We are in the second week of our series called “A Worshipping Church.” The first part of this series included some wonderful Scripture passages on worshiping. Today, we are going to focus on the practicality, application, and details of worshiping. Remember, worshipping is about experiencing the presence of God. We know if we have been in the presence of God because we have felt it and sensed His presence. It has nothing to do with volume or performance. It depends on whether Jesus is honored and glorified.

In this message, I want to talk to you about being a worshiping church. I want you to understand why this is so important for your life and the lives of people who God invites into His presence. Nothing is more important than engaging with the Lord. God brings people into our midst with various needs—

relational, financial, spiritual, physical—and although I can't always preach a sermon that will address every need, I can invite us into the presence of God. We were created to know Him, to sense Him, and to walk with Him. God has called us to do this. The gateway to this spiritual encounter with the Lord Himself is to align ourselves in worship because that is where God lives. That is where He dwells and moves.

We do not come to worship just to go through the motions. We worship because we desperately need to have a fresh encounter with God. The world can go by, but we were made for communion with God. Unless we have that encounter, we will leave unfulfilled, empty, and hopeless. So, what keeps us from experiencing God? I believe it is shame. Shame is a silent killer of your spiritual progress. In this message, we’re going to discuss the issue of breaking free from shame so we can worship freely and encounter God.

As we look at a famous passage in Romans, we will read, "In all things, God works for the good.” Is divorce good? No. Is being laid off a good thing? No. Is disease or illness a problem? Absolutely. Not all things are good, but even with the bad, God has a plan. We need to understand that there will be times when your body will fail you. No one gets out of this life alive. It is important that we have a good theology around this subject of healing. You’re probably carrying burdens right now—maybe for yourself, maybe for someone you love. In the midst of those burdens, you need to understand what God has for you and what He plans to do, even in the middle of illness or disease.

Carrying burdens is part of the Christian life, and today I want to talk to you about being called to carry a burden. Sometimes, God places something heavy on our hearts, not to overwhelm us, but to invite us into partnership with Him through prayer. Let’s look at how we can carry out the burdens we’re called to carry in a way that glorifies God and grows our faith.

It is very important that we understand that the two women mentioned in today’s key passage, Eunice (Timothy’s mother) and Lois (Timothy’s grandmother), made an unbelievable impact on his life. The same could be said for the Christian faith. We are never more than one generation away from losing the impact of Christianity upon our culture. That is why we must learn and celebrate passing our faith along. God wants us to make an impact on the lives of our children. Mothers, whether it is a grandmother or a mother, influence their children for the Kingdom of God.

We recently had the opportunity to do something incredible as a church—together, we gave over $250,000 to help build a brand- new orphanage in Mongolia. It wasn’t about one person putting their name on the building. It was the body of Christ working together. That’s how I believe God wants giving to take place—in secret, without applause or recognition, but in a way that brings Him glory. Jesus talks about this in Matthew 6:1-4. He says when you give, don’t do it to be seen. Don’t blow trumpets. Give in secret—and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. Let’s talk about what it means to give like that by looking at four things we can apply from this passage.

I have some important questions for you to consider today: How do people meet the Lord? How do they get connected to Christ? The answer to these questions is the same: through you. God has chosen to use people like you and me to be His ambassadors. He wants us to be heaven connections. In John’s gospel, we discover four types of connections that can lead people to Christ. Let’s look at those together now.

When we look at Scripture, we see that Jesus’ death and resurrection drastically impacted the disciples’ lives. But the life change didn’t stop with the disciples. The gospel of Jesus has been changing lives ever since the day Jesus rose from the dead. And as followers of Jesus, we can experience the same kind of life change that the disciples experienced all those years ago. Today, we’re going to look at six specific ways that the disciples’ lives changed because of the resurrection, and as a result, we can be encouraged and challenged by the fact that our lives can be changed in the exact same ways.

Nothing is more important for our lives than to be in the center of God’s will. The Lord wants His will to be accomplished in your life. But for this to happen, your will must be surrendered to Him. This is what it looks like to be in the zone spiritually. So if you want to make sure you’re living in the zone with God, there are a few truths you need to embrace.