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FOCUS OF THE MONTH: WORSHIPPING GOD

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How do we worship God, “in spirit and in Truth” (John 4:24), as Jesus commands us? Teaching our children about worship requires spiritual discipline and growth in spiritual understanding of the meaning of worship, both for the parents and for the children. So discussing worship together as a family, and making particular plans for family worship, is an extremely important discipleship activity, and the one which we shall be focusing on this month. For week one, ask the first question over an unhurried meal. Let the children think about it and then offer their own answers. The children should talk more than the parents. Throughout the week, offer the different answers highlighted and let the children discuss them. (Parents, read through the relevant Bible passages in advance). Challenge the children to look up other verses addressing the question. Do the same for the following questions each week for the month.


QUESTIONS TO HELP YOUR FAMILY GROW

Week One:

What does worship mean?

Read: Psalms 92, 96, and 100

  • Worship means respectful devotion—loving, honoring, and obeying someone who deserves our highest regard.
  • Worshipping God means acknowledging and celebrating His power and perfection in gratitude.
  • Worship includes understanding and awe of God’s Holiness; we remember how great He is and behave reverently in His Presence.

Week Two

How does worship fit into our relationship with God?

Read: Exodus 20:2-6, John 9:31, 1 Corinthians 14:22-25

  • Worship is a key part of our relationship with God - which we can experience because of Jesus Christ. When we worship God, we actively recognize Him as our Creator, Savior, and King.
  • Worship is how we tell God that we love Him.
  • Worship is our “reasonable service” (Romans 12:1) of gratitude for all God has done for us.
  • Worship is a way to spread the Gospel message to non-believers; when others see us worshipping God, they will realize that there is Someone Who deserves our worship, and may want to learn more about Him.

Week Three:

How do we worship God?

Read: Psalms 95 and 122:1, John 4:21-24

  • By thanking Him in prayer and song and through attending church.
  • By remembering and discussing the great things He has done—Jesus left us the memorial of His death and resurrection in the Lord’s Supper, which is a very special form of worship.
  • By celebrating His gift of salvation and other blessings in this life—in church, during religious holidays such as Christmas and Easter and Thanksgiving, and rejoicing in God’s love all the time.
  • Worship demonstrates both our closeness to God and our respect for God—when we pray or attend worship services, it is a time to “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10). But at the same time, God expects us to enjoy the time we spend with Him—He enjoys spending time with us!

Week Four:

What are spiritual disciplines, and how do they connect with worship?

Read: 1 Corinthians 9:23-27 and 12:1-13, Ephesians 6:11-19

  • Spiritual disciplines are active ways in which we try to live God’s way, demonstrating how much we appreciate His salvation and want to be more like Jesus, which is the best way to honor Him.
  • When we are spiritually disciplined, we are allowing God to control our fallen human instincts with His Own perfect wisdom, which helps us to see more clearly what He is like and have a closer relationship with Him.
  • Worship is a spiritual discipline, and most other spiritual disciplines have a worship element to them—praying, obeying, serving, and trusting in God’s guidance are all ways of telling God how much we love and respect Him, and want to do His Will.
  • When we love and honor someone, we naturally want to show it in our words and actions. Reciprocally, we will find ourselves loving and trusting God even more as we do things that express our devotion in concrete acts of worship through spiritual disciplines.

C.S. Lewis Institute

C.S. Lewis Institute, In the legacy of C. S. Lewis, we develop wholehearted disciples of Jesus Christ who will articulate, defend, share, and live their faith in personal and public life.

 

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