Worship as a Lifestyle

We often refer to church as a "worship service". It's easy to think of worship as happening in church and the rest of life happening outside of church. We are urged in the Bible (Romans 12:1) to be a "living sacrifice", as acceptable worship.

Part of our goal in the worship team is to help the members of Hillside to worship as a lifestyle. We hope the experience goes beyond just Sunday morning.

What would a lifestyle of worship look like? Is it possible to always have a heart of worship throughout our daily lives?

Here are two articles on the topic:

• How can I live a lifestyle of worship?
• The Lifestyle of Worship

Community Service Downtown Lapeer - 9-24-2017

This year we took our Be the Church Sunday and combined it with the Ezra Project taking place in downtown Lapeer. Our service this week will be in the pavilion on the courthouse lawn.

Music will start around 10:30, but the actual service begins at 11:00. We will wrap up around 12:00 and there will a lunch afterward.

A lot of work went into the service. Big thanks to Dave for his preparation and planning. We are excited to be joined by the worship team from St. Matthew's Anglican Church too! Here's a quick video I put together for the church Facebook page.

Pre-Service 9-17-2017 - Always Growing

Here's another quote this week from A. W. Tozer:

"Why should the church be a spiritual school composed of first-graders who never go beyond the first grade? Nobody wants to get any further than this, and I do not mind saying that I am somewhat sick about it all. It seems to be an awful, mixed-up concept of Christianity."

Do you agree that the church is filled with first-graders when it comes to spiritual growth?

How do we know what mature Christians should act like?

When kids are in school, attendance is mandatory and quality work is required if they want to keep parents and teachers happy. What things keep us on track in our spiritual growth?

Suggested verses for reflection: (Just click the verse below to read them online.)

• Hebrews 5:11-13
• 2 Peter 1:5-11
• Hebrews 10:24-25

Suggestions for Prayer:

• Pray for the people of Lapeer as we prepare for the ministries starting this week. 
• Pray for wisdom, guidance and conviction about your part in the ministry teams.
• Pray everyone who will be serving on ministry teams and for the service we will have downtown next week.

Pre-Service 9-10-2017 - Entertainment or Worship?

I read this quote by A. W. Tozer recently and it gave me a lot to think about:

The church that can’t worship must be entertained. 

And men who can’t lead a church to worship must provide the entertainment.

When music is played on the stage, is it possible some people could confuse it as entertainment? (Or maybe just a poor excuse for entertainment?)

Is it possible some people are bored with a worship service because they're expecting to be entertained?

Is it possible some people sing out in a service not because they are praising God, but just because they like the songs or they like to sing?

Of course, we can't concern ourselves too much with what "some people" are doing or thinking. Who knows what's in their hearts? The only real thing we can do is examine our own hearts when we worship.

How do we know we are worshiping God and not just taking it in for ourselves, to enjoy it or feel better about ourselves?

Verses for meditation:

• 2 Corinthians 13:5-6
• Psalm 24
• Romans 12:1-6

Prayer suggestions:

• Pray for yourself and others to be open to true worship in the service this morning.
• Pray for the people of Lapeer as we prepare for all the ministries going on from 9/21 - 9/24. Pray for those who will be working on the ministry teams and for the service we will have downtown.
• Pray for the many people who have suffered in the natural disasters in recent weeks

Pre-Service 9-3-2017 - Expectations

What do you expect when you participate in a worship service? 

We asked that question to our congregation recently. There were many different answers given.

If I had to sum it up, most answers had something to do with connecting with God. Some said that specifically. Others said things like hearing from God or hearing God's word. A few people emphasized the opportunity it gives us to connect with fellow believers.

When I saw the range of answers, all being good things we should experience in a community of Christians, it made me wonder what my expectations are. I wanted to list them specifically and also prioritize them. And I wanted to have some verses from the Bible to back them up.

It has been harder than I thought to find verses to back up what I expect. For example, it's very common to hear popular worship leaders say we are coming into the presence of God when we worship. A guy I knew used to lead worship and he said his job was bring people to the Throne.

But where do we see those ideas in the Bible? And how would we even know if those things happened in our services? Are we mostly going by feelings, and if we are, is that a bad thing?

I find these questions fascinating because expectations (whether right or wrong, met or unmet) will have a huge impact on everything else we do (or don't do) in a church.

So this morning as you prepare for worship, consider your expectations. What do you think will happen in our service? What do you hope will happen? 

Here are some suggested verses about people worshiping God in the Old Testament, New Testament and eternity:

• Psalm 96
• Hebrews 12:28-29
• Revelation 4:8-11

Pre-Service 8-27-2017 - Being Good-News People

Good-News People?

In his book Simply Good News, N.T. Wright says Christians should be Good-News People. It's like how Jesus told His disciples they would be the light of the world.

So when we pray, "Your kingdom come, Your will be done," the answer to that prayer starts in our hearts. As we are transformed, God's kingdom breaks into the world.

The love, joy, peace and other fruits of the Spirit that we experience should spill over into a hurting, broken world.

That's part of how we bring the Good News to the people around us. It happens when we remember we have  been blessed so we can be a blessing to others.

Suggested Scripture for Meditation

• Matthew 5:13-16
• Colossians 3:12-17
• Galatians 5:16-26

Thoughts for Further Reflection

• Verses about being a blessing
• Four Laws of God's Blessings from Rick Warren

Pre-Service 8-20-2017 - Loving God

Questions to Consider

• We can love other people by helping them get what they need. How do we love God?
• What specific things can we do to show God we love Him?
• Is it possible to do those same actions, but not have a love for God?
• If we asked our friends, family, co-workers, etc. to list the things we love, would they put God on the list? Does our love for God show that clearly in our daily lives? 
• Are Christians in general known for their love of God? Why do you think this is so?

Suggested Scripture for Meditation

• Matthew 22:36-40
• 1 John 4:19-21
• John 15:4-17

Crazy Love

Crazy Love is a book by Francis Chan that challenges Christians to love God fully. You can read the first part of the book here. You can watch videos about the book at this site.

Pre-Service 8-13-2017 - Desiring God

Questions to Consider

• In what ways did I "hunger for God" or seek Him in the past week?
• What other things did I desire and chase after in the past week? Did I pursue those things with more passion than I pursued God?
• Can a person develop a hunger for God? If so, how?
• Can we help other people to have a hunger for God? If so, how?

Articles for Further Study

Here are two articles if you want to explore these ideas fully at a later time.

• Hungering and Thirsting for God
• Developing a Hunger for God

Suggested Scripture for Meditation

• Psalm 42:1-5
• Psalm 73:23-28
• Philippians 3:7-14
• Psalm 23 - This has been our passage for the sermons the past six weeks. The series will conclude this week.

Pre-Service 8-6-2017 - True Worship That God Desires

What Is Worship?

It seems most people have an opinion on what should happen (or not happen) in a worship service. Many Christians even choose a church based on how the worship service fits their opinions and preferences.

But worship is not about us, it's about God. How do we know we the service and our own personal worship is pleasing to Him?

Here are two articles to help you consider what makes true worship.

• What Is Worship? by John Piper
• What Is True Worship? from Christianity Today

Suggested Scripture for Meditation

• Psalm 96:1-10
• John 4:19-24
• James 1:22-27
• Psalm 23 - This has been our passage for the sermons the past five weeks. The series will conclude next week.