Category Archives: Worship

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True Worship – Day 10

Who and what we point at becomes primary

Today’s reading – Psalm 29, John 4:21-24

I have played my fair share of basketball over the years.  One particular time one of my teammates threw me a perfect pass that led to a layup for me.  I scored the points but without the perfect pass no basket would have happened. That is recorded as an assist.  I remember after that pass pointing and nodding to him as if to say, “that was all you.”   God loves it when we succeed and then point at Him as the one who made it happen.  Who is getting the credit in your life?  True worship is living all out for all the glory to go to our Father in heaven.

“We don’t live to get the credit, we live to give the glory.”

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”  John 4:23-24

 

The only way we are going to be able to point in the right direction is if our life is guided by the Spirit of God.  This is an everyday continual alignment process.  When we think of worship in our culture most of our thinking goes towards a Sunday worship service, someone giving a sermon, or the music at an organized worship gathering.  But everything in our life everyday is to point to God and his work in our lives.  If we are to fully follow Jesus there will be pain, because there are probably activities in our lives that are not bringing glory and credit to God.  Is there anywhere in your life you are trying to get more credit?  Is there anything that doesn’t give him glory?  Is there clear evidence in your life you follow Christ.

 

Here are some transparent questions to meditate on today as you gauge who is getting the credit and the glory…

 

1. What is your source of strength? – Are you one who relies on yourself and do you consider yourself self-sufficient?  Do you pride yourself in being the underdog and rising up from nothing?    Has your own personal ambition worn you out?   

 

2. Who do you seek approval from? –  Does personal accomplishment and achievement drive you because of money, accolades or other people’s opinions.  Do you desire people to like you more than others so much that you would do anything, including hurting others, to gain their approval? Is there anyone you are jealous of?

 

3. Who or what are you afraid of? – Is there anyone you are trying to push down and keep from succeeding because you fear they may take your place?  Do you worry excessively about what someone might do and do you have a layer of mistrust for almost everyone.  Do you talk about others way too much.

 

If you missed the explanation of our 40 Day fasting and prayer, here is the Sunday message from 217church

Josh

The 40 Day Fasting Explanation

A season of fasting and prayer – Over the next 40 days leading up to our 9th anniversary, our church family will be in a season of fasting and prayer.  I invite you to come along with us and ask God for a transformation by the renewal of our minds.

A 40 Day Prayer and Fasting Guide for 217church

1. An Everyday Habit in the Word – Each day I will be sending out a short devotional based on some selected readings.  This begins through a simple prayer of asking God to renew us.

2. Continual Fasting  – A 40 Day Prayer and Fasting Guide for 217church

God has blessed us through incredibly unique circumstances over the last nine years as 217church.  We have baptized over 275 people and been given the unique calling to have a church planting and multiplication vision.  The past 18 months of ministry have led the pastors and elders to call us as a congregation to a season of prayer and fasting.  We want to use this time to understand the depth of God’s heart for us and the next steps he is calling us to.  I trust your heart will be open and God will bring us to a deeper understanding of what it means to “rebuild lives one person at a time.”

We believe God wants us to fast over a period of 40 days.  As a reminder, what you choose to fast is between you and Jesus. But you may want to include some natural encouragement and accountability over this 40 day period.  This may mean you are doing one of the following as an example:

  • Skipping a meal or a whole day of meals.
  • Eliminating something like sugar, coffee, or meat to remind you of your total dependence on God.
  • Encouraging one another in the church family as you pray together and sacrifice your physical sustenance for spiritual direction and focus.

What will God do? I am looking forward to see his direction.

Renewal is on the way – Join me along this process

 

Josh Conn is the founding pastor of 217church, a contemporary church in Mercer County NJ.  217church meets Sundays at 9:30am & 11:00am at Sharon Elementary school in Robbinsville, NJ.  Visit www.217church.com for more information, or watch a weekend message here.

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We’re Alive!

You don’t want to miss this weekend at 217church! This weekend concludes our Worship: All or Nothing series. We know that worship is our response to a God who is first pursuing us.

Because God has given us His all in Jesus, we as Christ followers can respond to His pursuit with all WE have! We’ve pursued God on how we worship Him with in our plans, prayers, fears, suffering, and this weekend we will talk about responding to God with our FAITH.

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved- Ephesians 2:4-5

 Jesus changes EVERYTHING. We were once dead and now we are ALIVE! When we pursue Him in our plans, He provides; in our prayers,  He answers;  in our fears, He assures; in our suffering, He pulls us through; and, in our faith, He moves mountains! At the end of this passage in Ephesians 2:10 it says 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

So what are we doing with our life in Christ? What does life look like when living out a faith that moves mountains? God has given us everything we need to live out a life with bold faith. Here are 3 evidences of a life lived by faith.

Passion

Jesus led with passion. The apostles preached and prayed with passion. There is excitement in living out God’s calling on our lives! When we meet Jesus we are given the gift of expectancy simply because God is always ready to do something amazing! This leaves us with an energy, a sense of urgency and excitement about what God is doing in our lives and in the lives of others.

Purpose

We know who we belong to, where we are going, and what we are here to do. Every morning we wake up, we know we exist to bring God glory in everything we do. God desires all His children to know Him and receive His gift of salvation through His son and we as Christ followers are here to play a part in that process!

Power

We have the Holy Spirit! The same power that conquered the grave lives in us! If God is for us who can be against us? Once you are alive in Christ and live by the power of the Holy Spirit, nothing can stop you! Sure, life will bring it’s challenges, but a life lived by faith in Jesus is more powerful than any circumstance we could ever be faced with.

We are ALIVE! Do you feel the passion? Do you know your purpose? Are you tapping into the power? Don’t miss this weekend at 217church!

 

Looking for a church in Mercer County  and the surrounding Hamilton area (Lawrenceville, East Windsor, Pennington, Chesterfield, Bordentown, Heightstown, Trenton, Ewing, Princeton, West Windsor, Langhorne, Newtown, Yardley, Washington Crossing)?  Join us this Sunday at the AMC 24 in Hamilton NJ at 9:30 or 11:00 am. Learn more about 217church and our vision here!