T i m e   A l o n e   w i t h   J e s u s

        b e c o m i n g   f r i e n d s   -   a n d   e n j o y   b e i n g   w i t h   H i m



             Behold, I stand at the door and knock.

            If anyone hears My voice and opens the door,

            I will come in to him, and dine with him,
            [ = Communion ] and he with me.

            Revelation 3:20   NKJV

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            ...and We [ My Father & I ] will come to him

            and make Our home with him.

            John 14:23   NKJV


        • William Holman Hunt 1827-1910
          famous painting   " The Light of the World" 1853-1854

          "....presents Christ with a lamp in one hand knocking at a door.
          The door has no handle on the outside, and it is overgrown with weed and vines.
          The interpretation posted below the painting in St. Paul's Cathedral in London remarks:

          'On the lefthand side of the picture is seen this door
          of the human soul. It is fast barred; its bars and nails are rusty; it is knitted and bound to its stanchions by creeping tendrils of ivy, showing that it has never
          been opened...'"   Willard 243


        G O A L

        Joining Him in Worship and Devotion
        "Refreshed in Faith and Reassured of His Saving Grace"

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        "The vitality and depth of our worship are directly related
        to our view of God.

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        If we truly know Him as He Is,
        three things will characterize our worship:
        1. Awe before the Wholly Other,
        2. Shame before the Absolute Pure, and
        3. Joyful gratitude before the Merciful One." Ogden 60



        I n t r o d u c t i o n

            • deciding to follow Jesus
            • make Me a home - a Sanctuary in your heart
              = to "sup" with you

            • becoming friends during worship
            • parts of worship
            • forms of worship

            • issues of worship
            • hymns about worship
            • my responds


        I   C h o o s e   t o   f o l l o w   J e s u s

            • TEXT: Parables of the Hidden Treasure & the Pearl.
              Matthew 13:44

            • A. Our texts in context
            • B. Searching for the treasure or pearl

            • C. The value to search for the pearl
            • D. The price to know God
            • E. Consequences for not searching for it

            Notes and Sources about Setting Priorities


        M a k e   M E   a   H o m e
        ( - S a n c t u a r y - )   i n   Y o u r   H e a r t

          • Create a   >> comfortable place <<   where to worship
          • The Discipline of Worship / Meditation
            creating silence
            listening to God's Word
            reflecting on God's works
            rehearsing God's deeds


        B e c o m i n g   F r i e n d s

          • getting into the spirit for worship and
          • how to handle distractions


        P a r t s   o f   W o r s h i p

          • studying the Word
          • prayer
          • fellowship
          • thanksgiving / testimonies / sharing
          • music


        F o r m s   o f   W o r s h i p

          Whenever we worship, let us invite our heavenly Father to
              lead us, and the Holy Spirit to open His Word for us

          1. Reading a passage and asking God to make His Word
              meaningful to you
          2. Listening to a piece of music
          3. Looking at a work of art

          4. Being creative => doing calligraphy, painting, drawing etc.
          5. Reading about the writer and/or composer of hymns
              for sources see [ = 5. Reading....] below
          6. Reading about the great cloud of witnesses
              [ Heb. 12:1 = chapter 11 ]

          7. Singing hymns
          8. Listening to God's Word
          9. Reflecting on God's works in nature

          10. Rehearsing God's deeds


        H y m n s   a r e   A l s o   P r a y e r s

            • "O Worship the King" #83
            • "How Lovely I Thy Dwelling Place" #62
              = American Negro Spiritual
            • "How Great Thou Art" #84

            • "Give Me Jesus" #305
            • "I Would Draw Nearer to Jesus" #310
            • "O Let Me Walk With Thee" #554

            Selection is taken from:
          • The Seventh-day Adventist Hymnal. Review, 1985.
                 M2131 .S48 1985     264     ISBN 8280-0307-6

          [ = 5. Reading about the writer and/or composer of a hymn ]

        • Bence, Evelin. Spiritual Moments with the Great Hymns.
               Zondervan, 1997.     ISBN 1-56865-734-X
               "Devotional readings that strengthen the heart."

        • Crusader Hymns and Hymn Stories. The Billy Graham Evangelistic
               Association (Hope Publishing ), 1966, 1967.
               "Crusade Hymn Stories compiled and edited by C. Barrows;
               Hymn studies and Personal Stories by Billy Graham and the
               Crusade Musicians...."

        • Kavanaugh, Patrick. Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.
               Revised and Expanded. Zondervan, 1996.     ML 3909 .K23 1996
               780     ISBN 0-310-20806-8

        • The One Year Book of Hymns. Tyndale, 1995.
               "365 devotional readings based on hymn texts, along with
               stories of how they came to be written.
               Helpful indexes enable you to locate specific titles or hymn
               writers, or
               to look up hymns on a specific topic...."

        • Osbeck, Kenneth W. Amazing Grace; 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories
               for Daily Devotions.           Kregel, 1990.
               "Kenneth W. Osbeck, author of the best-sellers: 101 Hymn
               Stories           and 101 More Hymn Stories.
               Each story includes a portion of the hymn itself, as well as
               suggested Scripture readings, meditations,
               and practical application."


        M y   R e s p o n s e

          • creating a place of worship
          • making a Sanctuary for Jesus
          • I wish you would tell us what you have tried!


        G o i n g   D e e p e r   &   S o u r c e s

        • Houston, James. Joyful Exiles, Life in Christ on the Dangerous
               Edges of Things.           IVP, 2006.     BV 4501.3 .H683 2006    248.4
               ISBN 978-0-8308-3324-5

        • Ogden, Greg. Discipleship Essentials; a Guide to Building Your
               Life in Christ.           Expanded Edition. IVP Connect, 2007.
               BV 4511 .O33 2007     248.4     ISBN 978-0-8308-1087-1

        • White, Ellen G. Instruction for Effective Christian Service.
               General Conference of SDA. 1947.

        • Willard, Dallas. The Spirit of the Disciplines; Understanding
               How God Changes Lives          . Harper, 1988.
               BV 4501.2 .W533 1988 248.4     ISBN 0-06-069441-6


        Wolfhard Touchard, M.L.S.   Retired Reference & Database Librarian
        Andrews University - January 2014