Worship Thoughts in Preparation for the Lord's Day

I have been reading through a book entitled Transformational Church written by Ed Stetzer and Thom Rainer. We recently discussed the chapter on Worship in our Team Huddle. Here are some thoughts that I found helpful to me and I trust that they will be to you as we prepare to come together as a church to worship our Savior. Please remember that worship is not limited to the music, but is to include the whole service.


* Worship is designed to actively embrace Jesus

* Worship is a manner of living and not a mode of church programming.

* We should arrive with the expectation of God's presence to be real and transformative in our worship experience.

* God is glorified when Christians gather together to worship Him

* Are we making consumers of religious goods and services or making disciples?

* When people attend worship, are they simply observing a show or being transformed by God? (Isaiah arrive depressed by left transformed because God is always able to change our circumstances)

* Real worship will transform the worshiper.

* Reducing worship to a focus on style removes God as the reason for gathering.

* When music (regardless of genre) is confused with worship, Satan wins.

* Worship can result in different expressions - David danced before the Lord, John in the book of Revelation fell down and lay still at the feet of Jesus. Two men in the presence of the same God, experienced two different forms of reverence.

* Reverence is an attitude of the heart, expressed and informed by the culture of the worshiper.

* God’s purpose in worship is not to make everybody happy. God’s desire is for people to discover and glorify Him through worship. Compromise is a dreadful word to use when we discuss worship.

* Worship should be what unifies the body of Christ.

Our challenge is to plan our worship service so that people are led in this time and place to worship the eternal God!