How To Make Worship A Theme In Your Preaching

HOW TO MAKE PROPER WORSHIP A THEME IN YOUR PREACHING

A. Pray with your elders before the service that in every way the service would bring glory to Jesus Christ.

PRAYER CHANGES THINGS

B. Instruct the song leader in the art of worshipful choruses and hymns.

C. Give center stage to the worship, praise, and glory of our Lord. Start the service with scripture that gives Jesus the praise, reverence, and honor that He alone deserves.

D. Distinguish your worship as that which is in ``Spirit and in truth’’.

E. Magnify the attributes of God (His holiness, omnipotence, wisdom, righteousness, and love etc.)

F. Preach as unto the Lord and not to men knowing that from the Lord you will receive your reward. It is the Lord Jesus Christ whom we serve and not men. (Col. 3:23,24)

G. Let your worship include celebration in song, thanksgiving, praise, and testimonies.

H. Allow people to serve, give, and offer sacrifices of praise befitting the name of Jesus Christ.

I. Before preaching, pause to pray, asking God to magnify Himself through His word in the life of each person sitting in the congregation.

Group Prayer Has Added

Strength and Effects

J. Add the admonition in your prayer that those who hear the word of God and do not obey it are deceiving themselves and dishonoring God.

K. Encourage everyone to express his personal worship of God before, during, and after the message.

L. Provide an opportunity for the people to respond to the Lord after the message (As the Spirit directs) by a show of hands, having them stand, or having them sign a decision card for response to His word!

M. Do not allow your worship to become stuck in the ruts of traditions that have lost their meaning. (Acts 18:13) Spontaneity is vital to keep worship fresh, joyous, and personal.

N. Use the Psalms generously in your worship of the Lord.

O. Help the people to see that God is a jealous God who abhors the worship of any other god beside Him.

P. Caution the people from worshipping the Lord in vain as the Pharisees did in Mt. 15:9. ``They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.’’

Q. Caution people against the worship with images. (Acts 7:43)

R. Help people to see that God exalts Himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped. (2 Thes. 2:4)

S. We must test every spirit so as not to fall into a trap of worshipping demons. (Rev. 9:20)

T. Help people to see that Christians’ chief occupation for all eternity will be to worship God. (Rev. 22:8)

U. Worship means to ascribe worth, reverence, and honor to someone.

V. Our main occupation in heaven and for all eternity will be worshipping God. (Rev. 5:12-14)

W. When Jacob learned to worship God at Bethel in Gen. 28, he gained a new outlook on life. He became industrious, zealous, and less selfish. He established an altar so that the Jews would learn how to worship God. Jesus told the Samaritan woman that worship is not done only in a certain place. Instead, true worship is done in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

X. Worship is both a revelation and mystery. We help people experience the presence of God in revelation (The Bible) and show them how to stand in awe of God in the face of mystery (God’s transcendent greatness, power, & wisdom etc.)

Y. Samuel Miller has called worship a miracle. He said, ``The miracle of worship is a sight of God seen through earthly circumstance; it is the glory of God shining through darkness; it is the power of God felt when all other strength fails; ;it is the eternal manifested in time.’’

Z. Worship is also a celebration of who God is, what He has done, and what He will continue to do! This is plenty of reason to enjoy musical praises to God in our services. Let us rejoice together in the goodness of God!

AA. Worship is not to be viewed as limited to the devotion, ceremonies, and rites that occur in church. Worship is synonymous with life. We can worship God in our work, in our conversation, in our families, in our prayers, in our fellowship, and in our giving!

BB. Worship is practicing the presence of God in everyday life!

CC. Worship is both revelation and response. God takes the initiative in revelation and man responds with obedience, prayer, singing, teaching, blessings, and witness.

DD. Psa. 96:8 says, ``Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering, and come into His courts!’’ Worship is not just to receive blessings from God but to make offerings to God. Pagans, secret society members, and other idol worshippers continue to offer sacrifices of chickens, goats, and body parts to their gods. The Bible tells us to offer a pure sacrifice, the fruit of our lips that give glory to God. The Philippians’ gifts were seen as ``a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to God.’’ (Phil. 4:18) Paul offered up an offering of the Gentile church to God in Romans 15:16. Paul told the Romans in 12:1 to offer your bodies as a ``Living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God which was your reasonable service.’’