Here is a statement I read today. What do you think about this?
“…There is nothing that has a bigger impact on the people of your congregation than what happens in your weekly worship gatherings. Of course, Christian community and discipleship encompass much more than corporate worship, such as spiritual disciplines, small-group fellowship, ministry teams, missional service, and relational evangelism. However, it is encountering God together in worship that will shape and define the rest of those expressions of the body of Christ more than any other experience will.â€
[Bob Rognlien: Experiential Worship]
So, does the Sunday worship gathering shape the spiritual impact of the rest of the week; or does your week, living as Christ-followers, gathered and scattered, shape the Sunday worship gathering?
Show me the impact….. // November 18, 2005
Posted by Scott Womer [worship arts pastor]
11 Responses to “Show me the impact…..”
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God is such a god of balance. so my take on it is that both impact each other. worshipping together corporately is something i very much look forward to, no dis to ed, but it’s my fav part of the service, that’s just how i’m wired. but my only impact on how we worship together on sunday is just how loud i can sing. together with others that can certainly have an impact…all musicians know that when your audience is with you and really feeling the music and participating then somehow you end up playing better music as well.
but in reality, is it really about us and how ‘well’ we worship? i have been to many a service that had compelling music, everything seemed right on and i should have felt God’s spirit there, but haven’t. then other services with essentially the same music and you just get overwhelmed with God’s spirit filling that place and eveloping our worship to Him. to me that shows the indifference that God has toward what kinda of music it is or anything like that, but what He’s really after is our hearts.
when the band is truly worshiping God themselves, not just leading others in worship, that has an impact on their music and in their faces…peope in the congregation can tell and feed off of that. and then there are other times when the band doesn’t feel it at first and then the congregation is really experiencing worship and the band is able to feed off of that.
it’s a very cool thing to participate in from either end of the spectrum.
well, these are my thoughts, take em or leave em, they are what they are.
Sen. leary
For me, it is my experiences with God during the week that influence my Sunday corporate worship times. My personality is such that I experience God, or better said, I am aware of God, when I am alone and I have quiet time to think. I sense Him when I am alone with my thoughts, when I am reading, when I am watching a movie or taking a walk. Then, during corporate worship times, I meditate on what He revealed about Himself…I offer that back as worship to Him…
Great question. I don’t know that there is a definite answer. There have been moments where something in the teaching really gets my heart and sticks – and causes me to live differently during the week. And there have been moments where I have encountered God in a way during the week (in small group, conversations, listening to music, in a simple comment my sons make, watching a movie) that prepares me to respond and soak up the content of the Sunday service.
I guess they both feed off each other. I do know for sure that when I feel close to God I also happen to feel good about my relationships with friends and family. When I spend less time seeking Christ, I feel disconnected with those I love on earth. The more I extend love toward others draws me to Christ and as I draw closer to Him I have the confidence to reach out farther.
In a nutshell, it’s a Catch 22 for me. They both effect each other in a terrible and lovely way.
Nicely said, Shuugs.
Sen. Leary (is “Sen.” for senator or senior or what?)… in response to your comment “but my only impact on how we worship together on sunday is just how loud i can sing.”
I am deeply affected by others around me during corporate worship, especially while singing. The other day, Chris, while you were up there playing guitar and singing, you were really into it and your whole body was worshipping. That blessed me and made me enter that much further into worshipping a God who others also love passionately. So your impact is maybe even more than you know. (I hope that doesn’t make you feel conspicuous while onstage… I am not watching you or anyone else worship, exactly. It’s just sometimes I notice how people worship.)
it stands for senator [it's a nickname i picked up from ed]
Without the weekly gatherings of community the effect of the corporate worship would just not be the same. It takes much more than just 62-162 minutes (depending on how long ed decides to inform us) of corporate worship to shape a week. It takes a week to shape the 62-162 minutes of corporate worship. And anyone who argues otherwise is just foolish. Smile, Jesus love you!
It’s official, all of your blogs have at least one comment. I’m so proud of myself – in a humble sort of way.
lb? little baby? little bobby? pound?
I’m the mystery blogger!!!
I can honestly say that in the weekly service (usually about the time of communion) is when I do the most business with God.
The idea of communion as a covenant serves to remind me of what God requires of me personally, and with the sacrifice of Christ so “in your face,” the decisions I make at that moment do have a huge impact on my upcoming week.
I do, however, think the statement was a little strong. We don’t all work the same way.