What are the values that unite us in our corporate worship? For what are we aiming when we gather together on Sunday morning?
For the last couple weeks, I’ve been answering these questions, one value at a time. Two weeks ago I described the primary value that unites us—namely, we want everything we do to be God-centered. Last week I discussed our intention to be consistently and explicitly cross-centered. Our songs, sermons, prayers, and other activities on Sunday morning all connect directly to the gospel.
Our third value for corporate worship is “Scripture saturation.” We intend for our Sunday gatherings to be soaked in the word of God. We read the Scriptures. We often quote our SOS (i.e., Sword of the Spirit) verses together. We listen to a 40-minute sermon, which intends to be simply an explanation of what the Bible means by what it says. Even our songs are infused with the Bible. Why give all this attention to a 2,000-year-old book? Here’s why…
First, we believe we need the Bible if we are even going to know how to offer acceptable worship to God. Unless God first draws near and reveals Himself to us, we would not possibly know how to approach Him, what He is like, or what to do in His presence. While God reveals Himself through several different sources—for example, creation and works of providence—the most specific and significant sources of revelation are the Bible and the Bible’s hero, Jesus Christ.
Second, our fallenness as sin-marred human beings continually causes us to drift toward idolatry—i.e., false views of God. Without the correcting influences of the Holy Spirit and the word of God, our worship would soon become distorted, self-centered, and lifeless.
For these reasons, we intend to saturate our worship gatherings in the word of God. Practically, this value of Scripture-saturation means:
- We read the Bible in every corporate worship meeting, reflecting our need for God’s revelation in order to worship Him acceptably.
- We sing songs with doctrinal depth and a clear connection to biblical truth, utilizing the powerful gift of music as both a means of response and a tool for teaching.
- We preach the Scriptures in every worship meeting, understanding that God creates and grows His people through the proclamation of His word.