Worship at Christ Church

What is worship?

worship involves us living our whole lives

doing what God wants us to do and doing
the whole of life it out of response to what God has
already done for us

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your
bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not
be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing
you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
From the Christ Church Vision. Reformed: God is sovereignly in control of all
creation, and has the right to be acknowledged over every area of life. He graciously calls us and
enables us to live for his glory in all spheres, with no spiritual-secular divide.

1 Corinthians 10:31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory
of God.

Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.

Every Christian would say that if Jesus is your Lord, he's Lord of your whole life - but I
think many Christians do divide the world into the spiritual and the secular. Many
Christians would say that being an evangelist is more important than being a gardener
for example, being a missionary is more important than being a school teacher. It's
great that you work - great, because we need your money to fund the missionaries.
That's a spiritual-secular split, and we have Plato, the Greek Philosopher to thank for
that worldview and not the Bible. The Bible says that everything we do should be for
the glory of God.

saying all of life is worship doesn't mean

that singing at church isn't worship

a response
Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for
us.

1. We looked at how as Christians our work is for the glory of God. Thinking of other areas of life
(e.g. time priorities, the use of money, relationships). How can we see these as part of our
worship?
2. Can you think of the ways in which Christians create a secular-spiritual divide?
 Singing in the Bible

Col 3:12 Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness,
humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another,
forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on
love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your
hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in
you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual
songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything
in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Rev 5:9 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every
nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb.

we meet around the Word of Christ

From the Jesus Story book Bible: No, the Bible isn't a book of
rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure
story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his
treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his
throne - everything - to rescue the ones he loves. It's like the most
wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life... There are lots of
stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of
how God loves his children and comes to rescue them. It takes the whole
Bible to tell this Story. And at the centre of the Story there is a baby. Every
Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle -
the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can
see a beautiful picture.

{
Psalms praise and lament

old and new songs Hymns

Spiritual Songs

Blog post quoting Matt Redman: "It struck me how little a

real-world faith vocabulary we have in church worship music to respond appropriately in
dark times of life," Matt says. "We all face seasons of pain and unease.
And in those times we need to find our voice before God. The church,
and indeed the world, needs songs of lamentation."
biblical faith
Many believe the Book of Job is about suffering, but Matt has a different
interpretation. "I think it's really about something much grander—the

emotional faith sovereignty of God—of which suffering is a subcategory. At the end of

chapter one it says: 'The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away. May the
name of the Lord be praised.'"
 From the Christ Church Vision. Engaging the affections. "Our emotions and
affections are given to us by God so we can delight in Him. We will look to grow in our love and
enjoyment of God, over-flowing in praise and thanksgiving. (Phil 4:4)"

Worship at Christ Church

the three distinctives - what are we called to believe?

the three dimensions - what are we called to be?
the three directions - what are we called to do?

God
glorify
edify
World Church
testify

The Westminster Confession: The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him
forever.

Mark 10:45 "For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life
as a ransom for many."

Psalm 33:3 “Sing to him a new song; play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.”

1. How does singing together help us be 'one body' (Colossians 3)?

2. What are some of the dangers we should avoid when singing in church?

3. Music in church is often quite contentious. Why do people fall out over church music so much?