Welcome!
We are so glad that you decided to join us for this week's ToGather.church. (Find out more.) We invite you to use our home worship guide on your own or with friends, family, home group, or house church. Please know that you are sharing in this time of encouragement, communion, praise, and prayer with people worldwide!
Let's begin our ToGather.church experience by offering ourselves to God, asking him to reign over our lives, and letting him use his power to bless others through us. We join the Vineyard singers as each of us asks the Lord to "Reign in Me" so that we will each be a blessing to others who need encouragement and a word of grace:
Today, we are committing our lives to blessing each other with encouragement in the name of the Lord, and doing so even more passionately because we see "the Day" of the Lord's return growing ever closer. Our VerseoftheDay.com verse comes from Hebrews 10:25:
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another — and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
(Hebrews 10:25 NIV84).
Opening the Scriptures:
Jason Gray's song, "With Every Act of Love," may not be familiar to you. So, you may want to sing through it twice to let the words of this song penetrate your heart and help you resolve to be a person who brings God's Kingdom to others. If the song is familiar to you, great, but focus on the words you are singing. Those words are powerful and true! They also help prepare our hearts to hear today's message from God's word on encouragement:
Phil challenges us today to "Please encourage someone!" Of course, his challenge is not a new one but rather a reminder that God, throughout the Scriptures and in every age, has urged his people to "encourage one another." Each of us needs encouragement to live for Jesus in a world that is oftentimes harsh. Because of the especially challenging times our world is now facing with COVID-19 and social distancing, Phil's message is not only timely but essential: "Please encourage someone!"
Sharing The Supper:
As we prepare to share the Lord's Supper together, let's remind ourselves that we are coming together with people from around the world and throughout all time as we remember the cross and anticipate the Lord's return (1 Corinthians 10:16-17, 11:17-34). Our time of shared remembering is a call to love Jesus and a commitment to love each other. Let's join the Zoe Group and sing the words of John, the apostle of love. Let's sing, "The Greatest Commands: Love One Another":
We are blessed to be led in our Communion reflection by Rubel Shelly, a grace-oriented, Spirit-filled, long-time servant of the Lord. He reminds us of the many blessings that happen as we gather around the Table of the Lord together:
As we conclude our time at the Table of the Lord, let's commit to building our lives on the values, promises, love, and power of the only one who is truly worthy of our lives, Jesus! As we join Pat Barrett in the song, "Build My Life," we pledge to build our lives on his firm foundation as we seek to have the heart of love for people just as Jesus has:
Closing with a Blessing:
Phil closes us with the words of Romans 15:5-7 NLT:
May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other, as is fitting for followers of Christ Jesus. Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, accept each other just as Christ has accepted you so that God will be given glory (Romans 15:5-7 NLT).
Postscript:
Shortly after ToGather is posted each weekend, the videos are professionally captioned and posted on YouTube. See all of our ToGather.church videos on our YouTube® Channel.
Special thanks for Multi Transcription Services of America (MTSOA.com) for their fine work. See them for all your questions about marketing YouTube® videos and expanding your online reach. Email Lee for more info.
Special thanks for the use of images related to Jesus' ministry from The Lumo Project and Free Bible Images.
