Week 3: Night of Worship

CLOSER

Week 3: Night of Worship

YP NOTE

This is not just a live speak. This should be a worship experience. Be sure to follow the flow and format of the program for this night. Maybe have a different person do each of the live speaking segments and/or have the worship pastor do one of the segments.

THE POINT

Worship is responding to who God is and what He’s done for us.

Worship Set 1

Start off with one worship song. Start to set the atmosphere with this song.

Segment 1: Live speak

In this series, Closer, we’ve been looking at eight spiritual disciplines to help us draw closer to God. Today, we’re talking about worship. But we aren’t just going to talk about it, we’re going to experience it as well.

Some of you come to church, and you look forward to singing these songs we sing. Others of you don’t like singing, or you’re really not into this type of music, so you tune out or do something else during this time.

Today, I want to challenge your perception of what worship really is all about.

Worship is all about responding to who God is and what He’s done for us. It’s about being so into God that we can’t help responding out loud. It’s in that moment when we’re singing those songs that we aren’t paying attention to anyone or anything else around us. We let life and its distractions fade away, and we pour all our love and affection out to God.

So we’re going to sing another song right now, and here’s what I want you to do during this song: focus on removing and getting rid of any distractions you have going on in your life. Get rid of any stress or worry you have, and start to focus your attention on God.

Worship Set 2

Sing one song that helps students focus their attention on God.

Segment 2: Live speak

John 4:24 NLT “For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

When we come to worship God, it should be out of a joyous heart—out of the deepest place in us—that is to worship in spirit. But it should also be seen on the outside: talking about, singing out, and responding to what we know is true about who God is and what He’s done. That is worshipping in truth.

Some days you may feel out of it and not sure of things, or you might have questions for God. You might even feel mad at God because certain things in your life didn’t work out the way you wanted them to. This doesn’t mean we should walk into church, slump down on the chair, fold our arms, and have a scowl on our faces. It means it’s a great opportunity to look up at the words on the screen that are being sung, and enter into a conversation with God. When you see a line you’re not agreeing with at the moment, take it to Him. Pray that He will show you that He is those things. Worship doesn’t always mean singing at the top of your lungs, out of tune, like the old person behind you. It can be about just entering into His presence and giving Him what you have.

Louie Giglio puts it this way: “You shouldn’t go to church to worship, you should go worshipping to church.”

Worship is something that you do. You enter into it with all that you have and all that you are. When you enter into worship, what’s going on inside should back up what you’re saying or singing on the outside.

So let’s jump back into a time of worship to God.

Worship Set 3

Do two more worship songs.

Segment 3: Video testimony

Play this week’s video element.

Worship Set 4

Do two more worship songs.

Segment 4: Live speak

True worship is a whole life response to how great you know God to be. It should be with everything we have, everything we are, and everything we do.

If we think that coming to church and singing songs to God for 15 minutes is worship, then we’re missing what worship really is. A song isn’t enough. Yes, God wants our words and songs but He also wants us to worship Him with our actions.

Look at what God wants from us in Romans 12:1 NIV84 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

Now I know at first this verse sounds a little weird … I mean come on, “offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.” That sounds a little creepy doesn’t it? But when you really think about it and look at it, it’s an awesome way to live life.

Because God send His Son, Jesus, to die for you—because God loves you so much—because God has done great things in our lives—our only natural response to all of that should be giving Him our everything. Our whole lives.

Think about it this way: “The Codependent Couple.” You know that couple who’s so in love with each other they stop hanging around all their own friends, all they do is look at each other with those googly eyes, and they don’t pay attention to anyone else around them? They just make out in the middle of the halls at school. They feel like they can’t live with out each other. If you don’t know what I’m talking about then chances are you are “The Codependent Couple.” They literally give up and abandon the lives they had before they met and trade it all in to be with each other. And for what? Because they think the other one is hot? Because the other person is so into them? Because they have fun together? Because one of them smells good?

God loves us so much more, has done so much more, and is so much greater than any relationship we could have on this earth. Our response and worship to Him should be so much more than that of “The Codependent Couple.” We should want and desire to abandon it all for Him, and live lives that are so pleasing to Him because living a life that makes God happy and brings joy to Him is our spiritual act of worship.

So what should living your life worshipping God all the time look like? It can be as lengthy as spending an hour every day in quiet time listening and talking to God—all the way to something as simple as when you step out on the field, or in the gym, or on the stage, you thank God for what you get to do—and you realize that it’s because of Him that you get to do it—and you want to do it well because He’s allowed you to do it. Worshipping God in your everyday life could look like befriending that kid at school everyone else makes fun of because you know that God loves that kid just as much as He loves anyone else. Worshipping God in everyday life could look like setting an example for your siblings because you want to lead them in how you know God desires for you all to live.

The reality is, worshipping God and putting Him first in your life will look different for each and every one of you. You need to spend time with God, pray to Him, and ask Him to show you what your life’s worship should look like. Pay attention to His leadings and promptings in your life, and respond to them. Learn to prioritize your life and put Him first. Think about Him often. Pay attention to the things God is doing in your life and get excited about them—and share that excitement with others. Worshipping God daily isn’t something you do; it’s the way you live.

When you worship God with your life, you then begin to reflect who God is to the world around you. People will start to see who God truly is based on the way you live your life, the way you serve others, the way you act, and how you respond to things. You have an opportunity through living a life of worship to inspire other people to live their lives as worship to God.

So we’re going to end tonight with one more song to just celebrate what God has done and is doing in our lives.

Worship Set 5

Do one more worship song.

Close

(Eyes closed/heads bowed. Elaborate on these points below. These are just the general flow.)

Some of you call yourselves Christians but you know that you’ve been worshipping other things besides God. Some of you worship relationships. Others of you worship sports, or acting, or music. But you know that as a Christian, you haven’t been worshipping God the way you want to. If you’re here today and you want to put God back where He belongs as the top priority in your life, and worship Him with all that you have and all that you are, then raise your hand right now and let me pray for you … (Have them raise their hand and pray for them.)

There are others of you who’ve experienced something new today. In the midst of worship you felt something. You felt God. Maybe you realized today that there’s a God who loves you and cares about you. A God who loves you so much that He sent His Son, Jesus, for you. There is a God who wants to do great things in and through your life. You just need to let Him into your life, to be the leader of your life. If you want to give everything over to Him and worship Him alone for the first time, raise your hand right now and repeat this prayer after me … (Have them raise their hand and repeat prayer after you.)