THE PURPOSE OF PUBLIC WORSHIP

 

Today people are gathered in public assemblies all over the world, just as they have done for two thousand years; but what is the purpose of our public gatherings as a church? One obvious answer to that question is that God has commanded it. We must not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. It is true that we love the fellowship of the saints, and that we need this fellowship for our spiritual growth; but this is not our primary purpose for gathering in the house of the Lord. 

                When we come together as an assembly in public, IT IS THAT WE MAY CELEBRATE THE PRAISE OF OUR COVENANT GOD. In our singing, our praying, our reading, our preaching, and our hearing, we desire to praise and extol our triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, for his glory and grace. Above all things, we come together as a church, an assembly of believers, to worship God. We must not allow anything to distract us from this one great object. For another thing, WE COME SEEKING A MESSAGE FROM GOD. Our hearts long to hear a message from our God. We pray that God may speak to us through his Word, by the voice of his servant, We want and need a message from God to comfort and challenge, assure and search, wound and heal our hearts, WE COME TO THE HOUSE OF WORSHIP TO BE INSTRUCTED BY GOD. We need to be constantly taught of God. We need to be taught our weakness and sin, and  taught God's strength and forgiveness in Christ. We need continually to be instructed in the gospel. Only as we grow in our understanding of gospel truth do we grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. AND WE COME TOGETHER UNDER THE PUBLIC MINISTRY OF THE WORD SEEKING THE CONVERSION OF SINNERS. We seek and anticipate the salvation of God's elect through the preaching of the gospel. This is the means God uses to save sinners.

 

Brethren, we have met to worship

And adore the Lord our God.

Will you pray with all your power

While we try to preach the Word?