Our Identity in God - Part 1 - Worshiper

Here are the rough notes from Part I of the Women's Ministry Sessions

Having Vision/Understanding Our Identity in Christ
What does it mean to have vision? Proverbs 29:18 says that “where there is no vision, the people perish.” Another translation says, “where there is no vision, the people cast off restraint.” Let’s say this together, “Where there is no vision…..the people perish.” If we don’t know where we’re going in life, we just do whatever and end up wasting our time. Vision is a mechanism that grabs the heart. If you want people to be committed to something you must give them vision. Without vision we have no focus, no goals, nothing that drives our lives. Some people have the vision to make a lot of money and gain many material things. This controls their lives. Everything they do is for money. Some people have the vision to become famous or powerful. Their pride drives their lives. Everything they do it to try to become more famous or more powerful. Some people have the vision just to survive to the next day. If their family is struggling to find enough to eat, everything they do is focused on just make enough to survive. Everyone repeat: “Where there is no vision……the people perish.”

All of those visions are limited and can lead us down a wrong path. Why? Because God has created each of us with a purpose that He wants us to walk in. God said these words to the prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah chapter 1 verse 5:

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet for the nations.”

God appointed Jeremiah as a prophet even BEFORE he was born! Not even just before he was born, but before he was conceived, before Jeremiah was even a thought to his mother and father. In the same way, God created each of you with loving care and has chosen you to be HIS. He has set you apart and He has purpose for you in your life. God has created you and He has a plan for you. Also in Jeremiah it says,

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jer 29:11

In order to catch God’s vision, we must first learn WHAT we were created for. What did God create us to be? In our sessions we will look at the five things that God has created each of us to be. God created us to be:
A Worshiper
A Disciple
A Member of the Church
A Minister to the Church
An Ambassador to the World

Today we will look at what it means to be a “Worshiper of God.” What is worship? Usually in our churches we talk about the worship time as the time when we praise God with music and song. Worship is used to talk about the style of music, and the worship team is the group of people who lead the music. Now I’m telling you, if we think worship is just music we are wrong. Worship is SO much more than that. Worship is not just singing. Worship is not just music. Worship is a lifestyle.

In Hebrew the word for worship is Shakhah. It literally means “to bow down.” What do you think of when you think of bowing down? Who would you bow down to? A king, a leader, a master if you are servant? Bowing down to someone shows reverence. It shows submission. It shows respect. Worship is a lifestyle. Worship is a lifestyle of bowing down, submitting to God and fearing Him. It does not mean we literally need to bow down when we pray. It means that we need to be willing to give our whole lives to Him.

Jesus said that the greatest commandment was this, “To love the Lord your God with all of your heart, your soul and your mind, and to love your neighbor as yourself.” First and foremost we must LOVE God with everything that we are. We must be willing to give God everything. This is worship. Worship is not just singing. Worship is a lifestyle.

The apostle Paul shows us true worship when he writes to the church in Galatia,
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave himself for me.”

I have been crucified with Christ: what does Paul mean? He means that all his earthly wants and desires are now gone. He means that he lives every day for Christ and Christ alone. He is bowing down to God with his lifestyle. He was willing to go to prison, to be shipwrecked, to be ridiculed, to be beaten, and even to die for the Lord Jesus. Worship is a lifestyle. Worship is the lifestyle of giving everything we are to God. Paul gave all of his insecurities to God. He gave all of his wants to God. He gave all of his needs to God. He gave all of his desires to God. He gave all of his worries to God. He gave all of his plans to God. He feared God. He was submissive to God. He was a lover of God. He was a worshiper of God. Worship is a lifestyle.

Listen to what Paul said in the book of Acts:
“I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However I consider my life worth NOTHING to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24

Paul considered himself as nothing. He only boasted in his identity in God. He had vision! He did not live life without restraint, doing whatever he chose as the wind blew by. He lived life with a goal, with a purpose. To serve as a worshiper of God and to be all that God created him to be. He was not a special person. He was empowered by the Spirit of God. We each can live in that reality, but first we must realize WHO WE ARE in God. We were created by God. We are worshipers. Worship is a lifestyle.

Can we worship God through singing? Yes of course we can. We can praise God with singing. We can praise God with dancing like King David did. This is just one expression of our worship. But you know what else is worship? When you sit at home selflessly taking care of a dying family member. When you read your Bible. When you take time to pray. When you thank God for providing for you. When you aren’t afraid to tell your neighbors about the saving grace of the Lord Jesus. This is all worship. This is how we love God. We love and worship God by obeying Him. God wants a church who knows Him and loves him intimately. This is why the greatest commandment is to love God with all of our hearts, soul, minds, and strength. We were created to be worshipers and lovers of God. Worship is a lifestyle.

Before we go, I want you to learn Paul’s words from Galatians 2:20.
“I have been crucified with Christ, and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body I live by faith in the Son of God, who loves me and gave himself for me.”
(read one part at a time with women repeating….do two or three times until they know it and can probably say it on their own)

Remember:
Without vision the people perish.
God created us to be worshipers.
Worship means “bowing down.”
Worship is more than music. Worship is lifestyle.