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Worship June 2018

Church Family,
This month I want to share some thoughts on preparing for Sunday worship. How do you prepare for Sunday worship? Have you ever considered this question? Do we even need to prepare to worship on Sundays? And if so, what do we do to prepare? I think the answer to this question is, “yes”, we do need to prepare before we walk into the church doors on Sunday morning, and I think it’s important to do it. We don’t have to wait until we get to church to have an encounter with God, but we can start our time with God early in the morning, as we prepare our hearts to worship Him with the rest of our  brothers and sisters in church when to arrive for our corporate worship service. Here are four ways that we can all prepare our hearts for our Sunday Morning Worship Gathering.

1) Make the decision to attend Church. Our pastor always says, “Going to Church on Sunday is a Saturday night decision. Don’t wait until Sunday morning to see “how you feel.” You’ll always feel tired, weary, and too many feelings will you tell you not to go. Make this decision non-negotiable. Decide on Saturday to be a part of church on Sunday. Make plans and follow through. You’ll never regret spending an hour of your Sunday morning in corporate worship.

2) Get up early and spend time with God before going to Church. As mentioned earlier, our encounter with God doesn’t have to wait until we arrive at 9:30 am, but to rise early and spend time with God and His word will only enhance your corporate worship time. Not only does this enhance our worship, but it prepares our heart to love people well. It prepares our heart to serve well. And when we arrive to Church, our time with God propels us to live and love like He does. An early meeting with God in the morning will never leave regrets later in the day.

3) Stay caught up. And by this, I mean to stay up to date with the current sermon series. I know there are weeks where we will miss church, and there are some Sundays that we just don’t pay the best attention. All of our sermons are posted online on our website, and they are always up to date. We always work through a current sermon series, so it’s important to stay caught up. If you are aware how God moved last week, you’ll be more prepared for Him to move in your life this week! And this isn’t hard. We don’t want Netflix shows out of order. Let’s make it a point to listen to our Sunday sermons in order as well.

4) Talk about what you’ve learned. When our Sunday worship gathering has concluded, think about what you’ve learned, and share it with someone. Share with your family, your small group, or a friend. When God moves, share it. Be excited for what God is going to do on Sunday, because you know that after, you’ll have a great testimony to share as to what God has done in your life! So as we come on Sunday, we should expect to learn something that we can share with others. God is worthy of our conversation!

See you Sunday!
In Christ,
Jared

Worship 2018

Church Family,
I pray this season finds you well, as summer is here, and family fun and warm weather abounds. We all love summer. We get to spend more time outside. Summer vacation means the kids are home, and we get to spend a little more time with our families everyday.  Typically, summer brings a season of life in which we can breathe a little easier than the rest of the year.

2nd Timothy 4:2 says, “Preach the word. Be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with complete patience and teaching.” I share this verse because I believe that we are all tempted to see the summer as our “off-season.” With the vacations, the outings, and everything in between, we can be tempted to see it as a time to step back from our faith a little bit. We’re tempted to take time away from Church, take time away from our  bibles, take time away from sharing our faith, etc. I want to encourage us all to not let this happen. May we not see these summer months as an “off-season”, but I pray we take      advantage of this time to really focus in our faith, and truly consider how God can and will work in our lives. Here are my three prayers for us this summer:

1) I pray we will lean into community. Let’s take advantage of the time together as a Church family, and individual families. While the kids are home for summer break, take advantage of every moment. Let our families not just get lost with sleeping in, and video games, but love one another by spending time together. Spend time with other believers,   encouraging each other with the word. Take this time with your small group to have fun! Community is such an important aspect of discipleship.

2) I pray we will avoid distractions. This is a tough one. But I pray that we won’t get lost in the world of social media this summer. This is the easiest time to scroll on your phone for endless hours. And if we do this, we will miss community. Consider this as a time to look away from your phone, and more to others around you. Facebook and Instagram aren't going anywhere. Consider when you can take some time away from them this summer. I believe we can hear God   differently when we want to hear Him through His word. The bible alone is enough for us! Take time off from things that distract you.

3) I pray that we won’t forget to worship. Don’t stop worshipping. Did you know that you can worship even when you aren’t at church? As you travel, as you have vacation, as you enjoy community outings, don’t forget to worship the One who created it all! Keep reading your bible, keep singing songs to God (you can worship, even with Spotify in the car). Don’t neglect worship time with your families. Last month, I shared an article about the importance of family worship. What a great time to practice family worship this summer! And lastly, but most importantly, if you are able, come to Church! Make this a priority for your family. The best way to practice all 3 of these things is by staying connected to the local body of believers through corporate worship. You will never regret bringing your family to church for 1-2 hours on a Sunday morning.

See you Sunday!
In Christ,
Jared