God's Call To Worship
Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the manner or habit of some is, but exhort one another and do it even more as you see the day approaching.
Hebrews 10.25.
God has always demanded worship, both public and private. Words for worship in the Hebrew and Greek of the Bible speak to us of worship that is serving, worship that is liturgy, worship that is one-on-one with God, worship that has form and pattern, religious acts done in humility, awe, reverence and respect toward God in accordance with His word. Note these Bible words and their meaning:
• Hebrew – Shachah. To bow down, to kneel, to humble oneself in adoration.
• Hebrew – Abad. To serve, to submit in obedience.
• Greek – Proskuneo. To approach God in awe, reverence, respect and profound adoration.
• Greek – Latreuo. To serve, minister in religious services, sometimes translated worship. Sometimes translated
One doesn’t have to be a language scholar to see that worship to God occurs in two ways: 1) To approach Him in awe, respect and reverence in religious activities in public worship, 2) To serve Him daily in our personal walk.
Our attention here will be on public worship. What does the New Testament teach us concerning the need for our assembling in corporate worship?
The command is to assemble. The Hebrew writer is addressing Christian Jews who had been assembling in synagogues for centuries. The admonition is to not forsake assembling just as you did in synagogue. There is no doubt about the interpretation here.
What is difficult is to know exactly what is meant by the day approaching.
• Is it the Lord’s Day, Sunday?
• Is it the day of persecution? After all, the Hebrew letter was written to encourage a church facing persecution. It was written encouraging them to not give up on their Christianity, to persevere and not to go back into Judaism.
• Or could the day have reference to the day of His coming, the second coming of Jesus?
We just can’t tell for sure. However, this does not negate the command to not forsake the assemblies of the saints.
We have New Testament example for corporate worship. The church at Corinth assembled together for worship. Paul wrote to them about some corrections that needed to be made concerning the Lord’s supper in their assemblies. Listen to him in I Corinthians 11.17-22. When you come together (vs. 17)... that is an assembly. When you come together as a church (vs. 18)... that is a religious assembly. When you come together in one place to take the Lord’s supper (vs. 20)... that is a church assembly for the purpose of worship. Who could deny that this church assembled for public acts of worship?
Now to I Corinthians 16.1-2. Concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given orders in the churches of Galatia, even so you are to do. Upon the first day of the week let everyone of you lay by in store as God has prospered him. Does it sound like the churches of Galatia and this Corinthian church were meeting, assembling on the first day of the week? Sure does.
Scripture infers that the disciples met for corporate worship. Luke records this incident in his history of the early church, On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. Acts 20.7 This verse plainly states that the disciples came together, assembled, upon the first day of the week to participate in worship activities of breaking bread, teaching and fellowship.
Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together
as the habit of some has become.
May God help us to be more committed to worshiping Him in our assemblies and in our daily walk.
—Randall Caselman
