The Importance of Gathering for Worship

INTRODUCTION

What will heaven be like? There have been many descriptions. Streets of gold, gates of pearl and scenes of immense beauty. The apostle Paul said that heaven was so wonderful that it was unspeakable.

Consider the following quotes about heaven:

Scottish minister and author William Barclay said:

“For the Christian, heaven is where Jesus is. We do not need to speculate on what heaven will be like. It is enough to know that we will be forever with Him.”

The 18th century New England pastor Jonathan Edwards, considered to be the father of the American church, said:

“To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, in infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here.”

And finally, C.S. Lewis, the 20th century English philosopher and Christian apologist said:

“Joy is the serious business of heaven.”

I share these with you because heaven is where we all want to be. And I don’t want you to be disappointed. From a cursory study of Revelation chapter five, we see that heaven contains the reading of Scripture, worship, singing, praising God and proclamation (preaching). We will enjoy heaven as individuals and as a group. Now is a time of preparation for that wonderful place.

Last week we began a new series on “The Gathering,” looking at the importance of worshipping and being with other believers; the benefits of the assembled church. We first addressed the gathering and confession of faith and church unity. Today, I want us to look at a couple of Scriptures and notice the “Importance of Gathering for Worship.” First off...

Worship is a Corporate Activity, done best with others.

The Christian faith is both individual and corporate. You cannot have one without the other. Christians grow spiritually as individuals and within a congregation. The problem is when we see those as mutually exclusive. John Calvin said: “One cannot claim God as his father, who does not see the church as his mother.” There is a personal benefit discovered best in a corporate setting.

The book of Psalms were Israel’s hymn book. Many of these were sung as a congregation. Notice David’s words in

Psalm 122:1 ESV

1 I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”

The Song of Ascents were written as hymns to be sung while going to the temple.

Worship consists of many things: Preaching, singing, prayer, and sacraments. Calvin defined the church as consisting of three things: The preaching of God’s word, the practice of the sacraments and the institution of church discipline.

The early church practiced many things corporately and God did wonderful things in their company. Consider Acts 2:42-47. Notice all of the things that the early church did together. They...

received apostolic teaching

enjoyed fellowship;

broke bread;

prayed together;

held common possessions;

cared for the less fortunate;

attended temple;

went from house to house.

This testimony reminds us that there are some things that are done better together.

Sports teams practice and play together;

The cast of a Broadway production rehearses and performs together;

Orchestras rehearse and play masterpieces together.

There is something special about attending worship with other Christians. It is coming to hear what God has to say.

On the basketball court of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Oklahoma, there is the inscription: “Expect a Miracle.” That is something that believers should practice as they come to worship- expecting to receive from God.

You ought to come to the worship service with the following questions:

What can I give God this morning? My attention? My heart? My adoration?

What does He want to teach me today? What can I receive from God today from His word, which is as Psalm 119:105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.”?

This is important as we gather together for worship. Secondly...

Corporate worship allows for a resetting of your mind on the things of God and His perfect plan for your life, for both individually and shared experiences.

When we avoid the shared gathering, the corporate assemply of God’s people, we compromise our faith.

I had a gentleman tell me once: “Pastor David, I can think about God when I’m out on the lake fishing, just as good as I can sitting in a pew.” Worship is more than just “thinking” warm thoughts of God. Human nature is predisposed towards laziness and lack of commitment. We avoid the assembly of fellow Christians to our detriment.

Consider Psalm 73. This is an introspective Psalm. The writer is recalling the goodness of God. One commentator states:

“The psalm begins with an assertion that God is good, a belief won only after long struggle with what is observed in the world, especially the prosperity of the wicked.” (The New Geneva Study Bible, 833).

In his thoughts, he considers what appears to be the injustice of the wicked in getting away with sin. He brings to attention to irreverence and the rebelliousness of those that don’t believe in God or follow Him. Their lavish lifestyles, taking advantage of others and the wickedness of their hearts has made the writer jealous and discouraged. He failed to realize that God’s judgment of the wicked is often delayed or deferred. He said in Psalm 73:16-19

Psalm 73:16–19 (ESV)

16 But when I thought how to understand this,

it seemed to me a wearisome task,

17 until I went into the sanctuary of God;

then I discerned their end.

18 Truly you set them in slippery places;

you make them fall to ruin.

19 How they are destroyed in a moment,

swept away utterly by terrors!

In other words, our minds must be placed on the right things to think rightly. If we spend too much time in the secular and away from God’s word, we succumb to wordly thinking and become bitter and/or jealous. But once we come to worship, are warmed by the love of God and the power of the gospel, then we think rightly and have a better perspective; an opportunity to have our thinking reset, then we can see things aright. As one commentator states:

“The change came for him when he entered the presence of God revealed in the temple.” (New Geneva Study Bible, 833).

Therefore, everything we do has a spiritual purpose and a benefit to the individual and the group in this setting.

Consider our music ministry. Do not diminish the value of our singing together. It is critical to your spiritual growth. Keith and Kristyn Getty state the importance of congregational singing together. They state:

“So many of the instructions given to God’s people are to be worked out in community, together. Strong, heartfelt congregational singing is a striking expression of this, of the Holy Spirit at work amongst us, and through us, as we sing of the very things we share as Christ's people. So when you sing, look around. Encourage others with what you are singing, and expect to be encouraged by the fact that there are others singing with you and to you.” (Sing!: How Worship Transforms your Life, Family and Church, 73).

Or consider our time reading and listening to Scripture and its exposition in the sermon. Rarely does a preacher teach his congregation how to listen to a sermon. Many things are taken for granted. But Thabiti Anyabwile states that church members ought to listen with a purpose, to be expositional listeners.

“When we listen to the preaching of the Word, we should not listen primarily for “practical how-to advice,” though Scripture teaches us much about everyday matters. Nor should we listen for messages that bolster our self-esteem or that rouse us to political and social causes. Rather, as members of Christian churches we should listen primarily for the voice and message of God as revealed in His Word. We should listen to hear what he has written, in His omniscient love, for His glory and for our blessing.” (What is a Healthy Church Member?, 19-20).

He then outlines several benefits to expositional listening:

Cultivates a hunger for God’s word;

Helps us to focus on God’s will and to follow Him;

Protects the gospel and our lives from corruption;

Encourages faithful pastors;

Benefits the gathered congregation;

All of this is best when the congregation is gathered in one place, hearing it in real time, sitting side by side and experiencing it as a family. Its good to talk about the content of the message. Some churches use the sermon’s content as lesson material for the small group ministry.

CONCLUSION

Justin the Martyr was executed for his faith around A.D. 165. His writings and leadership helped shape and influence countless believers. He has given the oldest non-biblical description of Christian worship we have. He wrote,

“On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place, and the memoirs of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits. Then, when the reader has ceased, the president verbally instructs, and exhorts to the imitation of these goods things.” The “writings of the prophets” is a reference to the Old Testament, and the “memoirs of the apostles” refers to the New Testament. True worship will invariably lead us "to the imitation of these good things” we have heard from God's Word.

It’s all about imitating Jesus and conforming to Christ, as Paul instructs in Romans 12:2 “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”