Worship is the highest calling of Christians. We were created to worship God. Believers are to consider all of life a form of worship, but God also calls His people to worship together which we call corporate worship. As I have been thinking and reading on this topic I am convinced that many Christians have lost a sense of the primacy of corporate worship and its importance for spiritual health. We live in a culture that is becoming more and more focused on the individual and consumerism. This attitude has impacted the church’s view of worship to the point that many view it’s primary purpose in making them feel better and to meet their needs. Thus we have church worship services becoming like concerts and theater productions to attract and keep their visitors and members. As Kent Hughes states, the worship service “has taken the form of something done for an audience as opposed to something done by a congregation.” Some Christian people hop around looking for the most dynamic worship, which often means to them the liveliest or most contemporary music. It is refreshing to see that the people at Carriage Lane do not feel this way and are growing in their commitment and appreciation of God-centered worship and ministry.

The Scriptures show us that worship is about God and bringing Him the glory due His name. The by-product of God-centered worship is, of course, enjoying the presence of God and spiritual growth. I want us to ponder this question: do we see public worship playing a central role in our spiritual development? The Puritans referred to the Lord’s Day as “the market day of the soul.” Ed Clowney writes, “Corporate worship should mark the pinnacle of our fellowship with the Lord and one another.” We should see our corporate worship as a means of experiencing refreshment in God’s grace. As we encounter God in true worship we are renewed in His Spirit and the benefits of the gospel. We taste His grace in corporate worship and experience the meaning of union with Christ.

Question 88 of the Shorter Catechism says, “What are the outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption?” The answer is given, “they are His ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments, and prayer.” The chief way these means are made available to us is in corporate worship. The public worship services of the church are the believer’s lifeline. There we are both purged and fed. There we make soul-saving, soul-nourishing, contact with Christ through His Word, sacraments, prayer, and fellowship with His people. This special contact, over the long haul, will change us. It will heal and revitalize us, equip us for dealing with our problems, and prosper us spiritually with the strength that the gospel provides. One godly pastor in the PCA writes, “I have yet to meet a person for whom it could not be said that all of his or her problems – personal, marital, familial, or vocational – would not be solved by such a commitment (to true corporate worship). I do not believe that the person for whom this is not true exists. By saying so, I do not minimize the seriousness of the problems that people face. Rather, I maximize our confidence in the power of the gospel.”

My friends please do not underestimate the power available to you through consistent, God-centered, Spirit-enabled, Bible-regulated corporate worship. Let us continue to heed the words of Hebrews 10:24-25 which tells us that the primary place for spiritual stimulation and growth is our gathering for worship and ministry.

Pastor Doug Griffith