by Bret Capranica | Mar 14, 2011 | Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Worship
How is heaven affecting earthly worship? Read through Revelation 4 & 5 again, asking, how should this affect the way we gather on Sunday morning. Read through the following questions that were asked at the conclusion of yesterday”™s message and think through your responses to each of them: How does you life acknowledge the centrality of God because it is singularly directed? How do your life decisions exalt the authority of God because those decisions are thoroughly biblical? How does your lifestyle emit the intensity of God, because you respond with passionate God-driven emotions? How is your attitude about life sobered by the severity of God, because you are full of a profound awe-struck fear of God”™s greatness? Do you carry yourself on a regular basis in such a way that you are affected by the majesty of God, impacted by the stunning regality of who God is? How do you live in a way that comprehends the transcendence of God – so you base your living in a very unique and dissimilar way than the norms of the world? Could someone examine your life, your speech, your decisions, your character, your love, your emotions, your anxieties, your confidence and see that you are steeped in rehearsing God”™s redemption through Christ? Review the sermon manuscript below to review the details, or listen again to the message HERE. Heaven help our worship pt 1 View more documents from Summit Woods Baptist...
by Bret Capranica | Feb 20, 2011 | Biblical Studies, Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Worship
You can listen to this week’s sermon through our church”™s website: Heaven Help Our Worship ““ The Uniqueness of Jesus ““ Revelation 5:1-5 How can you respond to this week”™s sermon? Know Take some time this week to read through the breaking of the seven seals (Revelation 6:-8:1). Record what you learn that is unique about Jesus and his involvement in the initial stages of God”™s wrath revealed on the earth. Read through Revelation 1-3 and make note of the differences between the vision of Jesus seen in these chapters and what you seen in Revelation 5-6. Download the lyrics from this week”™s music and make a list of how we exalted the uniqueness of Jesus this week. Download Song Lyrics pdf Be Are there any ways in which you have minimized the supremacy of Jesus in the ways you have responded to situations in your life this week? How could this message affect your attitude and thinking toward your own participation in our public worship gatherings? Do Write down a few things that you learned from today”™s message or the main ideas that struck you and why. Colossians is a book that describes the sufficiency of Jesus. Take some time this week to read through its 4 chapters and write down what you see unique about Jesus and how he is uniquely sufficient for our needs. Make a list of issue you are struggling with right now ““ or are unique challenges to you. How could Jesus”™ sufficiency (from the list you created above) be a foundation for prayer and confidence to you? Who could you talk with...
by Bret Capranica | Feb 17, 2011 | Biblical Studies, Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry, Worship
Our passage for Sunday is Revelation 5:1-5. Stop and pray for insight, illumination, and wisdom in understanding and making use of this passage. Carefully Think How does this passage fit with chapter 4? How is this section different than chapter 4? Can you summarize what you think is the main idea? What is unique about Jesus in this passage? What is unique about God the Father in this passage? Who else/What else is mentioned/emphasized in the passage? What is the scroll found in the Father”™s hand? How do you know? What do you find in this passage that you cannot understand? What Old Testament concepts do you see mentioned here? Prayerfully Meditate What about Jesus is found here that would assist your worship of Jesus? Is there a song or hymn that uniquely expresses the worship of Jesus that you could sing, or meditate on? What unbelievers do you know who need to comprehend the uniqueness of Jesus? Pray for them by name. How could this passage assist you and others in our church this week when we gather together to worship Jesus? Actively Respond What could you do Saturday night and Sunday morning to prepare yourself to worship with God”™s people on Sunday? Go to our web-site and download a copy of the bulletin and begin to pray through every element of the service. Prepare your mind and heart to be sensitive on how you can serve or encourage someone when you arrive at worship on Sunday. From Revelation 5:1-5, is there any sin for you to confess, promise to confidently affirm, word of encouragement to...
by Bret Capranica | Feb 16, 2011 | Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry
MidWeek Minute 2.16.11 from Bret Capranica on Vimeo. Sunday AM 2.13.11 – Heaven Help Our Worship: The Activity of Heaven, Revelation 4:6-11 – Bret Capranica Sermon Expansion – Revelation 4:6-11 Sunday PM 2.13.11 – A Lifestyle of Worship, Colossians 3:16-17 – Glenn...
by Bret Capranica | Feb 13, 2011 | Featured Articles, Pastoral Ministry, Preaching, Worship
How can you respond to this week’s sermon? You can hear the two sermons on Revelation 4:1-11 through our church’s web-site: Heaven Help Our Worship – The Atmosphere of Heaven – Rev 4:1-6 Heaven Help Our Worship – The Activity of Heaven – Rev 4:6-11 Revelation 4 is a brilliant description of God”™s supremacy and a picturesque vision of the purest worship of God. God”™s authority, centrality, mercy, redemption, judgment, omniscience, transcendence, and sovereignty are all stunningly described as the very atmosphere of heaven. The activity of heaven responds to God”™s blazing centrality with an intense, focused exaltation of who He is. Here is the pinnacle of corporate praise. The entire scene begs the question as to whether our weekly earthly gatherings mirror the emphases we see happening unceasingly in heaven. Our two sermons on Revelation 4 delved into the details of the passage and called us to consider how central God is in our affections, our vocabulary, our prayers, our music, our conversations, and our mindset when we gather with God”™s people on the Lord”™s Day. How can we grow in our worship of God on earth so that our gatherings are more reflective of the worship that happens in heaven? Something to Know Increase your understanding of who God is Simply reading through the Bible, particularly the Old Testament has helped me with this. For example, while reading through Old Testament books, underline every time the narrator (in the historical books) indicates that God did something. You will be amazed at what God does ““ and thus see His attributes on display. Read some excellent books on...
