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The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth - John 4:23
As I scrolled down Facebook, I came to this advertisement of a local church. "Worship Service 10:30 a.m., come join us." Most of the churches in our area have a worship service on Sunday mornings. It is a time when many people like to look around at the churches that are available. They like to find out what kind of songs are sung. Do they use an overhead projector? Do they still use hymn books and read Scripture out of the Bible? They also want to see how the service is handled; is it done in an orderly fashion, or is there chaos?
Some people like a service that has structure and order, it brings a little stability to the flock. Others don't really care if people tell stories and admonish the congregation. Sometimes it turns into a competition where each person who gets up front feels they must give a mini-sermon. They think that what they have to say is very important, even if they take time away from the preaching of the Word. We must remind ourselves that our God is a God of order, not confusion.
If a church wants to minister to different age groups, then a shorter, orderly service will be attractive to young parents with children. It will also help with the elderly who have a tendency to fall asleep. In fact, it will make the entire service better for everyone. There is nothing super religious or righteous about a pastor or speaker boring people to death, or just plain going too long! Pastor Dennis Thompson (former pastor of South Juniata Baptist Church) used to say, "If I can't get my point across in 30-40 minutes, I never will."
Another thing people will be listening for is the content of the sermon given by the pastor. Some people think it should be a message of love and encouragement; one that makes them feel fuzzy and warm, and tickles their ears. God is a God of love and forgiveness; why worry about sin? Why get concerned about sanctification, spiritual growth, or crucifying the flesh?
John F MacArthur had this to say about preaching: "Soft words produce hard hearts. Show me a church where soft words are preached, and I will show you a church filled with hard hearts. Jeremiah says that the Word of God is like a hammer that shatters. Hard preaching produces soft hearts."
As we focus on the Sunday morning worship service, we will consider a few points of interest. Who or what are we worshiping? How should we worship? What are the elements or ingredients of worship? Should it be a time of intercessory prayer for different needs? What should be the attitude of those who are a part of the service? The Scriptural worship of the early New Testament church was quite different from the modern church today. How can we get back to the God-centered worship of the early church?
In closing, I would leave you with one thought from "The Preacher's Portrait," by John R W Stott. "In the ideal sermon it is the Word itself which speaks, or rather God in and through His Word. The less the preacher comes between the Word and its hearers, the better."
Contact the author at: (thoughtsonword@gmail.com) if you have comments or questions.
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Lyndon Stimeling, of Richfield, has been writing about faith and family for many years. He has self-published four books, Common Thoughts on The Word in 2016, Eye of a Needle in 2017, Common Thoughts on The Word II in 2019 and A Bridge Between in 2023. He has also had articles published in The Coming Home Journal and local newspapers and has written a children's book.