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The people of the world define life by what they have and
consume. God says that life is more than that. Life at its
fullest depends on “every word that proceedeth out of the
mouth of God.”
The people of the world are man-centred
(anthropocentric). The Bible tells us that life is to be
God-centred (theocentric). Our life is not about us. It is
about God.
In His responses to the temptations, our Lord Jesus
Christ shows that He was able to do things which He would
not do because even for the Son of God, it was never about
His well being, it was always about God’s glory. Likewise,
we do not have the right to do the things for which we are
well able to do. We have no right to do what we like; as
God’s people, we can only do what is right in God’s sight
and for God’s glory. This applies also to the matter of
worship.
who is worship for?
The third temptation involves the first duty of man, which
is to worship God. The devil transported our Lord Jesus to a
high mountain where he was given a vantage point of all the
kingdoms of the world. The devil made an offer to Jesus,
“All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down
and worship me” (Matt 4:9).
Jesus answered, “Get thee hence, Satan: for it
is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him
only shalt thou serve” (Matt 4:10; Deut 6:13). The
devil’s temptation and our Lord’s answer give us an insight
into man’s deepest need – worship.
In Christendom, the problem with worship is that
there are Christians who have made worship man-centred. Just
as physical life is not about the well being of man but the
glory of God, so worship is not about man but all about
God.
A. Seeker-Sensitive Church
There are some Christians who believe that the church should
be seeker-sensitive, which simply means that the worship of
the church must cater to the styles and the needs of the
people in the world in order to bring unbelievers into the
church.
The flaw in this understanding of worship is that
it is not man who seeks to worship God; rather it is God who
seeks the true worshipper – the one who worships Him in
spirit and in truth (John 4:23). It is presumptuous to think
that what pleases the “unchurched” also pleases God. It is
equally erroneous to think that sincerity is all that is
required in our worship of God (Lev 10:1-2).
There are some who take “worship in the spirit”
to mean a worship style that is spontaneous, and exuberant
and exciting. But “spirit” does not mean “exuberance.” The
opposite of “spirit” is “flesh.” In other words, to “worship
in spirit” is to “not worship in the flesh.”
+ Spiritual
worship is not fleshly worship. We must worship God in the
way as He has ordained (Num 15:39).
B. Solo-Christian
There is also a growing disenchantment with the church.
There are people who have the idea that they just want to
believe in God, but they do not want to go to church.
This scepticism of the organized church could be
due to the failings of the church. However, while the
disappointment with the church may be real, the biblical
response is never to stay away from the church altogether.
The second reason for solo-Christianity is due to
an over-emphasis on individual spirituality at the expense
of the church, which is the body of believers.
+ Every believer is individually accountable to God,
and he is also corporately responsible to the church.
Why Worship with the Church?
The responsibility of the Christian to the church is best
expressed in corporate worship.
A. It is God’s Command
The fourth commandment – “Remember the sabbath day, to
keep it holy…the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed
it” (Exod 20:8-11; Rev 22:9; Ps 89:7).
· We
are created to worship. “O come, let us worship and bow
down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker” (Ps 95:6;
100:2-4).
· We
are redeemed to worship. “Blessed is the man whom thou
choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may
dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness
of thy house, even of thy holy temple” (Ps 65:4;
103:1-4).
+ We are to worship God with the church because God
has commanded it, and it is our responsibility as a result
of His salvation grace to obey Him.
B. It is the Saviour’s Example and the Apostles’
Pattern
“And [Jesus] came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up:
and, as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the
sabbath day, and stood up for to read”
(Luke 4:16). By going to church, we are following the
example of our Saviour.
Wherever
Paul went, he looked for a synagogue or a gathering of God’s
people. “And on the Sabbath we went out of the city by a
river side, where prayer was wont to be made; and we sat
down, and spake unto the women which resorted thither”
(Acts 16:13).
+ “He that saith he abideth in [Christ] ought
himself also so to walk, even as [our Lord] walked” (1
John 2: 6). We are to follow the example of our Saviour and
the Apostles.
C. It is the Church’s Testimony to the World
Whenever we come together as a church to worship God, it is
our corporate testimony and witness to the world.
“Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the
heathen, and sing praises unto thy name” (Ps 18:49;
22:22; 96:3-4).
Our failure to take the worship of God with the
church seriously has a corrupting influence on others,
especially our children (2 Chron 27:1-2).
+ Christians are to excel in worship. Christians are to
be faithful in attending Lord’s Day worship.
D. It is the Believer’s Corporate Duty
The church is where the Christian grows in the faith, and
where he ministers to others, and where he is ministered by
others. “And let us consider one another to provoke unto
love and to good works: 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” (Heb 10:24-25).
To “consider one another” means to be constantly
conscious that we are to care for one another’s spiritual
well-being. This Christian duty of considering one another
can only be done if we do not forsake the assembling of
ourselves together.
+ We have a spiritual responsibility to one another.
Conclusion
Spiritual growth is a joint venture amongst Christians.
There is mutual responsibility and accountability. The
motivation is that we have a great Saviour. Because of what
our Lord Jesus has done, Christians are bound to one another
to labour for and love one another. David says, “I was
glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the
LORD” (Ps 122:1).
Are you?
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