“Sundays” Series Next Steps
Over the past five weeks our Sunday preaching has focused on exploring the “why” of our Sunday worship gatherings. Together we’ve examined the core elements of our Sunday gatherings, exploring their historical and spiritual significance along with how they directly relate to Christian practice. Our goal throughout the series has been to gain a deeper understanding of why we do what we do as a church, and to be challenged to participate in our Sunday worship gatherings with greater passion and conviction. One of our family values is that “we believe in taking the next step.” This statement is a reminder that as a church community we are committed to continuing to grow in our relationships with God and with each other and that in order to grow we must commit to making actionable plans that seek to put our learning into action.
Week 1: Why We Gather
In our first sermon we explored the significance of gathering together on Sunday mornings. We learned that every Sunday is a mini-Easter Sunday as we recognize the centrality of the resurrection of Jesus Christ in our worship. We also noted how gathering together is good for our minds, bodies, and souls as we grow in our relationship with God and in our relationships with others in the church.
Your Next Step: A next step you could take in this area could be committing to make church attendance a priority. This may mean setting an extra alarm on Sunday mornings, heading to bed earlier on Saturday evening, or evaluating your family’s Sunday commitments in order to prioritize worshiping with your church community.
Week #2: Why We Sing
In our second sermon we explored why we sing corporately as a church. We noted that singing together serves to remind us of the character of our God as we praise and glorify Him. It also teaches us to embody and live out His story all while being encouraged by the corporate chorus of the church.
Your Next Step: A next step you could take is listening to the songs we sing on Sundays throughout the week. When you become familiar with the songs we sing you’re able to easily join with the gathered community as we sing songs of praise and worship to God. You can find updated Spotify and Apple Music playlists of the songs we sing at the links below.
Week #3: Why We Preach
In our third sermon we focused on the importance of the Sunday sermon, noting that the purpose of preaching is to proclaim and explain the Bible. God actively works through the proclamation of the Scriptures and the Holy Spirit actively encourages, challenges, comforts, and confronts us. The Bible tells the story of God and his people, with a central emphasis on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. By grounding our preaching in the Bible we become people who are rooted in the foundations of the Christian faith and formed into the people that God created us to be.
Your Next Step: A next step you could take in this area would be to consciously prepare your heart to receive the preached word each Sunday. This could look like a) ensuring that you’re seated before the sermon begins, b) taking notes during the sermon to aid with later devotions and prayer, c) making arrangements with your friends, family, or Life Group to discuss the sermon each week.
Week #4: Why We Pray
In our fourth sermon we focused on the importance of prayer, noting that prayer is the pathway to greater intimacy with God. When we pray “Your Kingdom come” we’re invited to join God in the work he is doing in our world and our wills are conformed to his will as he leads us into deeper Christian character and maturity. Prayer doesn’t have to be complicated or overtly-religious, rather it is a way that we connect with God and He with us.
Your Next Step: A next step that you could take in this area would be to go to the cross for prayer during the call to prayer segment of our Sunday gathering. By going to the cross for prayer you’ll have the opportunity to share your prayer requests / praise reports with the prayer team members who will join with you in talking to God.
Week #5: Why We Give
In our fifth and final sermon we discussed the importance of giving tithes and offerings to the church. We spoke about how giving is an important and formative action that is essential on our journey to becoming generous people. We spoke about how the Bible implores followers of Jesus to be generous people and how real and lasting change is brought about through acts of generosity as the local church is empowered and resourced to be faithful to the call of God.
Your Next Step: If Soul Sanctuary is your home church we’d encourage you to tithe regularly (you can learn more about what tithing is, and why we practice it at this link). We also encourage you to consider what you may give to our 2023 Legacy Offering, a time of intentional giving that takes place in November and December at Soul.