“Praise the LORD! Praise the name of the LORD; Praise Him, O servants of the LORD, you who stand in the house of the LORD, in the courts of the house of our God!
Praise the LORD, for the LORD is good; sing praises to HIs name, for it is lovely."
Psalm 135:1 - 3
For those of you that know me well, you know that it was a difficult decision for me to cancel worship this past Sunday. I do not like to forgo worship on Sunday unless it is absolutely a necessity for the safety of God’s people. And as you know, after consulting with the HOPE Session, we determined that it was a necessity to cancel worship for that reason.
When I do not worship with the Body of Christ, the gathered Church, on any given Sunday due to sickness or weather related cancellations, my week is never the same as usual. There is something that happens in worship that cannot happen any other place. Yes, I can worship the Lord at home, in the woods, in my car, any place I find myself. I can even worship God at home with my family as I did this past Sunday, BUT there is still a part of worship missing when the Body of Christ is not together.
The Psalmist reminds us in the text above that we are to “Praise the LORD!” We “...who stand in the house of the LORD.” This is a reminder to the gathered body.
In Acts 1 after the ascension of Christ, Luke records,
“Then they returned to Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem, a Sabbath day’s journey away. When they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room... These all with one mind were continuing devoting themselves to prayer...” Acts 1:12-13a; 14a
This was the gathered body, the earliest church service waiting for the coming of the Holy Spirit as promised.
After Pentecost when the church began to expand into other areas of the world, as Paul began to spread Christianity during his missionary journeys, as churches began to be formed and began to worship, the gathered community worshipped. They met together and worshipped the LORD!
BUT, the early church was not different than today, for some began to forsake corporate worship, the gathered body of Christ. The writer of Hebrews challenges the believers in this way.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without waving, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Hebrews 10:23-25
You see the writer has noticed that believers are staying away from corporate worship. It has become, as he puts it, a habit. I don’t believe God’s Word would have recorded this in this way if corporate worship, the gathered Body of Christ, was not important. As I said, for me, my week is different. For me, my spirit can tell when the Body of Christ has not gathered. Call me crazy, that’s OK, but it is true for me.
Hey believer!!! How about you? Does it make any difference in your spirit when you miss worship? Do you know of anyone who has made “missing worship” a habit? Or even maybe believe there is no need for corporate worship? I would encourage you to do as the first gathering did in the upper room in Jerusalem, and that is, continue to pray for one another and continue to worship and “Praise the LORD! For...His name, it is lovely.”
Blessings my friends,
Pastor Marty.
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