Day 5 - Keep Fruitful

[MandoRon]

Woohoo! We made it! Day 5 of Week 9.

First of all, I want to say thank you to Fred for putting this all together. Thank you to Dwayne for the awesome study. And thank you to everyone that took this journey. I have learned so much from all of you. We need to do this again sometime.

Jeff Miller (Consuming Worship) has asked me to write the first guest post on his new blog series "What Worship Means Me". I'm going to use that as an opportunity to go back and remind myself of what I've learned these last nine weeks. There has been so much. I think it will post the week after next.

On to day 5...

I found this comment on the bottom of p.162 particularly challenging:

"Our lives are short. We don't have time to live outside God's will. We don't have one minute to waste if we are to finish well."

I don't have time to live outside God's will! There's just too much to be done.

My surrender:

I'm yours Lord.
Mold me into the man that you want me to be.
Take away the bad stuff and replace it with your holiness.
Fill me completely with your presence.
May me eyes only focus on you.
Thank for allowing me to be a part of your plan, God!

[Wannabe a Worshiper]

Wow! This has been such a wonderful journey. I'm so glad I got to take it with all of you. I entered this study knowing I was far from being the man God requires me to be, and I leave it with a firm grasp on what he has called me to become, and a great road map of how to get there. This is not the end of the journey, it's just a place to refill my fuel tank and get back on the road.

I have a confession. I downloaded the book several months ago when it was offered free, and that is what I used for this study. Since it is on my computer, I didn't write anything down on the Daily Praise and Daily Surrender places. I purchased a hard copy of the book midway through the study, so next week, I will start over using the book. And I will come here daily and see what we wrote for that day, and see how much I have grown since the first time.

************

Today's lesson talks about mentoring, about investing our lives in someone. Each of us have someone in our church, maybe even in our music ministry, who needs someone to stand beside them, to teach, encourage, guide, and love. I encourage you to look for that person- ask God to show him or her to you- and prayerfully and carefully initiate a relationship with that person.
I have several people in mind; I will inquire of God which one I should start with.

The other thing we saw today is that we must get serious about living out the Great Commission: Matthew 28:19,20 "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the end of the age."
The church basically abandoned that order 50 years ago, and two generations have grown up not knowing our Lord. The church must get serious about reaching the lost people around us. And for those of us he has called to stand before his congregations, our passion for praise and worship should translate into a passion for winning the lost to faith in our blessed Savior!

O God, it is easy for me to say what I should become and what I should do for you, but it is much harder for me to actually do and be what you ask of me. Give me a genuine, unstoppable love and commitment for you and for the task you have set before me. May I be found faithful.
I cannot do it without you beside me. I am weak; you are immeasurably strong. I have feet of clay; you have set my feet upon the rock. I am yours. Take me. Use me. Fill me. Let me overflow your love, and let that overflow be the water of life for many. Amen

[RuthABraun]

The last day of the last week! What a journey it has been! This last day has given me a sense of urgency that I did not have before. Yes, all that I have learned has been of such value to me in becoming a worship LEADER, but now it is time to hit the trenches with it. Faith is a battlefield; we are called to fill the front line. My church started a mentoring program about a year ago, where one person would mentor two others, who would then each mentor two others, which grows exponentially. I have always had the mindset of being the one that needs to be mentored, but now I realize that I have some things that I could pass on as well. Not that I don't still need mentoring, but now I'm in the middle of the pyramid instead of at the top (hope this analogy makes sense).

God, take the second half of my life and fill it with You! Let me be Your servant and use me in whatever way You will. I am Yours!

[twc_admin]

Congrats everyone! WE MADE IT!

More thoughts to come ...

[Wrapped in Jesus Love!]

The questions are asked in the today's reading: "Who first told you about Jesus?" and "Who on earth more than anyone else helped you to trust him as your Savior?" Do you have anyone that comes to mind when you think of these questions? I do. First - my parents. They instilled great values in me and raised me in a Christian home. They taught me about Jesus and helped me to have a relationship with him. There was also the choir director at the church where I grew up. I can remember how excited she was to go to heaven someday. As a child I just couldn't understand why anyone would be excited to "die". Looking back now, I understand. I am looking forward to heaven someday also. Not right now, but sometime in the future. I still have work to do for God. In this reading we are called to live out what we have learned. We are to reach out to others and share Jesus with them. Just like my childhood choir director had a significant impact on my life, I want to have that same impact on the lives of others.

Luke 12:48 - "To whom much is given, from him much will be required." As worship leaders, God has given us "much". Therefore, God will require much from us. Don't hide what he wants us to use. Open your hearts, eyes, ears and mouth and let God use you in ways that you can't even imagine.

Heavenly Father, thank you for wisdom that you give to us. Thank you for opportunities like this Bible study where we can come together and learn more about you. Father, help me to take everything that I learned and will continue to learn from this study and apply it to my every day life. Help me to use everything that you have given me to glorify you. Be with all the people involved in this study and bless each one of them. Continue to speak to each of us with knowledge from this Bible study as we seek to have "Pure Praise" for you. In Jesus Name. Amen

Thank you Dwayne for writing an awesome book. It is evident that God worked through you in the writing of this book. I will take everything I learned and try to apply it. Thank you Fred for this website and for organizing the Bible study. It is sad that it has come to an end. I tend to get busy with the good things that God has for me to do. Unfortunately, things like this study that are just as important, tend to get pushed to the side. It was wonderful to have others there to help me to be accountable for keeping up with the study. Thank you to all of you who shared words of wisdom during this study. I value everything all of you had to share.

Angie

[Rogenia]

Thank you Dwayne for an awesome book; I like to thank my class member for such enlighten posts. I never did get a chance to upload my picture (smile). I have enjoyed this class and have grown in my walk with the Lord. I have learned that pure praise and worship is giving oneself totally. Not relying on ritual, so often we think that because we perform a certain ceremony once in our life, or regularly every week, we are right before God. But that is not true. Those Jewish religious leaders were perfect in their observance of rituals that God had specifically ordained. But they had no fruit; they did not take on the character of God. God rejected them, despite their outward obedience to religious rituals. Not relying on emotion. No, emotion is no sure sign of fruitfulness. We can arouse strong emotions in many ways unrelated to God; go to any rock concert for evidence.

I thought I came here for one reason and through the class and the lesson God has reveal many areas to me and allow me to grow in many areas.

I pray that I be able to continue to love the word of God; both Christ himself and His spoken word, the Bible. This is the foundation for the true fruitfulness that comes from knowing Him. Maintain my faith in god, that He will fulfill His promises, and therefore pray with power and free myself to be a servant that is worthy of his blessings. Lord, I pray that I continue to focus on you in my worship, thereby worshiping in Spirit and in truth. And Lord, I pray that I continue to peak the truth in love, proclaiming your truth, I pray that everyone in this class be bless and May we be a church overflowing with fruit and may each of us here bear fruit, to the glory of God.

"This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you" John 15:12-14. There is no greater love than laying down your life for your friends as Jesus did for us. He laid His life down for His friends. We are His friends if we do what He commands us to do. If you want to be in the kingdom of God, then you must be His friend. We are not His servants. We are His friends who serve in His Kingdom, "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant know not what his lord (boss) doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." John 15:15.

"The Kingdom of God is not simply something to be sought in the future. We are called to help bring it about now by removing oppression, poverty, disease, and discrimination from the world." It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

[hisfirewithin]

I have really enjoyed doing this study(though I've been on and off with posting every day.)

I am now going to "pass it on" by going through this book with a WL I'm training. I hope they get as much out of it as I have.

[Smitty]

GREAT idea, Hisfire!

I thought of doing the same thing...what a great way to "pay it forward".

Smitty