Some lies have more truth than falsehood, which merely increases their danger. Such as, “I love God, but I can worship him just as well at the beach or the mountains.” I tend to agree, mountain trips often provide some of my best worship. Immersed in the transcendent beauty of God’s creation, away from the overpowering touch of man, my ego shrinks as I get lost in God. But if the truth in that quote becomes an excuse for not being in gathered weekly worship, then it becomes a dangerous lie. We eliminate part of what God designed worship to be. We decrease our godliness. Our preferences have more value than part of God’s plan.
Truly, worship is life—every moment of our lives should proclaim God’s worthiness. Yet here is where we can easily miss a key aspect of worship—regular time with other followers. Many genuinely love God but rarely connect with a local assembly for worship.
If worship itself is central to following Jesus, should corporate worship on a regular basis play a vital role? Here are four concepts of how following Jesus involves a significant involvement with other followers. Obviously, unless this blog expands to book size, we can only cover the surface issues, so pursue the implications either on your own or with discussions on this site or on Facebook or with friends.
First, corporate worship brings synergy to following. Look at the two pics. An individual grape is just that. Nice, tasty, limited. But when you get a cluster or two (OK, maybe a few more) and crush them and do some other stuff, then you get fine wine. Often, some of the greatest worship leaders are those near me in the congregation, who got lost in worship and took me down the same path. We influence each other.
Second, it increases our connections with other members of the body. It opens us up to more accountability, support, and flat out fun. Granted, this doesn’t only happen “on Sunday morning,” but that provides the initial links. We find people we can connect with outside the worship. We truly become the body of Christ…together.
Third, corporate connections allow us to better carry out the mission Jesus gave of loving people, serving people, and bringing people to God. Some of our ministry is personal, but as a part of a greater body we extend the resources available. Many tasks require more than one individual, and our connection provides for that.
Fourth, it’s biblical. God designed the local fellowship as a foundation of faith and service. The only apparent Lone Ranger Christian in the New Testament was the Ethiopian eunuch whom Stephen brought to Christ. But was he a Lone Ranger? A strong church in Ethiopia developed from him telling others, a church that continues to this day. If you’d like to explore this more, read the New Testament book of Ephesians.
Kick Starting the Application
What has been your view of corporate worship? Has it changed, and if so, how? Do corporate connections and worship play a significant role in your life? If not, what troubles you the most about them? Why? If you worship regularly, what frustrations have you faced? How responsible are you for them? How can you minimize their impact?
By the way, if you live in the Temecula/Murrieta area and don’t have a regular church home, follow my Facebook page for an exciting development!