Living as Worshiping Disciples

By Laura Springer and Jeff Barnhart

Key Passages: Psalm 27; Matthew 18; Ephesians 5:15-21; 2 Timothy1:13-14; Revelation 5:10–12

Key Idea: The church is God's community of worshiping disciples who live the whole of life learning and loving together as they serve Christ by filling their gatherings and daily lives with his truth and presence.


Worship is much more than a meeting on the church calendar. Worship is how we live in the world as followers of Jesus, and living as disciples is one way to look at worship.

As God's community of worshiping disciples, Christians learn together as we love one another. We are follower-learners who live alongside one another in God's presence, knowing he is always with us, no matter the situation. We know he loves us, and we are safe in him, so we help one another follow Jesus. We help one another come to him just as we are, trusting him to transform us. We know that his kindness and overabundant supply of grace will continue to transform us into the image of Christ.

Christians act as worshiping disciples when we fill our gatherings with God's truth and presence. Together, we learn the Word and practice God’s ways, training our minds, wills, and emotions to recognize and carry out his grace. We learn to value what God values through honest conversations in life groups and patio time. We learn to respect one another by bearing with one another, speaking honestly, and acting for one another's good. Let us submit our preferences and priorities to God's call to unity, dedicating ourselves to kindness and respect. As a church community, let us support discipleship by creating events and programs that connect intellect, emotions, and daily life. Let us design physical spaces that invite person-to-person connection. Above all, let us focus ourselves, programs, and events on Christ.

Christians act as worshiping disciples when we fill our days with service that puts God's values into practice. Each day, we can take what we have learned about God and his ways and figure out how that works in daily life. Let us put knowledge, skills, and passions to work in the everyday stuff of life: home, work, school, and play. When we meet people along the way, let us choose to connect, whether with a simple nod of greeting or a good word. As a community of worshiping disciples, let us point others to Jesus by loving one another in public and proclaiming the one who made such love possible.

Brothers and sisters, let us commit ourselves to live as worshiping disciples by filling life with God's truth and presence, following him as our center, and living every moment for his glory. Let us help one another pause in his presence, whether gathered together or dispersed into our days. Let us live our moments for the glory of Jesus and then recount his glory and grace when we gather together. Everything we know and can do has been given to us by God, so let’s give ourselves back to him in worship that fills our days.

One People Living as Worshipers

By Laura Springer with Jeff Barnhart 

Key Idea: In Christ, Christians are disciples, priests, and family, and these identities form our communal life of worship, lived toward God, alongside one another, and before the world.

Key Verses: Matthew 5.16; 28.16-20; John 13.34-35; 1 Corinthians 12.12-30

Worship is not a meeting on the church calendar. It’s not even gathering for praise and preaching on Sunday morning. These are too small. Worship is living in a way that makes God’s worth evident. It is life as his family, his priesthood, and his disciples, no matter where we are.

The Church is the community of God's disciples. Disciples bring their reason, emotions, and actions to their service to Jesus. They center cultural differences on Christ so that these differences work together to reflect God's beauty and grace. They share life, learning and teaching God's Word and Ways, working out their salvation in community, and declaring Jesus to all who will listen, both inside the church and out in the world. As disciples of Jesus at TFB, let us join together in conversation centered on truth and serve alongside one another to build each other up in Christ.

The Church is the one priesthood of God. Believer-Priests display God’s many-splendored glory, a glory that disperses through the amazing variety of God’s people like white light traveling through a prism disperses into a rainbow of color. They proclaim God’s grace to everyone and stand before God in confession and consultation for themselves, one another, and the world. Christians live together as priests by gathering to hear and speak the truth. They carry one another before the throne of God and point one another toward Jesus. They live as those who know the truth about human brokenness and divine grace. As priests of God at TFB, let us acknowledge and confess our brokenness to one another and bring each others’ needs before God. As we sing together, let us sing the lyrics as prayer and proclamation. As we serve together, let us look for and come alongside any in need.

The Church is the one family of God. Christians are children of God and siblings of one another. Family relationship is foundational. They live together as a family, prioritizing their communal life above all else and carrying their family resemblance into all the moments of their days. They choose to be for one another in head, heart, and hands, whether gathered as a community or dispersed into the world. They live in a way that makes it clear to all that they are the children of God and siblings of one another by displaying love for one another and glory to their Father in heaven (Matthew 5.16; John 13.34-35). As siblings in Christ and the children of one Father at TFB, let us show up and be present for each other in our gatherings and welcome those we do not yet know.

As we meet together for praise and prayer or learning and service, whether in large or small gatherings, let us worship by living alongside one another as siblings, priests, and disciples. As we disperse to our God-given mission fields of work, school, home, or play, let us worship in the dailies by proclaiming our Lord Jesus Christ in actions and words. Let us worship our worthy God wherever we are, whomever we’re with, and whatever we are doing.

Who writes Academy? Laura has an MDiv in Christian Education, a ThM in Systematic Theology, and a PhD in Educational Studies. She also serves TFB as a guitarist (primarily) and singer in TFB's worship band. Jeff has a Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies, a Certificate in Spiritual Formation, and is currently working on an MA in Spiritual Formation and Soul Care. He also serves as kitchen lead for TFB's Family Dinner, co-lead in the Young Adult Ministry, and as TFB’s bookkeeper.