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Basic Discipleship
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

This material is copyrighted c2002 and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the Berean Baptist Church.

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PHASE 3      CHURCH ORIENTATION AND EDIFICATION

SESSION 3

GOD'S CENTRAL PLACE OF WORSHIP

For believers to continue in the faith and grow, they must become firmly anchored and functional in one of the Lord's churches.  They will never do so until they see its merit.  The whole of Phase 3 is to increasingly stabilize disciples in the doctrine and practice of the church.

This exercise deals with the worship of God in a corporate sense.  True worship is vital to the spiritual welfare of God's people.  Apart from it they will never serve, never grow to the healthy maturity of becoming reproducers and they will most certainly wither to fruitlessness in their spiritual lives.  Ruth "tarried a little in the house" before she went into the harvest fields to glean (Ruth 2:7).  The message is that God's people who would be successful in service must first spend time in the Lord's house which today is His church.  Help your disciple get hold of this truth.  Help him see what true worship is and where corporate worship is to be centered.  Help him appreciate its value.

Many "older" Christians do not have a clue as to what constitutes true worship from a Biblical standpoint.  Especially in the current age, all kinds of activities go on in church services in the name of worship.  The Bible is quite specific as to what constitutes corporate church worship.  Believers are not to get together at their own frequency to do their own thing.  They're to come together on the first day of the week to preach, pray, sing, give and observe the Lord's Supper.  They are to "come together" to worship.  A religious session in front of the TV (even watching a televangelist) or beside a lake or lovely stream can never satisfy God's requirements for worship of Him in His church. There is no substitute for church worship.

Your disciple needs to see this truth; Otherwise he is certain to backslide, flounder and wither.  This exercise is designed to help your disciple get hold of what true corporate worship is, where it's to be done and why it's important.

As always, the thrust of this exercise places the initiative on the disciple (student).  He is to discover these truths for himself with a minimum of input from you.  These exercises are fun but they force one to the scriptures for answers.  Your task is to monitor the disciple and keep him active in the studies. Be there for him and know where he is.  The fact that you are watching builds accountability into the disciple.  Don't let him fall by the wayside.  Stay excited and in the search for truth with him.

Make sure he receives his next exercise.
 

Do you have a Bible concordance?        A Bible concordance helps you locate words, ideas, verses and passages in your Bible.  A complete or unabridged concordance lists all  the words of the Bible in alphabetical order.  Under each word is a listing of each place in the Bible where that word occurs. The first reference on the list is the first place in the Bible where that word occurs.  The second place occurs next on the list and so on through every reference where that word occurs.  To further help you, beside each listing is a brief excerpt from the passage where that word is found.

Suppose you want to find a verse in the Bible, but you can't quote it and you don't have a clue as to where it is found.  You do remember a word or two and something of how it goes.  Simply go to your concordance, look up the word you know, then scan the references until you find the verse you're hunting.  Nifty!  Yes, nifty!

The old standby concordance is the Crudens.  It simply lists the words and where to find them.  There are others, including Strong's.  This one gives you the words and listings but also a number linking that word to two dictionaries in the back.  The first is a dictionary of Hebrew words (most of the Old Testament); the second is a dictionary of Greek words (the New Testament).  With this concordance you can locate not only the words, you can also quickly check out their original Hebrew and Greek meanings.  Several good Bible study books are keyed to the Strong's number system.  Concordances (and other Bible study books) are now available as computer programs.  Most of these programs also include the entire Bible text.  The concordance (and dictionaries) can be synchronized with the text, making searches and dictionary studies quick and very easy.  Quick Verse by Parson's Technology is a good one. There are many others.

WORSHIP

You have observed that when the church comes together, a certain order of activity occurs.  You may have heard it called "worship."  In a dictionary, look up the word worship.  What does it mean? Prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore).  This word occurs 108 times in the Bible.  Look up these verses in the Bible, then answer the following questions.

          John 4:20-24. Exodus 34:14. Isaiah 2:8. 1 Chronicles 16:29. John           20:29. Psalm 66:4. Psalm 81:9-10. Revelation 4:10-11. Psalm 95:6.          Psalm 99:9.

1.     Is worship Biblical?                                         Yes 

2.     Who is to be worshipped?                           God 

3.     Other than God, who is to be worshipped?         No one 

4.     Which of the above verses is not about worship?               John 20:29 

5.     They that worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth. 

6.     Who should worship God?                                        Everybody 

7.     Is it true that God is jealous?                                   Yes 

8.     The fact that Jesus is to be worshipped says He is God. 

9.     What should be the spirit and attitude of all worshippers?        Humility 

10.   Circle each one in this list who is to be worshipped: 

Your grandchildren        Hollywood stars                 Your mate 

Money                   God                The Bible 

        Rich people                       The Pope         Your pastor

11.   Who alone should be the focus of all worship?                God 

12.   With 10 being max, rate your worship intensity. 

1    2    3    4    5   6    7    8    9    10 

THE CENTER OF WORSHIP

Since ancient days, God has always had a central place where corporate worship of Him was to occur.  From the scriptures given below, learn where worship was to center during different eras of time.  Write the locations in the blanks provided.

From Moses to Solomon.                               Exodus 29:42-43                The Tabernacle 

From Solomon to Christ.                    1 Kings 8                                              The Temple 

From Christ to the present.                  Ephesians 3:21                  The church 

Read Joshua 22.

What was the reason for the big confrontation that occurred in this chapter? The two and one-half tribes east of the Jordan River were suspected of corporately worshipping God at a place other than before the tabernacle.

What was the significance of "Ed?" Ed said corporate worship was to be conducted exclusively in the place appointed by God.

What does "Ed" suggest about corporate worship outside the church today? Ed suggests that corporate worship is to be conducted in the church. No one is at liberty to worship elsewhere as a substitute for corporate worship in the church.

Read 1 Timothy 3:15 then Psalm 92:13.

What is the message here about attachment to a church and worship therein? Today the house of God is the church.  Every believer should be planted in and worshipping in one of the Lord's churches.

What word in Hebrews 10:25 suggests a center and corporate worship in the church on an on-going, systematic basis? "Assembling."

WHAT IS CORPORATE WORSHIP IN THE CHURCH?

There are five formal acts of church worship seen in the New Testament. (There was no church in the Old Testament.)  Match these scriptures with the correct act of worship.

1. Preaching                      ( 5 )Acts 20:7

2. Praying                          ( 2 )Acts 4:31

3. Giving                            ( 4 ) Colossians 3:16

4. Singing                          ( 3 ) 1 Corinthians 16:2

 5. The Lord's Supper      ( 1 ) 2 Timothy 4:1-5

          Write the proper act of worship in the space provided 

1.     Shows the death of Christ through His broken body and shed blood. The Lord's Supper 

2.     Publicly sets forth Jesus Christ and His truths. Preaching 

3.  Acknowledges God as the master of the finances we have. Giving 

4.     Publicly praises God. Singing 

5.  Acknowledges by thanksgiving and requests that all we have comes from God. Praying 

Consider the significance of each act of worship.  How do you need each one to keep you in proper perspective with God? 

Consider how Satan will capitalize on you once you begin to neglect worship.

THE TWO CENTERPIECES OF ALL TRUE WORSHIP

Read again John 4:23-24.  Jesus said they who worship God must worship in spirit and truth. 

"IN SPIRIT"

                Circle the correct answer

1.       In view of Psalm 51:17 the correct spirit of worship should be: 

Proud           Reserved          Broken & contrite         Condescending

2.      In view of 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 the correct motive for all worship is: 

The hope for return favors from God                           Love                   Duty

3.       In view of 1 Corinthians 10:31 the correct goal of all worship should be. 

To glorify God        To gain the praise of bystanders                Emotional gratification

"IN TRUTH"

Circle the correct answer

1.        In view of John 17:17 and Romans 10:17, our means of knowing truth comes from: 

        Strong inner feelings or prompting   The Bible         Traditional beliefs

2.     In view of Malachi 3:8-10 one worships God properly in giving by sincerely giving: 

3%       5%        10%                   What ever he feels God has laid on his heart

3.     In view of John 4:23-24 the words of a song do not matter as long as the song is fun, upbeat and the intentions of the singer(s) are sincere and good. 

  True                False              Some other answer

4.     In view of Ephesians 4:14-16 the content of the cup and the composition of the bread used in the Lord's Supper does not matter as long as the spirit and intentions of the participant are sincere. 

True                 False              Some other answer

5.     In view of 2 Timothy 4:1-2 the worship of preaching is only acceptable to God as long as the preacher: 

        Really gets with it  Tells lots of great stories  

        Has charisma          Preaches the truth

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"