teaching – Worship Works

09Jan 2025 by Mel Lewis No Comments

Being Thankful Makes Your Prayers Powerful!

When we read the letters of the Apostle Paul, we learn that he was a big advocate of giving thanks. He often wrote about how thankful he was, and he frequently encouraged his readers to be thankful. In Colossians 4:2, he instructs the Church to “Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving”. In this verse, there's a sense of: Being steadfast in prayer (some translations even say “Devote yourselves to prayer”) Be watchful. Be thankful. This instruction comes just a few verses after Col 3:23-24, in which Paul writes: “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ”. In chapter three of his letter…

23Sep 2024 by Mel Lewis

Fishers of Men

career, In practice, teaching

As Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee, He noticed two brothers, Simon Peter and Andrew, casting their nets into the water, engaged in the daily work that provided their bread and butter. “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fishers of men.” Without hesitation, they left their nets and followed Him (Matthew 4:19-20). In this simple yet profound encounter, we see Jesus, the first Fisher of Men, inviting these ordinary fishermen into an extraordinary apostolic mission—fishing for souls for the Kingdom of God. This invitation wasn’t just for them; it echoes through the ages, reaching us today. Jesus still calls us to follow Him and draw everyone unto Him. So, how do we respond? Must we all leave our jobs to preach full-time? For some, that…

12Jul 2024 by Mel Lewis

When Staying is Obeying: Trusting God in Hard Places

In practice, teaching

‘The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you..." [Genesis 26:2-3] Living here in The West, ‘famine’ feels like a far-removed concept. It’s something we might hear about in the news, but not experience first-hand. Well, that is when it comes to food. But none of us are immune from experiencing ‘famine’ in alternative forms. Shortage. Want. Unproductivity. Scarcity. Barrenness. Loss. Lack. Fruitlessness. Do any of these resonate across your life right now? In Genesis 26, we read that Isaac is experiencing famine in the land where he lives. In the PROMISED land - the very place where God…

15Feb 2023 by Mel Lewis

Trusting God in the Waiting

#workisworship, teaching

Love it or hate it, waiting is a part of the human experience. It shows up in every area of our lives - (our work life is not exempt!) It can be frustrating; it can be painful; and it is definitely uncertain. But as Christians, how can we live well in the waiting? Tomi, a Worship.Works Graduate (2021), shares some personal reflections on how she handles times of waiting by bringing God into the process with her. I started this year with God impressing the word ‘trust’ on my heart. When we think of trust, we think of a ‘firm belief’. Trust means ‘to be confident in the truth or ability of someone or something’. For a Christian, that ‘someone’ is God, and He wants us to be reliant on…

13Jan 2023 by Mel Lewis

The Power of IGNITE! to Spark a Light

#workisworship, teaching

The pizza had been ordered. A reminder email sent out to attendees. The benches were wiped clean and the glasses neatly set out in rows. As a team, we prayed and committed the evening to God and our volunteers made their way to the front door, prepared to greet people with a smile as they arrived. We were ready! But there is always an element to an event like IGNITE! that you just can’t prepare for, organise meticulously or control. And that is: In what way is the LORD going to show up? As a new team member of Worship.Works, this was my first IGNITE! Meetup. From flicking through archives of photographs and listening to people share their previous experiences, I had some idea of what to expect. But it’s…

28Oct 2022 by worship

Mustard Seed Faith

#workisworship, teaching

So often our perspectives are shaped by the circumstances or the people around us. We can lose sight of the unique gifts that God has given us, which can have an impact on the lives of others. A seemingly small act of kindness, saying a faith-filled prayer for someone, or whatever faith-motivated act we take, no matter how small, can have an eternal and mountain-moving impact on another’s life. What is Faith? The solid ground that makes life easier to live on is Faith. It is essential for us to have faith in our life; it is on par with breathing. Faith nourishes the heart and spirit in the same way that oxygen in the air nourishes the body. Do we make the most of what we have, or have…

30Mar 2022 by Mark Lawrence

Bearing Fruit

In practice, teaching

This is our third part of a series on growing as a disciple in the marketplace. If you have not yet read the previous articles, here is part one, Abide in the Word and grow as a disciple. In part two we saw what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. We will now explore another signifier of discipleship, which is bearing fruit but first, we need to look at what the bible says about fruit. Colossians speaks about bearing fruit in every good work as we walk in a manner worthy of the Lord as we increase in the knowledge of him. Our life should be one that bears fruit and grows in our knowledge of Him. The Lord is pleased by this. so as to walk…

18Nov 2021 by worship

People will know you are a disciple of Jesus

teaching

This is our second part of a series on growing as a disciple in the marketplace. If you have not yet read it, here's part 1, Abide in the Word. Part 2 – Be my disciple If you love one another 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, do you wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” (John 13:6-8) In part one we saw in humility Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. In verse 6 we see the reaction of Peter – "you will never…

26Oct 2021 by worship

Resign or reshuffle? How to change your job with purpose

#workisworship, career, teaching

I’ve been hearing a lot among friends in business, and in the business press, about "The Great Resignation", as millions of people resign from their jobs. But I recently read a piece about an interview with LinkedIn CEO, Ryan Roslansky, in which he says that what’s really happening is a “Great Reshuffle”, as people search for more meaningful work. "You have employees globally who are rethinking not just how they work, but why they work and what they most want to do with their careers and lives", says Roslansky. In essence, the point Roslansky is making - backed with millions of datapoints from LinkedIn profiles - is that we’re in a period of transition, and people are thinking, “what do I really want to be doing?” LinkedIn looked at their…

13Aug 2021 by Mark Lawrence

Abide in the word to grow as a disciple

teaching

Over the next three months we will be looking at some of the characteristics of how to grow as a disciple in the marketplace. We are starting with the word of God. Abiding in the word John 8:31 (ESV) 31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples" In the gospel of John, we have the first mention of “disciple” in Chapter 8. Here Jesus is clearly speaking to believers, those who have trusted in Jesus for their salvation. Now He wants to challenge them in how to have that closer fellowship with Him, how to continue in their belief. Firstly they had to believe, the first step in faith and obedience to Jesus; now He gives…