There's an app for that - Disciples worship
Want to be more like Jesus - There’s an app for that! Disciples worship!
Worship: All the poor and powerless / Our God
Welcome – David
Message Part 1 - When I was in Israel, I spent a week in Tiberias or Galilee and I also spent a week in Jerusalem. Our team stayed in a hotel called The Scot’s Hotel. Really nice accommodations. There was a man there named Hamudi who was the clerk and ran the front desk. You walk into the lobby and there was Hamudi. He was very friendly. Could speak English pretty well. One night Mike Tuttle and I were walking through the lobby on the hotel and there again is Hamudi behind the front desk. He’s looking at his computer screen and Mike asks him, “Are you watching a video instead of working” and Hamudi replies, “No, I’m not watching a video. I’m playing Angry Birds!” Who hear has played “Angry Birds?” What have those little green pigs done that has made those birds so angry? That game can be addicting! If you want to play some fun games – there’s an app for that![i] Have you ever heard a song playing on the radio or maybe in a store and start wondering, “What’s the name of that tune?” Who’s the artist? Well, there’s an app for that! It’s called Sound Hound. Just tap the button and sound hound listens to the song – receives the song and then tells you the name of the song, the artist and also gives you the lyrics. Do you ever need to see the entire calendar year at one glance? OR future years? There’s an app for that called Year Viewer. Do you need to keep track of your mileage on your car? There’s an app for that! It’s called Mile Bug and it’s really handy! How many of you have some type of smart phone? Smartphone’s enable people to do quite a bit, but I’m curious. Can a Smartphone help us to become more like Jesus Christ – God’s one and only son – who lived and died and rose again? Today I begin a five week series called – guess what, "There’s an app for that!" But here’s the trick! YOU are the app! Tell me, what does app stand for? App stands for application. If we apply what Jesus said and did. If we take him at his word, which defines faith by the way, we will become more like him! I found myself reading through the Gospel of Matthew. I eventually came to the last chapter, chapter 28, and the priorities of Jesus leap off the page. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 28:16. We are a generous church! We give away allot. Three examples: Bibles, chocolate and pizza! Pizza and Pastors is this Wednesday night! If you are a guest today, come see me at the end of the service and I’ll give you this big, honkin’ candy bar! Now I have had ministry partners say to me, “Greg, I didn’t get any chocolate!” So for those who never received any chocolate here you go! We also give away Bibles! Do you need a Bible? Just raise your hand and a Bible is yours! I finished a series on Marriage in July and Mark Stier just concluded his series on parenting and both were taken right from the Bible. Why? The Bible is no ordinary book. The Bible is the word of God! Trust it! Jesus gives us our “orders from head quarters.” Let’s read verses (16) – (8) – (17)! “When they saw him, they worshiped him…
I have another gift for you today! It’s a bookmark. If you are curious, “what’s this church all about?” this bookmark will come in handy! Here are the five core values of the church – any church! When churches stay focused on Jesus’ marching orders they stay healthy! When we get away from what’s “important and urgent” – we struggle in life and so does the church! Notice Core Value #1: “Authentic worship nurtures a vital relationship with God!” Go back to verse 17! Tell me, just what is worship? Let’s focus on this word in this passage. Right here, the eleven “’proskuneo[ii]’d” Jesus! Honestly, that doesn’t sound too good. What did they actually do? The word itself tells us they probably got on their knees and bowed before Jesus! They may have taken his hand and kissed his hand – like those in the OT would do towards kings and priests! Proskuneo implies action and reverence. And why did they? They came to understand that Jesus was more than a man – more than a human being! He just came back from the dead! Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is the long awaited Messiah! Jesus is Adonai! Jesus is the Great I am! What I’ve been taught about worship is that worship is not solely defined in scripture. Inotherwords, you can’t say that one expression of worship is the only expression of worship! A couple moved into a new neighborhood. The next morning as they were eating breakfast, the wife sees her neighbor hanging her laundry out to dry.
And the woman says, “Her laundry is not very clean!” And she concludes, "That lady hasn’t been taught how to do laundry very well OR she needs a better detergent." Her husband looks up and says, “Maybe?” This goes on for weeks until one day this woman is surprised to see clean laundry on her neighbor’s line and she says to her husband, "Someone must have given her a tip on washing clothes because they look great!” And her husband replies, "No, I doubt it. I got up early this morning and cleaned our windows."
Many times our problem with worship isn’t those around us! It IS US! We’ve concluded that worship can only be this! Now one simple expression of worship is to sing! John is going to lead us to worship Jesus! Maybe you would be inclined to bow down or to focus your attention towards heaven. But know this – there’s only ONE worth worshipping and his name is Jesus!
Worship Set #2: Be Unto Your Name / How He Loves
Communion / Jesus Paid it All / Offering
The offering is another expression of worship. It isn’t that we are offering just our money. We are offering to God our very lives! Did verse 17 create a paradigm shift in your mind when it comes to worship? They see Jesus and they worship. I get that part, but it’s what’s missing that confuses me! Where’s the temple? Where’s the bulletin or the newsletter? Where’s the choir or the worship team or the worship leader? Where’s the band? Where’s the preacher? Actually there is a preacher & worship leader – that would be Jesus! Now don’t get me wrong! I love it when we worship together as the family of God! But authentic worship is more than just gathering in a building. It’s sincere, it’s daily – it’s life! Here’s my challenge to you! Is today the only time you’ll worship or ONE of many times this upcoming week? Watch this – Video – A Life of Worship!
Last Sunday my family and I were in Gatlinburg, TN. We had been there on vacation from Thursday through Sunday. We saw a Momma bear and her three cubs. We spent that time with my wife’s family. On Sunday we were planning on stopping off at a church in TN and then going home. Well, someone in our family started feeling sick early Sunday morning, so we ended up getting in our car and driving home. That would prevent worship, right? It doesn’t have to! Sam was sleeping. Jeanna was listening to music. Tricia was reading her Bible. I was driving. This of course is Sunday morning. I can count on one hand how many Sunday mornings I’ve spent in my car instead of being right here! But car or not – you can worship! I found myself praying. I found myself bowing down! I found myself singing! I found myself repenting! I found myself focusing on the one who gave his life for me – all while driving the car!
Let me ask you again. Do you want to become more like Jesus Christ? There’s an app for that. You are the app. Worship Jesus and Jesus only. Worship him here. Worship him out there! But that can be hard! Go back to verse 17! When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. There are more than 11 here with Jesus. Paul tells us in 1st Corinthians 15 that more than 500 people saw Jesus alive after his resurrection. So who are the doubters? Must be Thomas, right? He does have the reputation, right? Or how about Peter or John or Andrew. Or possibly, Matthew, after all, he’s the one writing here. Maybe he’s being more transparent than we realize. To doubt does not mean to disbelieve. It means to waiver. It means to be hesitant! Does the name James ring a bell? Not James the brother of John or James the less, but Jesus’ brother James. I wonder if James was in the crowd. Do you realize that James didn’t always believe that Jesus was anyone special – let alone the Son of God! Jesus had four living brothers, James, Joseph, Simon and Judas, according to Matthew 13:55, but Jesus tells John to take care of his mother as he dies on the cross. Why? The four didn’t believe in him. John did. What turns James around? It’s nothing less than the resurrection! What turned Saul into Paul? It’s nothing less than the resurrection. What will turn us around? What will it take today to turn doubt into conviction? It’s the resurrection! Jesus isn’t just anyone. He came back from the dead. Don’t worship rock stars, celebrities, athletes, politicians or preachers. They will always leave you wanting more. Jesus is worthy of our genuine, authentic worship! Now I get this song…
And here I am to worshipHere I am to bow downHere I am to say that you're my GodYou're altogether lovelyAltogether worthyAltogether wonderful to meCome worship God. Bring your doubts to God.
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[i] http://mashable.com/2010/10/11/apple-trademark/
[ii] Logos Bible Software, Strong, James: The Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible : Showing Every Word of the Text of the Common English Version of the Canonical Books, and Every Occurrence of Each Word in Regular Order. electronic ed. Ontario : Woodside Bible Fellowship., 1996, S. G4352