Major Milestone - First Sunday Worship Gathering
Church of the Cross will pass a signficant milestone this Sunday when we gather together for worship. It is the beginning point of our truly functioning as a congregation. Praise be to God who has brought us together and given us this opportunity!
This seems like a fitting occasion to offer a few thoughts about worship, specifically about the corporate worship of the church. First, corporate worship differs from private worship in that it is worshiping together. We are there not only to worship God, but to worship God together. In the songs we sing, the Scriptures we read, the prayers we offer - we sing, read, hear, and pray as a body. That is truly exciting! We celebrate being a community of Christians united in Christ and His gospel.
Second, since there is the element of community and together-ness, corporate worship should be an edifying experience. God is not the only audience for our songs, we sing to one another. We preach the gospel to one another, we pray for one another. Without the "one another" it is merely many different private worship times all happening at the same place and time.
Without the gospel there is no unity, and without unity there is no true corporate worship. And, as we will see in this first sermon from Romans (1:1-7), without Christ there is no gospel. What an appropriate beginning to our corporate worship experience!!
There truly is great joy in the fellowship of Christ. I look forward to what God will do as He builds His church here upon the gospel of Jesus Christ.
This seems like a fitting occasion to offer a few thoughts about worship, specifically about the corporate worship of the church. First, corporate worship differs from private worship in that it is worshiping together. We are there not only to worship God, but to worship God together. In the songs we sing, the Scriptures we read, the prayers we offer - we sing, read, hear, and pray as a body. That is truly exciting! We celebrate being a community of Christians united in Christ and His gospel.
Second, since there is the element of community and together-ness, corporate worship should be an edifying experience. God is not the only audience for our songs, we sing to one another. We preach the gospel to one another, we pray for one another. Without the "one another" it is merely many different private worship times all happening at the same place and time.
Without the gospel there is no unity, and without unity there is no true corporate worship. And, as we will see in this first sermon from Romans (1:1-7), without Christ there is no gospel. What an appropriate beginning to our corporate worship experience!!
There truly is great joy in the fellowship of Christ. I look forward to what God will do as He builds His church here upon the gospel of Jesus Christ.
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