Creating an Atmosphere of Worship in the Home
Session 1: Understanding Worship
Worship is a word that is often used in Christian environments, but is often misunderstood. The most common understanding of worship describes the Sunday morning services that take place. Others view worship as simply a blanket term used for various gestures and postures practiced during the service or devotional context. Though these are displays of worship, they are not the essence of worship. This bible study is designed to introduce homes to the understanding of what is meant when we use or hear the term “worship.†We will then guide you into a personal/corporate assessment for your home that can assist in determining the dynamics of worship that exist.
What is “worship?â€
Worship at its core speaks to “bowing oneself down, depressing oneself, or giving reverence†to another person or thing. This Old Testament understanding indicates that a person humbles himself or herself to acknowledge another as more honorable. This concept of worship in the New Testament indicates the acknowledging of a person of superior rank by showing actions of bowing, kissing the hand, or falling on one’s knees with the forehead touching the ground.
The overall thought is that a person adjusts himself or herself to display the reverence that the person has for another. Worship really has to do with “worth-ship.†Worship displays how much value a person or thing has in another person’s life. Whatever has the most worth, usually has the greatest influence on the resources of the other (Matthew 6:21). Thus, if you want to identify what you worship, consider what has the most influence over your thoughts, time, talent and treasure. To this end, there are three primary factors that comprise one’s worship:
Personal Value –As mentioned earlier, the thing that one worships is usually the person or thing that has been given the greatest value in his or her mind. More specifically, it’s the object that is most important because it is the object or person that is viewed as the main source of all that a person has and is. To this end, the worshipper’s life is always seeking ways to serve the item of greatest “worth-ship.â€
Submission of Will –When an object of worship has such a high value, the worshipper will ensure that there is no desire within him or her that will conflict or prevent the desired outcome of the object or person of worship. It holds the majority vote in our hearts. The object of worship is the person or thing to which you ALWAYS say, “Not my will but your will be done.†This is the object or person of greatest influence.
Surrendered Behavior – The final and most identifiable indication of worship is the behavior that we display. Where we go, what we say, how we respond, and what we give usually speaks directly to the object of our worship. Our actions tell people who we worship, even when our mouths give another answer.
Why do we worship God?
Though there are many objects or people that we could worship, as Christians, we are reminded that our primary desire should be to serve the Lord God through Jesus Christ (Exodus 20:3; Colossians 3:24). The Lord Jesus Christ should be the source that guides all of our service and life-decisions (1 Corinthians 7:22; Romans 14:17-18). Our Heavenly Father should be above and other gods that we could worship (Exodus 34:14; Matthew 4:10). He alone should guide our decisions (Ephesians 6:6; 1 Peter 4:2) and be the One that guides our behaviors (Matthew 12:50; Hebrews 13:21).
Exercise: Who do we worship?
Using the items in the box below, identify the items/persons that are most important to your home?Question: If a person spent the day with your family, which would they say are the top five priorities?
__________________________________________________________
Question: If we were to ask God, which would He say are the top five priorities?
__________________________________________________________
Using the last listing, in the boxes below, rank the priorities of each of the items based on the Primary Factors of worship. The first box should determine what has the top “worth†in your home. The second box indicates what/who has the greatest influence on your decision-making. The final box will show what/who your actions say have the greatest influence on your behavior. Rank them top to bottom in importance.
Greatest Heart Influence List
These are the items/people that guide your decisions and passions
________________________________________________________________________________
Greatest Hand Influence List
These are the items/people perceived as valuable based on your behavior
________________________________________________________________________________
Strategic Move: Based on the understanding of worship and your ranking of priority “worth-shipâ€, what shift, or strategic move will you take for your home? (Recommend using a journal for the journey)
_____________________________________________________________________________________
Session 1: Understanding Worship
Worship is a word that is often used in Christian environments, but is often misunderstood. The most common understanding of worship describes the Sunday morning services that take place. Others view worship as simply a blanket term used for various gestures and postures practiced during the service or devotional context. Though these are displays of worship, they are not the essence of worship. This bible study is designed to introduce homes to the understanding of what is meant when we use or hear the term “worship.†We will then guide you into a personal/corporate assessment for your home that can assist in determining the dynamics of worship that exist.
What is “worship?â€
Worship at its core speaks to “bowing oneself down, depressing oneself, or giving reverence†to another person or thing. This Old Testament understanding indicates that a person humbles himself or herself to acknowledge another as more honorable. This concept of worship in the New Testament indicates the acknowledging of a person of superior rank by showing actions of bowing, kissing the hand, or falling on one’s knees with the forehead touching the ground.
The overall thought is that a person adjusts himself or herself to display the reverence that the person has for another. Worship really has to do with “worth-ship.†Worship displays how much value a person or thing has in another person’s life. Whatever has the most worth, usually has the greatest influence on the resources of the other (Matthew 6:21). Thus, if you want to identify what you worship, consider what has the most influence over your thoughts, time, talent and treasure. To this end, there are three primary factors that comprise one’s worship:
Personal Value –As mentioned earlier, the thing that one worships is usually the person or thing that has been given the greatest value in his or her mind. More specifically, it’s the object that is most important because it is the object or person that is viewed as the main source of all that a person has and is. To this end, the worshipper’s life is always seeking ways to serve the item of greatest “worth-ship.â€
Submission of Will –When an object of worship has such a high value, the worshipper will ensure that there is no desire within him or her that will conflict or prevent the desired outcome of the object or person of worship. It holds the majority vote in our hearts. The object of worship is the person or thing to which you ALWAYS say, “Not my will but your will be done.†This is the object or person of greatest influence.
Surrendered Behavior – The final and most identifiable indication of worship is the behavior that we display. Where we go, what we say, how we respond, and what we give usually speaks directly to the object of our worship. Our actions tell people who we worship, even when our mouths give another answer.
Why do we worship God?
Though there are many objects or people that we could worship, as Christians, we are reminded that our primary desire should be to serve the Lord God through Jesus Christ (Exodus 20:3; Colossians 3:24). The Lord Jesus Christ should be the source that guides all of our service and life-decisions (1 Corinthians 7:22; Romans 14:17-18). Our Heavenly Father should be above and other gods that we could worship (Exodus 34:14; Matthew 4:10). He alone should guide our decisions (Ephesians 6:6; 1 Peter 4:2) and be the One that guides our behaviors (Matthew 12:50; Hebrews 13:21).
Exercise: Who do we worship?
|
Using the items in the box below, identify the items/persons that are most important to your home?Question: If a person spent the day with your family, which would they say are the top five priorities?
__________________________________________________________
Question: If we were to ask God, which would He say are the top five priorities?
__________________________________________________________
Using the last listing, in the boxes below, rank the priorities of each of the items based on the Primary Factors of worship. The first box should determine what has the top “worth†in your home. The second box indicates what/who has the greatest influence on your decision-making. The final box will show what/who your actions say have the greatest influence on your behavior. Rank them top to bottom in importance.
| Greatest Worth List These are the items/people that you consider of greatest value in your life ________________________________________________________________________________ |
Greatest Heart Influence List
These are the items/people that guide your decisions and passions
________________________________________________________________________________
Greatest Hand Influence List
These are the items/people perceived as valuable based on your behavior
________________________________________________________________________________
Strategic Move: Based on the understanding of worship and your ranking of priority “worth-shipâ€, what shift, or strategic move will you take for your home? (Recommend using a journal for the journey)
_____________________________________________________________________________________