CHRISTIAN WORSHIP ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF WORTH OF GOD

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 12, Issue 12, 13 January 1948, Page 3

CHRISTIAN WORSHIP ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF WORTH OF GOD

(Contributed by the Ministers’ Association) “Who’ll we hear tonight?” “Oh, Mr X is preaching at St. John’s, we’ll go there, I’ve never heard him,” or “I don’t think I’ll go to church tonight; I simply can’t stand Mr Y.” Perhaps you’ve said something similar yourself, for far too many people seem to imagine that going to church means nothing more than going to hear a sermon or a particular preacher. Now what is Christian worship? Dr. W. D. Maxwell gives this definition. “Christian worship is the_ corporate and active acknowledgment by a company of believers in the fellowship of the Church of God of the supreme worth of God.” He goes on to say that “Christian worship consists in our words and actions, the outward expression of our homage and adoration, when we are assembled in the presence of God.” To put it very simply Christian worship is the offering of ourselves to God. Very often you hear people coming away from church complaining about the poor sermon or the bad singing of the choir or something else. The trouble really is that they’ve missed the whole point of going to church. We do not go to church primarily to get, but to give, and if such people were to prepare themselves for worship and go ready to make an offering of themselves to God in worship they would not go away unblessed no matter how poor the sermon was or how bad the singing of the choir. Then note that word “corporate” in Dr. Maxwell’s definition. Christian worship is the offering of the Fellowship of Believers —of those who are “in Christ.” The purpose of our Lord’s coming upon earth was to restore men to fellowship with God and through fellowship with God to a true fellowship with one another. That is why, though private worship is essential, worship in the fellowship of our fellow Christians is also essential. And because Christian worship is the worship of fellowship we must all share very really in the service. Though the ministry is Christ’s gift to His Church, the minister is not a priest or mediator between man and God. The New Testament makes it clear that there is but one great High Priest and Mediator, Jesus Christ, and that we are all priests unto God, able to approach God directly. The fact then that the worship may be led by the minister does not mean we have no part to play. The congregation has a very real part in the service through the hymns we sing, the prayers that are offered, listening to the Word read and expounded and in the making of an offering not only of money but above all of ourselves.

Never neglect then your place in church as a worshipper—and never forget your personal preparation for worship if you really mean to live your life toward God.