"I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.' " Psalm 122:1.
"We must live for Christ minute by minute, hour by hour, and day by day; then Christ will dwell in us, and when we meet together, His love will be in our hearts, welling up like a spring in the desert, refreshing all, and making those who are ready to perish, eager to drink of the waters of life." —Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 609.
You know the Lord as your Creator and Redeemer! You have these profound reasons for worshiping Him! You have the Sabbath as a time for worship!
A Creator-creature relationship exists between the Lord and the Christian. The Christian disciple who humbly senses this relationship will want to assemble and worship with other Christians of like convictions. The worship service gives opportunities for reverence, adoration, praise, presentation of offerings, and listening to God through the preaching of His Word.
In this lesson you will discover—
THE SPIRIT OF WORSHIP
1. What knowledge is essential before we can truly worship God? Psalm 100:3, 4.
Psalm 11:3, 4 (NIV) Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
2. How are we instructed to worship the Lord? Psalm 29:2.
Psalms 29:2 (NIV) Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
3. What attitude in prayer shows a spirit of reverence? Psalm 95:6, 7.
Psalms 95:6-7 (NIV) Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; 7) for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. Today, if you hear his voice,
4. Is congregational singing a part of worship? Psalm 100:2, 4.
Psalms 100:2 (NIV) Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.
Psalms 100:4 (NIV) Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.
5. Do the Scriptures approve the use of musical instruments in divine worship? Psalm 150:1-5.
Psalms 150:1-5 (NIV) Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. 2) Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. 3) Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, 4) praise him with tambourine and dancing, praise him with the strings and flute, 5) praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals.
6. How big must a congregation be before Jesus will be present? Matthew 18:20.
Matthew 18:20 (NIV) For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
7. How does the Christian relate to public worship? Psalm 84:2, 10.
Psalms 84:2 (NIV) My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.
Psalms 84:10 (NIV) Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere; I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of the wicked.
8. Why should Christians today have special reasons for assembling in public worship? Hebrews 10:25.
Hebrews 10:25 (NIV) Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
9. Does God really notice those desiring to worship Him? Malachi 3:16-18.
Malachi 3:16-18 (NIV) Then those who feared the LORD talked with each other, and the LORD listened and heard. A scroll of remembrance was written in his presence concerning those who feared the LORD and honored his name. 17) "They will be mine," says the LORD Almighty, "in the day when I make up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a man spares his son who serves him. 18) And you will again see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between those who serve God and those who do not.
10. Are offerings an appropriate part of divine worship? Psalm 96:8, 9.
Psalms 96:8-9 (NIV) Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; bring an offering and come into his courts. 9) Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth.
11. How do genuine disciples show respect in the house of worship? Habakkuk 2:20.
Habakkuk 2:20 (NIV) But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.
12. What counsel is given regarding behavior in God's house? Ecclesiastes 5:1.
Ecclesiastes 5:1 (NIV) Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong.
13. What is essential to Christian fellowship? 1 John 1:7.
1 John 1:7 (NIV) 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, purifies us from all sin.
14. Besides human fellowship, what higher fellowship does the Christian enjoy? 1 John 1:3.
1 John 1:3 (NIV) We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.
DISCIPLESHIP COMMITMENT
"Although God dwells not in temples made with hands, yet He honors with His presence the assemblies of His people. He has promised that when they come together to seek Him, to acknowledge their sins, and to pray for one another, He will meet with them by His Spirit." —Prophets and Kings, p. 50.
Tell what impact your participation in worship and fellowship is having on your Christian experience.
Unless otherwise designated, scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION�. Copyright � 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. All rights reserved throughout the world. Used by permission of International Bible Society.