~ Open in Prayer ~
Icebreaker
• Have you been to a 212 Conference? Do you plan on attending in May?
• What’s something good God has done recently in your life?
• Are you team more daylight or less daylight?
Message Review
We must worship God in spirit and in truth. God wants our best and is seeking true worshippers. We worship from what we know and at the level of which we know God. We can’t question or judge someone else’s worship because we don’t know what God has brought them from. Someone’s level of worship will reveal to us how much they know God. Big “knowing” leads to big worship, little “knowing” leads to little worship. When we start getting too “familiar” we must remind ourselves of the things God has done. Reminding ourselves of how good God has been will help increase our level of worship. We worship God based on what WE KNOW, what HE HAS REVEALED, and what HE HAS TAUGHT us.
Let’s dig in more…
Read John 4:22-24
In this passage Jesus reveals that the Samaritans don’t know a lot about who they worship. When we know who we worship we worship on a different level. That knowledge gives us a deeper level of gratitude, thanks, and reverence. God is searching for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. He seeks the true worshipper. What/who are you worshipping? What does it mean to worship in spirit and truth? Do you think you do this?
We worship what we know. You can’t worship a God you don’t know. People worship God the way they know Him. When you see someone in a deep worship that seems “extreme,” instead of judging them we should wonder what they know. The level of their worship reveals a deep knowledge of God and the things He has done for them. Your worship reveals the level of knowledge you have of Him. What are your thoughts on this? What does your worship say about how you know God?
Read Revelation 12:11 | Psalms 103:1-5 | 1 Corinthians 2:10-12
When we remember what God has done for us and share our testimony it helps deepen our level of worship. We must never forget the good things He has done. He deserves our praise just for who He is, but He is aware of our human limitations and know that we sometimes need revelation and experience. You can’t worship the God you don’t know, so you worship Him based on what He’s done and what He has revealed. How has God moved in your life? What has He revealed to you?
Read Exodus 3:13-14 | Luke 7:36-48; Mark 14:3-9
We should worship God because He is the “I AM.” He is whatever you need Him to be. Therefore, we worship Him for the God we know that He is, not based on what happened to us during the week. We worship Him for who He is, not from our current reality. If we are currently struggling, we speak “He is my provider.” We speak what He is, not what our circumstances are. We must worship from a posture of a lifetime of experience with God not based on how we currently feel.
The extravagance of your worship is a sign of your gratitude. In Luke and Mark we read that the woman broke a jar of expensive oil and used it on Jesus. She didn’t just pour it neatly but broke it which can get messy. What she did demonstrated her level of honor and reverence for Jesus. She had a knowledge of Him that the others didn’t understand. When we realize that our worship has become “less extravagant” we must remind ourselves of who God is and what He has been. Pastor Ron states that the enemy of passionate praise and worship is familiarity, and we must guard ourselves from familiarity through daily remembrance of God’s goodness. What has God been to you? When is the last time you had to break open your worship vs just pour it out? What has helped you combat “familiarity” in your praise and worship?
Prayer Focus and Requests
Ask your members if they have any prayer requests or praise reports. Pray that they worship God in spirit and in truth and begin to remember what God has done in their lives.
Scripture References
John 4:22-24
1 Corinthians 2:9-13
John 14:26
Roman 8:14-16
Luke 7:36-47
Malachi 1:11
Luke 7:47
Psalm 103:1-3