Category Archives: Worship

Worship isn’t just a function of church life. Worshiping together puts our focus on the Lord Himself, the reason we gather together as a Body.

What Can We Offer a God Who Owns It All?

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Worship & Offering

Ascribe to the Lord the glory due His name. Bring an offering and come before Him.  (1 Cor. 16:29)

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise. (Heb. 13:15)

Truths Affecting What We Can Offer to God

Notice two important points in the opening words of Hebrews 13:15.

  1. We come on the merits of Jesus.  We only have something to give because He was sacrificed on our behalf.  — “Through Jesus, therefore, …”
  1. Based on all Jesus has done for us, it only makes sense that our worship is constant.  — “continually offer”

In light of these truths, think through the implications about what we can we offer Him.

  • We can offer our money and material goods to Him.  . . . Yet, He owns it anyway.  (Col. 1:16)
  • We can offer our service.  . . . Yet, apart from Christ we can do nothing.  (Jn. 15:5)
  • We can offer our mouths to be His witnesses.  . . . Yet, it is the power of God that saves.  (Rom. 1:16)
  • We can offer our compliance to do things His way.  . . . Yet, it is only in our best interest to do so as His ways are better than our ways.  (Isa. 55:9)
  • We can offer our very lives to the Lord.  . . . Yet, it is only our “reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1, KJV).

Let’s not pat ourselves on the back because we serve, witness, obey, and commit our lives to Him … even if we do so more than the next person.  We can only offer any of the above to Him because of what He has already given us or done for us.

Let’s heed the words written to the Corinthian church:

What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as though you did not? (1 Cor. 4:7)

More:  Implications for the Worship Leader & Individual Worshiper

Also check out this resource: Worship Ministry Manual

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Loving God the Top Priority in Your Church?

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Priority to Love GodJesus said,

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.”  (Matt. 22:37-38)

If loving God with the whole of our being is the greatest commandment, then the greatest purpose we can have as a church is to love God and help others learn to love Him.

Ways to Show Love to God and Make Loving God Our Top Priority

1)  Worship Him.

Let God know how much we adore Him.

2)  Communicate with Him.

Let God know how much we trust Him.

3)  Learn about Him.

Let God know how much we want to know Him.

4)  Obey Him.

Let God know how much we revere Him.

5)  Give Him our best.

Let God know how much we value Him.

6)  Care about what matters to Him.

Let God know how much we identify with Him.

Order the Steering the Church Toward God’s Purposes Leadership Guide which includes these points in the form of a brief assessment for leaders of how well they and the church they serve are evidencing love for God in these ways.

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Do You Have a Worth-Giving Church?

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Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.  (Ps. 145:3)

God is worthy of all praise but He is also worthy of our best efforts, time, and resources.  Do we, His church, get that?  Do we truly realize how worthy He is of our all? Does our worth-giving go beyond some expressions of praise in a worship service?

Gauges to Help Determine If You Have a Worth-Giving Church

Gauge if Worth-Giving Church by ServingServing:  When Isaiah grasped who the Lord was, he realized his own unworthiness, and volunteered to serve — “Here am I Lord.  Send me!” (Isa. 6:1-8)

How are recruitment efforts going in your church?  Are people willing to invest even a degree of the same level of worth they give to jobs, relationships, and other activities in terms of time and stamina?

Equipping to be Worth-Giving ChurchEquipping:  The Apostle Paul told Timothy how the Word is used to make us “thoroughly equipped for every good work”  (2 Tim. 3:16-17).  God’s desire is to “equip you with everything good for doing his will” (Heb. 13:20-21).

How are training efforts going in your church?  Are people willing to invest some of their time to learning how to serve or are they too busy and stressed out by other things?

Gauging Church GivingGiving:  Paul commended the Corinthian church for their generosity informing them that “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God”  (2 Cor. 9:11-12).

How are stewardship efforts going in your church?  Are people giving as God has prospered them?  Are people willing to invest their resources into the work of the Lord or is most of their money going toward the latest gadgets and technology, eating out, recreation, and the like?

For Church Leaders Who Want a Church That Gives God Their All

Perhaps as a ministry leader you understand how God deserves our best and view stewardship as important.  You might be discouraged, however, and ready to give up if the above indicators are low or running on empty in your church.  Rather than throw your hands up in despair, reflect on the following questions:

  • Are you thinking outside of the box, trying different means, getting more creative in how you approach people?
  • Though you can’t control other people’s responses, are you at least working with those who do want to give God their all?
  • Are you leading by example in personally being a worth-giver?
  • Most importantly, are you presenting to people a God is so great that they can’t even fathom His greatness, a God who is worthy of our all?
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