September 5, 2005
-
RETHINKING OUR WEEKLY COMMUNITY GROUP BIBLE STUDY:
Okay, while in some way’s I’m going out on a limb here, in other ways, my heart tells me this is what we should do. I have been putting allot of thought to our community group, the elements of our gathering each Wed. and what it should be. It should be a worship gathering not unlike our Sunday church gathering only more intimate and on a smaller scale. We are already almost there, but I feel we should focus our hearts:
Our focus should and always will be Christ! Everything we do should be an interactive form of worship and praise.
– We will start with Songs of praise. To facilitate everyone joining in and singing, I will insure we have lyric sheets. I will encourage others in the group to suggest a song that speaks to their heart or to work on a song to present to our gathering in praise.
– Our study and discussion time will stay pretty much the same. We study straight from the scripture. One chapter at a time. Very interactively. Currently we are in James 5 and will soon go on to the book of Acts. We always encourage the application of scripture in our lives.
– I want to encourage others to use their gifts to create as a manner of worship. It might be a special dish they create for the group (of food, yeah, we love food), or a song to sing, or a photo they took, a picture or drawing they made, a sculpture, anything that is created as an act of worship to share with God and the group as well as our larger worship gathering on Sunday.
– I want to encourage members to serve in obedience “the least” of those around us, the elderly, the sick, the infirm, the poor. We can do this individually as well as collectively. Many of us already serve in ministry weekly singing and taking God’s word to retirement homes in the area.
– I want to encourage each other to share in the lives of others through occasional fellowship events like cookouts, pool parties, etc. (we already do this occasionally).
– We already are very involved in each others lives by helping each other and praying for each other throughout the week.
– Our usual closing prayer usually consist of me writing down the prayer request of each person and then me and maybe someone else praying for these request and the group. I want to quit making a list, spend more time on our knees before Christ and each talk to Christ ourselves in our prayer, either audibly or silently. But encouraging the sharing of our prayers and praises audibly with the group and God.
– Once a month I want us to experience the Lord’s table using goblets of juice and loaves of bread. We can partake in communion just before our study and have fruits, cheeses and meats on the table to snack on throughout the study.
The main focus is that our gathering is in worship not just fellowship among ourselves. It is the act of adoring and praising God, expressing our love and praise to Jesus. My hope is that we will then take this “worship” beyond our gatherings and into our homes, or workplaces, our schools and the lives of others. Our entire lives are spiritual acts of worship!
