Why do we attend worship? First and foremost, our worship is to Almighty God. He is our Creator, Sustainer and Savior. As the church, we must direct our worship to Him, for He alone is worthy of praise. The church is not a place we go, but instead it is a family to which we belong. It is who we are.
In John 4:24 it says, “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” So, as the church, we are to worship God in the ways that He authorized rather than in the ways of man (Matthew 15:9). We are to worship Him in the right frame of mind and for the right reasons. We do not just gather together to worship just because we are supposed to worship, but instead, we come together because we love the Lord. It is out of that love that we are to offer true and sincere worship so that our worship is never in vain (John 4:23). Our hearts and our minds are to be prepared to worship, and we should always examine ourselves before we worship the Lord our God (1 Corinthians 11:27-32). However, why else do we gather together to worship?
While it is true that our worship is primarily to God, our worship is also very beneficial to one another. In Hebrews 10:24-25 we see the necessity for us to come together to worship as well as the encouragement that can be offered to one another in the assembly. We gather together to worship God and so that we can edify and encourage one another. As we sing, pray, teach, give and gather around the Lord’s Table, we collectively offer a sweet-smelling aroma to the Lord. In addition, we also offer a bond of unity and a supportive atmosphere to those around us.
I cannot say that I have always worshipped in the right frame of mind, nor can I say that I have always given my best. Yet, as I have grown in my faith, I have grown to love, want and need to be in worship. One of the most frustrating things to hear somebody say after a worship service is that they got nothing out of it. So many people in our world want to be entertained by worship and never want to offer anything up of themselves. The truth about worship is that one gets out of it what he puts into it. Maybe we should stop for a second and ask ourselves, “What would our worship be like if everybody worshipped just like me?” I know for myself there are many areas I need to improve. How great would our worship to God be if we all came prepared and focused, ready to give God sincere worship? How much more encouragement could be had? Let us daily strive to live for God, and let us all prepare to worship Him.
