There are many aspects to consider when examining our presence within the weekly gathering of a church body. The chief reason we come together of course, is for the purpose of worshipping God as a collective body of believers. This is what is meant by the term, corporate worship. There are various components contained within a worship service, which typically includes times of Praise, Prayer, and Proclamation.
We gather together to acknowledge the supremacy of a holy God; to bring Him our highest praise and thanksgiving for who He is and for what He has done. We come to offer our most heartfelt prayers to a God who hears, cares, answers and heals us. We come to receive the Living Word that brings instruction and understanding, discipline and repentance, forgiveness and renewal.
This language of praise, prayer and proclamation can be expressed in many physical forms, both seen and unseen. We stand in reverence to the reading of God’s Holy Word. With the stirring of a heart, arms are raised; in the contrite soul, hands are folded in prayer. Eyes become misty in the knowing majesty of God’s love. Attentive ears are listening and minds are being renewed; voices are joined together in the sweet aroma of praise and adulation. Worship is an active process, a multi-sensory experience, a verb rather than a noun. God is speaking to us and we respond to the movement of His Holy Spirit among us.
As Doris Akers so beautifully wrote:
There’s a sweet, sweet Spirit in this place,
And I know that it’s the Spirit of the Lord;
There are sweet expressions on each face,
And I know they feel the presence of the Lord.
Sweet Holy Spirit, Sweet heavenly Dove,
Stay right here with us, filling us with Your love.
And for these blessings we lift our hearts in praise;
Without a doubt we’ll know that we have been revived,
When we shall leave this place.
We were made for worship. That deep, active connection and communion with the Lord, our God. You shall have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3). This was the first of the Ten Commandments given, which speaks to the importance of its keeping above all other things. If we are worshipping the one true God in our hearts, then keeping the other nine commandments should be easily evident in our lives. (God gives us parameters for a reason—because our Creator knows what is best for His creation.)
It is interesting to note that “other gods” is both plural and is not capitalized. Any “god” that is not the Almighty, is a false god. There are many, many false gods within the heart of man. They are formed by any activity, possession or passion that takes precedence over the worship of God in our lives.
So then, since God created us for worship, allowing us to continually be in His presence, and since the benefits of doing so brings such positive and powerful changes in our lives, then why aren’t our churches full to overflowing each and every Sunday? There are a couple of reasons I can think of that might hinder our church attendance.
One reason involves the demands on our time in the modern age. With all of the conveniences that make our lives easier, there are many distractions to “fill up” our free time. There is also the matter of a seven-day work week. There is no longer a national setting aside of the Sabbath day, much less keeping it holy. This was the fourth commandment given to us and for us by God. Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy. (Exodus 20:8)
Many people have a different view of Sunday. It is a much needed day of rest from their work week, but they aren’t necessarily “resting in the Lord”. To miss this places them at a great disadvantage. Their lives are running at a hectic, perhaps even frantic pace, at times. They are left feeling exhausted, depleted, and frustrated that they still cannot seem to “get it all done”. So we cave to what we think, or our accuser would have us think, would be in our own best interests.
The most important work we can do is to rest first. That’s Genesis biblical. Rest before the day. Sabbath before the week. We require replenishment, by design. When we give heed to that imperative, we reap some mighty benefits: Refreshment, renewal, and this invigorating sense of being carried along by a strength that does not come from us. The source of this strength is not found in sleep, nor lazily puttering around on a Sunday. It is received through worship; through putting God first and asking Him to supply our every need. He will always lead us to the beauty of green pastures and to the peace of still waters, bringing rest for our body and restoration for our soul.
A second reason for our lack of attendance in worship is what I refer to as the “illusion of worship”. To my thinking, people have been lulled into a false notion (from a false god) that they don’t have to be in church to be in worship. There is a modicum of truth in that, in the sense that all of creation was fashioned by God. So you can certainly worship Him anywhere, in any place, and at any time because God is omnipresent. He is present everywhere, not confined to any building made by human hands.
However, Satan’s trickery is to have us feeling satisfied in minimum works in order to keep us from maximum rewards. If we are “good people”, if we give generously to causes we care about, if we are kind to others and generally live by the golden rule, if we believe in a God and even offer up the occasional prayer, then the deceiver has crafted exactly the scenario he wants us to feel good about. That this is enough, and nothing more is required.
While we all have private times to be with the Lord in our thoughts and through our prayers which creates closeness, to think that genuine worship can be a totally autonomous experience is to miss the greater purpose of corporate worship. The church was expressly built for believers to support and encourage one another! It is a designated and consecrated gathering place for the purpose of building one another up in the Lord.
Every directive of the Lord is purposeful: And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (Hebrews 10:24-25)
We must continue coming together as the Body of Christ. Opportunities abound for sound teaching from the Word which undergirds our faith, and for Bible study that refreshes under a rich fellowship of believers. The church also offers a vast array of places to plug in, to serve in ministry in a way that uses the spiritual gifts we have been given, in order to bring glory to God.
There is also no questioning the ability to pool resources together to accomplish so much more than we could ever do individually. Our reach for ministry is so much wider when combined! We are always stronger together. Community strengthens us. It is where we most belong, for we belong to the Lord. God’s instruction is clear: For there will never cease to be poor in the land; that is why I am commanding you to open wide your hand to your brother and to the poor and needy in your land. (Deuteronomy 15:11)
How we flourish in the wisdom and experience of the faithful! How sad for those who do not yet know of this. We must make sure to tell them. Without the constant infusion of the faith community, how easy it becomes to let the world rule over our hearts, our thoughts and our actions.
The “unchurched”—who is praying for them? Who rejoices over them? Sharing our joys and concerns takes on a whole new dimension within the faith community. Consider Chuck Swindoll’s wise words concerning one of the greatest benefits for coming together in Christian worship: “It’s where our joys are doubled and our sorrows are halved.”
Burdens are indeed lifted and there is much reason to rejoice! There is Good News, the greatest news of all for everyone, which is meant to be a shared experience. That’s the fiery jolt we feel when we proclaim it for ourselves and then witness it to others. However, as our Hebrews scripture above implores us, we cannot neglect meeting together, especially as we see the Day approaching.
The days in which we live are evil, we need to stay strong and connected, to be accountable to one another, for we are accountable to God. We need to hold each other up in prayers of protection. This world is full of dangerous distractions. We need to stay focused on the only thing that matters, Christ and Him crucified.
Now is not the time to be casual about our worship attendance. The principalities of darkness have surrounded us. People are perishing in ways we could not have anticipated. There are many sheep being brought into the fold and they need to be fed. They need to know they have nothing to prove, they just need to come—just as they are—with all of their doubts, and in all of their rawness. The world tends to shun that; we move toward it. That’s because we know that every single one of us is flawed, and in need of cleansing. Truthfully, that is the only way to come before the Lord: Humbly, feeling powerless, seeking refuge.
Aside from the act of worship, this is perhaps one of the most important reasons to be present in church: What brand new face in the crowd needed the welcoming right hand of Christian fellowship? Was there someone God had intended for you to meet that day? What about an old friend that needed your smile and your shoulder to lean on? We have a charge to keep—to assist in offering to others the beautiful gift of salvation that we already know and possess.
Nothing else can duplicate or take the place of Christian fellowship. It is unlike any other gathering. It sustains us in all things. Jesus knows this, it’s why He calls us there. Jesus wants our hearts. Acceptable worship is to be from the heart and He knows when it’s not.
Worship should never be a perfunctory, check the box activity. Do we come to church to sing a song, recite a prayer, listen to a sermon, give some money and leave? Or do we come to church to worship the living God? Do we come to be entertained or inspired? Are we passive during the service, or are we actively involved with every fiber of our being?
We would do well to contemplate the answers to these questions. People come to church for all sorts of reasons. Some might attend based solely on tradition, others may attend out of a sense of guilt. Others want to bargain their way into heaven, while some attend just to be seen. The list goes on…
There is only one reason to come. Because we are God’s family. We are members of God’s household of faith, and we are loved. God made us for Himself, then gave us His only begotten son, so that sin would no longer separate us and we can live together through the purifying love of Christ for all eternity.
God has some incredible plans for our future! They are so awesome we cannot comprehend them in the here and now. Surely God’s goodness, grace, mercy and blessings have been poured out upon His people. We should come into His presence to worship and praise His holy name. Forever and ever.
As we worship, grant us vision, till your love’s revealing light in its height and depth and greatness dawns upon our quickened sight, making known the needs and burdens your compassion bids us bear, stirring us to tireless striving your abundant life to share. Albert F. Bayly Hymn: Lord, Whose Love Through Humble Service; Verse 3