On April 2, we concluded our series on "Worshiping God" with a quick discussion of the elements that constitute our worship service in the congregation on Sunday, the first day of the Week. We talked about prayer, singing, a sermon or a Bible class, the giving or the contribution, and the Lord's Supper. We also focused on our attitude and our behavior as we worship God through these acts of service commanded by Him.
Enjoy the notes from our discussion.
April 2, 2012
Worshiping God – Part VI
Opening Question: Have you ever begun something, a project, a book, a movie, but you never finished it? Why? How did you feel when you left it incomplete?
We may have left a movie or book unfinished because we found it to be boring, disappointing or simply not what we were expecting it to be. Perhaps we were thankful we saved our self a few hours of our time and the feeling of distress at the end.
Today, we are going to complete our series of worshiping God. We have focused mostly on worshiping God in a formal setting, when we meet with our brothers and sisters on Sunday. However, it is important to remember that we worship God every single day or our lives, with our actions and with our bodies, hearts and minds.
Many of us have been in a worship service on a Sunday morning and we know what goes on. However, it is important to discuss these acts of worship in brief and to talk about the reasons why we do them.
1. Prayer
James 5:13-16 has a good lesson about prayer: 13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
During the worship service, prayers are offered for the people in need, for the sick, thanksgiving from the people realizing God’s help in their lives, prayers for wisdom and guidance in the lives of the congregation.
We have discussed in previous lessons in detail the need for us to pray to God continually. The prayer is the way we communicate, we talk to our God, the way we express our needs, problems, thanksgivings to Him, the way we keep in touch with Him.
2. Singing
The Bible encourages us to sing and to make music from our heart to God. In Ephesians 5:19, we read: speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord.
In Colossians 3:16, we read: Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.
Our singing comes from our heart and goes up to God. We are asked to use only our voices and no instrumental music in our worship singing to God. We sing to please God, not each other or some people in the congregation. Still, singing to God encourages us, as we remember through the words of the songs what God has done for us and how much our salvation should be important to us.
3. A Sermon or a Bible Class
Another element of the worship service is the teaching of the Bible, either in a sermon setting or as a Bible class. We know that Jesus spent a lot of time during this ministry on earth teaching people about God and his plan of salvation. Since in the early days of the church, the Christians gathered together to study the word of God and to learn from it.
In Acts 2:42, we read: They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
It is important to teach or lead the study or the sermon focusing on the Bible. Examples from other books or stories can be used to illustrate a point, but the main focus of the lesson, the sermon or the class should be from the Bible. The lessons should be crafted in such a way that the people in the congregation, both members and visitors can understand them and can be encouraged by them.
4. The Giving
This may also be called the collection or the contribution. According to 1 Corinthians 16:1-4: 1 Now about the collection for the Lord’s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3 Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4 If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.
The money that is given allows for the church to do its work, pays for the rent or the mortgage of the building, for the preacher, for any mission work the church sponsors, for Bibles and other materials used in classes, etc.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 explains this process further: 6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
We give because we want to give back to God a portion of what He has blessed us with. We do not give because we are forced to or because we are feeling bad if we do not do that.
5. The Lord’s Supper
This is an act of worship instituted by Jesus himself. In Mathew 26:26-29, Jesus said: 26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. 28 This is my blood of the[a] covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
The early church partook of the Lords Supper every Sunday. In Acts 20:7, we read: On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.
Christians take the Lord supper to remember Jesus and His sacrifice.
Conclusions
In our formal worship, we pray, sing, study the Bible and/or listen to a sermon, give our contribution to the work of the church and partake of the Lord’s Supper. We do these acts of worship for God and to God, but we also enjoy encouragement and other benefits from worshiping God in the way he requires from us, in spirit and in truth.
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