Tomorrow is a day when we can give our whole selves (heart, soul, mind and strength) to worshipping and adoring God. Now don't get me wrong-even if we eat or drink we're worshipping Him; but Sunday is a time to be in His immediate presence.
Let me clarify: We can worship God though what is carnal (physical/temporary). 1 Corinthians 10v31 states this: 'whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God'.
This means that fajitas and filter coffee are worship!
So out of something carnal comes the worship. The worship is always spiritual though. It should be done in Spirit and in Truth (John 4v24) like our prayers should be' in the Holy Spirit' (Jude 20) true prayer is always in th Holy Spirit becuase God is spirit.
Sunday is a day for worship that is not based on the carnal (ie secular jobs, food etc)-it's just us adoring God through the Bible, Prayer, communion and fellowship with each other. Sunday should be the destination and climax of the Christian week. We should wish for a month of Sundays! Sundays are golden.
How can you encourage someone in your Church tomorrow? Do you need to exhort or rebuke someone who is back sliding? Who can you give comforting scriptures to? Can you challenge an un-believer? Why don't you offer to pray with someone after the service to build them up? Why don't you ask them about their soul? Don't be satisifed with small-talk:
'Hi, how are you?'
'Well thanks, you?'
'Yeah good thanks, see you next week.'
'See you, bye'
How about something like this:
'Hey! How are you doing?'
'Good thanks'
'How did God speak to you through the service?'
'Well he reminded me about grace and how all I need to do is to trust in the cross and not work my way to Him'
'That's really cool! God is amazing he loves to bless us!'
The 2nd is so much better and more encouraging!!
What is Sunday worship to us? Can we spend long amounts of time around the word of God and prayer? If Sunday worship doesn't thrill us then Heaven wont either. The seventh day will be turned into an eternal seventh day or sabbath soon.
'There remains therefore a rest for the people of God' (Hebrews 4v9)
Rest from what...worship? No way! A rest from worship would be a seeking to find happiness in everything apart from God. It's a rest from carnal work. From a sin diseased world. From a corrupted heart. Rest from imperfect obedience and imperfect servant hood. A rest from faith because it will be turned to sight. A rest from picturing Jesus through the scriptures....we will see him face to face. A rest from worry and grief. A rest from the devil hounding us to temptation. A rest from worldliness trying to pollute our mind with anti-Jesus thoughts. A rest from Chrsitians who are luke-warm and half-hearted. A rest from the deception and stalking of the devil. A rest from 'contending earnestly for the faith' (Jude 3). A rest from false prophets and decievers. A rest from tears over our sin. A rest from evangelism (although it's our joy). A rest in Jesus arms-complete comfort and adoration to King Jesus. The rest is in Heaven.
Meditate on this verse for 10 minutes
'Their Redeemer is strong;
The Lord of hosts is His name.
He will thoroughly plead their case,
The He may give rest to the land,
And disquiet the inhabitants of Babylon' (Jeremiah 50v34)
If this verse doesnt make you praise God then you need to seek God either for salvation or a greater filling of the Holy Spirit.
“God hath made it our duty, by his institution, to set apart this day [the Sabbath] for special seeking of his grace and blessing. From which we may argue, that he will be especially ready to confer his grace on those who thus seek it… The Sabbath day is an accepted time, a day of salvation, a time wherein God especially loves to be sought, and loves to be found…”
Jonathan Edwards
Get excited about tomorrow!
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