Tim Nolte

Ephesians 1:1-6, today’s study talks mostly of how great and self-sufficient God is. It is pointed out that just by the very complexity and detail of nature, God shows his power and greatness. God didn’t have to create us, but it pleased Him to do so, this is also what gives us hope. God didn’t have to make a way for salvation, but He did because of his love for us. Well, the thoughts for this morning are not very long but our response to God’s grace and self-sufficient power ought to be one of praise and thanksgiving. Amen!

How fitting that today’s topic is worship, with having the first youth praise team practice yesterday. The scripture passage for this study is John 4:19-26, Jesus’ meeting with the Samaritan woman. They have a conversation of where the Jews & the Samaritans disagree on where to worship God. Jesus made it very clear that after His coming He was going to clarify this. Worshiping God is not about the place, it is about us meeting with God individually and worshiping Him “in spirit and in truth”. When we come to Him in time of worship it is about an internal connect between God and us, where all worldly and material things are put aside. I understand that during Sunday morning gatherings that the leaders goal, at the inception, is to lead people to that place where they are meeting God one-to-one. However our times of worship don’t stop there. This can happen when God meets us during any time spent with Him. It is our hearts through Christ that worship God.