

It often is seen in people doing what they want.

And others not having to know about it?

God does not want us to keep our faith or worship private.

He wants our worship and faith though to be personal

Personal is owning and accepting the faith

It means you be authentic

It means you contribute to the faith and you do so not alone,

But with others, in community

Our worship with God is also a two way deal.

In our worship God, what he has been doing, is up to and will do should be highlighted and emphasised.

That’s why we have bible readings, the sermon and the sacrament.

That’s why when people give testimonies, a good testimony always highlights God and what He has done.

The truth is without God, Christian worship would not be possible.

God initiates and inspires true Christian worship.

Throughout our worship service God is constantly working.

He is calling us into his presence and putting us in situations where we are with other Christians

He is forgiving us

He is speaking to us

He is listening

He is giving gifts to us

He is preparing and inviting us to a banquet

He is giving us His body and blood

And He is equipping us to partner Him in taking His Good News to all those people we are mixing with.

And as a result of God’s actions

We respond

We gather in His presence

We confess our sins and seek His help to live holy lives

We listen to Him

We pray to Him

We offer gifts for His mission through His church

We dine with Him

We give ourselves totally to Him

We thank and praise Him

We go from this place praising Him and taking what He has to offer to others.

Did you notice how much our responses rely on God’s grace.

As we respond we are reminded of God and How great He is and that without God there would be nothing.

So be committed to weekly worship

Don’t see it as a task where you have to, but as an opportunity to be encouraged and touched by God and His love

View weekly worship as the flood light that shows the reality of how good God is.

Amen