EXTRA! Ideas for Adults – The Heart of Worship – Session 6

1 month ago 31

Date: February 23, 2025

The Gathering for Worship

The Point: Worshiping alongside others encourages us in our faith.

Get Into the Study

Share the following after discussing the opening question.

Members of Calvary Temple in Hyderabad, India, have learned firsthand that worshiping alongside others encourages our faith. With more than 300,000 members, the congregation holds five worship services each Sunday, the first beginning at 6 a.m. They all are packed. Around 4 a.m. each Sunday, side streets near the church start experiencing traffic jams as worshipers gather. For each service, the main sanctuary holds 18,000 people, with 15,000 more in an adjacent hall and 3,000 in a third structure on campus. It is India’s largest church.

“No persecution has ever succeeded in stopping the preaching of the Word of God,” Pastor Satish Kumar said of attacks against Indian Christians by Hindu extremists. “It always promoted the Word of God and spread the Word of God across the countries. It’s my passion, my burden that before I die, I want to see every Indian will hear the gospel and know the Savior.”

Attendees at Calvary do not merely show up. They worship and serve. An army of 150 volunteers spends hours each week cooking 50,000 free meals served on Sunday in conjunction with worship services. Calvary also has an on-campus hospital offering members free medical care each Sunday. “In India, we say, ‘service to mankind is service to God,’ so that is what we try to practice,” Kumar said.

This weekly fellowship of worship and service is yet another reminder that when the church gathers to worship, we bring the encouragement every disciple needs.

https://cbn.com/news/world/300000-member-indian-church-plant-40-more-megachurches-whats-their-secret

Get Into the Study [Option from the Advanced Bible Study Teacher Guide, p. 64]

As you discuss the events surrounding Apollo 13, share these images:

53 years later: 10 things to know about the Apollo 13 mission

Apollo 13 Capsule Recovery by Science Photo Library

Get Into the Study (Option from Adult Leader Guide)

In advance, play a video clip of a large celebration. Then ask Question #1.

Study the Bible

As you discuss question 2 (point 1 on p. 136 of the Daily Discipleship Guide), share the following.

Declining belief in God may be one reason more Americans don’t gather in His presence for corporate worship. Belief in God has hit a sixty-year low, according to the research organization Statistica. In 1944, 96 percent of Americans said they believed in God. That figure held steady for decades, peaking at 98 percent several times in the 1950s and 1960s. Then the decline began. As of 2022, just 81 percent of Americans believed in God.

Declining belief in God has been accompanied by declining participation in religious services. Twenty-five years ago, 70 percent of Americans belonged to a church or synagogue. That figure dropped to less than half (47%) by 2021. Not only might declining belief in God have contributed to decreasing participation in corporate worship; the converse also seems to be true. Shrinking worship participation may have accelerated the demise of faith in the divine. “This decline in church membership may have contributed to Americans’ waning belief in God,” Statistica stated, “as continuous religious practice has been attributed to greater faith and religious conviction.”

Since Jesus made it possible for us to come to God, believers must take advantage of that opportunity and encourage their nonbelieving friends and family to do the same.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/1356902/share-americans-believe-god-us/

The week’s writer for Extra is David Roach. David is pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in Saraland, Alabama. He and his wife Erin have three children.

Study the Bible [Option from the Daily Discipleship Guide Leader Guide]

After reading Hebrews 13:12-15 and discussing why it’s important that we praise and confess Christ together, show the “We Are One” video from the movie, Jesus Revolution. Spend some time identifying examples of what happened in the lives of the believers who were worshiping and doing life together. As time allows, invite volunteers to share their personal experiences of worshiping alongside others.

Study the Bible (Option from Adult Leader Guide)

In advance, play a worship song geared toward corporate worship. Reinforce the importance of gathering together for worship. Then close in prayer.

Additional Questions

Icebreaker

What is something you enjoy more when you’re with a group?
What’s the most majestic place of worship you’ve visited?
Why is corporate worship important to the body of Christ?
When have you experienced worship in a large group setting and what was it like for you?

Hebrews 10:19-22 – Jesus made it possible for us to come to God.

How is Jesus’ sacrifice connected to our ability to draw near?
If another believer was struggling to come to God, in prayer, or with their needs, how could you encourage them with this passage?
What is significant about the word boldness in verse 19?
What obstacles keep you from drawing near to God in worship?
What are some things that make it difficult to have confidence in Christ alone?
In what ways do faith and worship go hand in hand?

Hebrews 10:23-25 – We are to encourage each other in our walk with Christ.

How have other believers encouraged you to walk faithfully with Christ?
What are the benefits of gathering together for worship?
What are the consequences of not gathering together for worship?
When has a Christian brother or sister encouraged you in your walk with the Lord?
How might you encourage your Christian friends to walk more closely with Jesus?

Hebrews 13:12-15 – We are to praise and confess Christ together.

In what ways can confession and praise be a way of sacrificial worship?
How do these verses contribute to your understanding of worship?
How can our group work together to make worship a bigger part of our experience together?
Why is it important for us to continually offer up a sacrifice of praise?
How does looking forward to heaven impact our worship now?
How might our families and community benefit if we confess Christ together?
How does corporate worship work to strengthen us?

For Those in Your Group

This is the last week this supplemental devotional will be available on this page. After March 1, this devotional will only be available at lynnhpryor.com.

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