Worship: Actively Embace Jesus

Part 6 of a series on the book "Transformational Church"

 
The third transformational loop described by Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer is labeled Engage. It contains three elements, the first of which is Worship - Actively Embrace Jesus.


Reasons for corporate gatherings:God is glorified when Christians gather together to worship Him

• People will look over our shoulders to the God of our experience
• Worship provides a defense for the faith that is not man-made but is God authored and supernatural

What Happens When We Gather?

• How many encountered the transforming presence of God through worship?
• Are we creating consumers of religious goods and services or making disciples?
• When people attend worship, are they simply observing a show or being transformed by God?
• The TC plans on seeing people drawn in before God’s presence, experience His power, and be transformed by His grace

Worship serves to connect us with Christ and equip us for ministry. Little of substance will be done in the name of a God we have never experienced. True worship allows us to experience God at a deeper level. When you experience God on a deeper level, personal and corporate mission will always follow.

Real worship will transform the worshipper. Transformed worshippers will change the world.

Worship Pleasing to God

• TC find a way for people to avoid the debates about place, style, and method. They focus on maximum participation in worship.
• Passive worshippers usually live passive Christian lives
• TCs actively engage people in worship and are led by worship leaders who value participation over performance

The Purpose of Worship

• In corporate gatherings, we are not called to lead worship but to lead people into the presence of God
• Worship is a spiritual discipline that communicates a biblical meaning in a cultural form
• Worship from your unity and choose music out of your mission
• How can worship be planned to lead people in this time and place to worship an eternal God?
• How can our worship be planned so people can focus on God and give Him praise, glory, and honor?
• Worship is to be understood by those in need of transformation

Address Tough Worship Questions Together

• Ask the Lord
• Involve people
• Study Scripture
• Die to self
• Avoid “truces”
• Ask new questions
• Focus on revelation
• Design new scorecards

When lives have been reformed by the presence and power of God,            then your worship is working.

The excerpts above are from the book "Transformational Churches" by Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer. TC is the result of a comprehensive study of thousands of churches where truly changing lives is the standard set for ministry.



Next: Engage - Community: Connect People with People