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Worship and Fellowship – Connect
Ballardsville Baptist Church strives to develop all members to maturity in Jesus Christ through Worship and Fellowship.
You were created to worship!
Psalm 150:6, “Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!”
Everything was created for worship!
Colossians 1:16-18 –16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.
o All things were created for him!
o Everything exists to show his preeminence!
o From Genesis to Revelation we find people honoring God as preeminent!
Worship is Personal
God wants your worship Exclusively.
In Luke 4:8, Jesus said, “It is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ ” (cf. Deuteronomy 6:13)
o Everyone worships something.
People will either worship God through a life submitted to Jesus Christ, or they will worship idols.
Jesus said, “No one can serve two masters.” Matthew 6:24
Personal worship is a Lifestyle.
1 Corinthians 10:31, “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
o Worship is more than the songs we sing, the style of music we listen to, the location, building, or architecture, or the position of our bodies in prayer. It is the purpose for which we live.
Do you live for Jesus Christ or something else?
Self, Money, Fame/Status, Pleasure, Comfort, or Possessions o Worship is everything you do to show your love to God through Christ.
Colossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men”
Personal worship must be Correct.
o Worship must be according to God’s design and pleasure, not ours.
John 4:23-24 – “But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
To worship in the spirit means to worship from the heart!
Worship is not a ritual, going through the motions, or even the traditions we hold. Worship from the spirit comes from loving God with all your heart, all your soul, and all you mind (cf.
Matthew 22:36-37).
To worship in truth means to worship God as he is truly revealed in Scripture. Truth is not based on your opinions or preferences. It comes from His word.
Personal worship Requires Sacrifice.
Romans 12:1-2 – “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
Personal worship is living for his glory moment by moment.
Personal worship is offering your life to Christ daily.
Personal worship is presenting yourself to God and his purposes.
Personal worship is committing your cause to the cause of Christ.
Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. (Luke 9:23)
Personal worship is often Demonstrative.
o What forms of praise are mentioned in the Bible?
Confessing Psalm 32:5
Singing Psalm 9:2
Shouting Psalm 33:1
Standing In Honor Psalm 22:23
Kneeling Psalm 95:6
Dancing Psalm 149:3
Making a Joyful Noise Psalm 98:4
Testifying Acts 10:42
Playing Musical Instruments Psalm 150
Raising Your Hands Psalm 63:4
Clapping Psalm 47:1
Worship is Corporate
Worship must also be expressed with other believers.
o Believers are commanded to worship together.
Hebrews 10:24-25 – “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Worship is corporate in the Old Testament. (Festivals, Psalms, Passover, etc...)
Worship is corporate in the New Testament. (Churches worshipped together.) o Hymns in the New Testament
Romans 11:33-36 – “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!” “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
Philippians 2:5-11 – Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Worship was corporate in the Early Church.
Acts 2:42 – “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Worship will be corporate in Heaven.
Revelation 19:6–8 - The Marriage Supper of the Lamb
“Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”
Corporate worship is Orderly.
1 Corinthians 14:40 – “But all things should be done decently and in order.” (The context is the corporate worship service in Corinth.) o All worship is aimed at glorifying God.
o Some expressions of worship may be suitable for personal worship but distracting to others in corporate settings. In our corporate worship services, we refrain from demonstrations of worship that bring undue attention away from God and onto ourselves or others.
o Corporate worship is about being unified in heart, soul, and mind with fellow believers in honoring God. It is about unison not uniqueness.
o Ballardsville encourages its members to have freedom.
Corporate worship has Singing.
Ephesians 5:19-21 – “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Corporate worship has Prayer. 11
Acts 2:42 – “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Colossians 4:2 – “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.”
Mark 11:17 – Jesus asked, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’?
11(cf. Rom 12:12; Eph 6:18; 1 Thes 5:17; 1 Tim 2:1; 1 Pet 4:7; James 5:14-16;
2 Cor 1:11)
Corporate worship has the Lord’s Supper.
1 Corinthians 11:33 – “So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat [the Lord’s Supper], wait for one another.”
Corporate worship has Fellowship.
Acts 2:44-47 – “And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day,
attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
Corporate worship has Giving.
o Giving provides for the ministries of the church.
o Giving reminds us that our blessings are from God.
o Giving helps us trust God rather than in money.
2 Corinthians 9:6-8 – “ The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all
sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.
1 Timothy 5:17-18 – “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer deserves his wages.’”
Corporate worship has Preaching.
o Jesus wants us to be his witnesses.
Acts 1:8 – “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
o We are commanded to preach. We preach the Word of God.
2 Timothy 4:2 – “Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching.
o The message is from the Bible.
Jude 3 – “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”
o Preaching is about God’s wisdom not man’s.
1 Corinthians 1:21 – “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.”