Are You Offering Scriptural Worship?
The worship service of a faithful congregation of the Lord’s church is the closest you are going to get to heaven while you are on the earth! Why wouldn’t you want to be assembled with your brethren? But don’t be deceived into believing that your presence alone is considered offering scriptural worship.
John 4:23-24 (NKJV)
But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.
ADDITIONAL THOUGHTS:
I will add that there is more to being a Christian than worshiping God. The scriptural worship of God is not a small part of what we do. Worshiping God is a very important duty of Christians. One of the ways we express our love, reverence, obedient submission, and gratitude toward God is through worship. That is no small matter.
We must BE the church by striving each day to be more like King Jesus and hungering and thirsting after righteousness. We can accomplish this growth through dedication toward developing a Christlike character and steadfast prayer. If you believe that worship alone is all God expects of you as a Christian, you are gravely mistaken! This fact however does not negate the importance of worship. We are commanded to worship upon the first day of the week (Hebrews 10:25) and it is a great blessing to offer scriptural worship with those of like precious faith.
Would it be wrong to suggest that a Christian should take every opportunity available to them (within their ability) to offer worship to God? NO
Would it be wrong to suggest that Christians should go beyond Sunday morning worship (if the opportunity presents itself) to grow in their faith in Christ? NO
NONE of us will ever be able to say we have worshiped too much or spent too much time assembled with the church!
Everytime we hear the word preached, sing songs of praise, pray together, and fellowship with one another, our faith grows stronger, our knowledge of spiritual things increases, and our love for God grows deeper IF all of these things are done in SPIRIT and TRUTH.
Is worship the easiest part of being a Christian? Not necessarily. It is easy to worship in truth, but it can be very challenging at times to worship in the correct spirit. Sometimes it takes a great deal of effort to focus completely on worship when the troubles of life are burdening you. Just sitting in a pew and being disconnected from the worship means that you are not worshiping, you’re simply present.
Can we become stronger Christians outside of the assembly? Absolutely. We can and we must study the word, meditate on it, and constantly work on developing the Christian character we find detailed in the word of God.
Can we have fellowship with our brethren outside of the assembly? Absolutely. We can and we must have association with our brethren outside of the assembly if we want to follow the example set by the Christians in the first century and have the unity that God requires.
- Eric Bullock, Evangelist
