June 19, 2006

Hello. Welcome back to our blog on church growth, mission, and evangelism. For those of us in the central United States it was an incredible weekend for Father's Day activities. We give God the glory for the beautiful weather for the air show, boaters, fishermen, and those just enjoying the outdoors.

Thanks again to our sponsor www.thegreatcommissionchurch.org. We encourage you to visit their fine website.

Today we want to continue our discussion of When God Builds A Church by Bob Russell:

The primary reason for attending a church service should be to worship God. We come to experience the presence of God, to acknowledge his authority in our lives, and to worship him as our Creator. Worship is taking our affection off of our idols and putting it on God.

 

Worship is not something that we do for one hour a week, but a lifestyle that we offer to God. We should get recharged for the week ahead so we can return to being little lights for him. We should ask three questions about our corporate worship: does our worship honor God? does it inspire, uplift, and transform the worshiper? and is it powerful enough to draw visitors closer to an encounter with Jesus Christ?

 

The primary purpose of worship is not to entertain those sitting in the pews, but to glorify God. We worship to bring glory to God and express our gratitude for his goodness. Our goal is to please him. In biblical worship there always seems to be a sense of awe and a sense of joy. When we come into the presence of the King of kings, our appropriate response is one of wonderment and reverence.

 

Have you ever stood outside on a clear night and looked up at the heavens and thought-God is so big. Awe in the presence of God doesn’t rule out a sense of gladness. Biblical worship is characterized by an overwhelming sense of joy in the hearts of God’s people. They were worshiping a faithful, personal God of grace who loved them and had saved them through Jesus Christ. God cared enough for them that He died for them.

 

If you come from a formal, liturgical background, you are used to an emphasis on the reverence and awe side of worship. If you grew up in a more charismatic church, you’re accustomed to the emphasis on the joy of worship. The format and style of worship is the most divisive issue in American churches today. Authentic worship of God is characterized by both a spirit of awe and a spirit of joy. Sometimes we should be able to hear a pin drop and sometimes we should shout for joy.

 

The primary purpose of worship is to honor God, but corporate worship should also lift up and encourage believers. When we genuinely worship God, the by product is inspiration and empowerment. God ordained worship not just because He deserves it, but because we have an instinctive need to worship. Although He is the focus of our worship, it is we who receive the most benefit from worship.

 

The most important benefit of a worship service is an awareness of the presence of God. People come to church because they expect to find God there. That’s why you ought to attend weekly worship even when you don’t feel like going. Your presence might be an encouragement to another believer who has come to be uplifted. And you will be lifted up by worshiping in the assembly of believers.

 

Worship should have a sense of God’s presence. Worship should be neither sheer boredom nor surface entertainment. It should convey a deep respect for the holiness, the majesty, the joy, and the power of the almighty God in our midst. When we gather for worship, we should experience a conviction of our own sinfulness. When we gather for worship, we should also receive a cleansing of sin and a release from guilt.

 

When we experience the presence of God in worship, we should leave rejoicing. Although we have been reminded of our sinful state, we have been reminded of God’s grace. When we gather for worship, we should also be inspired to serve. The worshipper should leave with an incentive to share the truth with the lost and minister to the hurting in the world.

Join us again tomorrow. Send your comments to me at: [e-mail] Remember that we are now producing our podcasts on Tuesday and Friday. Let me know how you like the shorter format!

Until next time, thanks, and God bless.

Pastor Bob Emery