The Daily Practice of God's Presence

Last Sunday (January 23rd), we had a good roll up at Boloco church with more than 20 people and we watched the 2nd week of The Way of the Worshiper. Really helpful material to us all with the following key points made by Buddy Owens:

• “Worship aligns us with the throne of God’s grace....You are more likely to feast at the King’s table if you sit at the King’s feet. You are more likely to get wet if you stand in the river than if you wait out in the desert.”
• “When you learn to welcome God into your situation and circumstances, then you will live your life in the light of his presence.”
• “If you are looking for God and you just can’t seem to find Him, the stop what you’re doing and worship Him, and He will come find you.”

In the Psalms, David describes many ways that he has experienced God’s grace by living under His throne. As a result he describes God as: (my shield 7:10), my Saviour (18:46), my Redeemer (19:14), my Strength (22:19), my Shepherd (23:1), my light (27:1), the stronghold of my life (27:1), my hiding place (32:7), my deliverer (40:17), my refuge in times of trouble (59:16), a father to the fatherless (68:5), my confidence (71:5), my loving God (144:2) and many more. Which of these descriptions of God is most meaningful to you?

In discussion within the group, we all realised that we need to commit more of our time to being in God's presence - praying, reading His Word and drawing near to Him (see James 4:8). A.W. Tozer's book Experiencing the Presence of God has been a great resource in the last month and if you click on the link below, you will be able to download a short section that you will find helpful called The Daily Practice of God's Presence:
The Daily Practice of God's Presence

The Way of A Worshiper

Worshiping God is something we will be doing for eternity and so we must get good at it. In fact, everything we do in our lives is an act of worship. At Boloco church we have started a new series of studies on "The Way of A Worshiper". The key Bible verse is Romans 12:1-2. We are using material from Rick Warren's church in the USA and there are 4 sessions on DVD with Buddy Owens. We had the first of these on Sunday 16th and there were a few key messages from Buddy:

1. "The way of a worshiper is a way of life. It is about discovering the secret to friendship with God. It is not so much about doing something but about being someone - not just doing worship but being a worshiper."
2. "The discovery of God's worth to us starts with the discovery of what we are worth to God."
3. "Our heavenly Father loves us not because of what we can do for Him, but because of who we are - His sons and daughters, in whom He takes great delight. And He rejoices over us with singing." (Zephaniah 3:17)

As a group, we considered some key questions that are worthwhile thinking about:

• Buddy said "You can tell what a person worships by the way he lives his life." If someone were to look at your life, what would he/she think you worship?
• What are some practical ways you can worship God by the way you live your life?

New Year Challenges

2011 has well and truly begun with all the wonders and challenges facing us all. On the first Sunday of the New Year, we talked together about looking at 2011 under the hand of God and how we needed to prioritise our walk with God. The material that we considered together can be accessed by the following link: The Challenge of 2011

This last Sunday (9th January), Kate gave a message on Face to Face - which encouraged us all on a closer walk with God in 2011. Her message can be heard by going to the Listen tab of the website and then to Sunday Messages.

May your walk with God be refreshed this year and that "He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith.." (Ephesians 3:16-17)