 Merry Christmas everyone! What a wonderful time of the year to reflect on the greatest gift ever given! As you sit around the tree and pass gifts around, as you sit at the table and eat all that delicious food with loved ones, remember the most precious gift. The gift of Jesus Christ! God, in his infinite love and mercy, sends Jesus to live the life we could not live and die the death that we deserve. In Christ we can experience the forgiveness of our sins and redemption with the Father. The truth is we are very blessed! So many gifts were handed out and received. And we are grateful to God and all the friends and family that were so generous in their gift giving. As a church, we too wanted to be generous and give to some families who may not have had as many gifts under the tree this year. While we wish we could do so much more, that will not stop us from doing what we can. Two beautiful families in BedStuy were able to receive gifts from Swerve Church this Christmas. We will lead the way with irrational generosity because we truly believe it is more blessed to give than to receive. We wish everyone a wonderful and blessed Christmas and New Year! Swerve Church is a new church plant forming in Bushwick Brooklyn.
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 Today we will discuss Worshipology. What is worship? How do we worship? As a church, what will be our posture of worship? WHAT IS WORSHIP? One of the definitions of “worship” from Merriam-Webster is “extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem”. I think this is an appropriate way to define “worship”. As Christians, we obviously view worship in light of someone we worship, God. But the truth is that in life there are many things fighting for our affections. I think a good passage that really embodies this dilemma was written by Paul to the church of Rome. He expresses how people choose to reject the worship of God and instead worship other things.
So ultimately worship is the posture of our heart and is the result of our affections stirred towards God. He is worthy of our worship, devotion, and adoration. HOW DO WE WORSHIP? Let me start off by saying that this in no way will be an extensive study on worship. The truth is that we can look all throughout the Bible and pull out many references all of which would prove to be extremely helpful in understanding and having a well rounded Biblical view of worship. Instead, I would like to use this time to give us a better understanding and to apply what I feel would be most beneficial to us a church. Throughout the Bible there are many instances where we can see various forms of worship. I would like to point us to two. Now let me, once again, reiterate how important it is for us to have our heart in the right place. Otherwise, worship simply becomes routine, traditional, and simply noise. Look at what God says through the prophet Isaiah:
We want our worship to be genuine, birthed from an overflow of joy given to us through the redemption experienced by the grace of Jesus. That being said, here are some ways we worship: WITH SONG & MUSIC In general, whenever we talk about worship, the first person that usually comes to mind is David. He was an Old Testament character who was known for being a musician and songwriter. Much of the book of Psalms was written by him.
Throughout the book of Psalms, this is a common theme. We see the psalmists encouraging the praise and worship of God through music and song. Along with prayer and the reading of God’s word, it has become an important part liturgy throughout church history. We see the encouragement of song and music as worship even throughout the New Testament.
As a church. we want to sing with all we have. We want the music to lift the hearts of the people and point them to Jesus. WITH HANDS RAISED So what’s with the whole hand raising thing? Ever been to a church and everyone had their hands lifted up to the music? How do you react to that sight? There’s actually a strong biblical precedent for the act of lifting hands in worship. Ultimately it is a sign of surrender. But let’s be honest. The church isn’t the only place you’ve seen the act of lifting hands. Think about the last basketball, football, or baseball game you saw or attended. What was everyone doing? What about concerts? Ever notice that everyone has their hands lifted high in a concert? I think this is because it is an act of worship. Consciously or unconsciously we lift our hands in praise to whatever team or artist as an act of adoration.
Some men might have a problem lifting up hands in worship to God. Perhaps because they view it as something weak or “girly” to do. But allow these words from Paul to encourage you in this area:
Men, see you hands lifted high in prayer and worship as a complete surrender and desperate cry for the strength of Christ. WITH BENDED KNEES The last thing we will look at is the worshipful and prayerful posture of being on our knees. This is something that is hard to describe, but there is something wonderfully humbling of falling prostrate on our knees. In this position, we are saying that we are low and God is highly exalted. Look at what the Psalmist says,
WE KNEEL IN PURSUIT As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to [Jesus] and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” {Mark 10:17} WE KNEEL IN REPENTANCE When Simon Peter realized what had happened, he fell to his knees before Jesus and said, “Oh, Lord, please leave me — I’m too much of a sinner to be around you.” {Luke 5:8 NLT} WE KNEEL IN SUBMISSION [Jesus] withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond [his disciples], knelt down and prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” {Luke 22:41-42} Swerve Church is a new church plant forming in the community of Bushwick in Brooklyn in NYC.
 Today we will discuss the importance of evangelism. What exactly is it? How do we go about sharing our faith? Is it necessary to whip out the megaphone and soapbox? WHAT IS EVANGELISM? What do you think of when you hear the word evangelism? I used to cringe at the word. Growing up for me, evangelism meant an awkward confrontation with the world. It meant standing on a street corner and shouting for the world to hear. As a result, there weren’t many conversions. Instead there were a lot of awkward stares, fingers in ears, and calls to the cops. So, then, what is evangelism? How do we go about doing it? To begin, let’s read the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians:
I think this passage is a great place to start. Paul here is telling us that evangelism involves “good news”. What is this good news? Well, it’s what we discussed in Gospelology. That is that God, in his great love and mercy sent us Jesus to pay for the price of our sins. Jesus resurrected on the third day conquering Satan, sin, and death granting us reconciliation with the Father. And so evangelism revolves around getting this great message out. Why is this important? Well, it ties into the mission Jesus left with his disciples:
BUT HOW? So we understand why it is so important but how do we exactly go about sharing our faith? Have you ever heard the quote, “preach the gospel and when necessary use words”? What do you think is implied by that phrase? It seems that in our day and age, words hold little value and what’s being implied here is that “actions speak louder than words.” And while I can truly appreciate the call to authentic Christian living, it’s not exactly biblical. Look at the following passage:
According to this passage, it is clearly communicated that there must be words, speech and conversation involved in order to share the gospel. It is not simply about living a life impacted by the implications of the gospel, but a clear presentation of it. So this is a good apologetic to the communication of the gospel. But still, how do we do it? Do we get the soapbox and megaphone? Should we approach the precinct and get sound permits so that we can set up shop on a busy street corner to preach to the passersby? Should we randomly approach people in the park? Let me say that I am sure there are many gifted people to do the above. I’m also very sure that many have come to meet Jesus through someone who used the above methods. I think ultimately the best question to ask is, what is most effective? What is the most effective way to be able to share our faith with someone? There are many ways to do this. One thing is clear. It is all of our jobs to share our faith and make disciples. IN RELATIONSHIP Everyday we find ourselves with many people who are far from God. Many who have no relationship with Jesus. Many who have a misunderstanding of the gospel or who have been hurt by the church. These are people who we are connected to some way. For example, they are siblings, parents, cousins, aunts, uncles, friends, coworkers, neighbors, acquaintances, etc. Take a moment to think about how many people you are somehow relationally connected to. I think that one of the best ways to share the gospel with someone is to be relationally invested in them. In relationship, people are able to know you and you know them. There is a certain level of comfortability. As you go about sharing your life with them, you can begin to open up and share your story of finding faith in Jesus.
This verse wrestles with the tension of living an explerary, God-honoring life and being able to handle the word of truth, in other words, the Bible and the gospel. I think it paints a great picture of how we can share our lives with others and share the gospel. Be intentional about building these relationships. Pray for them. Pray for opportunities to be able to share the gospel with them. Look at what Paul says about those who were far from Jesus:
Pray and watch how God answers those prayers giving you opportunities to share your faith with those around you. COME AND SEE Now, again let me reiterize that there are many ways to go about sharing your faith. There are even many different tools and resources that will teach you how to go about sharing the gospel. The purpose of this study is not to give you a comprehensive list. Rather it is to give you some simple ways you can begin applying this today. Another way we can take part in the life change of an individual is using the church as a resource. What a great place for someone who is far from God to come and hear the gospel preached. From your perspective, all you are doing is inviting them in to share and partake in your regular rhythm of life. As a church, we are passionate about leading people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. We will do anything short of sin to reach people far from God. So when we get together as a group we definitely want to grow as believers. We want to encourage each other and fellowship. But we also want to lead people into a growing relationship with Jesus. We want to tell people about Jesus. Our desire is to really experience God’s saving power and see life change.
Notice Philip’s response to Nathanael. Nathanael is obviously quite reluctant to quickly jump on the messiah train and begin following Jesus. Philip’s response is simply,”come and see”. It echoes what the Psalmist said:
I’m not sure if Philip read Nathanael well and realized there would be no amount of convincing that would work. Instead he said, you gotta see it to believe it! He invited him to experience Jesus for himself.
What a good word for us. As we go about getting ready to launch out this new life giving, gospel centered church in Bushwick, we want to create an environment where people can come and encounter Jesus and see for themselves. We want them to taste and see that he is good! CONCLUSION How can you begin to look at your network of relationships as opportunities to intentionally invest in with the hopes of being able to share the gospel? As a church, how can we prepare to have an awesome “encounter Jesus” experience for people who are far from God?  We are constantly seeking out ways to show God's love in practical ways. We have a commitment to love our community, and seek out various ways to do just that. This week we were able to serve breakfast at a monthly gathering of parents at Achievement First Bushwick Elementary School. Breakfast consisted of a variety of bagels, doughnuts, coffee, hot chocolate, and juice. The parents and staff were so excited and thankful to have the breakfast served. It was a privilege for us to be able to provide it for them. Thank you to those of you who give regularly to support the work being done in Bushwick. We are so grateful for your generosity! Because of you we can have opportunities such as this to love and serve our neighbors. Swerve Church is a new church plant forming in the community of Bushwick in Brooklyn.
would be able to go to her children with two brand new, beautifully wrapped gifts.
His Toy Store is an awesome way to practice our values. As a church we will love God, love people, and serve our community. Participating in this outreach was a great way to do just that. Beyond that, it's great to be able to partner with other churches and ministries such as Living Waters Fellowship. We truly believe we can do far more together than we ever could apart. We want to say thank you to those of you who faithfully give to Swerve Church. Because of your generosity we are able to participate in outreaches just like this one. Next year we hope to mobilize even more volunteers to be able to serve at an even greater capacity. We will lead the way with irrational generosity! Swerve Church is a new church plant forming in the community of Bushwick in Brooklyn.  We know that we have been uniquely gifted to serve each other for the glory of Jesus. With this knowledge, how can we have a Biblical perspective on how we are to serve? What is the posture we are to have in our service? Why is this important to us as a church? JESUS THE SERVANT The first few places I want us to look in Scripture as we try to frame this topic help to show us Jesus as a servant. Ultimately, our best example for service comes from Jesus himself. {Read Mark 10:35-45 NLT} Here in this passage, John and James are having a discussion on who can sit next to Jesus in heaven. The other disciples are hearing this conversation and are becoming jealous. So Jesus uses this opportunity to teach them a valuable lesson in serving. I think it’s important to note here that this similar type of attitude seems to fill a lot of our churches even until today. Many want that “seat of honor”. You see, James, John, and the other disciples hadn’t fully understood what Jesus was calling them to. In their day, the religious leaders, the Scribes, the Pharisees had a lot of weight in their culture. Today, within our church culture, there is a similar feeling. The persons in “leadership” are viewed as greater. He even makes the reference, the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. In other words, what is popular in culture is to flex your authoritative muscles over those under you. Instead, Jesus here shows them that the life he is calling them to is one of servanthood. Jesus himself would model this. Reread verse 45: “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” How counter cultural! Even for today! And of course, Jesus here making a reference to the ultimate sacrifice that he would make on the cross {Gospelology} This is the same message echoed in Jesus’ warning to the Pharisees in Matthew 23. He calls them out and teaches on servanthood. {Read Matthew 23:1-12} Jesus has some harsh but truthful words for the religious leaders of his day. But ultimately the message is the same. The greatest is the one who serves. WE ARE TO SERVE In the passage we’re about to read, Jesus not only leads by example again, but also gives a mandate to serve others. This is where we come into the picture. As followers of Jesus, we too have the opportunity to serve others. {Read John 13:3-17} Jesus draws out these parallels. He says, slaves are not greater than their master...the messenger is not more important than the sender of the message. In other words, we are likewise to do what he modeled for us to do. POSTURE OF SERVICE This should help to center our hearts to an attitude of service. We should not only want to serve but be grateful that we have an opportunity to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We have an opportunity to obey his commands. Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically. Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying. When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. {Romans 12:9-13} Look at the language and the picture being painted by Paul,
Our posture of service should be one of gratitude, enthusiasm, genuineness, authenticity, readiness, and love. Is this your posture of service? Is this how you view service? How will this impact how you serve? IMPORTANCE OF SERVICE As a church, this has huge implications. First of all because our mission is to lead people to become fully devoted followers of Christ. Have you ever been to a church where you didn’t feel welcomed? Where you weren’t served? Where the focus was inward instead of outward? How did that make you feel? We want to be a church that follows the example of Jesus. We want people to feel welcomed. We don’t want to cause any type of obstacle preventing people from hearing and responding to the life changing and saving message of the gospel. Secondly, we are a church that will love God, love people, and serve our community. We are in a very needy community. We want to do what we can to love and serve our neighbors. Likewise globally we want to lead the way with irrational generosity and give to ministries and organizations that are serving some of the poorest places in the world. That’s why we give to and serve alongside of organizations like:
CONCLUSION In light of how God has uniquely gifted you, how can you best utilize your gifts to serve the church and our community thereby bringing glory to Jesus? We serve primarily in three ways.
Next week we will continue our discussion with Givology. How can we honor God with our giving? Swerve church is a new church plant forming in the community of Bushwick in Brooklyn |
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