Getting the Most out of Worship
and Making It Personal (con't)
- 2. Pray for the messenger in very specific ways. Ask God to enable him to arrange his schedule and set priorities in such a way that he has sufficient time and focus to develop a sermon or study particularly suited to the needs of the body. Pray for clarity of thought and a holy sense of his high privilege to stand before God's sheep to offer spiritual nourishment. Pray that the message is another of those divine encounters where it fits perfectly with the needy voids of attending listeners. Remember to pray for certain individuals who have yet to commit to following Christ full-time.
- 3. During the worship time take notes, and especially mark those points to be personally considered. Filling in outlines is a start, but maintaining a study notebook is far better. Flesh out the message in your own handwriting, and always keep the notebook with your Bible. When the Spirit moves you in a notable way, don't forget to include comments or insights gained from music, prayers, and testimonies.
- 4. Review the notes during the week and incorporate them into your own personal or family time with God. Use key passages for daily meditation or memorization. Explore parallel or related topics and verses. By doing this throughout the week you will not soon forget what the message was about and how it involves you personally.
- 5. Seek further knowledge of what you are not clear on. It is normal to not understand everything and beneficial to admit it. Some questions can be answered with a little study on your own. Other questions may need the help of the messenger, if possible. Find out what he intended to say and the biblical basis for the instruction. Many times our questions or confusion come about because of a misunderstanding or lapse in our attention span. Then there are those extra special questions that have no answer this side of heaven. Mark those as "to be answered later."
- 6. Share some truth you learned with someone else. God does not teach us and grow us so that we become spiritually-fat couch potatoes. Exercise the knowledge and faith you acquire by sharing with others. Some of this will be through relationships with those closest to us. We help guide someone else as we pass on a word of knowledge or experience gained. If we will be attentive throughout the day we will even recognize when God prepares us for a divine appointment even through casual relationships.
- 7. Consider being part of a worship hour prayer team that prays for the messenger and listeners during the entire service. This requires the pastor's support, of course, and should be done as behind-the-scenes as possible. Avoid calling attention to this ministry and the prayer warriors. In fact, make it one of the best kept secrets of the church. Unholy things happen when pride and ego get in the way.
If this looks too much like work, then it may be that you have been coasting for too long already. Make a commitment today that your Sundays will not be idle times of relaxation and entertainment like a spectator sport. Determine that you will no longer be a passive pew sitter but an active worship partner.
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