A few years ago I felt compeled to put on paper the values in worship that would both provide guidance to my church fellowship as well as serve as a teaching tool to help us grow and maintain harmony on the issue of corporate woship. Any worship leader knows, because worship is charged with so many cultural values that if wrongly understood (and man-centered in its orientation) it can be an explosive issue resulting in division among the church. God may that never again be so! The following ten principles are the result of my labor in the study of what the Bible says about God and our appropriate response to Him in worship. They have since become part of the ethos of Grace Community Church. I continue to hear people speaking of these principles on Sunday mornings around the coffee and donuts, in small group fellowships, and in various formal and informal settings. Here they are to share with you. I pray that they might serve you as well.
How We Worship: Ten Principles Which Guide us on Sunday Morning
As a worshiping church we will seek to...
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Cathy Grossman and USAToday writes about christian accountability groups. You can read the whole article here.
It begins with:
Does the Capitol Hill house on C Street -- home to several congressmen although it eludes property taxes by being listed as a church -- give prayer "accountability" groups a bad name? Should elected officials seek God in secrecy while hiding sins from public scrutiny?
The fact that such a group exists in Washington, D.C., combined with recent news about participants, makes it national news.
She explains what these groups are all about:
But millions of men and women belong to small prayer and accountability groups where they read and discuss Scripture together and hold each other to truthful living in God's name. Remember Promise Keepers, the men's group that hit a popularity peak in the 90's? It stressed accountability groups heavily and even if PK no longer packs stadiums for rallies, many of those small groups continue to enriching lives.
The question that Cathy address deals with secrecy in such groups and the honesty required. I explained, "Accountability groups are only as good as the truthfulness of their participants."
Cathy linked to my blog on accountability groups and questions. That blog is here. The USAToday story is here.
Here is the blog to which the story refers:
These lists are from Cultivating a Life for God (Church Smart Resources 1999 pp.125-131).
Typically, these questions are asked in groups of 2-3, are specific to men or women, meets regularly, and hold each other accountable.
John Wesley's Small Group Questions:
1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite?2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
3. Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence?
To view the rest of Ed Stetzer's post click HERE
