The New Life in Christ: How Real Servants Act. (The Purpose Driven Life-RICK WARREN.)

 “Whoever wants to be great must become a servant.” Mark 10:43. (Msg).

You  can tell what they are by what they do. Matthew 7:16. (CEV)

We serve God by serving others.

The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and positions.

Jesus, however, measured greatness in terms of service, not status.

God determines your greatness by how many people you serve, not how many people serve you.

Thousands of books have been written on leadership, but few on servant hood. Everyone wants to lead; no one wants to be a servant. We would rather be generals than privates.

Even Christians want to be “servant-leaders,’ not just plain servants. But to be like Jesus is to be a servant. That’s what he called himself.

Remember, God shaped you for service, not for self-centeredness.  

Without a servant’s heart, you will be tempted to misuse your shape for personal gain. You will also be tempted to use it as an excuse to exempt yourself from meeting some needs.

Amen.

The New Life in Christ: The Heart of Worship. (The Purpose Driven Life-RICK WARREN.)

 Give yourselves to God… Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes. Romans 6:13. (TEV)

The heart of worship is surrender.

The Bible is crystal clear about how you benefit when you fully surrender your life to God.

First, you experience peace. “Stop quarreling with God! If you agree with him, you will have peace at last, and things will go well for you.”

Next, you experience freedom. “Offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits…[his] commands set you free to live openly in his freedom!”

Third, you experience God’s power in your life. Stubborn temptations and overwhelming problems can be defeated by Christ when given to him.

Have you ever signed a contract like that with God? Or are you still arguing and struggling with God over his right to do with your life as he pleases? Amen.

The New Life in Christ: The Heart of Worship. (The Purpose Driven Life-RICK WARREN.)

The heart of worship is surrender.

Give yourselves to God… Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes. Romans 6:13. (TEV)

Genuine surrender says, “Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or in another’s, please don’t take it away.”

This level of maturity does not come easy.

Surrender is hard work.

Surrendered people are the ones God uses. God uses Mary to be the mother of Jesus, not because she was talented or wealthy or beautiful, but because she was totally surrendered to him. When the angel explained God’s improbable plan, she calmly responded, “I am the Lord’s servant, and I am willing to accept whatever he want.” Nothing is more powerful than a surrendered life in the hands of God.

“So give yourselves completely to God.” Amen.

The New Life in Christ: The Heart of Worship. (The Purpose Driven Life-RICK WARREN.)

 Give yourselves to God… Surrender your whole being to him to be used for righteous purposes. Romans 6:13. (TEV)

The heart of worship is surrender.

The most difficult area to surrender for many people is their money. Many have thought, “I want to live for God but I also want to earn enough money to live comfortably and retire someday.”

Retirement is not the goal of a surrendered life, because it competes with God for the primary attention of our lives. Jesus said, “You cannot serve both God and money” and “Whatever your treasure is, your heart will be also.”

The supreme example of self-surrender is Jesus. The night before his crucifixion Jesus surrendered himself to God’s plan. He prayed, “Father, everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.”

Jesus didn’t pray, “God, if you are able to take away this pain, please do so.” He had already affirmed that God can do anything! Instead he prayed, “God, if it is in your best interest to remove this suffering, please do so. But if it fulfills your purpose, that’s what I want, too.” Amen.

The New Life in Christ: Worship That Pleases God. (The Purpose Driven Life-RICK WARREN.)

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30. (NIV)
The kind of worship that pleases God has four characteristics:

4. God is pleased when our worship is practical.

The Bible says, “Offer your bodies as living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-that is your spiritual act of worship. Why does God want your body? Why doesn’t he say, “Offer your spirit”?

Because without your body you can’t do anything on this planet.

In eternity  you will receive a new, improved, upgraded body,  but while you’re here on earth, God says, “Give me what you’ve got.” He’s just being practical about worship.

You have heard people say, “I can’t make it to the meeting tonight, but I’ll be with you in spirit.” Do you know what that means? Nothing. It’s worthless! As long as you’re on earth, your spirit can only be where your body is. If your body isn’t there, neither are you.

In worship we are to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices.”

Now God is pleased with different sacrifices of worship: thanksgiving, praise, humility, repentance, offerings of money, prayer, serving others, and sharing with those in need.

Real worship costs. David knew this and said: “I will not offer to the LORD my God sacrifices that have cost me nothing.”

When you praise God even when you don’t feel like it, when you get out of bed to worship when you are tired, or when you help others when you are worn out, you are offering a sacrifice of worship to God. That pleases God. Amen.

The New Life in Christ: Worship That Pleases God. (The Purpose Driven Life-RICK WARREN.)

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30. (NIV)

The kind of worship that pleases God has four characteristics:

3. God is pleased when our worship is thoughtful.

Try praising God without using the words praise, hallelujah, thanks or amen. Instead of saying, “We just want to praise you,” make a list of synonyms and use fresh words like admire, respect, value, revere, honor, and appreciate.

Also, be specific.

Paul devotes an entire chapter to this in 1Corinthians 14 and concludes, “Everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.”

Related to this,

God insists that our worship services be understandable to unbelievers when they are present in our worship gatherings.

Being sensitive to unbelievers who visit your worship gatherings is a biblical command.

Amen.

The New Life in Christ: Worship That Pleases God. (The Purpose Driven Life-RICK WARREN.)

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Mark 12:30. (NIV)
The kind of worship that pleases God has four characteristics:

2. God is pleased when our worship is authentic.

When Jesus said you must “worship in spirit,” he wasn’t referring to the Holy Spirit, but to your spirit. Made in God’s image, you are a spirit that resides in a body, and God designed your spirit to communicate with him. Worship is your spirit responding to God’s Spirit.

When Jesus said, “Love God with all your heart and soul” he meant that worship must be genuine and heartfelt.

It is not just a matter of saying the right words; you must mean what you say.

Heartless praise is not praise at all! It is worthless, an insult to God.

When we worship, God looks past our words to see the attitude of our hearts.

The Bible says, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”

One thing is certain: You don’t bring glory to God by trying to be someone he never intended you to be. God wants you to be yourself.

“That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship.” Amen.