Romans 6:4

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. – Romans 6:4

We live a new life in Christ! Thanks to the place we live that life is free! We don’t suffer oppression like many others in the world do. We have the privilege and honor to worship together in a church setting and on our own throughout the week. This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. At FBC, we will be worshiping with freedom in mind and declaring that we will be light unto the world. I encourage you to check out a song called Life Light Up by Christy Nockels: myspace.com/christynockels. We will be doing her song on sunday. Get prepared for worship this week by thinking about the freedom we have in Christ. Give thanks to God! Come ready and excited to see what God is going to do on Sunday morning and in our lives beyond Sunday! Worship Him in truth by honestly thinking about what we are singing.

One Thing I Can Do This Week:
Go outside…it is supposed to be in the 80’s…walk around. Check out the freedom of the birds in flight, the breeze, the sun, the beauty of God. We are free to live in Him and be surrounded by Him!

Worship Scripture for Sunday

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

3 They have no speech, they use no words;
no sound is heard from them.

All of creation sings to the Lord. Yet, somehow, we sometimes are not in the mood to “worship” in song. Creation has no voice and yet they still proclaim his praises. Even if we are not in the mood to sing we can still give praise to God in our words, actions, prayers and lives. I want to challenge everyone to take some time this weekend before Sunday to spend some time alone with God and maybe even seclude yourself in creation just to appreciate the Lord’s beauty before we worship corporately (as a church) on Sunday. Thanks everyone!

Vision for Worship

Recently Kris and I met to discuss what the vision God was giving me was for worship arts at FBC. Three things came out of that meeting that i would like to share with you.

1) Preparedness – What if our worship teams and our congregation came into a Sunday worship experience prepared to worship? This means that throughout the week we have been worshiping personally with God. So when we come together on a Sunday morning to corporately worship our hearts were already in a state of worship. God will move when we come prepared to be in his presence.

2) Excited/Expectant – This is a direct result of being prepared. If we have been worshiping throughout the week we should have an excited expectation of what God is going to do corporately on Sunday mornings. Instead of a mentality like “here we go again” we should be have a mentality of “what can God do today?”. If we are awaiting his presence to move…the SPIRIT WILL MOVE!

3) Truth – This is something that hit me hard. The scripture says to worship in spirit and truth. If we are not thinking about honestly declaring the lyrics of the songs to God, are we singing in truth? This is something we should ask ourselves in our personal and corporate worship. Am I going through the motions or am i honestly meaning what i am singing or saying or even praying?

As a result of this meeting, Kris and I decided that these things should be shared and responded to by the body. Some may have noticed the worship arts article in the newsletter. This is there to help you get prepared for Sunday. The worship scriptures are listed for you to check out before each sunday and to prepare your hearts. This is one small element that we hope can impact our people.

Feel free to respond with ideas and comments about this article. Thanks so much for reading!

Psalm 27:4

Psalm 27:4 (Today’s New International Version)

4 One thing I ask from the LORD,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD
and to seek him in his temple.

As we prepare for Sunday’s worship think about the attributes of God. The scripture above says to “gaze upon His beauty”. We have an opportunity to come into his temple every week and see him face to face in worship! How exciting is that? Some things i have been challenged to ask are: Am I prepared to worship, Do I expect God to move in worship, and is my worship truthful? If we are just singing words and not meaning them or do not sing with truth are we really worshiping God?

The youth will lead this weekend and they will be doing songs that focus on God’s amazing love and grace and the salvation we find in Him. Take advantage of the prayer time this Sunday before service and prepare your hearts to worship the Lord!

May Newsletter Article

During the month of May we see many changes happening all around us. The psalmist declares in Psalm 19:1-4: “The heavens tell of the glory of God. The skies display his marvelous craftsmanship. Day after day they continue to speak; night after night they make him known. They speak without a sound or a word; their voice is silent in the skies; yet their message has gone out to all the earth, and their words to all the world.” (NLT) We see God in creation as we see the changing of the seasons. Let’s prepare our hearts each Sunday for worship so we may also be changed.

Listed below are the worship scriptures for the month of May. Please read through the scriptures before each Sunday and prepare your hearts and minds for worship.

May 3 – Isaiah 40:28
May 10 – Psalm 27:4 – One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
May 17 – Psalm 19:1-3 – The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them.
May 24 – Romans 6:4 – We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
May 31 – Psalm 63:3-4 – Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.

Please feel free to share your thoughts or read more below.