Journey of Worship

As we have continued through 1 Peter, we’re reminded how many Christians live today as if the world were the final destination. We pour our life resources and energy into things that will barely last 50 years, let alone eternity. We frequently cave in to the old sinful desires. We struggle to remain faithful in the midst of great suffering. We’ve lost sight  of the glorious inheritance waiting for us.

God calls us to live as “strangers” in this world, spiritual sojourners that are just passing through. As children of the living God, our focus should be on eternity as we point people to the living Christ who paid it all for us. Our priorities and lifestyle should undergo a radical transformation.

In 1 Peter, Peter unpacks what this transformed life looks like and how it should interact with this world. In 1 Peter 4:12-19, as Peter wrote to the Christians scattered across Turkey, many found themselves under intense persecution for their faith. The apostle challenged them to trust God and continue doing good despite there suffering. The same question should be on our minds today: are we willing to suffer for Jesus?

Service flow: (Song links go to AmazonMp3 where songs are downloadable, $0.99, and DRM free.)

Welcome/Announcements
Ministry Spotlight: The Gideon’s. See video testimonies of some of the people they’ve impacted here.
Video: Pursuit
Call to Worship
Revelation Song (Riddle)
Not to Us (Tomlin/Reeves)
Everlasting God (Brown/Riley)
Leaning on the Everlasting Arms (Hoffman/Showalter arr. Chapman/HymnCharts Band)
Isaiah 12:2
Offering w/ Baby Dedication (Awesome opportunity to hear from family whose baby was born very prematurely and how they have seen God’s hand throughout the process).
Message
Video of denominational work in Iraq
Prayer (Are you willing to suffer for the sake of the Father in pursuit of the nations?)
Your Name (Baloche/Packiam)
Dismissal

This Sunday’s service was great even while being challenging at the same time. Challenging in the sense of what was being covered. The focus was not about how difficult things are a normal part of life and that we need to keep our eyes fixed on Christ (even though we do), but more about the reality that when a person chooses to fully follow Christ, there is the real possibility that suffering (i.e. persecution) may come along with it. We realize that this may be a theoretical thing in America at this time, but is a reality throughout the world, and something we need to be conscious of and prepared for. If we wait until it happens, it may be too late to decide then.

But at the same time it was a great service on multiple levels. We wove a strong thread of fathers in the service and the connection of our Heavenly Father. It was also great because there were a lot of different things going on that could have ended up being more contrived then cohesive. But everything worked together really well.

As we started, we showed a video called “Pursuit” from Organic Videos via www.evangelize.com. It’s a modern day parable of God’s relentless pursuit of us. There are no words, but the story that is told is riveting and engaging.

It really set the stage for the day. As we moved through our signing, the focus was on the holiness of God and how we must draw close to Him and live for Him. It’s all for His glory and not about us, yet we find strength and hope in the certainly of God.

We did the “Revelation Song” again this week, and it was great! Right from the beginning, people were singing and engaged, and it carried through the rest of the songs too. As we ended, we came back to “Your Name” as a corporate declaration of the strength found in the name of Jesus. Despite being a challenging topic, it was a great day together.

For more service orders from churches all over, check out Sunday Setlists at fredmckinnon.com.

Thanks!

Related posts:

1. Sunday Setlist: 6/14/09
2. Sunday Setlist: 6/07/09
3. Sunday Setlist: 5/03/09