Part 6 - The Worshipping Community

The Good & Beautiful Community

By Ivan Cooper, September 03, 2023

Part 6 - The Good & Beautiful Community - The Worshipping Community

Study by: Ivan Cooper

Sermons can be viewed on the Hope Valley Church YouTube Channel.

GATHERING / WORSHIP / PRAYER

Take a few minutes to catch up with each other and build community. If you have new people present, give time to getting to know each other.

Possibly listen to the song ‘One Thing Remains’ by Jesus Culture.

Pray that God would use us to show His generous love to the world.

FOCUS

Our series ‘The Good and the Beautiful’ is based on three books by James Bryan Smith. Our focus throughout August is on the third book 'The Good and Beautiful Community’, helping us to know how to live in relationship with others as apprentices of Jesus.

SETTING THE SCENE

In Mark 12, Jesus said that the greatest command was to “...love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.“ The second was to “Love your neighbour as yourself.“ It reveals the depth of a life truly transformed by worship and how the overflow would bless all those around us. True worship goes beyond singing, ritual or schedule; as we seek to love God with all that we are, all of the time. We seek to adore Him for all that He has done and for who He is. And we seek to worship him in Spirit and truth (John 4:24), as we are made alive by the Holy Spirit and guided by the lamp of His Word. Worship is a lifestyle, it is a lens through which we see everything we do; longing that all we do would be for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31), working at whatever we do with all our hearts for him (Colossians 3:23). As recorded in the Westminster shorter catechism, let us seek to glorify God and enjoy him forever.

OPENING GOD’s WORD

Warm Up Question: What first comes to mind when you hear the term ‘worship’?

Read: Romans 12 Take turns reading several verses each.

  1. What first caught your interest or stuck out to you as you read this passage?
  2. What does Paul teach in verses 1-2 is true Christian worship? What does it look like?
  3. What do we discover in verses 3-13 are the results when we live out our worship of God in the church?
  4. What do we discover in verses 14-21 are the results when we live out our worship of God in the world?
  5. In what ways do these verses challenge you as a worshipper of God?

LIVING OUT GOD’s WORD

  1. How can the overflow of our love for God bless others in the church?
  2. How can the overflow of our love for God bless others outside of the church?

PRAYER

  • Pray that we could grow in love and devotion to our king and saviour Jesus.
  • Pray that we could be ever more transformed into the image of Christ to reflect His love in the world.

Contacts If you would like more information or further help, please contact: scott.button@hopevalleychurch.com.au