Final Week, Week 10 Class Notes

Finally, the final class notes for our time together.

Part 2

= Grabbing hold of God’s call as individuals
= As individuals called to serve this body
= As individuals called to serve Christ

When asked how we discover God's call on us as individuals? Your responses were:
= Go to other who know what the needs of the church are and know you and your
skills as well.
= Figure out your gifts.
= Sometimes you are asked by God to do something 'outside' your area of
giftedness.
= 1 Corinthians 12:6 addresses these issues.
= Engage in prayer, going to God for His leading
= pray with others
= fasting

If worship is doing and being as God leads and inspires us, then the connection to Him is key!

When asked how we know we are obediently following God and His leading, you responded by saying:

= Being in God's will, flow, timing, rhythm.
= Not fighting Him.
= Having a personal kingdom orientation.
= accomplished through difficulty
= contending along with the Holy Spirit
= bearing fruit for God's kingdom
= it's also about who you are 'in secret'.

1 Peter 2:13-25 speaks completely to this end. If Romans 12 calls us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, then Peter gives us the practical application of submission, and it is a challenge!

When asked where do we go from here? We connected with James 4: 6-12 to see that humility, submission, resistance of the devil, being an encourager, not slanderer or judge are key.

The signs that we am accomplishing correct worship, drawing near, serving as a true individual worshipper? Ephesians 5:19-21 speaks clearly of this...

Eph 5:19 Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 21 Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Engaging God and one another with thanksgiving and submission are key to this as well. This is reverence (worship) for Christ!

So finally we come to the end. For each of us it is our job to press on in individual pursuit of God in a corporate balance.

Our individual and corporate
= response to spiritual gift survey and discovery.
= pursuit of God.
= lives poured out before Him.
= placing of our hearts in the mix with the hearts of our congregation, others in the community, coworkers, friends, family, in worship before our Lord.

Worship is both individual and corporate. Our individual response or lack of engagement with the Almighty God directly affects worship in the corporate setting! We need to come together, we each need to do our part before our Lord in preparation of coming together.

Holy worship requires the whole of us, individually and corporately responding, engaging, interacting and doing the will of our Father, continuing the mission of our Savior, Jesus Christ, under the revelative urgings of the Holy Spirit. May we grow together in Christ, toward eternity!