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Matthew 6:9-13, John 15:7, James 5:16b, Luke 18:1-8
SEEKING God through prayer is one of the ways man uses to communicate with his creator. It is where God is reverence and He made the promise that his presence will be there. Matthew 18:20. Prayer is not a monologue, but a dialogue, one speaks and another listens. God always desires to communicate with man, and it was He who came searching for the man to fellowship with Him. Genesis 3:8. Jesus spent much time teaching man to communicate with the divine being. Matthew 6:9-13. He taught us to address God as "father", which means God is relational, and He cares for His creation. The apostle Paul said we need to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. Ephesians 6:18a. Which means there are various types of prayer, such as listed in 1 Timothy 2:1 - Petitions, Prayers, Intercession and Thanksgiving. Jesus encouraged his followers to always pray and not give up. Luke 18:1.
SEEKING
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Hebrews 4:12, Romans 10:15, Colossians 3:16
The WORD of God is a manifestation of the mind and will of God. John 1:14. All SCRIPTURE is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:16-17. The SCRIPTURES are what teaches us the way to treat others. John 13:35. It teaches us how to overcome temptation. Psalm 119:9-11. It is used to increase our faith. Romans 10:17. It is what the Holy Spirit uses to convict of sin. John 16:8-11. It is called the sword of the Spirit. Ephesians 6:17.
SCRIPTURE
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John 4:23-24, Exodus 23:25, Psalm 95:6
The meaning of worship is to adore, idolize, esteem worthy, reverence, homage, etc... Man is a natural religious being. It is a part of his nature to worship. Therefore, if the creator is not the one he worships, he will find another to worship. Singing praises is only one form of worship, and because music is the universal language, singing is very essential during worship. Paul said "Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts". Colossians 3:16.
SINGING PRAISES
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Matthew 20:28, Romans 12:13, 1 Peter 4:11
SERVING or helping one another always brings joy, and it also pleases God. The scripture teaches that God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them. Hebrews 6:10. Although there may be some who serve because they seek the attention from others, but when we serve with the right motive, God is pleased, and He always rewards the faithful. The apostle Peter reminds us that the gifts or talents we have are for the primary purpose of helping others. 1 Peter 4:11. Jesus truly showed us the heart of a servant when he was approached by the mother of two of his disciples. He said, "whoever wants to be first must be your slave--- just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." Matthew 20:27-28. This is the pillar that shows that the righteous shall live by their faith.
SERVING
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2 Corinthians 9:6-7, Luke 6:38, Malachi 3:10
SOWING is one of God's principles. It is His way of taking care of His creation. Without this principle, the world will cease to exist. Sowing and reaping is designed by God for the benefit of helping mankind. Man has allowed greed to cause him not to sow, thereby causing a shortage of supplies, but if man should follow God's principle, the earth will be blessed. The apostle Paul use this principle in the area of giving back to God some of what he gave to us. He said, "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." 2 Corinthians 9:6-7.
SOWING
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John 13:34-35, Romans 1:16, Acts 1:8, Proverbs 11:30
Evangelizing is SHARING our faith in Christ - what He personally did to change our individual lives! Someone said, "Evangelism is sharing Christ in the power of the gospel and leaving the results with God". When Jesus chose the disciples, he told them, follow me and I will make you fishers of men. Matthew 4:19. He did not tell us to follow Moses, or Elijah, or Isaiah or any of the other prophets. Although these were men greatly used by God, Jesus did not recommend his disciples follow any of them, but to follow Him. In the Greek "follow" means "keleuthos" one going in the same way. Therefore, the effective way to evangelize is to follow the way Christ reached the people. He used love every time. He did not force anyone into the kingdom; he simply loved them into the kingdom by what he said and did.
SHARING
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Matthew 28:19, 2 Timothy 2:2, Mark 8:38
SPONSORING is really making disciples as commanded by Jesus, which means that disciples are not born, but are being made. Someone must take the time to invest in the lives of others, and this calls for sacrifice. Sponsoring is committing to mentor another person. This is what parents do with their children. Children learn what they see and not just what they hear. This job of sponsoring is called "the great commission". This is the assignment for every believer. Jesus taught his followers by precept and by example, he took them everywhere. They saw how he dealt with the skeptics and the hypocrites, and how he dealt with those in great need. Everything he did was a teachable moment for these men. Jesus was very intentional in His assignment, although some of his disciples may not have understood at the time what he was doing. Following one of his teachings, he told them "Go and do likewise" Luke 10:37. Paul also said to his young protege, "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others." 2 Timothy 2:2
SPONSORSHIP
