Friday, April 30th Worship Guide--Psalm 32: God's Forgiveness and Our Joyful Heart

Read: Psalm 32:1-11

By David; a well-written song. How happy is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned! 2 How happy is the one whose wrongdoing the LORD does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long. 4 For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah) 5 Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, "I will confess my rebellious acts to the LORD." And then you forgave my sins. (Selah) 6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you while there is a window of opportunity. Certainly when the surging water rises, it will not reach them. 7 You are my hiding place; you protect me from distress. You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah) 8 I will instruct and teach you about how you should live. I will advise you as I look you in the eye. 9 Do not be like a stupid horse or mule, which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. 10 An evil person suffers much pain, but the LORD's faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the LORD and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!

Think: What is in store for the one who clings to the Lord?

Pray: Praise God for the joy of salvation.

Thursday, April 29th Worship Guide--Psalm 32: God's Forgiveness and Our Joyful Heart

Read: Psalm 32:1-11

By David; a well-written song. How happy is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned! 2 How happy is the one whose wrongdoing the LORD does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long. 4 For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah) 5 Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, "I will confess my rebellious acts to the LORD." And then you forgave my sins. (Selah) 6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you while there is a window of opportunity. Certainly when the surging water rises, it will not reach them. 7 You are my hiding place; you protect me from distress. You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah) 8 I will instruct and teach you about how you should live. I will advise you as I look you in the eye. 9 Do not be like a stupid horse or mule, which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. 10 An evil person suffers much pain, but the LORD's faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the LORD and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright! (NET)

Think: What characteristics of the horse and mule does David warn against?

Pray: Praise God for being a hiding place.

Wednesday, April 28th Worship Guide--Psalm 32: God's Forgiveness and Our Joyful Heart

Read: Psalm 32:1-11

By David; a well-written song. How happy is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned! 2 How happy is the one whose wrongdoing the LORD does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long. 4 For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah) 5 Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, "I will confess my rebellious acts to the LORD." And then you forgave my sins. (Selah) 6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you while there is a window of opportunity. Certainly when the surging water rises, it will not reach them. 7 You are my hiding place; you protect me from distress. You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah) 8 I will instruct and teach you about how you should live. I will advise you as I look you in the eye. 9 Do not be like a stupid horse or mule, which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. 10 An evil person suffers much pain, but the LORD's faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the LORD and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright! (NET)

Think: Why did David call on God when troubled?

Pray: Praise God for being a hiding place.

Tuesday, April 27th Worship Guide--Psalm 32: God's Forgiveness and Our Joyful Heart

Read: Psalm 32:1-11

By David; a well-written song. How happy is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned! 2 How happy is the one whose wrongdoing the LORD does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long. 4 For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah) 5 Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, "I will confess my rebellious acts to the LORD." And then you forgave my sins. (Selah) 6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you while there is a window of opportunity. Certainly when the surging water rises, it will not reach them. 7 You are my hiding place; you protect me from distress. You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah) 8 I will instruct and teach you about how you should live. I will advise you as I look you in the eye. 9 Do not be like a stupid horse or mule, which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. 10 An evil person suffers much pain, but the LORD's faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the LORD and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright!

Think: What happens when we try to hide sin and guilt from God?
 
Pray: Thank God for His discipline (“Thy hand”) when we stray.

Monday, April 26th Worship Guide--Psalm 32: God's Forgiveness and Our Joyful Heart

Read: Psalm 32:1-11

By David; a well-written song. How happy is the one whose rebellious acts are forgiven, whose sin is pardoned! 2 How happy is the one whose wrongdoing the LORD does not punish, in whose spirit there is no deceit. 3 When I refused to confess my sin, my whole body wasted away, while I groaned in pain all day long. 4 For day and night you tormented me; you tried to destroy me in the intense heat of summer. (Selah) 5 Then I confessed my sin; I no longer covered up my wrongdoing. I said, "I will confess my rebellious acts to the LORD." And then you forgave my sins. (Selah) 6 For this reason every one of your faithful followers should pray to you while there is a window of opportunity. Certainly when the surging water rises, it will not reach them. 7 You are my hiding place; you protect me from distress. You surround me with shouts of joy from those celebrating deliverance. (Selah) 8 I will instruct and teach you about how you should live. I will advise you as I look you in the eye. 9 Do not be like a stupid horse or mule, which will not obey you unless they are controlled by a bridle and bit. 10 An evil person suffers much pain, but the LORD's faithfulness overwhelms the one who trusts in him. 11 Rejoice in the LORD and be happy, you who are godly! Shout for joy, all you who are morally upright! (NET)

Think: What is the condition of one who has experienced God’s forgiveness?

Pray: Praise God for this magnificent blessing.

Saturday, April 24th Worship Guide--Holy Spirit Our Enabler

Read: Ephesians 5:15-21

Therefore be very careful how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord's will is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (NET)

Think: How should these verses affect our attitudes and actions in worship tomorrow?

Pray: Pray for our worship tomorrow morning.

Friday, April 23 Worship Guide--Holy Spirit Our Enabler

Read: Ephesians 5:15-21

Therefore be very careful how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord's will is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (NET)

Think: What characterizes a group of believers who are controlled by the Spirit? (see verses 19-21)

Pray: Ask God to make these things true of Believers Fellowship.

Thursday, April 22 Worship Guide--Holy Spirirt Our Enabler

Read: Ephesians 5:15-21

Therefore be very careful how you live--not as unwise but as wise, 16 taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 For this reason do not be foolish, but be wise by understanding what the Lord's will is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, which is debauchery, but be filled by the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord, 20 always giving thanks to God the Father for each other in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 and submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (NET)

Think: What is the will of God? (see verses 17-18)

Pray: Pray that our lives would always be controlled by the Holy Spirit.

Wednesday, April 21 Worship Guide--Holy Spirit Our Enabler

Read: Galatians 5:16-25

But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God! 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. (NET)

Think: What characteristics does the Spirit produce in our lives? (see verses 22-23)

Pray: Thank the Holy Spirit for the godly character He gives us.

Tuesday, April 20th Worship Guide--Holy Spirit Our Enabler

Read: Galatians 5:16-25

But I say, live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh has desires that are opposed to the Spirit, and the Spirit has desires that are opposed to the flesh, for these are in opposition to each other, so that you cannot do what you want. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, depravity, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hostilities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish rivalries, dissensions, factions, 21 envying, murder, drunkenness, carousing, and similar things. I am warning you, as I had warned you before: Those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God! 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Now those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also behave in accordance with the Spirit. (NET)

Think: How can we live a life pleasing to God? (see verses 16 and 18)

Pray: Praise God for leading us in a godly life.

Worship Theme for April 18th--Extravagant Love

Thank you for joining us for worship this morning! Next week, our worship theme is "Extravagant Love."

“God gave us an extravagant gift in the person of Jesus Christ. It was an outrageous gift, worth far more than what we deserve.” -Michael Morrison

God is extravagant! He is excessive, unrestrained, lavish! He goes overboard in His gifts to us! This week we are going to look at some verses expressing this to see how we might respond.

Saturday, April 10th Worship Guide--Worship in Unity

Read: 1 John 2:28

"And now, little children, remain in him, so that when he appears we may have confidence and not shrink away from him in shame when he comes back." (NET)

Think: Consider what it is to "abide in Him." Think about what it will be like at His appearing-- the Holy One!--and we will not have to shrink away!

Pray: Thank the Lord that He desires us to abide in Him. Thank Him that because of our living in Him, we can stand before Him with confidence and we won't have to run and hide! We have already been accepted into His presence. In Christ we stand.

Friday, April 9th Worship Guide--Worship in Unity

Read: Philippians 2:5-11

"You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had, 6 who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself by taking on the form of a slave, by looking like other men, and by sharing in human nature. 8 He humbled himself, by becoming obedient to the point of death--even death on a cross! 9 As a result God exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee will 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." (NET)

Think: Of the privilege we have who know Jesus, that we can bend our knee willingly in worship to this humble Servant now exalted.

Pray: For the attitude that Paul preaches about and how Jesus is our supreme model to follow.

Thursday, April 8th Worship Guide--Worship in Unity

Read: Romans 12:10-11, 18

"Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another. 11 Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. . . . 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people." (NET)

Think: Consider all the possible ways to be at peace with all men.

Pray: For devotion to fellow believers, to not lag behind in diligence, to be fervent in spirit serving our Lord.

Wednesday, April 7th Worship Guide--Worship in Unity

Read: 1 John 4:7-11

"A Samaritan woman came to draw water. Jesus said to her, 'Give me some water to drink.' 8 (For his disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies.) 9 So the Samaritan woman said to him, 'How can you--a Jew--ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?' (For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, 'If you had known the gift of God and who it is who said to you, "Give me some water to drink," you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.' 11 'Sir,' the woman said to him, 'you have no bucket and the well is deep; where then do you get this living water?'" (NET)

Think: Whom have I not loved this week? Who have I been loving to this week?

Pray: For forgiveness and the opportunity of setting relationships right. Rejoice that God loved us first and with His love we can love each other.

Tuesday, April 6th Worship Guide--Worship in Unity

Read: John 15:9-13

"Just as the Father has loved me, I have also loved you; remain in my love. 10 If you obey my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. 12 My commandment is this--to love one another just as I have loved you. 13 No one has greater love than this--that one lays down his life for his friends." (NET)

Think: How should the love Christ has for us affect our feelings towards others?

Pray: For ways to practice the outflow of His lovein our lives.

Monday, April 5th Worship Guide--Worship in Unity

Read: John 17:22-23

"The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one-- 23 I in them and you in me--that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me." (NET)

Think: How is it that believers are to be in unity?

Pray: For an understanding of how Christ is in us, and God is in Christ perfecting us in unity.

Weekly Worship Guide for April 11th--Worship in Unity

Thank you for joining us in worship this morning! Next week our worship theme is "Worship in Unity."

A friend once said, "Before we come together to worship we should each be finely tuned like the strings of a guitar. Each string is tuned separately so that when played together they are in tune with each other." We must keep our separate lives of worship in tune with the Lord so that when we come together our communion with the Lord and with each other will be all the sweeter. I can hardly imagine the time to come when all believers, past, present and future will be facing the same way,with the same heart, bowing our knees in worship to the Lamb. I say, let's practice now! Not a thing is stopping us, but us!

Saturday, April 3rd Worship Guide--Easter

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:50–58

"Now this is what I am saying, brothers and sisters: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51 Listen, I will tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed-- 52 in a moment, in the blinking of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality. 54 Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will happen,

"Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! 58 So then, dear brothers and sisters, be firm. Do not be moved! Always be outstanding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord." (NET)

Think: What significance does our victory over death have in this present life?

Pray: See v. 57.

Friday, April 2 Worship Guide--Easter

Read: 1 Corinthians 15:1–5

"Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel that I preached to you, that you received and on which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message I preached to you--unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as of first importance what I also received--that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, 4 and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve." (NET)

Think: What two facts comprise the gospel message?

Pray: Pray for someone who has not believed the message.

Thursday, April 1st Worship Guide--Easter

Read: Acts 2:22–36

"Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know-- 23 this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles. 24 But God raised him up, having released him from the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its power. 25 For David says about him,

'I saw the Lord always in front of me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken. 26 Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body also will live in hope, 27 because you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor permit your Holy One to experience decay. 28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of joy with your presence.'

29 "Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about our forefather David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. 30 So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne, 31 David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay. 32 This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it. 33 So then, exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out what you both see and hear. 34 For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says,

'The Lord said to my lord, "Sit at my right hand 35 until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."'

36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ." (NET)

Think: What conclusion does Peter draw from the resurrection? (v. 36)

Pray: Praise Jesus for His Lordship