Eight Graces of Corporate Worship

Introduction

Since Covid hit in 2020, many things have changed in churches. I recently heard of a church that is still only digital 4 years later. It isn’t really that anything truly changed but tendencies that were already there were exacerbated. In our culture here in America, the corporate gathering of believers does not mean everything that it is intended to mean biblically. There are two tendencies that have hindered churches from being what they ought to be:

The idea that I don’t need other people in order to worship God.

Slipping into the background because I don’t want to get involved with other people.

But both mentalities fall short of God’s plan for the church. Donald Whitney once said about the spiritual discipline of Corporate worship:

There’s an element of worship and Christianity that cannot be experienced in private worship or by watching worship. There are some graces and blessings that God gives only in the ‘meeting together’ with other believers.

Even in the day when the apostles lived, there was a sense that media cannot substitute for the gathered church of God. 2 John 12 “Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full.”

As with every category of spiritual disciplines, I have been asking the question what graces do they provide for my life. Remember that the spiritual disciplines are not about a legalistic checklist of things that I must get done, but they allow us to be in a position to receive more of God’s grace in our lives and they should flow out of a heart of love for God. Tonight I want to give you Eight Graces of Corporate Worship

Spiritual Awakening

This passage is about Asaph’s spiritual struggle with bitterness. He says

my steps had well nigh slipped vs 2

He was envious of the foolish vs 3

He felt like all his spiritual worship was worthless vs 13

d. He suffered while they did not vs 14

e. If he would open his mouth he would offend everyone vs 15

f. he had become as foolish as an animal vs 22

In this embittered backslidden state, Asaph needed revival. He eventually found the help that he needed, but notice where he found that help:

Psalm 73:16–17 “When I thought to know this, It was too painful for me; Until I went into the sanctuary of God; Then understood I their end.” It was in the sanctuary of God, the temple in the corporate worship of the temple that Asaph found what he was looking for. It may have been awhile since you heard something that really challenged you at church, but it is only when we stand outside the echo chamber of our own minds that we can be challenged.

You can be spiritually awakened by the challenges of the preaching of the word. I have to believe that preaching accomplishes things even when I despair of seeing it. Isaiah 55:10–11 “For as the rain cometh down, And the snow from heaven, And returneth not thither, But watereth the earth, And maketh it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: It shall not return unto me void, But it shall accomplish that which I please, And it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Sometimes I think we zone out preaching, we stop listening with a heart to apply it to our lives. It becomes something to endure or do rather than necessary food.

You can be challenged by the example of other believers. We often drift into lethargy in our Christian lives. We let go of somethings we ought to be doing or we just grow cold. Being around other believers who are passionately serving God can awaken us to renewed passion for God.

Strength in Numbers

There is also strength in numbers. Ecclesiastes 4:12 “And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” Satan is on the attack. When was the last time you were under spiritual attack? Think about the answer to that question for a moment. Maybe you went through a season where you seemed to be pounded and you felt like giving up? Maybe temptations were being thrown at you one after another, and you wanted to yield? Maybe it was attacks from people and opposition to doing right? Satan is real and he wants to destroy Christians.

But there is strength in numbers. Think of a flock of sheep. Which lambs are the most likely to get picked off, the ones in the center with all the other lambs or the ones wandering away from the flock? The wanderers are in the most dangerous position.

When we isolate ourselves from everyone else in the church, we make ourselves open to greater attack. Brothers and sisters can help us fight those battles. They can stay with us when we are struggling to resist temptation. They can hold us accountable when we struggle with addiction. They can lift us up when we are fainting in heart.

We are not Alone

The gathering of believers is also a reminder that we are not alone. Psalm 22:22 “I will declare thy name unto my brethren: In the midst of the congregation will I praise thee.” We join together with others to worship God.

I think of Elijah when he fled after slaying the prophets of Baal. What did he say? 1 Kings 19:10 “And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.” and what was God’s reply 1 Kings 19:18 “Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.”

When we neglect gathering, we begin to feel isolated and alone. Loneliness has killed its thousands in Christianity. We begin to feel persecuted, neglected and unappreciated. Those feelings open doors for despair. Sometimes we need to just be reminded that we are not alone. Can you see yet why it is so important for a church to be living connected to each other?

Fellowship

The word fellowship comes from a word that means a sharing. Acts 2:42 “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Fellowship mean sharing life together. I don’t feel like we get this very well because we think of fellowship as meals at church, but it is so much more than that.

Fellowship is being there for each other.

Fellowship is helping one another.

Fellowship is enjoying a relationship with each other.

Fellowship is spiritually encouraging one another.

Really all those one another's are a part of fellowship.

Edification

Words like reprove, rebuke, edify, admonish. All those words require more than one person and a different times we all need everyone of those things. The gathered fellowship provides opportunity for edification. 1 Corinthians 14:3 “But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.” Our desire ought to be to build each other up: help each other grow. Some are more specifically gifted for this work but it is a necessary work in the church.

Reproof- means to convince of error. It often carries the idea of reasoning with them about what they have done or are believing wrong.

Rebuke- means to sharply warn someone not to do something

Admonish- comes from a word meaning to instruct or advise. It is the word we use for counseling.

Exhortation- comes from a word meaning to encourage but it isn’t the encouragement we think of today. It also means to urge or beg someone to do something. Hebrews 10:25 “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Teaching- to inform someone or instruct them.

All of these opportunities within the body require two people, but they also require opening our mouths. We cannot do any of these things if we stay silent and slip into the background. The best background to offer someone reproof and rebuke is in a loving relationship. It is easier to say hard things if people know you care.

Shared Passion in Singing

Psalm 34:3 “O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt his name together.” Joining together in singing. It is a lot more encouraging, exciting and uplifting to sing together. Some of the moments of my life where I felt drawn to God most were during informal times of singing with the youth group or at camp.

In our entertainment world, people choose churches based on the songs that the church sings. Have you ever thought that the worship we do in singing isn’t about you at all. Could it be that God might want you to sing a song that isn’t your favorite because he delights in it? It isn’t how I feel that matters, but does God take delight in this worship.

Colossians 3:16 “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Gives us another reason to enter into the singing in church. Our singing is intended to teach and counsel others. Notice the means of teaching and admonishing in this verse. We do it through psalms and hymns and spiritual songs. The music that we sing needs to be selected so that it can encourage others in right action and teach them the right way to think and feel about God.

Have you ever thought about why we sing? Why don’t we just chant or say the words to the songs? Why sing? Singing is the language of emotion. It adds an emotional element to the words. So when we sing in church, we are training our affections two things:

We teach our emotions what they should be directed towards. God wants us to worship Him with everything that we are. The topics of our worship train our affections what really matters most. How many of you hated vegetables when you were growing up? Keep your hands up. Now if you have learned to love vegetables as an adult keep your hand up? I’m not saying all vegetables, but you like to eat some. Ok what happened in those intervening years: your appetites were trained to appreciate what is good for you. What should I be the most passionate about sports or God? Worship teaches us to value what matters most.

We teach our emotions what they should feel about those topics. Good music is designed to match the meaning of the words. If I sing about the holiness of God, I want a song that stirs up emotions of awe, humility, and majesty. I think of Holy, Holy Holy or Holy is He. If I need courage to march forward into battle against sin and Satan, I need music that teaches me to feel triumphant and determined. I think of Onward Christian Soldiers. We don’t naturally feel what we should about God and spiritual truth. Music helps to train our affections to respond to those spiritual truths the way God desires us to.

God’s Presence is experienced in a special way when we are gathered together

Matthew 18:19–20 “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”

I know this passage is about church discipline; however, the principle given as the basis is a universal principle. Jesus says if the church agrees to discipline someone out of the church, they have God’s authority because where two or three are gathered in my name there am I in the midst of them. That word where you could insert wherever or whenever. The idea is in whatever situation where two or three are gathered, God is with them whether it is church discipline, worship, soul winning, etc.

Now isn’t God with us all the time? Yes this is true but in the gathered experience of the church, Jesus is there to affirm the acceptability of their worship, to grant authority to the biblical decisions of the church, to empower the service of the believers among one another. These are all distinctly things done when we are gathered together and so God’s presence is experienced in a unique and special way in those moments.

Rehearsal for Heaven

Revelation 5:10–12 “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”

The final grace of the gathering of believers is that it is preparation for heaven. I do not think we will spend every moment of heaven in this type of worship, but I do think it will have its part. The church universal will become the church triumphant in heaven. We will all be gathered together in that moment and we will all do what we should have been doing here on earth: worshipping God.

Now the worship of God will include anything and everything we do in heaven, but we will say together Worthy is the Lamb that was slain… At the very least we should appreciate the gathering of believers because even in its small, broken way; it is preparation for our life in heaven. The grace God is providing here is getting us ready for our future life with Him.

Conclusion

In a way this message could be titled Appreciating the local church, but I don’t want us to lose focus on what God wants to accomplish in our lives through the spiritual disciplines. Gathering together as a church gives God the opportunity to show his grace in our lives. It puts us in a place for God to work.

Imagine, hearing that the president was coming to town. His caravan would be driving down I40 toward Tinker Air Force Base. You are eager to get a chance to see the president and maybe even meet him. Now imagine if you decided to go wait on the turnpike for the president. Are you ever going to see him? If you want to enjoy the blessings God has to provide, we need to place ourselves in the place to receive more grace from Him. Tonight, that grace is found in the spiritual discipline of gathering with other believers.