Message Title: This Is us | Worship
Series: Week 1
Scripture: John 4:1-24
Bottom Line: Worship isn't about us!
Worship the Father in "Spirit & Truth"
Group Check in:
How is it with your soul?
Prayer Request? Praises?
Ice Breaker:
Share one of your favorite worship memories.
What are two or three of your favorite hymns and gospel songs and why do you enjoy them?
Overview:
Pastor Matt introduced the new series: This Is US. This week we explored James’ calling as a worship leader as a teaching moment about the nature of worship.
Jesus invites us to worship the Father in “spirit and truth.” This is our task in worship: not how we like or prefer worship, but how we connect to God and offer ourselves to Him. (Important sources: NIV Application Commentary; A Visual Guide to Bible Events)
John 4:21-24 - Read this passage. The woman at the well asked Jesus which place of worship is correct. Jesus simply answered by saying it doesn't matter where you worship, but that you must worship in Spirit and truth. The Spirit is the presence of God.
Jesus doesn't care where you worship. It is what lead Paul to write 1 Corinthians 6:19, "Your body is a temple. God lives within you." That spirit within you leads to the truth. It is no longer about where you worship physically, because the Spirit is within. Now it is about how we will worship.
Worship is not about what you consume, or what you like or don’t like. Worship is not about us. We are to be grounded in the presences of God, not in the experience that we are trying to create.
Worship is about connection to the Spirit that is the dynamic living water that quenches our thirst for healing, forgiveness, love, and orients the desires of our hearts toward the Truth
We come parched and leave revived- it's not about the form of worhsip. Worship is about the encounter with the Spirit and the confession of the Truth about God, Us, Life.
Discussion Questions:
Reconsider your understanding and approach to worship. Worship connects us to the roots that empower our lives as followers of Jesus. Have you ever made worship into something it was never intended to be?
How would you describe worship and its impact on your life?
Why do we often relate worship with Sunday and no other time?
What are some things in your life that may become a distraction and get in the way of your worship of God?
Why does Jesus repeat that we “must worship in Spirit and truth” (John 4:24)?
What does it mean to worship God in Spirit and truth?
Jesus points out that with His coming the geographical center of worship is no longer important. Instead, God is looking for something else. What is it as seen in verses 21-24? What does this mean?
What is one practical thing you can do this week to live as a worshiper of God in spirit and truth? Write it down and reflect on it through the week. Ask your small group to keep you accountable.
What impact should this conversation between the Samaritan woman and Jesus have on us and our witness in the world?
Challenge:
Next time you think, "I didn't like that so much," remember that's not the point. Our worship leaders, like James or Woody, are not trying to craft something you "like." Instead, they are being used by God to connect you to the Spirit, who transforms by the power of the truth.