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The Feast at Church in the Boro

The Feast on Sunday mornings is a time set aside for
those who attend Church in the Boro to engage in
the worship of God in spirit and truth. We call it
The Feast because thats exactly what worship isa
feast for the soul where those created by God can
eat and drink of His grace, goodness, mercy, and
kindness until their hearts are full.

Any feast or meal includes some sort of . No one can sit down to eat
unless something has been prepared and place has been set to enjoy it. The building where we
meet each Sunday is the place setting where we enjoy our worship. Thats really all it is. The
building is not the church, as most people understand church here in the bible-belt.

Preparation for The Feast is something done by everyone, and not just those who lead through
praise, worship, preaching, and communion. Each person who comes is personally responsible
to help in preparation for The Feast in several ways. There are preparation needs for the
building, for the elements of worship, for your heart and mind, and for your familys hearts and
minds. Some of this preparation is , including things like setting up chairs,
sound checks, praise and worship practice, sermon preparation, and communion setup. We
always need help preparing for this part of The Feast, but in truth its the easiest part of The
Feast. The hardest part is your heart and mind, as well as your familys. The
latter half of this session is intended to help you do just that by understanding the first half of
this session building on these four elements: What is Worship?, What is the Purpose of
Worship?, How Do We Worship?, and How Do We Prepare for Worship?

1. What is Worship?

The word worship comes from the old English word , and it means
to proclaim the worth of someone. So when we declare the honor and worth of God, we are
surely worshiping Him. This is what we do well when we sing and enjoy worship music. But
there is more to worship than that. The most prominent Hebrew word for worship is
pronounced, hahwah, which means to prostrate oneself, to bow down, to worship. In its
original tense the word mean to lay yourself out on the ground, prostrated before another.
Prostration was a common act of self-abasement performed before relatives, strangers,
superiors, and especially before royalty (Theological Wordbook of the OT, #1709).

We see Abraham prostrating himself before the Hittites of Hebron in Genesis 23:7, 12.
We see him bowing low before the angelic visitors at Mamre in Genesis 18:2, and Lot did the


L i f e Mi s s i o n Gr o u p
session 7
biblical worship
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same thing to these same visitors in Sodom according to Genesis 19:1. Balaam perceived an
angel blocked the way of he and his donkey so he fell prostrate in Numbers 22:31. And it
occurs in such fashion with people, idols and God being the object about 170 other times in the
OT. But as it occurs with reference to our great God, David sums it up quite nicely in Psalm 95:6
when he issues a call for us: O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the
Lord our God our maker. Thus, there is this physical bowing down and prostrating ourselves
before our God because of who He is compared to who we are.

The most prominent Greek word is pronounced, pros-kooneh-oh, not surprisingly it
means the same thing: to fall down and worship, kneel, bow low, fall at anothers feet
(UBS, #5193). This is what we see the wise men doing when they visit Jesus in Matthew 2.
When they exclaimed that, we have come to worship Him (v. 2). Then when they found Him,
Matthew reports in verse 11 that, they came into the house and saw the Child with Mary His
mother; and they fell down and worshiped Him The word occurs again in Matthew 4 where
Satan desired Jesus to worship him. He told Jesus, All these things I will give You, if You fall
down and worship me (Matt. 4:9). It occurs again in John 4 where Jesus is discussing the
subject of true worship with the Samaritan woman at the well, a one of the most key passages
in the NT on the subject of worship. And it can be found another 50 plus times in the NT.

At the root of worship is a sense of Gods and . And
when Gods presence and glory has been manifested to a human being, the immediate
response was worship; It was to bow down and quickly prostrate oneself face down to the
ground. There was fear and reverence and obeisance.


2. What is the of Worship?

This understanding of worship necessarily leads us to understand its purpose. Once were
down on our knees and/or faces before God, we are finally in a place to receive from Him.

a. Therefore, the first purpose of worship is to recognize .
Worship is intended to exalt the worth of God. This leads toward and flows into the
second purpose of worship.

b. The second purpose of worship is to recognize .
Worship, by very virtue of the word, is about my being humbled. When I recognize who
Jesus Christ is, I am thereby affected. And this in turn leads toward and flows into the
third purpose.

c. The third purpose of worship is the .
When I know He is King of the universe and therefore over me, and when I know my
heart is humbled and submitted to the authority of King Jesus, then I am able to fully
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enjoy what He has give me which enables me to value Him more. And like the other
two purposes, this one too, leads toward and flows into the fourth purpose in worship.

d. The fourth purpose of worship is to . Its only
when I have been fully impacted by the authority of King Jesus that I will submit to Him.
And its only when I am fully submitted to Him that I can enjoy Him and value Him. And
its only when I am enjoying Him and valuing Him that I can show Him to others and lead
others to Him.

The Importance of in Understanding Worship

Jesus encounter with the woman at the well holds a key teaching on worship for us. Remember
what Jesus said there?

Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in
Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we
worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming,
and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and
those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:21-24).

A Look at This Womans Worship

Question: Where did this woman live? What was her nationality?


Question: What particular issue about worship did she seem fixated on?



Heres what we learn from these two facts.

First, the woman was a . In history, the Samaritans were a people who were
part and part . They were the progeny of the Jews who were left in
Jerusalem with Babylonians when Nebuchadnezzar came to destroy Jerusalem (in the region of
Samaria at that time) and take the people captive to Babylon in 586 B.C. The Jews and Babylonians
who were left behind married and had children. The children became known as
, since they lived in Samaria. Later, they were viewed by pure-blooded Jews as .

Something significant happened with this group of Samaritans. While the other Jews were in
captivity in Babylon, the Samaritans developed their own of worshiping God. It
would be classified to us as a . They only believed the first books of the
Old Testament were legit (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy). And they
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setup a temple in where the famous Jacobs well was located, even though
the rest of the Bible was clear that God wanted to be worshiped in Jerusalem at Mt. Zion.

The result is that the Samaritans didnt have the right about God, because
they only used the first five books of the OT. And they didnt have the right
about God, because they worshiped on a mountain different from the one God commanded
that He was to be worshiped.

So their whole worship was a complete mess, based around a God they had fashioned for
themselves, and based upon a location of their own choosing. What a classic example of
generational : one generation making up their own version of God and
worshiping Him that way for generations on end. Until Jesus shows up.

By contrast, Jesus is teaching the woman here that God is seeking for
Himself. Jesus defines a true worshiper as someone who is worshiping in and in
_________. Spirit and truth can be understood as grasping the right truth about God with the
right understanding of God. It is knowing the God of the Bible, and knowing how this God of
the Bible wishes us to worship Him. We worship , and we worship Him the
He says. We worship God with the truth He reveals about Himself in Scripture, and with the
heart attitude He says should be present in our worship of Him.

We could say that true worship is about worshiping with the right and the right
and mindset toward God. It is having my head screwed on straight about God,
and having my mind, will and emotions my heart - renewed and refreshed in God. If worship
doesnt lead me to recognize King Jesus, and submit to His rulership, and enjoy and value Him
more, and lead others to worship Him, Im not sure Im a true worship of the Father.

3. How do we Worship?

Jesus teaching on worship with the Samaritan woman was an example of something very
unique found throughout the Bible. There was a pattern of Jesus dealing with this woman that
resulted in worship. And what is interesting is that this pattern is found throughout the Bible in
many other places as well. Throughout Scripture, whenever God met man or when man met
God, there were four distinct characteristics found, as in the case with Jesus and this Samaritan
woman.

a. The first is called . This is how the encounter between God
and man begins. It occurred in various ways as God manifested Himself through various
means. Regardless of the ways and means, God is the One who always took the
initiative and presented Himself to man. This shows us that God desires to reveal
Himself, because God desires to be known by the human beings He created. For
example, in the case of the Samaritan woman, Jesus presented Himself to this her as a
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prophet, a man who knew everything about the woman. He presented Himself as the
knower of mens hearts.

b. The second part of biblical worship is called . When God presents
Himself to man there is almost always immediate confrontation. Man has encountered
a holy God and fear, bewilderment, guilt, and even confusion are natural responses to
such an encounter. Man is always confronted with his own sinfulness in the presence of
a holy God. When it came to Jesus conversation with this woman, she was confronted
with her sin. When Jesus asked her to go get her husband, there was immediate
conviction that she had actually been married many times, and that she was shacking up
with a live in boyfriend at the time.

c. The third part of biblical worship is . God reaches out to console
the fearing person, and this He does in various ways. With the woman at the well, Jesus
comforted her with the truth that He was the Messiah, the chosen one, the anointed
one from God. He comforted her with the truth that He was the living water who could
forever quench the thirst in her soul.

d. Finally, the fourth part of biblical worship seems to always result in
Upon confronting and consoling a person, there is something God requires of the
person. He always presented Himself for a reason. And its really quite simple, and very
obvious. He didnt just appear to make people scared and then disappear again. His
purpose for presenting, confronting and consoling all along was to dispatch the person
on a mission to make His name great by taking this revelation of Himself to others. And
its easy to see what that mission was at the well with Jesus and the woman, isnt it?
Jesus knew that her encounter with him changed her. So she

left her water jar and went away into the town and said to the
people, Come see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be
the Christ? They went out of the town and were coming to
himMany Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the
womans testimony, He told me all that I ever did. So when the
Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he
stayed there two days. And many more believed because of his word.
They said to the woman, It is no longer because of what you said that
we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is
indeed the Savior of the world (John 4:28-30, 39-42).







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A logical conclusion therefore is this: if worship doesnt result in mission, then worship hasnt
really happened. This, then is the ultimate aim of our worship together:

We worship in order to
ourselves in the of God
and thereby be in the process,
so that we will Him more
and make more .

"Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church worship is. Missions exists because worship
doesn't. Worship is ultimate, not missions, because God is ultimate, not man. When this age is
over, and the countless millions of the redeemed fall on their faces before the throne of God,
missions will be no more. It is a temporary necessity. But worship abides forever. Worship,
therefore, is the fuel and goal of missions." John Piper, Let the Nations be Glad




Additional examples for your personal study:

- Adam (Genesis 3),
- Moses (Exodus 3:1-4:15)
- Israel (Judges 2:1-7)
- Gideon (Judges 6)
- David (2 Samuel 24 and 2 Chronicles 21)
- Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-13)
- Joshua the High Priest (Zechariah 3:1-10)
- Peter (Luke 5:1-11)
- The Samaritan Woman (John 4)
- Apostle John (Revelation 1:10-20)
- Noah (Genesis 6 Consolation and Mission)
- Patriarchs: Abraham (Genesis 12 Consolation and Mission), and Jacob (Genesis 28 Presentation and
Confrontation)
- Hagar (Genesis 16:1-14 Presentation and Mission)
- Balak (Numbers 22 Presentation, Confrontation, and Mission)
- Job (42:5-6 Presentation and Confrontation)
- John the Baptist (Matt. 3:13-15; John 1:29-34 Presentation, Confrontation, Mission)



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Implications of These Elements of Biblical Worship

Against the backdrop of the presentation, confrontation, consolation, and mission themes we
see in the occurrences of worship in the Bible, there are several implications we will want to
consider.

First: Worship is

Jesus said true worshipers worship God in spirit and truth. While spirit refers to an attitude,
there is no debate that this attitude comes from the Holy Spirit. So there is sort of a double-
meaning intended here. This points our attention to the command in Ephesians 5:18 to keep
on being filled with the Spirit. Why? Because it produces the elements of biblical worship in
Ephesians 5:19-21.

Here are two descriptions of spiritual worship:

1. Worship is . (tookuvce = draw near to kiss) We must connect relationally
with God by His Spirit. In Romans 8, Paul writes that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in our
prayers. This basically means that the Holy Spirit listens to what we are praying and translates
our prayers into what they need to be in order for the Father to answer them. Amazing! (If
ever there was proof positive that God is working for us instead of against us, it is in our prayer
life!) The point is this: the Holy Spirit is the person of God by whom we connect with the Father
and enjoy the presence of God.

2. Worship is . Just as being drunk is an experience, so is being filled
with the Spirit and offering spiritual worship to God. The presentation element of biblical
worship found in so many stories of the Bible clearly show that it was an experience. Likewise,
the filling of the Spirit or baptism of the Spirit had physical and emotional manifestations. We
should expect to experience God in a way that changes us. That is part of worship.

Second: Worship is

When God presented Himself to someone in the Bible, He did so at His own sovereign pace and
time. In most of these stories, a person is walking along minding his own business when
suddenly, God spontaneously shows up. While this points to God as the initiator of worship, it
also points to a spontaneous nature of worship. Since the very person of God is residing within
us in the Holy Spirit, we should walk around minding our own business, expecting God to rise
up spontaneously in our hearts and lives resulting in spontaneous moments of worship. When
we are filled with the Holy Spirit, as Ephesians 5:18 commands, there will be spontaneous
manifestations of this filling, according to verses 19-20.




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Making

Singing channels our spiritual energy in a way that nothing else can. Singing evokes an
intensity of mind and spirit. It opens the door to ideas, feelings and affections that otherwise
might have remained forever imprisoned in the depths of ones heart.
Sam Storms, The Singing God, p.22


With Your

Without the engagement of the heart, we do not really worship. The engagement of the heart
in worship is the coming alive of the feelings and emotions and affections of the heart. Where
feelings for God are dead, worship is dead. John Piper, Desiring God


To the

Worship is for God, not us. Not to us, O LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory (Ps
115:1). Worship is not a religious experience, performance or cultural event, we are doing all
this to the Lord. Of course, gathering to worship also blesses us as God speaks to us and
encourages us, but we come first and foremost to glorify God.


Giving ...

Thanksgiving is one of the surest signs of the presence and filling of the Holy Spirit. A heart that
is filled with the presence of God knows God. And a heart that knows God cannot help but to
burst forth in thanksgiving. This is why so many of the Psalms are filled with Davids own
outbursts of thanksgiving to God.


Third: Worship is

The presentation of God always included man, His creation. God wants to participate in our
lives. And worship produces our participation in the work of God. The Bible reveals several
ways in which our lives participate in the worship of God. Well look at just a few of these from
1 Corinthians 14:26.

What shall we say then brothers? When you come together everyone has a
hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All
of these must be done for the strengthening of the church (I Corinthians
14:26).

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- A : These are songs. God has ordained blessing and power when
spiritual words, combined with helpful tunes, are sung by the Saints. The band and
worship leader contribute most songs, but its OK for others to initiate their own as the
Spirit leads!

- Word of : This is simply a 30 second sermon! (During this time of
unrest in our country, I feel led to instruct us to be prepared for harvest and not be
unwise of the times. Let your light shine. Let your good works shine so that the world
may see your good deeds and glorify God on day he visits us.)

- : This is when someone simply and briefly explains to the church a
truth about God. (This week, in my anger I sinned. But in a flash I felt the Holy Spirit
declare to me that I AM STILL RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF CHRIST Friends, God accepts
us completely, even when we sin!) When another member of the church, under the
anointing of God shares a truth, it can cause people to go wow!

- & Interpretation: These two gifts working together can often
usher in a wonderful sense of Gods presence. Who is in charge if one person gives a
word in an unknown tongue and another gives the interpretation? It can only be God.

Other significant ways to contribute during worship:

- Words of : This is when God revels to us specific knowledge about
an individual that kicks the door open for ministry. In John 4:18, Jesus gave a word for
the Samaritan woman that led to her salvation and the salvation of many more.

- Words: This is a God-given revelation that may come to
you in a phrase, picture, emotion, etc. everyone who prophesies speaks to men for
their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. (1 Cor 14:3).

- And : A prophetic message given to you outside
of the meeting that is then delivered later. I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your
sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will
see visions. (Joel 2:28)

- Reading : A timely, well-read Scripture can be powerful! Read with
passion and conviction. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of
Scripture (1 Tim 4:13)

- : Sharing the work of God in your life, highlighting the
power and faithfulness of God to bring us through any and every challenge of life.


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4. How Do We Prepare for Worship?

a. It BEGINS with .

Worship on Sunday must begin with Saturday evening. If theres not some kind of pattern
for yourself or your family to follow in getting ready for Sunday, it becomes very, very difficult,
if not altogether impossible to make that sudden shift and change in mindset we expect our
children to have come Sunday morning. Somehow, we expect that because its Sunday
morning our children should just suddenly and instantaneously sit up straight, sing along, raise
their hands, stand up, and just plain behave. I heartily recommend you creating some kind of
family preparation for Sunday morning, starting around dinner time. Dont be legalistic, of
course. But do be purposeful, consistent, and filled with faith for what youre doing. It may not
feel like its taking root immediately. But it will eventually.

- Remind yourselves and the family what tomorrow morning is all about.

- Pick one of the key passages about God presenting Himself to a person and read
through it and exposit it to your children. The four-fold process of worship becomes
a teaching outline for you and your family.

- Review what behavior and heart honors God during corporate worship: sitting up,
listening intently, taking notes (if necessary to keep the mind occupied on the
subject matter), singing, lifting hands and voices to God, dancing, praying, etc.

b. It continues worship.

Remember to keep the focus by keeping the flow on Sunday morning before gathering for
corporate worship. Get up early enough to make breakfast and lunch (or prepare the night
before).

- Fill the house with praise and worship music.

- Recite Scripture to one another, and sing to one another. (Read Ephesians 5:19-20)

- Gather the family for another moment to remind the family whats about to happen,
read the word, and pray together. (Dads consider filling the ride to The Feast with
time spent praying for each family member individually. Or perhaps lead everyone
to pray for each other on the drive. This replaces any fights or conflicts that seem to
usually break out in the car during the drive to church.)


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c. It PROPELS in .

If worship began Saturday evening, then generally speaking there should be no issues
getting to worship on time. Being punctual helps you be a part of the worship preparation
time at 9:45. In addition, since we gear The Feast towards turning our guests into true
worshipers, we must be there before they visitors get there. Not being punctual robs you
and your family of precious corporate worship involvement, disturbs others around you
from engaging in worship, and does not show respect or courtesy toward the guests and
visitors we seek to engage on Sunday mornings.

d. It DEEPENS in .

Participation is what brings it all together. If worship began Saturday night then the pattern
has been set to have full participation.

- your heart out to God.(Read 1 Chronicles 16:8, 23; Psalm 9:11;
Psalm 30:4; Psalm 33:2; Psalm 47:6; Psalm 66:1; Psalm 67:4; Psalm 68:4, 32; Psalm
81:1; Psalm 92:1; Psalm 95:1; Psalm 96:1; Psalm 98:1, 4; Psalm 100:2; Psalm 105:1;
Psalm 135:3; Psalm 147:1; Psalm 149:3, 5; Isaiah 12:5; Isaiah 42:10; Jeremiah 20:13;
Zephaniah 3:14; Zechariah 2:10; 1 Corinthians 14:15; Ephesians 5:18-20; Colossians
3:16; James 5:13).

- your hands to the Lord.
o Hands are lifted up in prayer toward the direction of Gods presence (Read 1
Kings 8:22, 38-39, 54; 1 Chronicles 6:12, 13, 29, 30; Psalm 28:2; Psalm 134:2).
o Hands are lifted up to express desperation for Gods help (Read Psalm 143:6,
8; Psalm 25:1; Psalm 86:4).
o Hands are lifted to ask God for help in raising our children (Read
Lamentations 2:19; Psalm 44:20).
o Hands are lifted to bless God (Read Psalm 63:4; Psalm 134:1, 2; Job 11:13;
Psalm 68:31; Psalm 119:48; Nehemiah 8:6).

- to Him aloud and in quiet. (Read 1 Timothy 2:8; 1 Corinthians 14:15)

- the Scriptures on the slides with the congregation. (Read 1 Timothy 4:13)

- Pray as you to the sermon.
o Pray for the Spirit to open your mind to understand and receive. (Read
Ephesians 1:15-23; Ephesians 3:14-21; Colossians 1:9-14)
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o Pray for the Father to send His angels to war against the enemy to prevent
distraction and satanic involvement. (Read Psalm 34:7)

- Take as you need to.

- on everything thats going on around you. The Bible teaches us
to, Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent
in your prayers for all believers everywhere (Ephesians 6:18, NLT).

- for prophetic words, words of knowledge, etc. Expect God to
guide you prophetically and share it with the leadership so they can weigh it and
share it. (Read 1 Corinthians 14:1, 29-32.)

- Pray in as the Spirit leads. (Read 1 Corinthians 14:13-15.)

- Go to another person during worship and make things right if there are
conflicts. (Read Matthew 5:23-24.)

- Give your to the Lord. Giving money is a sign of the right heart
attitude in worship. (Read 2 Corinthians 8:1-15; 2 Corinthians 9; Galatians 6:6.)

- Continually coach and help your the whole time. The Feast
is also a training opportunity for parents to help their children understand how to
worship in spirit and truth. And its also one of the greatest opportunities to attract
your children to Jesus.
o At first sign of lack of involvement, sit down and whisper instructions once more.
o At second sign of lack of involvement, take them out a talk to them once more
and pray with them and for them and over them.
o At third sign of lack of involvement, take them out to discipline them. (They
usually get it by now!)
o At fourth sign of lack of involvement, consider dealing with it at home later and
dont let yourself get more distracted than you already have. God can deal with
them now.






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Session Seven Assignment:

Think through what your Saturday nights look like. Pray for the Holy Spirit to give you
insight into what you need to change in order to prepare your heart for The Feast at
Church in the Boro on Sunday mornings. Use the following headings to help you plan
better.

The Things I Think I Need to Stop Doing on Saturday Nights / Sunday Mornings














The Things I Want to Try Implementing on Saturday Nights / Sunday Mornings