Worship Is a Sacrifice

In one paragraph

Brian was away this week, so Lissa Hunter and Amanda brought the message together. They focused on what Tribe means when it says worship covers more than singing, walking through three expressions the church names every Sunday: singing, honoring the word that is preached, and giving. The morning started from a definition offered by Louie Giglio, quoted early in the talk: follow the trail of your...

Read together

1. Psalm 100:1-5 read aloud in full as the main text for the worship discussion
2. Psalm 51:12 quoted to show that we can ask God to help us enter his presence and obey
3. James 1:22-25 read aloud as the text on honoring the word that is preached by actually obeying it
4. Psalm 32:1-5 read aloud to show the joy of confessing sin and receiving forgiveness
5. John 14 referenced with the phrase if you love me you will obey my commandments
6. Malachi 3:10 referenced to show God inviting people to test him through bringing the tithe
7. 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 read aloud on planting generously and giving cheerfully from the heart
8. Hebrews 13:15 read aloud calling worship a continual sacrifice of praise and linking it to sharing with those in need

What was said

• Before your next worship service, jot down whatever is crowding your mind on paper or in your phone notes so you can set it aside and actually focus on the Lord.
• When you sit down to read scripture this week, write down anything that convicts you or that God seems to be putting on your heart, so you don't walk away and forget it like the person who glances in a mirror.
• If worry or anxiety hits you this week, open your mouth and sing or hum a worship song over whatever you are facing, applying the promises in the lyrics directly to that situation.
• Start one morning this week by thanking God out loud before you do anything else, listing as many things as you can think of, even if you do not feel like it, and let your feelings follow the action.
• If there is unresolved sin or an apology you know you owe someone, take care of it before next Sunday rather than letting it quietly widen the distance between you and God.

Talk about it

1. Louie Giglio's quote said you can find what you worship by following the trail of your time, affection, energy, money, and allegiance to find what sits on the throne of your life. When you honestly follow that trail, what do you find?
2. Lissa talked about worship through singing as a discipline, not a feeling, and said the act of opening your mouth and singing is a step you take before the feeling follows. What does that kind of discipline look like practically in your own life, inside or outside of Sunday mornings?
3. James 1:22-25 compares hearing the word without obeying it to glancing in a mirror and walking away forgetting what you look like. Can you think of a time when you heard something in scripture, knew it was true, but didn't follow through on it? What got in the way?
4. Amanda said that if someone genuinely agrees with everything being said about worship but still feels like they just cannot enter into it, unconfessed sin or unforgiveness is often the thing creating that distance. How do you respond to that, and does it ring true in your own experience?
5. The sermon described giving as a proactive measure to keep money from gripping your heart, rather than a reactive one after it already has. How do you actually think about money in relation to your walk with God, and does the idea of giving as an act of worship change anything about that?