Our Attendance Of Worship

Articles

Antoine N. Holloway
10/26/14 - Church Bulletins

OUR ATTENDANCE OF WORSHIP

By Ron Boatwright

Worship is a privilege only children of God have. There are many blessings we receive from faithful attendance in worship. God has commanded us to assemble regularly to worship Him in spirit & in truth (John 4:24). Hebrews 10:25-27 says, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, & so much the more as you see the day approaching. For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment, & fiery indignation." When we forsake the assembly of the church, except for sickness or circumstances beyond our control, we are not only disobeying God, but we are robbing ourselves of all the benefits of worship which would have helped us to grow & become spiritually strong. To forsake worship is to sin willfully.

By forsaking the assembly, we also endanger our souls because as the above verse says, "For if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for our sins." Christ is our only sacrifice for sin. When people reject their only sacrifice for sin there remains nothing but "a certain fearful expectation of judgment & fiery indignation."

When people fall away from the Lord, it is usually not a sudden thing. They usually start by forsaking the assembly of Wednesday night Bible study. Then they start missing Sunday evening worship. Next they stop coming to Sunday morning Bible study; & then finally they stop coming to Sunday morning worship. This is the usual path of apostasy for most people who fall away. Oh, some may come back & "visit" several times a year & a few may even attend only the Sunday morning worship with little regularity. These are described in 2 Peter 2:22 as, "A dog turns to his own vomit again, & a sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire." Some members have turned to their own vomit & are in the pigpen & they can no longer smell the stench. Let’s not lose our souls by unfaithfulness.