Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Youth Sunday School - What is Worship?

On Sunday we talked about what exactly worship is.

First, we identified if various daily activities are considered spiritual or not spiritual (e.g. homework, sports, going to church...)

Next, we did some Bible drills to look up passages about worship. We brainstormed the key words on the white board. Here are verses:


  • John 4:23-24
  • Colossians 3:16
  • Hebrews 13:15
  • James 4:8
  • Psalm 100:4
  • Romans 12:1-2
  • 1 Chronicles 16:29
  • James 1:27
  • Isaiah 29:13
  • Exodus 34:14
  • Isaiah 2:8

Here are the keywords we came up with (*** indicate popular themes):
  • Sacrifice*
  • Thanksgiving
  • Holiness of God
  • Splendor of God
  • Not putting ourselves before God*
  • Being in the world but not consumed by it*
  • Following God's will
  • Renewing our hearts and minds
  • Transforming our lives
  • Teaching and learning
  • Purifying our hearts***
  • Message of Christ
  • Praising God's name*
  • Talking about God
  • Helping/serving*
  • Being close to God
  • Holy Spirit
  • Not having idols**
  • Seeking truth
  • Singing
Then we moved into the lesson. We focused on Romans 12:1-2 - "And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect."

We talked about 3 kinds of worship:

Worship as thought/action:
  • This kind of worship is when we do things for the glory of God – can include things we think or feel too
  • It can be obvious things like reading our bibles, being kind to those less fortunate, singing, etc.
  • It can also be less obvious things like forgiving someone, being patient, giving thanks for our money when we’re at the mall, trying hard at our homework because God gave us brains, etc.


Worship as sacrifice:
  • This kind or worship is when we don’t do things for the glory of God
  • Obvious examples – not getting drunk, sleeping around, gossiping, lying, murdering, etc.
  • Less obvious examples – giving up certain music, shows, giving our time to good causes, going to church when we don’t feel like it, other things that take our focus from God – can be different things for different people
  • Tends to be harder to do – peer pressure comes into play


Worship as lifestyle:
  • This is when our whole lives revolve around God, not God fitting into our lives that revolve around us
  • Also called bearing fruit in Christ – when we are intentional about the first two they become habit – they become our lifestyle
  • This has a ripple effect – decision making, relationships, how we act around ‘undesirable’ people, etc.


Questions for further discussion:
  • Why should we worship with our thoughts/actions?
  • Why would actions matter, if God can see into our minds and know how we truly feel?
  • If we display actions that honor God but have internal attitudes and thoughts that dishonor God, how do you think God feels? Why?
  • What are some specific sacrifices God might ask you to make, if you decided to pursue a deeper form of worship? Why would God ask you to dedicate these things to him?
  • Can we be true Christians without bearing fruit? Explain.
  • If you decide to become a world-class athlete, musician, artist, writer, or leader, how might this decision affect other areas of your life?
  • If you decide to worship and honor God with your whole life, how might that affect your thought life and your decision-making process?
  • How do the people around you know you’re a worshiper of God?
  • What behavior and customs of our culture might hinder and limit your worship?
  • If you know God wants you to do something, but you choose not to do it, how might that affect your relationship with God?

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