Mar 10

Psalm 100:4
Memorise John 4:24
“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise:
be thankful unto him, and bless his name”

Have you attended the worship services in other churches? I have! Some are terrible! Especially some charismatic churches, with their drums and guitars and solo singers (like pop concerts). The sermons are often very short, with their pastors speaking more like “motivational speakers” than preachers of God’s Word! You’d probably leave the service with the impression: “too much entertainment! Too much noise! Too little message”!

Coming back to the more “solemn” style of worship in a typical Presbyterian church like ours, you’d heave a huge sigh of relief! – this is the benefit of the “Reformed Order of Worship”! What does it mean? If you look at our church bulletin on Sunday, you’ll see items (in sequence) like “call to worship”, “opening hymn”, “invocation” etc. You may also sense that the focus is on the sermon – and also, once a month, the Lord’s Supper.

Why is the order of worship important?

1. Worship (both public worship and private worship) is a very important part of our Christian walk!
2. The Bible says that we should worship Him “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) – not in any way we like, but with our sincere heart, and in accordance to God’s truth.
3. We should do everything (especially worship) in an orderly manner, pleasing to God (1 Corinthians 14:40 – “Let all things be done decently and in order”)

If you’ve ever attended the worship services of those contemporary churches, you would get the feeling that they are doing it according to their own ideas! We thank God that we have followed the Reformed tradition (which is based on faithfulness to God’s word), which allows us to worship our God “in spirit and in truth”.

Thought: God has ordained as to how we should worship Him.
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the privilege of worshipping You as our loving heavenly Father.