Getting Ready For Sunday

Staff and volunteers at Next Level put hours and hours into getting ready for our worship experiences on Sunday morning. But did you ever think about how you as an attender can get ready to get the most out of your hour or two on campus?

1. Read over the text the Teaching Pastor will be teaching from. I almost always tweet that text or post it on Facebook. If you are not following me on Twitter (@nlctodd) or if you are not my friend on Facebook, hit me up! As you read, ask God to show to prepare your heart and for His Spirit to apply the words to your life.

2. Make sure you have INVITED someone to come with you, preferably someone disconnected from Christ or his church in whom you have been INVESTING! This passion for seeing people connected to God through our relationships is what makes NLC NLC!

3. Pray for everything that happens on campus on Sunday mornings. Pray for our volunteers, for our kids and students, pray for the folks there who are disconnected from God and from the church. Pray for God's Spirit to have free reign on our campus and for the Enemy to be frustrated in his attempts to disrupt and distract our worship and the teaching of God's Word.

4. Before you ever get there, remember where you are coming from. One of the starkest verses in all of the Bible is 1 John 5:19: "the whole world lies under the control of the evil one". In spite of the fact that the world is a beautiful place and full of joyful reminders of God, it is enemy territory. Every week we are fighting behind enemy lines and this takes a toll. We come together on Sundays to be recharged and refreshed and to bring our friends and family members who need to experience a break from the Enemy's power in their neighborhoods, families, schools, and workplaces. Even if it is only five minutes, ask God to wipe away any attitudes of your heart and mind that are not pleasing to him. Ask for forgiveness for things you need to be forgiven for; make any relationships that have been fractured as right as you can before coming on campus.

5. Decide that you are coming as a giver, not a consumer. There is a reason worship services are called "services" - we are serving God by worshipping Him! We are bringing God two things on Sunday mornings - our whole hearts, and our best contributions of service and finances. Make sure you show up looking to serve, not to be served; to give, not to be given to. The great thing is that it is those who are giving the most who find they RECEIVE the most - God's economy just works that way!

6. And, finally...ANTICIPATE. Anticipate that God is going to show up, that our worship will be pleasing to him, that disconnected people will find him, that you will know God better and love him more deeply and that over time the spiritual landscape of our city will be transformed because of our life together!