I’ve been really interested in churches lately… How they use their money and resources, how they organize their ministries, etc. You can usually tell what’s really important to a church when you analyze these types of things. I think, in particular, what a church chooses to do when they worship together is extremely revealing.
I came across this quote today on the topic of why believers should weekly gather together as a church. I thought it was so interesting, and really kind-of counter -Christian culture these days. This is taken from D.A. Carson’s “Worship by the Book.” In this quote, D.A. is giving an evaluation of David Peterson’s book “Engaging with God”:
“New Covenant worship terminology prescribes constant ‘worship.’ Peterson therefore examines afresh just why the New Testament church gathers, and he concludes that the focus is on mutual edification, not on worship. Under the terms of the new covenant, worship goes on all the time, including when the people of God gather together. But mutual edification does not go on all the time; it is what takes place when Christians gather together. Edification is the best summary of what occurs in corporate singing, confession, public prayer, the ministry of the Word, and so forth.”
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this – what do you think about this definition of why we gather on Sunday mornings? Agree, Disagree? Why?
I’d agree. There’s a lot of talk about what the church is about and it seems like everyone’s got their own opinion–worship, evangelism, spiritual growth, etc. I always find myself looking back at Paul’s description of the local church in Ephesians 4. There, he describes a church that is called, united, and gifted for the “edifying of the saints” so that we would grow to be who He desires us to be. That’s what I think of when I think about Sunday mornings. Evangelism, praise, and study should be integral parts of that (and results) but not the driving vision.
I’ve thought about this before, and I like the quote by Carson. It rings true with me that the church is for edification, I guess because I feel so edified by the church and our gathering together. It seems like the book of Acts confirms it–we worship God always, but we need the time together to strengthen each other and grow together in the Lord.
I think this rings true with my experience.
I would add that whenever a body of believers gather, there is potential for a kind of evangelism that we can’t do on our own.
I can go work among non-believers all day, and do my best to represent Christ well — to share the Gospel in my words, actions, and inactions.
But when a non-believer sees me interact with my brothers and sisters in Christ, there is an aspect of the Christian life that I don’t think I can display in any other way.
Even as Jesus said, “They will know you are My disciples by your love for one another.”
Good point, Zack! That kind of love and community is a powerful witness!