Jesus Be the Centre Coming Back to the Heart of Worship

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1 Jesus Be the Centre Coming Back to the Heart of Worship St Leonard s Bible Study Notes Summer 2014 Written by Jamie and Verity Murray

2 Introduction With all that has been happening in the parish and the ongoing uncertainty over leadership, it seemed a good time to refocus through worship. The early church gathered and worshipped and in those times encountered the presence of God through the Holy Spirit. My sense, as I prayed about the teaching for this term, was that we should do the same; as a community, individually and corporately. We have based this series loosely around Matt Redman s simple but heartfelt book The Unquenchable Worshipper. It is easy to read and quite cheap to pick up second-hand. Although it is simple, it is written from a profound and extremely well-grounded understanding of worship as a way of life. Often, to express something simply, underlying depth is necessary and Matt clearly has this. I commend it to you all. Worship is so much more than what happens when we gather on a Sunday. It is more than songs, silence, prayers, preaching, giving and sharing. Christian worship is centred on Jesus as Saviour and Lord. Christians have died and continue to die as they hold fast to this truth. Giving up our lives for Jesus is the ultimate act of worship. For most of us, this is found in the daily grind, rather than a single martyrdom. However, I suspect the giving up of our lives for Jesus would only flow from the daily offering. So I commend these simple studies to you as part of your branch meetings. You can explore them briefly or at length and then use the rest of your meeting to actually worship rather than talk about it! Our prayer is that we will encounter the presence of Jesus through His Spirit as we worship Him in our daily lives and so we will bring Him glory and honour. Shalom Jamie

3 Week 1 The Unquenchable Worshipper 1. What hinders you worshipping and praising God? Read Habakkuk 3: Habakkuk believed a vision and hope that God was going to deal with the Chaldean invaders. It was not before Israel was, in fact, be taken captive which makes his incredible declaration of v17-18 so striking. 2. Why could Habbakuk choose to rejoice and trust in God? 3. What does this tell us about the possibilities of worship and praise? 4. How might you overcome the hindrances to expressing praise and worship to God over the next week? 5. Optional: Psalm 89 is divided into 2 parts; verses 1-37 and verses At verse 52 he still decides to bless and praise the Lord. What can you apply in principle from this shape of worship? Week 2 The Undone Worshipper 1. Read Isaiah 6:1-7. Isaiah responds to his experience of God in holy awe and an overwhelming awareness of sin. Have you experienced anything like this? How did you respond? 2. Read Psalm 51. This is attributed to David after Nathan prophetically revealed his sin. How did he respond? Is this how you respond when you are aware of your own sin? If yes, what effect does it have on you and your relationship with God? 3. Sometimes we hesitate to seek God because we are already aware of our sin. What would be the best way of dealing with this?

4 Week 3 The Undignified Worshipper 1. Read Luke 6: How does this apply to our life of worship? 2. Read 2 Samuel 6: What do we learn about David and Michael s contrasting attitudes to worship? How does this relate to your answer toqu.1 above? 4. What are the implications for our a) our private worship and b) our public worship? 5. Have you ever risked being undignified in worship? Why or why not? What can you learn from David s example? Week 4 The Unpredictable Worshipper 1. Read Mark 14:3-9. What would be a modern day equivalent of this act? 2. What does it show about Jesus priorities? 3. There is a prophetic element to this act of worship. What was it about this woman that made this possible and why do you think she responded inthis way? 4. Read Revelation 2:1-5. How does this apply to a life of worship? Week 5 The Unveiled Worshipper 1. Read Exodus 34:28-35 and 2 Corinthians 3: As a group, work together to put into your own words what Paul is saying. 3. What are the implications for us as Christians? 4. What stops us being mirrors for God? 5. In what way can this be overcome? Week 6 The Unstoppable Worshipper 1. Read Acts 16: What would you have thought of Paul and Silas if you were one of the other prisoners both before and after the earthquake? 2. The whole book Prison to Praise came from this chapter. What do you make of this principle that praise and worship can set us free from our prisons? Have you experienced this change of perspective through worship and praise? 3. Psalm 69 is a lament but look at the end from verse 29 (read some of the rest!) Notice how the psalmist declares truth and moves to praise. Do you ever begin prayer with truth declarations? What effect does this have? If you have never tried this, why not try it and see?

5 Week 7 Pentecost Jesus spoke about the need for the disciples to wait for power from on high (Luke 24:49.) Take time this evening to praise and worship the Lord then ask the Holy Spirit to fill you afresh. Pray for one another to be filled afresh with the Spirit. We need to be fully equipped to witness to Jesus resurrection. Acts demonstrates the work and ministry of the Spirit in the early disciples (Acts 2:1-4). Read Acts 4:24-31 and adapt this prayer for yourselves. Week 8 The Unnoticed Worshipper 1. Worship is much more than singing and words. Read Luke 21:1-4. What is special about the widow s act of worship? What are the implications for your life and lifestyle? King Saul was Israel s first King but he proved himself disobedient to the Lord. Samuel the prophet rebuked him and told him that God had already chosen another King to replace him. 2. Read 1 Samuel 13:14 and 1 Samuel 16: Why Did the Lord choose David as the next King? Why was David not an obvious choice to others? 3. Consider your hidden life of honouring and worship of God. Ask for revelation about how to live this hidden life of worship put something into practice in the next week. Week 9 The Undivided Worshipper Jesus lived his life on earth focused on pleasing and honouring His Heavenly Father, giving true worth to Him. 1. Read John 17:25-18:11. How does Jesus demonstrate an undivided heart? 2. Read Romans 12:1. How do you explain sacrifice as worship? 3. What could help you to make this true in your life? What would it look like in practise? Week 10 The Unsatisfied Worshipper 1. Read Romans 8: In what ways can our life of worship create a sense of holy dissatisfaction? 2. What is the role of the Spirit in our worship? 3. There are differing views as to what Paul means in v I think it could well refer to the gift of tongues but may include other expressions of prayer. What do you think? 4. Read 1 Cor 12: 31 and 1 Cor 14:1-5 (this refers to much more than preaching from the front of a church gathering.) Don t be satisfied with you current gifting from God. Seek gifts that will build up the church and enable you to be yet more fruitful in your discipleship. Pray for one another around this.

6 Week 11 The Unending Worshipper 1. Read Philippians 1: What is Paul s perspective here in your own words? 2. Frankly most of us don t have this. Why is that? 3. How might we follow through on v27-30? 4. Take time to reflect on this series. What have you learned? Has your attitude or practice of worship changed at all? How will you choose (or continue to choose) to be a worshipper and put Jesus at the centre?