Scripture Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.
Most musicals have 2 acts and plays are typically 1, 2 or 3 acts.
As You Like It, Act II, Scene VII [All the world’s a stage]
William Shakespeare, 1564 - 1616 Jaques to Duke Senior
All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players;
they have their exits and their entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts,
his acts being seven ages.
1- At first, the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
2- Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel and shining morning face, creeping like snail unwillingly to school.
3- And then the lover, sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad made to his mistress’ eyebrow. 4- Then a soldier, full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard, jealous in honor, sudden and quick in quarrel, seeking the bubble reputation even in the cannon’s mouth.
5- And then the justice, in fair round belly with good capon lined, with eyes severe and beard of formal cut, full of wise saws and modern instances; and so he plays his part.
6- The sixth age shifts into the lean and slippered pantaloon, with spectacles on nose and pouch on side; his youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide for his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice, turning again toward childish treble, pipes and whistles in his sound.
7- Last scene of all, that ends this strange eventful history, is second childishness and mere oblivion, sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.
Shakespeare gives this magnificent view of a person’s life in 7 acts.
However, there is only one act that truly matters and that act begins the moment you put your trust in Jesus and does not end…ever! That act is the act of worship. I will say that one act does have two scenes - the first scene is your worship of Jesus Christ while on earth and the second scene of your worship of Jesus Christ is in heaven. In any good play or musical, scene one is merely setting up what will take place in scene two. Therefore, our worship now is preparation, is beginning the story, is introducing the characters, is staging the plot, is a prelude to the worship that will be our forever scene 2. Romans 12:1 “This is your spiritual ACT of worship” is only concerned with the here and now - your worship of Jesus Christ in this life.
Hebrews 13:15-16
Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise (corporate worship) — the fruit of lips that confess his name. And do not forget to do good (Mon.-Sat. worship)and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
Sunday morning worship is an essential part to living out Romans 12:1. None of us will live every part of the scriptures well - first because we do not know them well enough to live them, secondly, because we lack the devotion and third because there is way too much to get right in this life. What if you worked on just a few key verses to live by. It is like taking the fruit of the spirit - you can’t perfect all 9 in the next 6 months but you could work on one or two. The same principle applies to the whole of scripture. What if we just spent out life trying to at least get Romans 12:1 right? What if we became people, more than any other congregation who really offered our bodies as living sacrifices as our spiritual act of worship? What would it be like to be part of church of people who knew more than most about worship - who practiced worship well and who lived out worship Mon-Sat not just Sun morning? Who would want to be part of a church like that? I would. If you would also; then I have to do my best to educate and inspire. Becky and her teams have to do their best to uplift and lead. And you have to do your part to not only be here consistently but also participate in worship (example - I should not have to ask for people to stand up and recite one verse of scripture from memory, I should tell you that you will have to wait two months because so many others have already offered - that is a sign of participation / responding to the altar call is a way to participate - be an example to others to come forward and ask for prayer / become and engaged singer - take notes on the YouVersion bible app during the sermon) there are many ways to participate in worship other than sing in the choir.
However, like our Scene 1 earthly worship is our launching pad for our Scene 2 eternal worship, so too, our Sunday corporate worship is a launching pad for living out our worship Mon-Sat.
Where do you spend most of your time the rest of the week? At your work! That work may be as a fulltime student at school - that work may be as a retired person at home or involved in various activities or that work may be your job. The video you are about to see primarily describes work as your job but allow it to apply to your life no matter what your weekly work may be. VIDEO: WORK AS WORSHIP
We “come” to worship together so that we can go to worship “apart”. You can check off that you have been here on our Milestone #1 40 Days of worship challenge, but you can’t check off living out Romans 12:1 because you have been here today.
Offering your body as a living sacrifice - which is your spiritual act of worship does not end with the benediction in corporate worship. Having said that, it does begin with the call to corporate worship. We NEED corporate worship, so we can be built up, strengthened, taught, challenged, forgiven, inspired, and made ready to offer our bodies as living sacrifices at school, work, home and in every activity of life Monday through Saturday.
If there is no connection between what we do here on Sunday and how you live the rest of the week, then you have missed the point of corporate worship. It is not an end in itself, it is the beginning of a week of worshipping God - bringing Him honor and glory in what you do the rest of the week. It is hard enough to do that with our coming together - it is impossible to do that without coming together. SLIDE: 7 days without corporate worship makes one weak. Therefore, coming to worship does not please God near as much as when you leave here to continue worshipping him through offering your body in all that you do.
What does that mean? What does offering your body as an act of worship look like?
How do you speak to other classmates or employees? How do you speak about people behind their backs - or on their facebook or Instagram page? 1 Thess 5:15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.
What kind of language comes out of your mouth? Col 3:8-10 But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge (where? In corporate worship) in the image of its Creator.
Is your life sexually pure? Heb 13:4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. The Bachelor - Virgin
Are you obsessed with (have a love of) money? Heb 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
Are you the employee your boss is thrilled that they hired? Are you working for a paycheck only or are you working to make the place you work the best it can be? Col 3:22-24 Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything; and do it, not only when their eye is on you and to win their favor, but with sincerity of heart and reverence for the Lord. 23 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
SLIDE: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men
Corporate and daily worship is recognizing who God is then living in such a way that God is honored by what you say and do - this is your spiritual act of worship - and it begins each week when we come together to be forgiven and strengthen in Jesus name.
George Mueller read the Bible through over 100 times. He also wrote over 30,000 letters per year for 40 years. He had nine assistants working in a dozen languages. He pastored 1200 believers, had the oversight of five large orphanages and a huge publishing house, printed and distributed millions of books, tracts, and Bibles. He said, “I never think of going to my work without first having a good season of time with God and my Bible.”
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