As we enter the worship service we may do things with which you are familiar or we may do things with which you are not familiar. If you have questions, ask and we will provide a Bible answer for your Bible question.
God commands that He alone must be worshipped, by His people, as He commands. (John 4:23-24). The Bible teaches that God is to be worshiped upon the “first day of the week” (which to us is Sunday) and that specific actions are to be taken in worship to God.
We will participate in the five acts of worship as commanded in the Bible and practiced by the church in the first century. These acts as prescribed in the Bible are: praying, singing, the Lord’s Supper, giving and preaching.
Prayer
Praying to God is one of the greatest privileges given to the children of God. It is an opportunity to speak to God about our blessings, desires and concerns (Philippians 4:6). God knows what we need before we ask but He still desires to hear from His children.
There will be a number of prayers offered during the worship service. Each prayer will be lead by a man who speaks aloud in order to direct the thoughts of the congregation to God (I Corinthians 14:40).
Singing
While the congregation, as a whole, will not pray aloud we are all commanded by God to sing aloud. Through the action of singing each individual worships God and at the same time teaches each other through the words of the songs (Colossians 3:16).
All the acts of worship are performed according to the authority of God taught in the Bible. The singing is “a capella” because there is no authority given in the Bible for the use of mechanical instruments of music or any sound other than the singing of words (Ephesians 5:19).
The Lord’s Supper
The night before our Lord and Savior was crucified He instituted the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:26-28). This supper consists of partaking of the unleavened bread and the fruit of the vine: the bread is representative of the body of Christ and the fruit of the vine is representative of the blood of Christ as He was sacrificed on the cross of Calvary (I Corinthians 11:23-26).
The Lord’s Supper is partaken of each first day of the week as a memorial of the death of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:7).
Giving
A financial offering is made each first day of the week by every member of the Lord’s Church (I Corinthians 16:2). There is no specific amount set by God but He does command that all are to give “as God hath prospered him.”
The finances will be used, under the oversight of the elders, to accomplish the work of the church set forth by God.
Preaching
Preaching is a manner through which the word of God is taught. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was a preacher and He preached the word of God.
The sermon that will be presented is intended to encourage, exhort, correct, guide, admonish, and strengthen (II Timothy 3:16-17).