Lifestyle Witnessing • Lesson Seven • Let the Church Help 1. A place to worship in spirit and truth 2. A place of welcome
Prayer Lord Jesus Christ, the Church’s Head, You are her one foundation. In you she trusts, before you bows, And waits for your salvation. Built on this rock secure, Your Church shall endure Though all the world decay And all things pass away. Oh, hear, oh, hear us, Jesus! Help us to serve you evermore With hearts both pure and lowly. And may your Word, that light divine, Shine on in splendor holy That we repentance show, In faith ever grow. The power of sin destroy And evils that annoy. Oh, make us faithful Christians. Amen. (CW 536:1,3)
Witnessing Activity Report Spend a few minutes talking about witnessing joys and frustrations, triumphs and failures.
Introduction In Greek, the word for grace is closely related to the word rejoice. Grace allows us to rejoice. We rejoice in Jesus’ life, sacrifice, and resurrection. We rejoice that by faith in his Son, God declares us not guilty. That’s grace. Church is a special place at which grace is given. Today we’ll discuss how this place of grace we call church can help us share the joy of our salvation.
Studying God’s Word A place to worship in spirit and truth John 4:20–24 “Our fathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews insist that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But a time is coming and now is here when the real worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for those are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” 21
1. You can’t worship God if you don’t know him. What was Jesus telling the Samaritan woman in verse 22?
Lifestyle Witnessing
Lesson Seven—Page 2
2. Jesus required that worship be “in spirit and truth.” How does our worship meet those two requirements?
3. Jesus hit a little too close to home for the Samaritan woman (“you have had five husbands, and the man you have now is not your husband” [verse 18]). She tried to turn the conversation into an argument about church. What do you learn about witnessing from Jesus’ response?
His Word in My Life Unbelievers who come to our worship services really can’t worship God. Not yet. But they can observe us as we worship God. What kinds of things do you want them to notice? You invite a friend to worship with you on a Communion Sunday. She politely acquiesces to the close Communion practice, but it clearly upsets her. Afterward, over coffee, she explodes, “I’ve never felt so humiliated in all my life. How dare your church exclude me like that. Why didn’t you warn me?” How might you help her understand? We worship God in spirit and in truth. However, we also worship with fellow Christians, usually in some corporate gatherings. Christians will want to introduce their prospects to their congregations as soon as practical so the prospects can enjoy the benefits of being part of a larger Lutheran community.
A place of welcome Colossians 4:5 Walk in wisdom in the way you act toward those on the outside, making the most of your opportunity.
1 Corinthians 10:32 Do not give offense to Jews, or Greeks, or God’s church,
1 Corinthians 14:23 So if the whole church comes together in the same place and all speak in tongues, and uninformed visitors or unbelievers come in, won’t they say that you are crazy?
1. What did Paul teach churches about their response to visitors and guests?
2. We must be willing to adjust our preferences and even our worship practices for visitors and guests. Why?
Lifestyle Witnessing
Lesson Seven—Page 3
3. Make a list of things your congregation can do better to see that visitors find it easy to feel welcome in your church and have a clear path to hearing the gospel message.
His Word in My Life When you have company over for dinner, do you do anything differently from your daily pattern? If so, are you being hypocritical? No, you’re just being sensitive to your guests. Apply this principle to how we treat guests who come to our churches. Which of the following practices do you think are good, and which do you think are bad? •
Reserved parking for visitors
•
Name tags for guests
•
Greeters outside the building or sanctuary
•
A clearly marked information table
•
A time for visitors to stand and introduce themselves
•
A “three-minute rule” for members—for the first three minutes after each service, you can’t talk to people you know, only people you don’t know!
•
A “three-check rule”—members should first look for someone they’ve never seen before, then look for someone they’ve never met before, and then, finally, look for their friends.
Share comments you’ve heard from visitors or guests or friends you’ve brought to your church. We ought to do everything we can to cater to the needs of visitors. God is bringing these people under our care, and we will want to serve them as honored guests.
Summary Our church building is an important tool in evangelism work. It gives us a place to bring friends and relatives where they can hear and learn God’s Word. In closing consider this question: If you could change one thing about your church that would make it easier for you to invite friends, what would it be? You might want to make a list and present it to your pastor or worship committee.
Life with God As you read this week’s Scripture readings, ask God to give you insights to help you worship him and invite others to do the same. • Day 1: Read 1 Corinthians chapter 10. • Day 2: Read 1 Corinthians chapter 11. • Day 3: Read 1 Corinthians chapter 14. • Day 4: Read Titus chapter 2. • Day 5: Read Psalm 40. • Day 6: Read Psalm 96, and plan your witnessing activity report for the group.