A Church's Worship Gathering

Image source here

Hebrews 12:28-29 says, “Let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.”

A worship gathering/service is meant to be a corporate expression of our constant praise and wonder for an all-consuming, awesome God who has come to us and offered us salvation by His grace in Jesus Christ. Every element of a gathering should direct our hearts toward exalting King Jesus in a reverent and awe-filled manner. Prayer should lead us to depend on His power, singing should lead us to praise Him in His glory, fellowship should lead us to point one another to Him, and preaching should lead us to deeper trust in Him.

The worship gathering should not stop, though, since Romans 12:1 says, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” I do not mean we should indefinitely sing and preach and pray. But an effective worship gathering should not leave the congregation with only a warm and fuzzy feeling but should lead them to worship through greater obedience the rest of their lives in response to the mercy of God in the gospel and to His unshakeable Kingdom. This does not mean that we aim a worship service at the lowest common practical denominator; rather, we lift all people to the glory of God and magnify Him in order to bring our eyes up to Him. We should call people—through singing, welcoming, praying, and preaching—to a higher level made possible by the Father’s acceptance in the Son’s sacrifice with the Spirit’s power.

What an attractive idea.