Believe Study Guide Session 11: Worship Personal Study Last week you examined your beliefs about eternity. Perhaps you were challenged to share your faith with someone who is far from God. This week before your group meeting, read Believe, Chapter 11: Worship. Then take some time to prepare your heart for the lessons God wants to teach you. Read Read Believe, Chapter 11: Worship and answer the following questions. 1. Describe the common patterns found in these verses. 2. As you read these passages, what questions came to your attention? 3. What did you read that amazed you? Refreshed you? Challenged you? 4. What made the animal sacrifices of the Israelites an unacceptable act of worship to God? How can we learn from their mistake? 5. What do the harsh words Jesus directed at the Pharisees tell us about the type of worship he desires? 6. Worship is expressed in many different ways in this chapter (i.e., singing, sacrifice, conviction, and gratitude). How is worship expressed in your life? Evaluate Based on your reading from Believe, Chapter 11: Worship, evaluate your level of confidence in the statements below, using a scale of 1 – 6 (1 = no confidence, 6 = complete certainty). ______ I thank God daily for who he is and what he is doing in my life. ______ I attend religious services and worship with other believers each week. ______ I give God the credit for all that I am and all that I possess. ______ I am not ashamed for others to know that I worship God. Take Action Memorizing Scripture is a valuable discipline for all believers to exercise. Spend a few minutes each day committing this week’s Key Verses to memory. Key Verses: “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” (Psalm 95:1 – 2) Recite this week’s Key Idea out loud. As you do, ask yourself, Does my life reflect this statement? Key Idea: I worship God for who he is and what he has done for me. Answer the following questions to help you apply this week’s Key Idea to your own life. 1. How could this practice express itself in your life? 2. What visible attributes can be found in someone committed to the practice of worship? 3. What is impeding your ability to make worship part of your everyday activity? How can you overcome these obstacles? 4. What action step can you take this week to give God more honor and praise? Journal To help you keep all your Believe thoughts and materials in one place, note any verses or insights God gives you as you spend time with Him this week. This is also a great place to attach your sermon notes from the weekend messages. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Group Meeting Welcome! Welcome to Session 11 of Believe. If there are any new members in your group, take a moment to introduce yourselves to each other before watching the video. Then, feel free to get started! Video Teaching Notes As you watch the video segment for Session 4, use the following outline to record some of the main points. ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Getting Started Begin your discussion by reciting the Key Verses and Key Idea together as a group. On your first attempt, use your notes if you need help. On your second attempt, try to state them completely from memory. Key Verses: “Come, let us sing for joy to the Lord; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song.” (Psalm 95:1 – 2) Key Idea: I worship God for who he is and what he has done for me. Group Discussion As a group, discuss your thoughts and feelings about the following declarations. Which statements are easy to declare with certainty? Which are more challenging, and why? -­‐ I thank God daily for who he is and what he is doing in my life. -­‐ I attend religious services and worship with other believers each week. -­‐ I give God the credit for all that I am and all that I possess. -­‐ I am not ashamed for others to know that I worship God. Your LifeGroup Leader will choose 2-­‐3 questions that will lead to the best discussion about this week’s Key Idea. 1. As a group, make a list of different ways that worship can be expressed to God. 2. What about God’s character compels you to give him your worship? 3. Discuss which worship song lyrics best describe your thoughts and feelings about God. 4. In what diverse ways do you see your fellow group members expressing worship to God? Read the section “The Heart’s Intent” in Believe (pages 174 – 177) and choose 1 – 2 questions that will lead to the greatest discussion in your group. 1. In what ways can worship become a heartless ritual? 2. What can we learn from Jesus’ rebuke of the Pharisees? How do we keep ourselves from making the same mistake? 3. What has God done in your life that produced a desire to worship him? Closing Prayer Close your time together with prayer. Share your prayer requests with one another. Ask God to help you put this week’s Key Idea into practice.