This week, we’re exploring how a church community should be committed to connectedness to God in worship.

Humans will never be more connected to God than in the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God.  The Bible includes the book of Revelation, which recounts John’s vision of the kingdom of heaven.  Here’s what he described about angels, and then humans:

Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE Lord GOD ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS, AND IS, AND IS TO COME.”  Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever,  the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:  “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” (Revelation 4:8-11)

Even in the kingdom, there is worship.  The word may not appear in this reading, but the core meaning is there.  Worship means “to give worth to something.”  And the words “you are worthy” are right at the beginning of the words the elders say in their heavenly worship.

You can tell what someone values by how they spend money, time.  You can see what’s worth their limited resources.  Worship is spending our limited time on God.  It’s an expression of love.

In our Marriage and Parenting courses, we introduce the five love languages.  Some communicate and receive love through words, touch, acts of service, time, and others through gifts.

In the same way, we can show love to God through various “languages”.  Worship includes prayer, and music, confessing sins, asking forgiveness, reminding ourselves what we believe, reading the Bible together, and more.  All aspects of how communities of Christians worship.

These are all ways to communicate God’s worth in our eyes.  You can see it in this reading.  The elders say, “You are worthy to receive glory and honor and power” but then they tell him why: he is the creator of everything.

He knows all this, of course.  But this is a time for humans, mortals, to feed that back to him.  To acknowledge he is at the cetner of our lives, not the periphery, and we’re not going to deny it.

Question: How do you know someone values you?  What do they say, do, or not?

Reminder: Earlier in this series, we saw the importance of reading the Bible together in sync, so our new daily bible readings start today in our mobile app and web site.

Read the Bible in Sync Today

Ryan Sim - November 28, 2013

Thursday - Act On It - Generosity in Resources

This week we’re learning that our money, our time and our natural skills are resources to be used in ways that will allow God’s purposes to be realized. Amazingly we are given total freedom in this. There are no set rules or specific suggestions, only the objective. The challenge is to use our imagination and our creativity in thinking out how we will apply our money, for example, to this purpose. As we learn more about God our awareness of the opportunities to use our money in this way will increase….charities, individuals, families and church ministries will all show us ways we can make a difference. I have seen three steps many Christians move through as they grow in generosity. It begins with casual giving. This happens at the checkout counter in a store when they ask if you’d like to give a dollar to this fund or that. It also happens in a church service when a plate is passed, and you look to see what you can give today. But often we move from there to another type of giving: responsible giving. I know of one person who’d grown up going to church, but as an adult, was asked to join the advisory board. She accepted, and figured it would be a good idea to be at the annual meeting for the first time in her life, since she was on the board now. Well, the next day, she reported that it was a huge eye-opener. As she saw the budget, she looked at her own givings, and explaimed, “I just realized I’m the biggest cheapskate here!” She had just become a “responsible giver”…someone who looks at the budget, and says I’ll do my part of the good work that’s happening here. Looks at world, says I should help. Finally, many Christians move from responsible giving to proportional giving. This is where we don’t just do our part, but instead we looked at our budget, figured out a percentage we would give every month, signed up for pre-authorized giving, and stuck to it. We have plans for our money…work on the house, new roof, etc. but we’ll have to save up for it, because we make sure our tithe comes out first. What percent? There are several places in the Bible that talk about tithing—which literally means giving 10% to God’s work. It’s something from the Old Testament, when God’s people, the Israelites, were to give 10% of everything to God – crops, animals, everything. Is that the rule or percent? But we have to remember how Jesus treats many Old Testament laws – he steps them up and makes them more challenging to our hearts. He says his disciples’ “Righteousness is to exceed that of scribes & pharisees. – Matt 5:20 For example: The Pharisees and scribes avoided murder (one of the 10 commandments)…so Jesus wants his followers to not only never murder, but to also avoid anger. He shifts them from doing the bare minimum, to an actual change of attitude. In the same way, if the Pharisees give 10% because they have to, what do we give if Jesus always calls us to have a change of attitude? It’s to give, not until it hurts, but until it feels good again…until our attitude has changed from one of giving what we have to, to one of giving generously, because we love to give. How do you choose your level of giving? Only you can decide, but identify where you are today, and challenge yourself to the next level…today, not tomorrow. Jesus always said those who were faithful with a little, are the ones he trusts to be faithful with a lot, so start where you are, no matter your income, no matter how little it may seem, because if you give generously out of love, it’s important to God. Just to be clear – I’m not just saying this to boost Redeem the Commute's income! I am encouraging you to give generously to God’s work – whoever, wherever, however it is done. So long as it is work consistent with God’s plans for this world – so long as it is kingdom work. Giving to Redeem the Commute, helping us become a new kind of church is a great way to do that. We need your financial help to keep helping marriages and families, and developing a community that can do that for the long term. You can give at https://www.redeemthecommute.com/donate/ But God’s work is much bigger than any one ministry! Please give to a variety of ministries. Perhaps you can find balance by giving to Redeem the Commute as your church, and a Christian relief charity like World Vision, and a medical charity that's consistent with God's kingdom plans to heal the sick and hurting. And of course you want to be ready to help people in your life in need when they ask. In the final analysis, stewardship is about the overflowing of a grateful heart in response to all that Jesus has done for us…..and so determine how much to give by determining what God has given and done for you. Then decide how you can say thanks. Remember that we were made to be givers, but we have been socialized by a world that has lost its direction into believing that we are supposed to be keepers. Challenge: Map out what you can give away every month, and the right blend for you. One suggestion is to set up a monthly gift to RTC at https://www.redeemthecommute.com/donate and a monthly gift to your other charities, and a savings account so you are saving for the future needs of your family and others you know who may need your generosity. Go to http://www.mygivingmoment.ca and register your moment there! Reminder: Earlier in this series, we saw the importance of reading the Bible together in sync, so our new daily bible readings start today in our mobile app and web site.

From Series: "Becoming Like Family"

This series looks at becoming “like family” with others learning to follow Jesus. We're exploring how the church is not a building, institution or event, but a community of people. It's important that explore what church means as we prepare to launch a new church in Ajax in 2014.

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