On Being a Good Church Member Part 7: Practicing the Presence
A secret of successful church life is the commitment of her members to practicing the presence of God consistently and persistently.Practicing the presence is a discipline. It means pursuing an intimacy with God that allows you to see Him in the most difficult places, hear Him amongst the distracting voices that clamor for your attention, and engages the will to obedience even when obedience seems an impossible choice.
During the music worship part of the service, it is easier to sense God's presence. Music engages us on so many levels. The eye gate takes in the words we are singing. The ears soak in the melodies that resonate with our souls. In some liturgical churches the aroma of incense reminds us of tabernacle and temple experiences recorded in Scripture and practiced throughout the centuries by the faithful. But what happens when the music stops and other parts of the service follow? The interactive part of our worship gives way to a more passive involvement. Or does it?
The practice of the presence continues throughout the church service. It is at this time that we must pray and discipline our minds to stay connected with God. Let me run you through some of the components of a typical service and how we can practice the presence.
The announcements: During the showing of videos or as the pastor or other church leader guides us through the announcements, we can be prayerfully asking God to reveal to us which of the activities and programs planned He would want us to participate in. We can pray that God would bless the leaders and participants of those programs. We can ask God to meet the needs of the target audiences and that believer and unbeliever alike would encounter God.
The offering: The importance of bringing an offering cannot be overemphasized. Giving imitates God. He showed His love for us by giving His Son. We can show our love for Him by supporting our church as we pool our resources together to expand the influence of the kingdom. Missionaries that are supported by our giving can be prayed for. Programs that are funded can be lifted to the Lord. Our paid staff, can be prayed for and thanksgiving be given to God for his generous provision of dedicated, often overworked and underpaid workers in the ministry.
The passing of the peace: Make eye contact with people as you extend the peace of God to them. Ask God to help you love them and that they would experience a sense of appreciation and love of God through you. Take a moment to extend a bit farther than your comfort zone and reach out to a few people you don't normally greet to pass the peace.
The sermon: Ask God to keep you attentive throughout the entire message. Take notes if that will help. Pray for the preacher, that God would help him/her come across with conviction. Pray for the listeners that they would hear God's voice clearly. Ask yourself the questions, "What is it that my pastor is saying that is specifically for me? What would God have me to do with this new information?"
The Table: Pay particular attention to the corporate prayer of forgiveness. Pray for our corporate and our individual responsibility for sin. Confess and repent of known sin while asking God to reveal to you attitudes and behaviors that are sinful that you may have become unaware of or calloused toward. Approach the table with thanksgiving for the sacrifice of Christ and receive his blessing with joy.
The Dismissal: Remember that this is the church's opportunity to go out into the world to represent God's grace. Commit yourself anew to going forth with faith and commitment to be used as God desires.
If more of us do this consistently, our church will have impact in our community and beyond. Practicing the presence doesn't come without its potential battles. The enemy of our souls would rather that we put our brains and will in neutral and just punch our spiritual time clock. Ritual is a great danger to cultivating the real presence of God. Intentional commitment given to this spiritual discipline will make our time in church most beneficial.
During the music worship part of the service, it is easier to sense God's presence. Music engages us on so many levels. The eye gate takes in the words we are singing. The ears soak in the melodies that resonate with our souls. In some liturgical churches the aroma of incense reminds us of tabernacle and temple experiences recorded in Scripture and practiced throughout the centuries by the faithful. But what happens when the music stops and other parts of the service follow? The interactive part of our worship gives way to a more passive involvement. Or does it?
The practice of the presence continues throughout the church service. It is at this time that we must pray and discipline our minds to stay connected with God. Let me run you through some of the components of a typical service and how we can practice the presence.
The announcements: During the showing of videos or as the pastor or other church leader guides us through the announcements, we can be prayerfully asking God to reveal to us which of the activities and programs planned He would want us to participate in. We can pray that God would bless the leaders and participants of those programs. We can ask God to meet the needs of the target audiences and that believer and unbeliever alike would encounter God.
The offering: The importance of bringing an offering cannot be overemphasized. Giving imitates God. He showed His love for us by giving His Son. We can show our love for Him by supporting our church as we pool our resources together to expand the influence of the kingdom. Missionaries that are supported by our giving can be prayed for. Programs that are funded can be lifted to the Lord. Our paid staff, can be prayed for and thanksgiving be given to God for his generous provision of dedicated, often overworked and underpaid workers in the ministry.
The passing of the peace: Make eye contact with people as you extend the peace of God to them. Ask God to help you love them and that they would experience a sense of appreciation and love of God through you. Take a moment to extend a bit farther than your comfort zone and reach out to a few people you don't normally greet to pass the peace.
The sermon: Ask God to keep you attentive throughout the entire message. Take notes if that will help. Pray for the preacher, that God would help him/her come across with conviction. Pray for the listeners that they would hear God's voice clearly. Ask yourself the questions, "What is it that my pastor is saying that is specifically for me? What would God have me to do with this new information?"
The Table: Pay particular attention to the corporate prayer of forgiveness. Pray for our corporate and our individual responsibility for sin. Confess and repent of known sin while asking God to reveal to you attitudes and behaviors that are sinful that you may have become unaware of or calloused toward. Approach the table with thanksgiving for the sacrifice of Christ and receive his blessing with joy.
The Dismissal: Remember that this is the church's opportunity to go out into the world to represent God's grace. Commit yourself anew to going forth with faith and commitment to be used as God desires.
If more of us do this consistently, our church will have impact in our community and beyond. Practicing the presence doesn't come without its potential battles. The enemy of our souls would rather that we put our brains and will in neutral and just punch our spiritual time clock. Ritual is a great danger to cultivating the real presence of God. Intentional commitment given to this spiritual discipline will make our time in church most beneficial.
posted by metanoia at
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