The purpose of worship

What is the purpose of a Christian worship service? It must seem a curious thing to see otherwise intelligent people foregoing the entertainment available on any given Sunday to gather with other like minded individuals for worship.

The highest purpose of Christian worship is to receive the gifts God has promised in His Word to all who worship Him in Spirit and Truth. These gifts are received by faith which is one of the gifts given by God. Not earned, not worked or sacrificed for, but received from God.

The worship service is where we hear the Word of God preached. As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 10:14,” And how are they to hear without someone preaching?” Paul also assures us in the next verse, the person in the pulpit preaching the Word is not there by accident, but was sent by God.

Who do we worship when we gather? In most Christian churches, the service is bracketed by the invocation of the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit at the beginning of the service and at its close. The entire service is dedicated to listening to the risen Jesus speaking to us through His Word as scripture is read and preached, and we respond to in thanksgiving, confession, prayer, praise and song.

Worship is a gathering of forgiven sinners, joining together, sharing our weakness and strength with one another in honesty, knowing and admitting our reliance on the risen Christ. As people who believe on the name of Jesus we bask in the assurance of His promised forgiveness, life and salvation.

We celebrate His true presence in the communion meal we share with one another. At the completion of this meal, we give thanks for this gift and pray it strengthens us in faith toward Him and love for one another. After being reenergized by the gift of worship and being served by Christ, we go out into the world, renewed in faith, humbled by His presence, to serve.

The Apostle John tells us in 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin”. This fellowship is experienced in worship. It is not commanded or demanded of us, but is a natural result of walking and abiding in Christ. We are free to “Go in peace and serve the Lord”.

– Pat Estes