On Wednesday, we took the opportunity to begin to examine the culture that we allow to be part of who we are. We defined "culture" by the games that we play, the TV and movies that we watch, the music that we listen to, the things that we read, the friends that we hang out with, and the web that we surf. The students were encouraged to begin to examine each of their own lives and see if culture was having a negative impact on who they were. In evaluating this, we asked them to answer three questions. 1) Why do I watch/play/listen/hang out with _________________? 2) Does this bring me closer to God or draw me further away? 3) How does this affect me?
Our basis for the night came from several different Scripture. Romans 12:2 (Message), Philippians 4:8 (TNIV), 1 Corinthians 6:12 (TNIV), and Proverbs 25:26 (TNIV).
We wrapped up our worship series this past Wednesday night by taking some time to look at how we should worship in our response to who God is and what He has done for us.
To start the challenge, we gave the opportunity for students to share moments in the past week in which they were awe of who God is. Many students took the opportunity to share with each other the many ways they had been in awe of God. From the setting sun, friends, to an opportunity to serve someone else, it was amazing to hear the students response.
We then moved into a time of looking at how we worship. We centered our focus once again on John 4 and Romans 12 and discussed our attitude and actions when it comes to how we worship. Our attitude should be one of desire instead of obligation. Our attitude gives our worship purpose and meaning and moves it beyond just singing a song.
We then talked about our actions when it comes to worship. Hebrews 13:15-16 was our focus for this section. We encouraged the students to be who God has created them to be in worship. If that means they raise their hands, close their eyes, kneel, etc. However they worship, let it be what comes naturally to them. Also, we encouraged them to not value one "style" of worship over another. We then took time to discuss how worship is not just the songs that we sing, but the life that we live. Everything we do can be done in worship when it is done to glorify God.
Here are some questions that you may want to use in follow up this week::
How often do you think of your actions as worship?
What needs
in the lives of people around you seem most urgent to you?
What needs
in the world around you tend to weigh down your own heart the most?
What’s one
thing you can do this week to worship God by serving others?
There
is an interesting portion of Scripture that is found in Romans 12:1-2 that
says, “Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to
offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is true
worship.” And in another part of Scripture where Jesus is talking to a
Samaritan woman there comes a point in the conversation where He tells her
that, “a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship
the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the
Father seeks.”
And if you were listening at all to
those two portions of Scripture, you will find that there is a common word in
both of those verses. Worship. Worship. Think about that word for a minute.
Worship. What does that word mean to you? For some it is the songs that we sing
on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night. Others it is a time to stand up and
catch up with our friends will all that is going on since no one else can hear
them right? For some it’s that awkward moment when we may feel like everyone is
watching us and so we are not sure what to do. But at its core, what is it?
What is this thing that we call worship?
This was our intro into this weeks series opener dealing with worship. We used this past Wednesday night to explore what exactly worship was. With the main thrust of the evening being that when
you boil it down to the simplest of ideas, worship means to pay great honor to.
To haveprofound love and admiration
for. To be stricken with awe.
Psalm 65:8
says, “The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders; where morning dawns,
where evening fades, you call forth songs of joy.” We need to see the awe around
us. Both in the big and the small. To begin to see God is the middle of
everything. To be amazed at what He has done. When we begin to see God in
everything around you, when you begin to find Him in the big and the small, and
you begin to truly be in awe of Him, our natural response will be worship.
I'd encourage you to find an opportunity this week to talk with your teenager about our lesson. Here are some questions that might generate some good conversation:
1. Why is it so
hard to focus on God sometimes?
2. When was the
last time you were in awe of something? What was it?
3. How have you
seen God in everyday things in your life?
Here is a video that we used in the lesson as well.
