THE IMPORTANCE OF WORSHIP AND ATTENDANCE
"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." Rm 12:1
I. The IMPORTANCE OF ATTENDANCE
The Bible teaches us that God wants us, "…to offer your bodies as living sacrifices…" God wants us to be personally at the worship service. He does not want we send a excuse.
A. 1 Cor 6:19,20 - Our bodies is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Attend the worship services is feed the Spirit we have within (See Eph 5:18-21).
B. 1 Cor 12.27 - We are individually members of the Christ’s body, only together we are the hole body.
C. To Think
Is that right not going to church and go work when you are sick?
II. AS A LIVING SACRIFICE
God does not want us to do sacrifices to forgive our sins, Jesus did already, once for all. But, since we are forgiven, we don’t measure any effort to offer to God, “…a living sacrifice, holy and pleasant…” He want us to be personally offering holy sacrifices.
A. Rom 12:1 - At any cost, until our sacrifice, we must to bring praise to God.
B. 1 Joh 3:13-18 - Truly love is sacrifice like Jesus did (1 Jo 4:20,21). Yes! God want us to sacrifice like Jesus.
C. Heb 13:15 - Came to confess his name.
D. Change of Thinking - Our sacrifice do not forgive our sins but the Jesus’ sacrifice does. It doesn’t forgive us to love as he loved us and sacrifice toward those we must love (Analyze 1 Joh 3:16).
III. REASONABLE SERVICE
God does not want you bring him only your body but a living sacrifice, i.e., a reasonable service, not automatic, not emotional only.
A. Mat 6:1-8, 16-18; Luk 18:9-14 - Jesus gives the behavioral principles to worship God.
B. 1 Cor 14:13-19 - The things of the Spirit must be done with the Spirit and also with the mind. Because we know what God wants, we feel. Otherwise, the feelings can be a dangerous religious false guide. A person can feel that the worship does not pleases God, this same person can be wrong. We must fundament our faith in what’s write, not in the feelings.
C. 1 Cor 14:26-40 - In a time when the Corinthians valorized the “gift of tongues”, Paul thought them that the rules must be respected. The intention of the gifts is seek for spiritual growth for all, not only self.
D. 1 Cor 14:23, 33, 40 - God is clear when he left us written that he wants decency and order in the worship, we must follow his will. We ought to please God not ourselves
IV. WHY TO BE FAITHFUL IN THE ATTENDANCE?
“And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.… And all that believed were together, and had all things common;” (Act 2:42, 44)
A. 1 Joh 1:5-9 - Worship service attendance is walk in the light. In the attendance we have the purification of new sins, through Jesus’ blood
B. Heb 10:24-32 - The worship service is the last resource to remain attached to God.
C. 1 Cor 11:23-26 - In the worship service we remember Jesus in a special manner and we announce his death till he returns.
D. Eph 5:18-21 - In the worship service we fill up ourselves of the Holy Spirt.
E. Mat 10:22 - By perseverance to the end we’ll be saved.
F. To think -
• If a person adore God in his home, alone, when he could be with the church, does this person will be accepted by God?
• To be absent of the worship service is sin? (Remember 1 John 1:5-9)
Conclusion:
A. The worship service is of high importance. Only through it we offer our body to God.
B. Be faithful to the worship service is to affirm that we accept Jesus sacrifice made for us and we dispose ourselves to do the same. Is to learn of Jesus’ love and practice it.
C. The worship service must be reasonable, i.e., we can’t do anything by impulse or automatic without thinking. We have to worship God in Spirit based in the truth (John 4.23,24).
D. God wants us to be faithful in attendance for our own good sake. Only in the worship service we have the forgiveness of new sins, when we remember Jesus and announce his death and we have a deep communion with each other.
