Passage – Various

Memory Verse:

“until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13, NIV)

The first question we must answer about worship is:

1. What is ______________?

• The English word “worship” comes from the Old English word “worthship” describing the worthiness of someone to receive special honor.
• The Bible defines it as the act of bowing down to give honor (Matt. 4:10; Phil. 2:9-11).
• Worship is the outward act of giving all glory and honor to the One who is worthy (Rev. 4:9-11).

Knowing what worship is raises the next question:

2. What are ____________ of Worship?

• Worship involves expressions of:
  • Praise and celebration
  • Thanksgiving
  • Adoration
• Some biblical examples are:
  • Singing, dancing, and making music (Psa. 149:3; 33:2; Eph. 5:19)
  • Verbal Praise (Heb. 13:15)
  • Silence (Hab. 2:20)
  • Lifting hands (Psa. 63:4; 1 Tim. 2:8)
  • Clapping and shouting (Psa. 47:1)
  • Bowing and lying on the ground (Psa. 95:6; 138:2; Josh. 5:14; 2 Chron. 20:18)
  • By Giving (1 Chron. 29:9; Prov. 3:9; Phil. 4:18)
  • With Thanksgiving (Rev. 11:17)
• The Bible is full of examples of worship for us to learn and apply to our life of worship.

But we must be cautious not to fall into the habits of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day! So we must answer the question:

3. _________ Should We Worship?

• Worship is not just an outward, mechanical expression!
• Jesus helps us understand the heart of worship in his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:19-24).
  • We must know the One we are worshipping.
  • When we know Him in a personal way, we receive the Holy Spirit Who enables us to worship in the Spirit and truth!
• The worship God accepts is in the Spirit that we receive through faith in Jesus Christ (Psa. 89:15; Acts 16:22-26; 2:46-47).

Conclusion:

Your belief about God determines how you worship God.

If you don’t believe or misunderstand who God is, thinking He is powerless, distant, or limited in some way, you will wonder, “Why should I praise Him”?

But if you grasp the truth that God is sovereign, holy, and full of unfailing love, you will want to surrender your life to him and be unable to keep from praising Him.

Read this description of worship:

“After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. In front of the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. Also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “ ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty,’ who was, and is, and is to come.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.”” (Revelation 4:1–11, NIV)

Today is the day to lay your crowns before God—whatever they may be. Bring your authentic worship to the One who knows you better and loves you more than you could ever imagine. Worship the one true God who is worthy of all our praise!

Will you commit to making worship part of your daily life?

Would you like to pray with someone today?

Share your decision or prayer need today by clicking on the Next Step button/link or the prayer button/link.

NEXT WEEK: Part 6, The Holy Spirit

Answer Key:

Worship

Examples

How

You can share what God is saying to you today by telling Pastor Blake about it on your Next Step form. Click this link to share your spiritual step with Pastor Blake.

Watch our Livestream each week HERE

Passage – Various

Memory Verse: “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13, NIV)

Introduction:

We are now on our 3^rd Dimension of this series about Prayer, and I am thrilled to be speaking on this subject today with you because it is my heart’s desire and role here to equip you to pray and encourage you to pray.

The title of this message today is called: Pray, Pray, Pray

For those who may not know what Prayer is, it is simply defined as our communication with Jesus.

Prayer is having fellowship (Koinonia in Greek) with Christ.

1 John 1;1: We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

As we read Scripture, it teaches us to pray:

In faith (1 John 5;14-15)

In Jesus’ name (John 14:12–14)

Persistently (Luke 18:1–8)

With this Dimension of Prayer, you may or may not have asked these questions:

If God is Creator, Sustainer and sovereign over the world, why does He teach us to pray?

If God is Omnipotent- all-powerful, Omniscient-all-knowing, and Omnipresent-present everywhere, why does He want us to pray?

If God already knows our needs, why should we bother asking?

There are many reasons we as Spirit filled disciples need to pray and I want us to focus on 2 of them today:

Reason 1 why we need to pray as Spirit Filled Disciples:

1- Prayer Unites us with God:

Matthew 16:18- And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

1 Cor 2;4-5- ⁴ My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, ⁵ so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power.

The result of our prayers in Faith, in Jesus Name alone we can see:

Healing (James 5:13–16), Miracles (Acts 9:36–43) and Signs and wonders (Acts 4:23–31)

Reason 2 why we need to pray as Spirit Filled Disciples:

2-We are Pursuing God’s Will

1 Cor 2;3 -I came to you in weakness with great fear and trembling.

Phil 2;12-13- ¹² Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, ¹³ for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.

Fear and Trembling is a heart posture we need to have every time we come to God in prayer. Having this heart posture of Fear and Trembling before His Throne, helps us to have that humbled heart knowing it is Him that answers our prayers how He sees fit.

Romans 8;26-27: ²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

God is not our servant. He’s not obligated to do what we want or ask what we want or need in prayer. Instead, we are God’s servants. We want His will to be accomplished. We should pray like Jesus did: “I want your will to be done, not mine” (Matthew 26:39).

How do I pray as Spirit Filled Disciples?

1- With Thanksgiving

Philippians 4:6 says- Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Point 2 how I pray as a Spirit Filled Disciple:

2- With Repentance and Forgiveness:

1 John 1:9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Matthew 6:14–15- ¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Point number 3 how I pray as a Spirit Filled Disciple:

3- With Supplication:

Supplication simply means asking God for the things you need. There is no need too big for God’s power and no need too small for His fatherly care.

Point number 4 how I pray as a Spirit Filled Disciple:

4- Praise Him:

Psalm 34;1- I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.

Hebrews 13;15- Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name.

Barriers As We Pray:

Distractions

Physical fatigue

Loss of spiritual motivation

Confusion about the purpose of prayer

Inconsistency in prayer

Overcrowded schedules

8 reasons why your prayers may be unanswered:

1- Doubt

2- Sin

3- Unforgiveness of others:

Mark 11;25-26: ²⁵ And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. ²⁶ But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses.

4- You don’t ask:

James 4;2- You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.

5- You pray with wrong intentions and motives

6- Ignoring Hurting People

7- Bad or Unfaithful Spouse: Eph 5;22-33 shows us how to be the husband and wife we need to be.

8- Because God has Something Better

Consider these questions as you reflect on the Spirit-empowered dimension of prayer this week:

How is my prayer life, am I praying Biblically and theologically, and is prayer my priority in my walk with Christ?

Would you like to pray with someone today?

Share your decision or prayer needs today by clicking on the Next Step button/link or the prayer button/link.

Next Week: Guest Speaker for Mother’s Day

IN 2 WEEKs: Part 5, Worship

You can share what God is saying to you today by telling Pastor Blake about it on your Next Step form. Click this link to share your spiritual step with Pastor Blake.

Watch our Livestream each week HERE

Passage – Various

Memory Verse: “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13, NIV)

Introduction:

We are in this new series of 7 Dimensions. The main goal in this whole series is to better equip us as Spirit filled Disciples of Jesus, meaning how can we better follow Jesus in his footprints and what does that look like in the areas of our lives such as reading the Bible, Prayer, being led by the Holy Spirit working in us, serving him, worship, and Generosity. These are some areas we will go over in these weeks ahead and I am really expecting God to speak to all of us no matter where we are at in our journey as Disciples of Jesus.

Do you know what the Mission of Cornerstone is?

Before Jesus ascended, he gave his followers a mission to “go and make disciples” of all the families in the world. As families that have put Jesus at the center of our lives, Cornerstone is called to that mission of making disciples by growing Christ-centered families. The world consists of many types of families that are far from God. Our mission is to help all families explore the truths of Christ so that they might encounter Him and grow closer to Him until He becomes the center of their lives.

The title of the message today is called: Mission Accepted.

This is our 2^nd Dimension of this series in how to be on Mission as Spirit filled Disciples of Jesus.

Our mission as Cornerstone comes along side our main Mission as a Disciple of Christ: The Great Commission, and you can read that in Matthew 28:18–20 which tells us to go to all nations, sharing the Gospel, making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to obey Him.

Did you know, God has been pursuing us since before we even understood He existed?

As Spirit-filled disciples, we need to be focused on God’s mission in all areas of life, sharing the gospel, which is the Good News, and discipling others.

I used to play 1^st person shooter, and they have main missions and side missions to help with this message.

There are 4 side missions within our main Mission as Disciples of Jesus I want to dive deeper here today.

Being a Disciple of Jesus; we have 4 side missions to complete:

1. Having Intentional Relationships:

Jesus Intentionally prioritizes people- Luke 15:1–7:

Now the tax collectors and sinners were all gathering around to hear Jesus. ² But the Pharisees and the teachers of the law muttered, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

³ Then Jesus told them this parable: ⁴ “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? ⁵ And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders ⁶ and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, ‘Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.’ ⁷ I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

He told this parable of a searching shepherd and a lost sheep to help His followers understand how much He loves even those who don’t know Him. Jesus expects and desires his Disciples to have this same hunger and Joy of going out of the 4 walls being on Mission searching for the lost, hurting, and broken.

Can I tell you that we don’t realize how desperately lost the people around us really are? Here is a good illustration for us with those that are lost all around us:

How many have been swimming and know how to swim? When you go swimming like I did on my vacation recently, there are a ton of people around you in the water. What we may not even think about when swimming with many others around us, there are probably many that are in the pool or ocean you swam in, the person next to you doesn’t know how to swim and survive in the water and could drown even though they are around you and others that could save them from drowning? Drowning represented here are those going to Hell and not Heaven.

This is the point of being on Mission as a Spirit filled Disciple for Jesus. Being aware of the needs of people having intentional relationships with them no matter if you like the person or not.

God doesn’t want anyone to die in their sins, but He wants everyone to turn to Him for forgiveness.

We can find this in 2 Peter 3:9 which says: The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

True discipleship includes both a vertical relationship with God and a horizontal relationship with other people. This vertical and horizontal nature can be seen all the way back in Exodus 20 with the Ten Commandments. The first 4 commandments concerned the people’s relationship with God and the last 6 were related to their relationships with others.

The same principles are true today. Discipleship combines an intentional relationship with God and an intentional relationship with others. Every follower of Jesus is included in the Great Commission. Our mission is not complete until the person we have reached with the gospel can in turn offer the gospel to someone else.

Side Mission number 2 as Disciples:

2. Bear witness of Jesus

What does that mean? I am glad you asked.

Luke 21;12-13 says: But before all this, they will seize you and persecute you. They will hand you over to synagogues and put you in prison, and you will be brought before kings and governors, and all on account of my name. ¹³ And so you will bear testimony to me.

Jesus is saying here that you will be persecuted as my Disciples and this is a great opportunity to bear witness.

What this means by bearing witness to Jesus in this verse, we as followers of Christ, his Disciples, are to proclaim what we have heard and seen regarding the Word of Life. We are to be the walking and living testimony of what Jesus has done, is doing, and will do in us, through us, and out of us.

1 John 1;1-3 takes it deeper how to Bear Witness: That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. ² The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. ³ We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

As long as there is one person in the world who doesn’t know Jesus, our main Mission is not finished. Jesus died on that Cross on Calvary for all creation. If it was just, you on this Earth Jesus would still die on that Cross for you, come and search for you and tell you to come follow me. If there would only be one person here today, I would still show up and preach this message to you because you are my side mission today of bearing witness what He has done on that Cross.

Jesus noticed and cared for people. His disciples need to do the same thing.

The third side mission as Disciples of Jesus is:

3. Bring Hurting People to the Healer:

This ties into the 1 side mission of intentional relationships.

The Gospels record 40 instances of Jesus healing people. For those seeking Jesus for healing, 34 of them did not find Jesus on their own. Either Jesus found them or someone else brought them to Him. Hurting people still need someone to bring them to Jesus. Will you be the one Jesus uses to help bring healing?

In order for that to happen we need to be intentional with our relationships and bear witness to them that there is only One who can Heal, and then telling them about him and bring that person hurting to him.

His promise to heal you whatever that may be for you, He still heals. Stand upon those promises that He will heal you in His timing:

One of these scripture verses I want to look at for healing is:

1 Peter 2;24: He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.

This verse comes from Isaiah 53;5: But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Through the wounds of Christ at the Cross, believers are healed spiritually from the deadly disease of sin. Physical healing comes only at Glorification, when there is no more physical pain, illness, or death.

Glorification Meaning: This is the final stage of your salvation in Christ where God will completely remove sin from believers transforming us into immortal beings sharing in Christ’s glory.

We can read this in Rev 21;4: He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. 

As we complete the side missions within our main Mission: Having intentional relationships, Bear witness to Jesus, bring others to the Healer, we come to:

The 4^th side mission as Disciples:

4. Disciples who make Disciples:

As followers of Christ, we are to be ambassadors for Christ.

2 Cor 5;20: We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

This is a huge assignment asked of us by God. As ambassadors, we are to do 3 things:

1-Proclaim– Verbally share the Gospel of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, and his return which is sooner than you think.

2-Multiply- Help others have an intentional relationship first with Christ, then with other fellow believers so then they can in turn disciple others.

3-Be a public witness: Testify your Faith in Christ openly, proudly, and loudly through your everyday interactions with His Creation.

God’s desire for every follower of Christ is to make disciples who make disciples. In Luke 10:1–16, Jesus sent out about 72 of His followers with instructions on how to be disciple-makers.

His words teach us that becoming a disciple maker requires 4 things: Deciding to obey Jesus, preparing to share the gospel, remaining accountable to fellow disciples, and maintaining a continual focus on the mission.

Conclusion:

Jesus tells us to live on mission, and we need to live in expectancy of that Mission assigned to all his followers. As we interact with people, we need to look for opportunities to point them to Jesus with having those 4 side missions at the forefront of our minds: Intentional Relationships, Bear witness of Jesus, bring hurting People to the Healer, and Disciples who make Disciples.

It’s easy to allow ourselves to get too busy and forget our most important mission.

To grow as Spirit-filled disciples, it’s imperative that we prioritize making disciples who make disciples.

I want to help give you some prayer points as you reflect on the spiritual dimension with being on mission this week:

Pray for opportunities to share the gospel as people are convicted of their sin (John 16:8–9).

Pray that people’s eyes would be opened to truth about God as you yield to the Holy Spirit. (2 Corinthians 4:4)

Pray that people’s hearts would be receptive to the gospel when you share it. (Matthew 13:23).

Pray that people would be unsatisfied with the world’s version of peace and instead search for peace in Jesus that which will transcend all understanding. (Phil 4;7)

Pray that God would draw people to Himself. (John 6:44).

Would you like to pray with someone today?

Share your decision or prayer need today by clicking on the Next Step button/link or the prayer button/link.

NEXT WEEK: Part 4, Prayer

You can share what God is saying to you today by telling Pastor Blake about it on your Next Step form. Click this link to share your spiritual step with Pastor Blake.

Watch our Livestream each week HERE

Passage – Various

Memory Verse:

“until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13, NIV)

The problem for many followers of Jesus is that:

1. Many Don’t _______________ with the Bible

• They don’t understand it’s purpose.
• They’re intimidated by the Bible.
• They don’t understand the Bible (Hosea 4:6)

The first step is to start by:

2. Developing Good _____________ for Bible Engagement

• This helps us grow!
• It provides benefits for our life (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
• To engage the Bible, we must:
  • Discover the original meaning.
  • Discover the contemporary application.
  • Discover the culture, history, land, and spiritual climate at the time of its writing.

As we develop the habits of engaging the Bible:

3. _________ _________ what You Learn from the Bible.

• Pick a translation you can understand (ESV, NLT, NIV).
• Ask & trust the Holy Spirit to help you understand the Bible (John 14:26).
• Avoid skipping around to engage the Bible more effectively.
• Develop the habit of journaling.
• Consistency is the key to spiritual growth.

Conclusion:

The Bible is the best-selling, most influential book in the world. But it’s more than just a book. The pages of God’s Word contain direction and guidance for every stage of life. When you practice the habit of engaging with the Bible and apply what you learn, it will change your life.

Will you join me and commit to begin engaging more deeply with the Bible this week?

Commit to implementing one of the following steps in response to today’s message:

• A Consistency Goal: Select a Bible reading plan and begin your journey (Bible app or commit to a Bible book, etc.). If you get behind, don’t pressure yourself to catch up. Instead, pick up where you left off.
• A 90 Day Goal: Commit to faithfully reading the Bible four days a week for the next 90 days. After 90 days, do 4 days a week for another 90 days, or increase it to 5 days a week.
• Gospel of Mark Goal: Commit to reading the Gospel of Mark. Every day, read Mark until you learn something new— whether it’s one verse or an entire chapter. Journal what you learned. The next day, start reading where you left off, repeating the pattern until you finish the Gospel of Mark.

Which step will you commit to?

Would you like to pray with someone today?

Share your decision or prayer need today by clicking on the Next Step button/link or the prayer button/link.

NEXT WEEK: Part 2, The Bible

Answer Key:

Engage

Habits

Live Out

You can share what God is saying to you today by telling Pastor Blake about it on your Next Step form. Click this link to share your spiritual step with Pastor Blake.

Watch our Livestream each week HERE

Passage – Various

Memory Verse:

“until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (Ephesians 4:13, NIV)

The first of three words that guide us toward deeper dimensions of discipleship is:

1. _______________: What is a Disciple?

• Follower (Matt. 4:19).
• Learner (Matt. 11:29).
• Imitator (Luke 6:40)

Next is:

2. _____________: How do we Imitate Jesus?

• A Yoke of Submission (Matt. 11:29-30).
• A Cup of Suffering (Matt. 10:37-40).
• A Towel of Servanthood (John 13:3-4, 14-15).

And the third word is:

3. _________: What are the Seven Dimensions?

• The Bible (Psa. 19:7-14; 119).
• The Mission (Acts 1:8).
• Prayer (Matt. 6:5-13).
• Worship (Acts 2:44-47; Eph. 5:18-20)
• The Holy Spirit (John 16:7-11; Acts 1:4-8)
• Service (1 Pet. 4:10)
• Generosity (Prov. 3:9; 1 Cor. 16:1-4)

Conclusion:

A Christ-centered disciple is a follower, learner, and imitator of Jesus. As His disciples, we spend our lives growing primarily in these seven dimensions:

1. Bible – Grow in our knowledge of God’s Word.
2. Mission – Live on mission every day, not just Sunday.
3. Prayer – Listen and talk to God.
4. Worship – Express public and private adoration and honor of God by the things we do and our lifestyle.
5. Holy Spirit – Walk in the leading of the Holy Spirit.
6. Service – Use our gifts to grow God’s kingdom.
7. Generosity – Generously invest our time, treasure, and talents.

How are you doing in your learning and growing as a disciple? Rate yourself on a scale of 1 (great) to 4 (not so great) in each of the seven dimensions.

Challenge: Prayerfully write out a plan on how you are going to improve in the dimensions you see weakness.

Would you like to pray with someone today?

Share your decision or prayer need today by clicking on the Next Step button/link or the prayer button/link.

NEXT WEEK: Part 2, The Bible

Answer Key:

Know

Be

Do

You can share what God is saying to you today by telling Pastor Blake about it on your Next Step form. Click this link to share your spiritual step with Pastor Blake.

Watch our Livestream each week HERE