Worshipping Well
#1 Preparing for Corporate Worship
Peace be with you!
In the busyness of our lives, we can often find ourselves working diligently to accomplish a multitude of tasks, working many hours, not getting enough rest, attending many events, yet also losing sight of the purpose for our very existence in this life: to live for the glory of the Lord!
In the coming weeks, I will be sharing several encouraging, short writings about how God’s people can best prepare for worship, participate in worship, and reflect upon our worship throughout the week to help us remain “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” Hebrews 12:2, ESV.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “We are told we ought not to preach without preparation. Granted. But, we add, men ought not hear without preparation. Which, do you think, needs the most preparation, the sower or the ground? … It seems to me that there is more preparation needed by the ground than by the sower, more by the hearer than by the preacher.”
Jesus’s parable of the soils highlights the need for well-cultivated hearts. Like Jesus, we should emphasize the importance of coming to church as “those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” Luke 8:15, ESV.
At Center Point Church, we preach verse-by-verse through books of the Bible, with short breaks to highlight special times of the year that are important to God’s redemptive history, such as Advent (the story of Jesus’ incarnation and birth) and Passion Week (the events leading up to our Lord’s saving work on the cross at Calvary). Because of this approach to preaching, you can always be confident of what Scripture passage is coming up for the next week, thus giving you a week to read that passage several times, and prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart to receive His Word as you study and meditate upon it and for when you hear it preached in worship on Sunday.
Also, each weekend before the next worship gathering, we publish the upcoming service order in the Bulletin in the Center Point Church app. The Bulletin can be found when you open the CPC app, click on Sunday Hub, then select Bulletin. There you will see the main Scripture references for our worship service, as well as the order of our service, including the songs we will sing to God in our worship. We do this to give you the most opportunity and encouragement to put your best effort and thought into the next Sunday’s Word and worship.
This Week’s Suggestion for Preparing to Worship Well
Richard Baxter said that we must “remember the Lord’s Day before it cometh, and prepare for it.”
1. Finish as many chores and errands as possible before Saturday evening so your mind is free from distraction.
2. Set aside Saturday evening for prayer, Scripture reading, and rest rather than entertainment or late activity.
3. Prepare clothes, Bibles, and offering ahead of time so Sunday morning begins peacefully.
Worship well, Christian!
Pastor Brandon
#1 Preparing for Corporate Worship
Peace be with you!
In the busyness of our lives, we can often find ourselves working diligently to accomplish a multitude of tasks, working many hours, not getting enough rest, attending many events, yet also losing sight of the purpose for our very existence in this life: to live for the glory of the Lord!
In the coming weeks, I will be sharing several encouraging, short writings about how God’s people can best prepare for worship, participate in worship, and reflect upon our worship throughout the week to help us remain “looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross” Hebrews 12:2, ESV.
Charles Spurgeon once said, “We are told we ought not to preach without preparation. Granted. But, we add, men ought not hear without preparation. Which, do you think, needs the most preparation, the sower or the ground? … It seems to me that there is more preparation needed by the ground than by the sower, more by the hearer than by the preacher.”
Jesus’s parable of the soils highlights the need for well-cultivated hearts. Like Jesus, we should emphasize the importance of coming to church as “those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patience.” Luke 8:15, ESV.
At Center Point Church, we preach verse-by-verse through books of the Bible, with short breaks to highlight special times of the year that are important to God’s redemptive history, such as Advent (the story of Jesus’ incarnation and birth) and Passion Week (the events leading up to our Lord’s saving work on the cross at Calvary). Because of this approach to preaching, you can always be confident of what Scripture passage is coming up for the next week, thus giving you a week to read that passage several times, and prayerfully ask the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart to receive His Word as you study and meditate upon it and for when you hear it preached in worship on Sunday.
Also, each weekend before the next worship gathering, we publish the upcoming service order in the Bulletin in the Center Point Church app. The Bulletin can be found when you open the CPC app, click on Sunday Hub, then select Bulletin. There you will see the main Scripture references for our worship service, as well as the order of our service, including the songs we will sing to God in our worship. We do this to give you the most opportunity and encouragement to put your best effort and thought into the next Sunday’s Word and worship.
This Week’s Suggestion for Preparing to Worship Well
Richard Baxter said that we must “remember the Lord’s Day before it cometh, and prepare for it.”
1. Finish as many chores and errands as possible before Saturday evening so your mind is free from distraction.
2. Set aside Saturday evening for prayer, Scripture reading, and rest rather than entertainment or late activity.
3. Prepare clothes, Bibles, and offering ahead of time so Sunday morning begins peacefully.
Worship well, Christian!
Pastor Brandon
Posted in Worship & Liturgy
Posted in Worship, Spiritual Formation, Preparing for Sunday, Christian Discipleship
Posted in Worship, Spiritual Formation, Preparing for Sunday, Christian Discipleship
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