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1. Choosing to Forgive  2. Week #4 Matthew Challenge
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Developing a Habit of Weekly Worship

 
Easter is the most important holiday in the Christian faith.  Without the death and resurrection of Christ, all he would be is just another good teacher.  Not only was the sovereignty, power and love of our great God witnessed that day, but  Christ's sacrifice and resurrection transforms our lives. What's most amazing, it was all done personally for you...to forgive your sins and save your life for all eternity. If for no other reason than this, God is worthy of your worship. 

Praise acknowledges value but worship says you have the highest value.  You honor and please God when you choose to worship Him.  "Worship the Lord in the splendor of His holiness, tremble before Him all the earth."  Psalm 96:9  It's a joy to come together with other believers and worship God on Easter Sunday.  Even if people are unsure or have questions about all this church stuff, they still come to worship on Easter.  God created you for so much more than one day.  What about the other 365 days?

Worship begins to grow in your heart when regular church attendance becomes a lifestyle, not just a weekend activity.  Regular worship brings you together with other believers to pray, sing, confess and serve others.  The benefits are endless; a refuge in the storms of life, instruction for you daily life, and comfort when feeling weary.

One critical thing transformed my life and changed the way I worship...I started deciding on Monday that I was going to attend worship on Sunday. Before that I would wait until the weekend to make a decision to attend or not.  I would will think of many excuses; it's too cold, it's too rainy, it's too sunny, it's my only day off. I would stay home on Sunday and miss out on what God had for me.

There is a divine moment waiting for you on Sunday...a needed word of encouragement, a specific direction for a touch decision in your life, a special touch from God or love of Christ coming to you in a personal way.  But you have to be present to receive this special gift.  As you develop this weekly habit, you will grow accustom to and realize your need of His forgiveness and strength to get you through your next week.  "Come let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of God of Jacob.  He will teach us His ways, so that we may walk in His paths."  Isaiah 2:3

Worship is experiencing God and building a rich relationship with Him.  "Come near to God and He will come near to you."  James 4:8  He is always at work in and around you.  Being aware of God's activity helps you surrender in worship to your creator.  Just look around at the beauty in nature; the variety of flowers, creatures in the sea, the joy of animals, the mystery of the night sky.  What evidence of the wisdom and creativity of our God!  And the pinnacle of His creation is His most prized creation, man and women created in His image.  Your body is an amazing meshing machine where all the systems work together to keep you alive.  It can be easy for you to say you love God and His creation, but the real test comes in how you treat the people right in front of you--your families and fellow believers.  You cannot truly love God while neglecting to love those created in His image.  Be aware of the beauty and value in those around you.  You will never run out of reasons to worship God daily, as you experience Him in amazing ways.

  • Imagine for a moment God is sitting around visiting with the angels and he begins to speak highly of you.  In His proud, fatherly way, what would He say that would show He was pleased with you?
  • What will it take for you to drop your excuses and seek out those divine moments so regular worship becomes your lifestyle?
  • When was the last time you looked around at nature or into the face of another and stood in awe of God and his creation?

 "Spiritual Fitness Check In" (Scripture. Insight. Application.) Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize (1 Corinthians 9:24). 

Wow, Easter at Epic was amazing! God is good all the time!

We are still receiving gifts for our special offering.  You can click this link RIGHT HERE & give if you didn’t get a chance to participate or you weren’t prepared. 
 
This years offering is going toward Camp Epic outreach and ongoing ministry expenses. A few weeks back, God opened the door for us to do Camp Epic this Summer at Gethsemane Lutheran Church. He wanted us to reach even more families in our community.


If you have already given, that’s awesome & thank you!

Here is the link again to jump in!
 
Your friend,
 Pastor Tim

Our mailing address is:
Epic Church
47488 Dequindre Road
Shelby Township, MI 48317

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