Preparing for Worship: March 21, 2010

Exciting news today blog readers! I've uploaded and released a 4-song collection of worship songs that are all focused on the resurrection of Jesus! It's a project I've been working on for the last five months or so, and I'm excited to offer it as a free download over on the Crossroads website! I'm asking that anyone who downloads it just consider making a small donation which will go to our missions fund, and specifically, will help fund our upcoming missions trip to India.

CLICK HERE to go to the download page.

I'm excited for this Sunday! We get to share baptisms together! This is always a cool time when Christ followers obediently follow Christ's example and command. We baptize them as an outward symbol of what the Spirit has done in their hearts: that they have been buried with Christ, and are raised with him to newness of life. They have died to their sin, and are raised up in the righteousness of Christ!

We're starting off with two tunes that remind us of the immutable (unchanging) God we serve; that he's the same God who parted the Red Sea; the same God who caused the sun to stand still in the sky; the same God who raised Christ from the dead! "Unchanging" and "The Solid Rock" are a stronghold in times of uncertainty and doubt, and they're a joy to belt out together at the tops of our lungs!

Then we'll have a time of baptisms, and I think we have seven people scheduled to get baptized this week, so we'll probably divide them over the two services, but either way, you'll get to share in at least three baptisms whichever service you come to! This is a great opportunity to encourage those who get baptized, 'cause it's usually a pretty significant time for them, and to share with them that the body of Christ loves them, cares about them, and shares this joy with them is a wonderful way to worship!

Then we'll sing our new song (I always try to post them on the blog BEFORE we sing them, like HERE) "Let Your Kingdom Come," followed by "May The Words (Psalm 19)" as we head toward our time in the word. These songs both deal with the state of our hearts as we live life in the light of Christ. We want our thoughts, words, and actions to always be pleasing to God, and that means we must value the things he values. This is how we follow the command Paul gives in our passage this week to "understand the will of God." We die to ourselves, submit our will and desires to him, and pursue righteousness (the things God declares as right).

Pastor Todd will come and preach to us from Ephesians 5:15-18, part one of a two-part mini-series he's calling "The Wise Walk." CLICK HERE to read this week's passage, and prepare your heart to be receptive to the Spirit as he helps you apply these commands to your life.

Then we'll respond with "From the Inside Out" which is an honest cry to God that we really CAN'T always walk wisely without his Spirit's work in our lives! He is the one who convicts us of sin so we might quickly confess and be restored; he prompts us to do those good works that God has prepared for us that we might walk in them; he gives us the words to say when we share our faith, or when we need to encourage or confront another believer. Our life in Christ is a LIFE LIVED in the Spirit.

How much of your life is lived in the Spirit? How often do you find yourself acting in ways you know aren't pleasing to God? Living in the Spirit is characterized by submission, humility, and love for others. He will fill in the details, but we need to be willing vessels!

So that's what's going on this Sunday. See you there; and happy prep!