“I used to attend congregational worship services but I quit because I got nothing from it.”
“Church is boring.”
“When I sit in the pew during church services, I think about how much more I could be accomplishing if I had stayed home.”
Through the decades, I have heard a multitude of people make statements, like the above, to explain why they choose to not regularly attend congregational worship services. Such sentiments have increased sharply, over the last 20 years, which have lead to a steady decline in individuals and families attending 'church'.
Sadly, many, if not most, of the churches have tried to reverse that trend by incorporating more entertainment in their services rather than focus on genuine piety. Such an approach is disastrous in that it validates and promotes the unBiblical mindset that services are first and foremost to satisfy the attendee rather than offer worship to God through Christ Jesus. Many have lost sight of the fact that Church services are more about the attendee giving than receiving.
Too many people think they are to be spectators in congregational worship services rather than full participants in the thanking, praising and glorifying the Lord. They have disregarded the truth that 'worship' is a verb...an action. Those Christians who have a godly spirit will offer-up every Scriptural component of the service as an act of reverence and adoration to the Lord. Ask not what the service can do for you, but what you can add to the worship service. We are to join the other members of the congregation in focusing all of our heart, mind, body and soul upon the Lord.
I am not saying that we should not come-away from the service without being edified. It is important that each should be able to come-away from a service feeling that they have, in some degree, been fed spiritually. But, edification is always secondary to worshiping God. And, yet, they are not exclusionary in nature. If you give your whole being in worshiping the Lord, the outcome is almost always a deep joy and “the joy of the Lord is your strength” (Nehemiah 8:10).
But, is worshiping with a church congregation necessary? Do the Scriptures actually make attending 'church' a must? The answer to both questions is an resounding 'Yes!' In Hebrews 10:24-27, Paul condemns those early Christians who made it a habit of missing congregational worship services: “Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good deeds - not ceasing to meet together, as is the habit of some, but admonishing one another, all the more so, as you see the Day coming near. For if we sin deliberately, after receiving the knowledge of the Truth, there is no longer any sacrifice for sins left, nothing but an awful outlook of doom, of that burning wrath which will consume the foes of God.” All Bible authorities agree that Paul was addressing the weekly congregational worship services. He claims that for those who habitually choose to not assemble together for worship is to “sin deliberately.” But, why were some of the Hebrew Christians habitually avoiding assembling with the church for worship? It was because they feared that the ungodly authorities would catch them as being followers of Christ and jail them and confiscate their homes and goods (Hebrews 10:32-36)!
Even in a severe period of persecution, Paul still expected that they obey the Lord's wishes by assembling themselves together for worship. What do you think the Apostle would think about the excuse to not attend church services because they are boring and not entertaining? What would he say to those who choose not to assemble because they want a day to take it easy? What would he say to those who miss 'church' because they prefer to watch a ballgame or go fishing, picnicking, boating, hunting, golfing or camping? I think you know the answer.
Indeed, our God desires (and commands) to be worshiped. But, our worship must be acceptable to God, Jesus states, in John 4:23-25, that “the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such does the Father seek to be His worshipers. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
What does Jesus mean that we “must worship in spirit and truth”?
Worshiping in “spirit” is to fully engage the heart and mind and soul in sincere demonstrations of adoration and reverence and gratitude toward the Lord our God. It is a longing to give glory and honor to He Who died in our stead so that we can boldly present ourselves before the Throne and join, not just our fellow brethren, but also the myriad of angels who acknowledge and magnify the power and majesty and loving-kindness of God Almighty.
This is in opposition to attending services and, while there, being spiritually disengaged in performing outward rituals and following man-made liturgies and traditions. It is opposed to simply going through the motions of worship.
Worshiping the Lord “in spirit” is entering the doorway to the house of worship with the sentiment - “What shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits toward me?” “Praise the Lord, my soul! Praise His holy name, all that is within me. Praise the LORD, my soul, and never forget all the good He has done: He is the One Who forgives all your sins, the One Who heals all your diseases, the One Who rescues your life from destruction, the One Who crowns you with mercy and compassion, the One Who fills your life with blessings.” (Psalm 116:12; 103:1-5)
Worshiping “in spirit” also refers to a humble and contrite willingness to worship God in the manner that He has designated.
Worshiping “in truth” means that we comply with the Lord's instructions on how He wants to be worshiped. Many may have the appropriate enthuisiasm in worship but have their worship deemed unacceptable to the Lord because they choose to worship in ways of their own design or incorporate methods of worship that belonged to the obsolete Old Covenant God had exclusively contracted with the Jews (e.g., candles, incense, musical instruments, tithing, etc.).
To learn how the Lord God wants to be worshiped today, we must examine the instructions of the Apostles and the approved examples of the earliest church congregations founded and taught by the Apostles as found in the New Testament, namely the book of the Acts of the Apostles.
We find that the early congregations observed five simple but profound items in their weekly Sunday worship service:
The Lord's Supper.
While all five items of worship are important, there is a great deal of emphasis placed upon the weekly observance of the Lord's Supper, the “breaking of bread” (Acts 20:7). The Apostle Paul provided authoritative, detailed instructions on how a congregation is to partake of this weekly memorial in 1 Corinthians 11:2, 23-26, “Hold firmly to the traditions, just as I delivered them to you...For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, 'This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.' In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, 'This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.' For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” It is essential that each Christian should eat of the unleavened bread as it is passed among the congregants and drink the unfermented “fruit of the vine” from the single cup as it is passed among the congregants.
Singing.
Hebrew 13,15, “Through Him [Christ the High Priest] then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” God is well-pleased to have His people sing praises and thankss to Him. Differing from the Old Covenant's use of instruments of music accompanying choral singing, the Lord has commanded that each and every New Covenant Christian sing a capella. Colossians 3:16, “Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” Ephesians 5:18-20, “Be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.”
Biblical Instruction.
Even though it isn't often thought of as being a form of worship, having the Scriptures read and explained has always been an integral part of the congregational worship service. It is a form of worship as by it we honor with our minds the voice of God, inviting Him to make His will known. During the very early period of the Church, the Holy Spirit granted some members various miraculous gifts to better reach the lost and edify (build-up) each congregation of the Lord's Church. Of all the gifts, the Apostle Paul exalted the gift to prophesy (to reveal God's will). In discussing how to perform a proper worship service, Paul had this to say in 1 Corinthians 14:1-4, “Desire spiritual gifts, but especially the gift of speaking what God has revealed..When a person speaks what God has revealed, he speaks to people to help them grow, to encourage them, and to comfort them...When a person speaks what God has revealed, he helps the church grow.” Today, there isn't the need to have the miraculous spiritual gift of prophesying because we now have God's revealed will recorded in the New Testament scriptures. But, we need in our worship service those who would explain the Scriptures and “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). I would only add that the Lord has forbidden women from any form of teaching or testifying during the congregational worship service (1 Corinthians 14:34-35; 1 Timothy 2:12-14).
Praying.
In the worship service, God not only wants congregants to hear His voice but He also wants to hear the voices of the congregants. The earliest Christians gathered together “and they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers” (Acts 2:42). God Almighty exhorts His people to “draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.” (1 John 5:14-15). Colossians 4:2, “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.”
Giving.
The last item of worship is a more obvious form of sacrificial worship. It is giving a portion of our financial income to support the collective work of the congregation. Paul exhorted the Corinthian congregation with these words - “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I directed the churches of Galatia, so do you also. On the first day of every week each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper.” It is important to note that each congregant is to give in the proportion that they have received income but it does not specify any percentage of one's income that ought to be given. That is between the Christian and the Lord. However, Paul continues his instructions on this subject, in 2 Corinthians 9:6-7, “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
These 5 items – partaking of the Lord's Supper or Communion, singing, instruction from God's word, praying and financial giving - are to be performed each Lord's Day according to the New Testament scriptures. To add to or take-away any of these items from a congregation's Sunday worship service would be displeasing to the Lord our God.
Sadly, since the 1st Century, men and women have been dissatisfied in abiding with the simple service of worship as was delivered by the inspired Apostles of Christ. Ecclesiastical leaders have felt that they could improve upon what God Himself specified as what would please Him. The 'hierarchy' felt that by 'Christianizing' popular elements of contemporary pagan rites and rituals or 'Christianizing' elements of the world's cultural arts and entertainment they could wonderfully draw a greater number of individuals to the church. Amazingly, all of the innovators were and still are too blind to see that they have and are making the same mistake that the Jews made by adding human rites, rituals and customs to improve upon God's will in regard to worship and daily religious life. Christ Jesus' response to the innovations that had been established - “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?...you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far away from Me. 'But in vain do they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the precepts of men'”...He was also saying to them, 'You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition'” (Matthew 15:3, 6-9; Mark 7:9).
What do you suppose the Lord will say on the Day of Judgment concerning Christendom's corruption and polluting the worship of God through establishing man-made liturgies and lectionaries, repetitious recitations and formulary prayers, feasts and festivals, ostentatious ceremony and pageantry, 'contemporary worship [such as drama, mime, puppetry, art, dance, 'spiritual' pop-music] and such like.
We must take to heart the mission to “Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it” (Jeremiah 6:16). We Christians are admonished to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints” (Jude 3). Those who would seek to worship God “in truth” should always be asking, “Does this arise out of Scripture, or from mere human desire? Is this revealed by God, or fabricated by man? If any part of our worship exists just because of human desire and is crafted by human device, it is corrupting our worship. Everything we do in worship should be traceable to God’s revealed will.
In closing, everyone who has read this message wholeheartedly agrees with the sentiments of the twenty-four elders who stand before the Throne “"Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power” (Revelation 4:11). We need to be zealous to convert that sentiment into action by making it a habit of attending a congregational worship service each Lord's Day (Sunday). Seek a congregation that worships God the Father “in spirit and truth”. A congregation that is focused upon pleasing God by performing the five elements or items of worship that the Lord revealed to the Apostles as to how we can best honor He Who is “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21). Amen.
