SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES – Session 4

WORSHIP: Offering yourself to God

Recap

A) Quiet Time

1. Problems you have with your quiet time and the action plan to eliminate this problem.

2. For beginners - insights from your time with the Lord using our 15 minute quiet time
guide.

3. For those who have their own quiet time routine, what did you do that was different for
your quiet time. (venue, routine, etc…) Share what worked and what didn’t.

B) The Six Parts of Prayer

1. PRAISE - thanksgiving for who the Lord is.

2. PURPOSE - committing to the Lord whatever you did for that day.
3. PROVISION – areas in your life where you need God to provide for you materially,
physically, emotionally and spiritually.
4. PARDON – reviewing if there are still people in your life whom you have yet to forgive.
5. PEOPLE – committing to pray for others.
6. PROTECTION – praying for the spiritual protection for yourself and others.

Lesson Proper

I. UNDERSTANDING THE TERM ‘WORSHIP

The key Biblical words that are translated as ‘worship’ are the following:
 Shachah (Shahah)- from the OT means “depress,” “bow down,” “prostrate”, as in
Exodus 4:31 (‘bowed their heads and worshipped”).
 Proskuneo (pros-koo-neh-o)– in the NT meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master's
hand; i.e. (literal or figurative) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore) :-
“prostrate”, “fall down”.

The Old and New Testament idea of worship is the REVERENTIAL attitude of mind or body or
both, combined with the general ceremonial and religious SERVICE of God, the feeling of awe,
veneration, adoration, and obedience.

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II. TRUE WORSHIP

True worship is our proper RESPONSE to who God is and to what He has done and will do in
and for us.

Who is this God we worship?

1. He is THE LORD
…Because He is your Lord, bow down to Him. Psalm 45:11

2. He is THE CREATOR
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the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship
Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11 "Worthy
art Thou, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all
things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created." Revelation 4:10-11

3. He is TRIUNE GOD
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be
with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14

4. He is THE KING
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Then it will come about that any who are left of all the nations that went against Jerusalem
will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of
Booths. 17 And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem
to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, there will be no rain on them. Zechariah 14:16-17

5. He is SPIRIT
"But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit
and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. John 4:23

6. He is THE SAVIOR
And there is no other God besides Me, a righteous God and a Savior; there is none except Me.
Isaiah 45:21

7. He is ETERNAL
Before the mountains were born, or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, even from
everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God. Psalm 90:2

8. He is OMNIPOTENT
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude and as the sound of many waters and as
the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, "Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty,
reigns. Revelation 19:6

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9. He is SOVEREIGN
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"Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and
there is no one like Me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things
which have not been done, saying, 'My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My
good pleasure'. Isaiah 46:9-10

10. He is IMMUTABLE (UNCHANGING)

"For I, the Lord, do not change…” Malachi 3:6

III. UNACCEPTABLE WORSHIP

There are certain forms or worship that are not acceptable to God. These include –

1. Worshipping the WRONG God

"You shall have no other gods before Me.” Exodus 20:3

"No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold
to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.” Matthew 6:24

Self-examination: Believers are guilty of this in a number of ways, e.g. –

 When they go to church and exalt themselves in their actions and in their speech. This
is a temptation open to preachers and those who give testimonies in public.

 When they attend Christian gatherings and discuss or transact their business there.
Some Christians involved in secular business are guilty of this.

 When they pray like the Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14, exalting themselves by thinking that
they are righteous because they use other people as their standard of righteousness.

 When they participate in Christian activities (Lord’s Supper, Bible Study, mission work,
church choir, etc.) without turning away from their sins like adultery, immorality,
bitterness, lust, greed, materialism, envy, and selfishness.

 When they go through the motion of worship (singing or praying) but the heart does not
connect with God or our mind is drifting or thinking of something else.

2. Worshipping God in one’s WAY.

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“…As they have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations, 4so I will
choose their punishments, and I will bring on them what they dread. Because I called, but no
one answered; I spoke, but they did not listen. And they did evil in My sight, and chose that in
which I did not delight." Isaiah 66:3-4
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3. Worshipping God through PHYSICAL representations.
And he took this from their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it into a molten
calf; and they said, "This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt."
Exodus 32:4

IV. ACCEPTABLE WORSHIP

The Bible identifies certain aspects of worship which make it acceptable to God.

1. Worshipping God in SPIRIT and in TRUTH.

"God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:24

2. Worship is the presentation of PHYSICAL bodies to God as a sacrifice, holy and

acceptable to Him.
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy
sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. Romans 12:1

To worship God also means keeping our body PURE and presenting it to GOD pure. That is to
say, it is abstaining from sexual immorality, making one’s physical self available for God’s use,
and also presenting one’s body decently to God. This is just a restatement of worshipping God
is truth.

The full significance of the passage is that we worship God by giving Him our whole being.
What does this mean? In the context of corporate worship and in practical terms, let me
enumerate three things that we give to God.

a. Worshipping God by giving Him our POSSESSIONS.

"Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and
have come to worship Him." Matthew 2:2

And they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell
down and worshiped Him; and opening their treasures they presented to Him gifts of
gold and frankincense and myrrh. Matthew 2:11

b. Worshipping God by giving Him our PRAISE.

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I will praise the name of God with song, and shall magnify Him with thanksgiving. 31
And it will please the Lord better than an ox or a young bull with horns and hoofs. Psalm
69:30-31

Serve the Lord with gladness; come before Him with joyful singing…Enter His gates with
thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name. Psalm
100:2,4

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 c. Worshipping God by giving Him our PROMISES.
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Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the sons of Israel assembled with fasting,
in sackcloth, and with dirt upon them. 2 And the descendants of Israel separated
themselves from all foreigners, and stood and confessed their sins and the iniquities of
their fathers. 3 While they stood in their place, they read from the book of the law of the
Lord their God for a fourth of the day; and for another fourth they confessed and
worshiped the Lord their God. Nehemiah 9:1-3

CONCLUSION:
1. What practices or sins may be hindering you from truly worshipping God?
2. Do you prepare your heart prior to corporate worship?
3. Is your worship based on the Bible or on religious traditions?

FELLOWSHIP: Participating in God’s Family

“Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us
encourage each other.” Hebrews 10:25 (GN)

WHY IS FELLOWSHIP SO IMPORTANT?

1. I BELONG in God’s family with other believers.

“Let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
Galatians 6:10

“You are a member of God’s very own family… and you belong in God’s household with every
other Christian.” Ephesians 2:19 (LB)

“The Christian who is not committed to a group of other believers for praying, sharing, and
serving, so that he is known, as he knows others, is not an obedient Christian. He is not in the
will of God. However vocal he may be in his theology, he is not obeying the Lord.” Dr. Ray
Ortland

2. I need OTHERS to grow spiritually.

“Let us think of one another and how we can encourage each other to love and do good deeds.”
Hebrews 10:24

“Two are better off than one… If one of them falls down, the other can help him up. But if
someone is alone and falls, it’s just too bad, because there is no one to help him… Two men can
resist an attack that would defeat one man alone. A rope made of three cords is hard to break.”
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10,12 (GN)
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3. I need ACCOUNTABILITY to grow spiritually.
“People learn from one another just as iron sharpens iron.” Proverbs 27:17 (GN)

“Every day… keep encouraging one another so that none of you is hardened by the glamour of
sin.”
Hebrews 3:13 (JB)

4. Christ is PRESENT when we fellowship together.

“For wherever two or three have come together in my name, I am there, right among them!”
Matthew 18:20 (GN)

5. There is GREAT POWER when people pray together.

“Whenever two of you on earth agree about anything you pray for, it will be done for you by My
Father in heaven.”
Matt. 18:19 (GN)

6. Fellowship is a WITNESS to the world.

“My prayer for all of them is that they will be of one heart and mind.. so the world will believe
you sent Me.”
John 17:21 (LB)

7. I am OBLIGATED to every other Christian.

“God has given you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other…” 1 Peter
4:10 (LB)

“There are different kinds of service to God…together you form the body of Christ and each one
of you is a necessary part of it.” 1 Cor. 122:5,27 (LB)

The “One Another’s” of Fellowship (Partial List)

Serve one another Galatians 5:13

Accept one another Romans 15:7
Forgive one another Colossians 3:13
Bear one another’s burdens Galatians 6:2
Honor one another Romans 12:10
Teach one another Romans 15:14
Submit to one another Ephesians 5:21
Encourage one another 1 Thessalonians 5:11

HOW CAN A LARGE CHURCH MAINTAIN CLOSE FRIENDSHIP?

Every member needs to be a part of a DISCIPLESHIP (“D”) GROUP.

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“(They met) day after day, in the Temple courts and from house to house.”
Acts 5:42

2 Types of Church Meetings

Large Group
Small Group

“Greet the church that meets in their home.” Romans 16:5

See also Acts 2:26, 8:3, 16:40, 20:20, 1 Cor. 16:19, Col. 4:15

At Christ’s Commission Fellowship, we believe our church must…

Grow LARGER and SMALLER at the same time.

What is the purpose of our small groups? Acts 2:42-47

1. BIBLE STUDIES-EDIFICATION
“They DEVOTED THEMSELVES to the apostle’s teaching…”

2. FELLOWSHIP “…and to the fellowship…”

3. COMMUNION “…and to the breaking of bread…”

4. PRAYER “…and to prayer…”

5. MUTUAL SUPPORT
“…they gave to anyone as he had a need…”

6. ENCOURAGEMENT
“In response to all He has done for us, let us outdo each other in being helpful and kind
to each other and in doing good. Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people
do, but encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of His coming back
again is drawing near” Hebrews 10:24-25

7. TRAIN/EQUIPPING
“ Some of us have been given special ability as apostles; to others He has given the gift of
being able to preach well; some have special ability in winning people to Christ, helping
them to trust Him as their Savior; still others have a gift for caring for God’s people as a
shepherd does his sheep, leading and teaching them in the ways of God. Why is it that
He gives us these special abilities to do certain things best? It is that God’s people will be
equipped to do better work for Him, building up the Church, the body of Christ, to a
position of strength and maturity;” Eph. 4:11-12 (LB)

8. OUTREACH/EVANGELISM
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 “And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Acts 2:47

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