Worship: Sibling Rivalries

Luke 11:38-42



1.  Let' go ahead and take a poll: Who is a Mary, and who is a Martha?  Briefly explain why you would call yourself that.

2.  When you first gave your life to Jesus, what was your initial desire?  Go, do, join, lead, and jump right in?  Did you feel an obligation or a duty to do something right off the bat?

3.  Why is it so hard for the Martha's to identify, understand, and worship instead of just getting up and DOING all the time?  Are you serving and doing in order to try to get to God, impress God, or earn something from Him?  Or is it an overflow of your relationship of God?  (one of the best ways to determine that may be your satisfaction level in service.  Do you hate it, not look forward to it, wish you didn't have to?  Or are you excited about the opportunity, show up fired up and ready to go, and understand the WHO and the WHY behind the WHAT?

4.  What about the Mary's?  Do you think it's really possible to have a REAL, growing, and healthy relationship with God without actually getting up and serving, giving, doing, and responding?

5.  How can we have the best of both worlds?  What is the real question at hand?  (the real question is "what are we doing first?")  How is this really a both/and not an either/or?

Leave with this challenge.

-Worship and relationship is a choice.  No one can make you grow deeper and move forward.  No one can make you closer to God.  It's all up to you.  If you're not where you want to be, then there is only one person to blame and one person that can fix it.

Martha- Slow down and get closer to God.  Start with what matters.  Start with the WHO.  Stop preparing presents and gifts FOR God and start enjoying the presence OF God.  Worship.

Mary- Get up and do something with what you've learned.  It's time to respond to God's revelation. Worship.

 

So What?

 

Head-Intimacy with God leads to service of God, not the other way around.

 

Heart-Determine for yourself whether you need to begin responding to God in worship through cultivating intimacy or if you need to respond to God in worship through service.

 

Hands-Act on what was determined.