Worship

Pastor Appreciation Section:

Opening

"Good morning, church family! Today is a special day as we take time to honor our pastoral and staff team and celebrate some important transitions within our ministry. October is Pastor's Appreciation Month, and Melissa and I want to express our deep gratitude for those who shepherd, lead, and serve our congregation with such faithfulness.

Our pastoral team pours their hearts into this ministry—through prayers, late-night hospital visits, countless hours of preparation, and the daily work of caring for our church family. They lead with wisdom, serve with humility, and love with the heart of Christ. Let's give them a warm round of applause!"

[Pause for applause]

Staff Transitions

"As a healthy church, we also want to share some exciting transitions that reflect both new seasons and God's continued faithfulness to our ministry:

Honoring Nick Potvin First, we want to honor Nick Potvin, our Facilities Director, who will be transitioning to a new job opportunity starting October 27th. Nick, would you and Evelyn please come forward?

Nick, your dedication and hard work have been invaluable to our church. While we'll miss having you on staff, we're thrilled that you and Evelyn will continue serving with our student ministries and indoor/outdoor team. This is not goodbye—it's simply a new chapter! Thank you Nick for serving this church so faithfully and saying yes to being a part of our team for this last season. Let's thank Nick for his faithful service!

Welcoming Levi Hinshaw Next, we're excited to welcome our new Facilities and City Outreach Director—Levi Hinshaw! Levi, would you and Ashlyn please come forward?

The Hinshaw family is literally arrived in Spokane last week—talk about dedication! Levi and Ashlyn have been serving in ministry leadership since 2018, and they bring a heart for both practical service and community outreach. We're also honored to be part of their journey as they prepare for their dream of planting a church someday. Church family, let's give the Hinshaws a warm Spokane welcome!

Celebrating Pastor Cory's Expanded Role Pastor Cory has been faithfully overseeing our finance and city outreach teams, and we're excited to announce he'll be expanding his responsibilities. While continuing as Finance Director, he'll now work closely with our Care Team and oversee our Lilac Campus. Pastor Cory, thank you for your willingness to serve wherever God calls!

We also want to thank Micah LeLaCheur, who has wonderfully served as the Lilac Campus director these past couple of years. Micah, we're grateful for all you've done and excited you'll continue serving with our worship team and young adults ministry!

Welcoming Ashley Garcia Finally, we want to recognize two amazing women in our Early Learning Center. First, Karla Didier—would you please come forward? Karla has faithfully served as our ELC Interim Director over the last several months, managing our growing program with grace. Thank you, Karla!

[Applause]

And we're thrilled to introduce Ashley Garcia, who joined us in September as our new ELC Director! Ashley, would you please come forward? Ashley, Manny, and their daughter Emma are a wonderful addition to our church family. We are thankful for the leadership, wisdom and passion you bring to the team and to our ELC at Turning Point Church! Let's welcome them!

Prayer over the team

Baby Dedication:

Opening Words

Today we celebrate with joy as we dedicate this precious child to the Lord. A baby dedication is a sacred moment where parents publicly commit to raising their child in God's love and where our church family promises to support and encourage them on this journey.

Scripture Reading

Matthew 19:14 NLT

But Jesus said, “Let the children come to me. Don’t stop them! For the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these children.”

Psalm 127:3 NLT

Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him.

Parents' Commitment

To the parents Andrew and Merilyn: Do you commit to raising ANDREW the FOURTH in a home where God is honored, teaching them about His love through your words and actions? Do you promise to pray for them, guide them in truth, and trust God with their future?

Parents respond: "We do."

Congregation's Promise

To the congregation: Do you, as a church family, promise to support and encourage this family, to pray for them, and to be a loving community as ANDREW the FOURTH grows in faith?

Congregation responds: "We do."

Prayer

The Holy Moment of Worship: Encountering the Living God

Introduction

There's a moment in every believer's life—perhaps you've experienced it—when worship transcends routine and becomes a holy moment. When the songs we sing become more than melody, when our prayers pierce through through circumstance, when we suddenly realize we're not just talking about God, but talking with God. These are holy moments, and they're not accidents. They're encounters with the Living God, available to every one of us.

Today, we're exploring what it means to truly worship—not just on Sunday mornings, but in every breath we take. We'll discover how Jesus revolutionized worship through His conversation with a woman at a well, and how our entire lives can become an offering of praise.

Clement Lye - Testimony

Do It Again Song

I. Worship in Spirit and Truth (John 4:19-26)

Let me take you to a dusty road in Samaria, where Jesus sits by a well at noon. A woman approaches—someone who's been looking for love in all the wrong places, someone who comes at midday to avoid the whispers of the community. She's had five husbands, and the man she's with now isn't her husband.

She knows rejection.

She knows shame.

She knows religion—but she doesn't know relationship.

When the conversation turns to worship, she immediately thinks of the great debate of her day: Should we worship on this mountain or in Jerusalem? Where's the right place? What's the right tradition? But Jesus cuts through centuries of religious argument with a revolutionary truth:

John 4:23–24 NLT

But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

Worship in Spirit: The Heart of the Matter

When Jesus speaks of worshiping in Spirit, He's not talking about a feeling or an emotion—He's talking about a divine enablement. The Holy Spirit takes our feeble attempts at praise and transforms them into something beautiful. He takes our groans too deep for words and translates them into heaven's language.

Think about it: The woman at the well had all the religious knowledge. She knew about the Messiah. She understood the theological debates. But she was spiritually thirsty because she'd never experienced worship that flowed from the inside out.

A scripture that gives allusion to this moment is found in:

Isaiah 2:3 NLT

People from many nations will come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of Jacob’s God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.” For the Lord’s teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.

Authentic worship in the Spirit means:

It originates from our regenerated hearts, not from external compulsion. Or another way of saying - I sing because I have to. I stand here because I have to.

It's empowered by the Holy Spirit, not manufactured by human effort

It transforms us from the inside out

This is why you can be in a cathedral and feel nothing, or in your car and absolutely feel everything. Location doesn't determine the presence of God—the Spirit does. In fact the Spirit of God rests in those who call upon the name of Jesus:

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 NLT

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Worship in Truth: The Foundation of Faith

But Jesus doesn't stop with Spirit—He adds "and in truth." Why? Because sincere worship isn't enough if it's sincerely wrong. We must worship God as He truly is, not as we imagine Him to be.

The woman at the well had partial truth. She was waiting for the Messiah, but she didn't recognize Him sitting right in front of her. How often do we do the same? We create God in our image—a cosmic grandfather who winks at sin, or a harsh judge waiting to strike, or a distant deity uninterested in our daily lives. But true worship requires true knowledge of God's character.

Worshiping in truth means:

Our worship is grounded in Scripture, not in sentiment. Or another way of looking at it. We must not worship as athiest Chirstians. Christians who do not really believe in the power of God.

We come honestly before God, hiding nothing (as if we could!)

We align our understanding with God's self-revelation in His Word

As Psalm 95:6-7 declares: 

Psalm 95:6–7 NLT

Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our maker, for he is our God. We are the people he watches over, the flock under his care. If only you would listen to his voice today!

We worship Him as Creator, as Shepherd, as the One who knows us completely and loves us perfectly. This is truth that sets our worship free.

You know, the woman at the well thought worship was about a place—this mountain or that temple. But Jesus showed her worship is about presence—His presence, available everywhere through the Spirit. We don't have to wait for heaven to experience God's glory. It's here. He's here. Let's worship Him in spirit and in truth right now...

Song - Hallelujah Here Below (Paradoxology)

III. Worship as Lifestyle (Romans 12:1-2)

Living Sacrifice: The Daily Offering

But here's where many of us stop short. We think of worship as something that happens in a building for 90 minutes on Sunday. But Paul explodes this limitation in…

Romans 12:1 NLT

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.

Notice Paul says "living" sacrifice. In the Old Testament, sacrifices were killed on the altar. But we're called to live on the altar. Every day. Every moment. Every breath.

This means:

Monday morning meetings become worship when we work with excellence as unto the Lord

Changing diapers becomes worship when we serve the least of these as serving Christ

Paying bills becomes worship when we practice faithful stewardship

Conflict resolution becomes worship when we pursue peace as peacemakers

Even our rest becomes worship when we trust God enough to cease our striving

The Transformation Process

Romans 12:2 NLT

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

When worship becomes lifestyle, transformation is inevitable. You cannot consistently offer yourself to God without being changed by His presence. The world tries to squeeze us into its mold—pursuing comfort over character, rights over righteousness, success over surrender. But worship-filled living breaks that mold.

Every moment becomes a potential act of worship:

In the grocery store, choosing patience in the slow checkout line

In traffic, praying for the driver who cut you off

At home, serving your family with joy rather than obligation

In solitude, choosing to fill your mind with truth rather than toxic thoughts gratitude

—CUT IF SERVICE IS GOING TOO LONG—

Application: Making Every Moment Holy

Creating Space for Personal Worship

How do we move from theory to practice? Start here:

Morning Moments: Before you check your phone, check in with heaven. Even five minutes of focused attention on God can transform your entire day. Use…

Psalm 95:1–2 NLT

Come, let us sing to the Lord! Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come to him with thanksgiving. Let us sing psalms of praise to him.

Workplace Worship: Set reminders on your phone—not for meetings, but for moments. When it buzzes, take 30 seconds to acknowledge God's presence right where you are. He's as present in your cubicle as He is present here in this place.

Evening Examination: Before bed, review your day through the lens of worship. Where did you see God? Where did you miss Him? Where could you have offered that moment as worship?

Corporate Worship That Shapes Community

When we gather as believers, something powerful happens. Individual flames become a bonfire. Personal worship becomes corporate encounter. We need each other's faith when ours is weak, each other's songs when we've lost our voice, each other's presence when we feel alone.

Our corporate worship should:

Reflect both spirit and truth—passionate yet biblical

Include diverse expressions that reflect our diverse body

Create space for both celebration and contemplation

Lead to transformed lives, not just emotional experiences

Recognizing Everyday Worship Opportunities

The woman at the well left her water jar and ran to tell everyone about Jesus. Her testimony became worship. Her changed life became worship. Every interaction became an opportunity to glorify the One who knew everything about her and loved her anyway.

What are your water jars? What ordinary moments could become extraordinary worship?

The commute that becomes a prayer journey

The meal preparation that becomes an act of love

The difficult conversation that becomes an exercise in grace

The financial decision that becomes an act of trust

Conclusion: The Holy Moment Awaits

Remember where we started—those holy moments when heaven touches earth, when worship becomes encounter. These aren't reserved for the spiritual elite. The same Jesus who revealed Himself to an outcast woman at a well wants to reveal Himself to you.

The Father is seeking worshipers—not perfect people, but genuine people. Not those who have it all together, but those who know they need Him altogether. He's seeking those who will worship in spirit—from the heart, by the Spirit's power. He's seeking those who will worship in truth—according to His Word, in honest relationship.

And He's seeking those who will make worship not just an event but an existence. Where every moment becomes holy, every action becomes offering, every breath becomes praise.

The ground where you're sitting right now can become holy ground. The moment you're living right now can become a holy moment. The question isn't whether God is present—He is. The question is whether we will recognize Him, respond to Him, and offer our whole lives as worship.

Let today be the day your worship moves from duty to delight, from ritual to relationship, from just an emotional experience to a transformational way of living, from Sunday-only to everyday-holy.

The well is before you. The Living Water is offered. Will you drink deeply and worship fully?

Let’s Sing Together - How Great Thou Art