Throughout John’s Gospel, words like “marvel” (5:20), “rejoice” (16:22), and “believe” (9:38) describe beautiful responses to the work of Jesus. But behind all of these words lies an even deeper and more central question: What does it mean to be a true worshipper of God?
I’ll be joined by one of our favorite friends, Aaron Keyes, as we try to unpack some answers to this question from the Gospel of John. Aaron is an authority on the subject–after all, he’s been leading worship at Grace (and around the world) for more than 15 years. He’s also been training other worship leaders (check out his website, 10000fathers.org), and during that time I believe we have all learned more and more that worship is no less than but also far more than the songs we sing on Sunday.
How can we all be worship leaders in our homes? Because, after all, Jesus says that is exactly what the Father is seeking (John 4:20-23).
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(Weekly Community Group Discussion Guide)
Title: Seeking Worship // Scripture: John 4:7-38
ARRIVAL / SOCIAL TIME 15-20 minutes
Spend the first 15 minutes or so of your time together catching up and socializing with one another. Also, find time to catch up together on how the assignments from last week turned out.
SERMON REVIEW 5-10 minutes
The thread of worship runs throughout the Gospel of John. Today the question was asked, “What does it mean to be a true worshipper of God?” We looked at Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well in a conversation about what the deepest thirst of her soul truly was and what it was that she worshiped. We examined what worship is and what are we worshipping. This week, both Jon and Aaron challenged us to think about how we can worship with our hearts in both “Spirit and Truth.” When we seek Jesus as the tabernacle of worship we see that He is “the place,” “the who” and “the model” of how to worship. It is our holistic, not ritualistic, ways of worship that are pleasing to God. He is seeking us to seek Him in all that we do. We will then not only have open hearts to love Him, but we also open our hearts to experience His love lavished upon us.
THE MAIN THOUGHT keep this in mind as you facilitate discussion
“Worship is the intersection of what we seek and what God seeks.”
SEE IT – Questions 10-15 min
Picture: How did the Samaritan woman see worship? What is the definition of worship? Who are we to worship? What does it mean to worship “in Spirit and in Truth?”
Mirror: What have you found yourself worshipping besides Jesus? What are you seeking? What are you thirsty for? Do you feel a sense of freedom in worship? What do you feel bound by that has kept you from worshipping? When is the last time that you have freely worshipped?
Window: Who do you feel God has given you a chance to reach in your workplace? Your neighborhood? Your home? What are the people around you worshipping? How can you start a conversation with them meeting them where they are?
BE IT – Practice
Change UP // Charcoal Fires (15 minutes)
Take a few moments to think about the characteristics or attributes of God. Take a few minutes to think about how God has sought you. Express how you experienced those moments. Was it through someone, in nature, in your quiet time, etc.? Thank God for how He has met you where you are.
Change IN // One Word Story (10 minutes)
Take a few minutes to think about how your life seeks God in your home, in your family and in your everyday. Are there places in your home that demonstrate the way you worship? Are there rhythms in your family that help create time and space for worship? How, in the mundane, day to day activities, do you demonstrate worship? Give yourself a rating on a scale of 1-10 (no 5s). What is your greatest strength? What is your greatest weakness? Share your results with the group.
Change OUT // Future Focus (5 minutes)
Jesus is the physical demonstration of the tabernacle. He is the “place,” the “who” and the “model” of how to worship. Having a relationship with Him, we are able to demonstrate our worship of Jesus in our everyday. This can be in the workplace, our home or even in the line at the grocery store. Amy gave us two great questions: “How do I love the people well with whom I get to interact?” and “How do I love God well when I am with them?” Keep these two questions on your heart this week. Look for ways to use the gifts, talents and passions that God has given to you to love people well, while asking the Lord, “Am I loving You well with what I am doing?”
CLOSING PRAYER 5 minutes
Take a few minutes to gather any prayer requests and pray for each other to SEE IT and BE IT this week.