“Does it really matter whether or not I go to church? Nobody seems to care whether I am there or not. Besides, the people there are so lukewarm. As long as I am abiding in Christ and faithful to the Three Angels’ Messages, that’s all that matters. As long as I keep the Sabbath, I will just make it a special day every week for me and my family.”
Are these sentiments in harmony with Bible doctrine? Let us consider a well-known passage from Hebrews chapter 10. As believers who understand the vital truth about the sanctuary in Heaven where our High Priest is ministering in our behalf, we are graciously invited to have “boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh” (verses 19, 20). Here is depicted the direct, vertical relationship we are privileged to enjoy between our individual souls and our Creator.
Christ and His flock
“Never entertain the thought that you can be Christians and yet withdraw within yourselves. Each one is a part of the great web of humanity, and the nature and quality of your experience will be largely determined by the experiences of those with whom you associate. . . . Then let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
“If Christians would associate together, speaking to each other of the love of God, and of the precious truths of redemption, their own hearts would be refreshed, and they would refresh one another. All should have something to say for the Lord, for by so doing they will be blest. A book of remembrance is written of those who do not forsake the assembling of themselves together, but speak often one to another. The remnant are to overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony. . . . We should not come together to remain silent; those only are remembered of the Lord who assemble to speak of His honor and glory and tell of His power; upon such the blessing of God will rest, and they will be refreshed.
“We should improve every opportunity of placing ourselves in the channel of blessing. . . . The convocations of the church, as in camp meetings, the assemblies of the home church, and all occasions where there is personal labor for souls, are God’s appointed opportunities for giving the early and the latter rain.” –The Faith I Live By, p. 246 (emphasis mine)
“Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20. “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25. “Make the social meetings of the church as interesting as possible. Let everyone present feel that he has a duty to perform in the meeting.” –Testimonies for the Church, vol. 7, p. 190. “One person is not to do all the witnessing for Jesus, but every one who loves God is to testify of the preciousness of His grace and truth.” –In Heavenly Places, p. 92
“And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” Acts 2:42
God’s people have always looked forward to being with one another. For example, the first Christians were eager to meet together to worship the Lord and learn about Him. Of course, you too likely look forward to going to the meetings. But like all your brothers and sisters, you may find it difficult to be at the meetings regularly. Perhaps you need to work many hours or you have a lot to do or you always feel tired. Remember that when we are alone for too long, it becomes too easy to overlook our own defects of character. “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” “The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise.” “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 16:25; 12:15; 27:17. When we seek to avoid and escape this sharpening process, we tend to become spiritually dull. So, what will help us to do everything we can to be at our meetings? How can we encourage our Bible students (interested souls) and others to be at our meetings regularly? This article will explain why attending meetings: (1) is good for us; (2) helps others; and, (3) pleases Jehovah our God.
Meetings Are Good For Us
How does meeting together help us to learn about God? Meetings educate us. Every meeting helps us to learn more about the Lord, the plan of redemption, righteousness by faith through Jesus, and last day events as described by prophecies and their fulfillment. At the meetings, we need to be listening carefully when the Bible is read. (Nehemiah 8:8). Sabbath school, testimonies, sermon and songs of praise lift our sight above and we are spiritually strengthened. Think of the many things we discover every week when we prepare for the Bible reading, Sabbath school lessons, and then hear what others have learned from them.
Meetings teach us to use what we learn from the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy in our lives. (1 Thessalonians 4:9–10) For example, have you attended a Sabbath School class or a Bible study that made you want to do more in God’s service, to improve your prayers, or to forgive a brother or a sister?
And “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. “It is a serious mistake to neglect the public worship of God. The privileges of divine service should not be lightly regarded. Those who attend upon the sick are often unable to avail themselves of these privileges, but they should be careful not to absent themselves needlessly from the house of worship.” –The Ministry of Healing, p. 511
Satan’s world tries to weaken our faith and make us feel stressed and discouraged, but our meetings encourage us and give us the strength to keep serving God. (Read Romans 15:30–32). Often, we discuss how prophecies in the Bible have come true. This can help us feel even more sure that God’s promises for the future will come true. Our brothers and sisters encourage us, not only when they give talks, but also when they give comments and praise Jehovah by singing from the heart. And when we speak to them before and after the meetings, we feel refreshed because we have many friends who really care for us and have the same faith as us. 1 Corinthians 16:17–18
At the meetings, we receive the help of God’s Holy Spirit. Jesus uses this Holy Spirit to lead the congregations. In fact, He told us that we should “hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” Revelation 2:7. The Holy Spirit can help us to resist temptation and to preach boldly. It can also help us make good decisions. That is why we must do all we can to be at our meetings and receive the help of God’s Holy Spirit.
We Help Others At The Meetings
At the meetings, we have opportunities to show our brothers and sisters that we love them. Many in our congregation are enduring great difficulties. The apostle Paul wrote: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” Hebrews 10:24–25. We can show we care about our brothers by meeting together to encourage one another. When we go to the meetings, we show our brothers that we want to be with them and talk with them and that we are interested in how they are feeling. We also encourage them when they hear us comment and sing from our heart (Colossians 3:16).
When we go to the meetings, we help the congregation to stay close together (John 10:16). Jesus compared Himself to a shepherd and His followers to a flock of sheep. Think about this: If two sheep are on a hill, two other sheep are in a valley, and one sheep is somewhere else, are those five sheep a flock? No, because a flock of sheep stays together and follows the shepherd. In a similar way, we should not stay away from our brothers by not coming to the meetings. We need to meet together to become part of “one flock” and to follow “one shepherd.”
Our meetings help us to be united as a loving family (Psalm 133:1). Some in the church have been rejected by their close family members, such as their parents or their brothers or sisters. But Jesus promised to give them a family who would love them and look after them (Mark 10:29–30). If you attend meetings regularly, you could become like a father, mother, brother, or sister to someone in the church. When we think of that, we want to do our best to be at all the meetings.
At the meetings, we give God what He deserves. Since he is our Creator, we should thank Him, honor Him, and praise Him. (Read Revelation 7:12; 14:7). We can do this at the meetings when we pray to God, sing to Him, and speak about Him. What a wonderful opportunity we have every week to worship Jehovah and Jesus our Savior!
God notices that we really want to be at the meetings and values all the effort we make to be there. God created us, and we should obey Him. He commanded us to keep meeting together, especially as we get closer to the end. So when we obey that command, God is pleased (1 John 3:22). He notices that we really want to be at the meetings and values all the efforts we make to be there (Hebrews 6:10).
When we go to the meetings, we show Jehovah that we want to draw closer to Him. At the meetings, we study the Bible and Spirit of Prophecy. We learn from God what we should do and how we should live (Isaiah 30:20–21). Even when some who do not serve God come to the meetings
they will realize that God is guiding us (1 Corinthians 14:23–25). God is directing our meetings with His Holy Spirit, and what we learn there comes from Him. So when we go to the meetings, we listen to what God says, feel how much He loves us, and draw closer to Him. Jesus, the Head of the Church, said: “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:20
“Those who do not feel the necessity of seeking the assembly of the saints, with the precious assurance that the Lord will meet with them, show how lightly they value the help that God has provided for them. Satan is constantly at work to wound and poison the soul; in order to withstand his efforts we must breathe the atmosphere of heaven. We must individually get hold and keep hold of Christ.” –The Seventh-Day Adventist Bible Commentary, vol. 7, p. 934
When we go to the meetings, we show God that we want to obey Him. God does not force us to do as He says (Isaiah 43:23). So, when we choose to obey His command to attend meetings, we show Him that we love Him and that we believe He has the right to tell us what to do (Romans 6:17). For example, what will we do if our employer expects us to work so much that we cannot be at our meetings regularly? Or maybe the government says that if anyone meets to worship Jehovah, he will have to pay a fine, go to prison, or be punished with something even worse. Or at times we may simply prefer to do something else instead of going to the meetings. In each of these situations, we must decide what we will do (Acts 5:29). But each time we must choose to obey God.
Keep Meeting with Your Brothers
After meeting together on Pentecost in the year A.D. 31, Christians met regularly to worship God. They continued devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles and associating together (Acts 2:42). They did not stop meeting together even when they were persecuted by the Roman government and the Jewish religious leaders. Although it was not easy, they did all they could to continue meeting together. Today, too, God’s servants feel very grateful for the meetings and enjoy being there. Do you also feel that way about worshipping God? If so, keep doing all you can to be with your brothers at the meetings, even when it is difficult. Show The Lord that you truly feel like King David, who said: “LORD, I have loved the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thine honour dwelleth.” Psalms 26:8
Members should give prayer meetings a higher priority. “Many declare that it is certainly no harm to go to a concert and neglect the prayer-meeting, or absent themselves from meetings where God’s servants are to declare a message from heaven. It is safe for you to be just where Christ has said He would be. Those who appreciate the words of Christ will not turn aside from the prayer-meeting, or from the meeting where the Lord’s messenger has been sent to tell them concerning things of eternal interest. Jesus has said, ‘Where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.’ Can you afford to choose your pleasure and miss the blessing? It is indulgence in these things that has a telling influence not only on your own life and character, but upon the life and character of your associates. If all who profess to be followers of Christ would be so in deed and in truth, they would have the mind of Christ, and would work the works of God. They would resist temptation to indulge self, and would show that they do not enjoy the frivolous pleasure of the world more than the privilege of meeting with Christ in the social meeting. They would then have a decided influence upon others, and lead them to follow their example.” –The Youth’s Instructor, April 23, 1912
“A prayer meeting will always tell the true interest of the church members in spiritual and eternal things. The prayer meeting is as the pulse to the body; it denotes the true spiritual condition of the church. A lifeless, backslidden church has no relish for the prayer meetings.” –Pastoral Ministry, p. 183
Our attitude in the meeting of worship
We should be glad that we have the freedom to worship in a house of prayer. Never take for granted that you have a place for worship. Be it a church, or a room in a house; be it a rented hall or under a tent; be it in a basement or under a tree—any place where we congregate for the worship of God is a joyous yet reverent place of holy ground. “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.” Psalm 122:1
“My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the LORD: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.” Psalm 84:2
Reverence in practice
All our worship services must be directed towards the praise of our God. “Give unto the LORD the glory due unto His name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.” Psalm 29:2. The sanctuary is to be a place of reverence. “Ye shall keep My sabbaths, and reverence My sanctuary: I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:30. Yet many times our irreverence in the sanctuary is a denial of God’s presence there. Moses and Joshua were instructed that wherever God meets with His people is holy ground (Exodus 3:5; Joshua 5:15).
In the times of Israel’s wilderness wanderings, the presence of God in the sanctuary was visible “and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.” Exodus 40:34. After Solomon completed the Temple, the presence of the Lord was visible in it (2 Chronicles 5:13–14).
Even today, this presence is here for “the LORD is in His holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him.” Habakkuk 2:20. Many fail to realize the fact that the presence of God is in their midst, so they treat the house of God without due respect. There is walking in and out, commotion, whispering, passing of notes, and so on. We have all, from time to time, engaged in such things. But are these to be permitted? Being in the presence of our God should bring us to a realization of the awe and silence that should pervade this place. The only sounds to be heard in this place should be those of prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.
Our failure to be particular about our actions in the house of God will lead to disastrous ruin. No common things could be brought into the sanctuary of old, and the same principle applies today. “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He commanded them not. And there went out fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the LORD.” Leviticus 10:1–2. No “common fire” should ever be present in the Lord’s sanctuary. No worldly entertainments should be permitted in this place. But instead we are to assemble in reverence
Order
In our public worship, we must be sure to have order in all we do. For many people who come to the services of the church for the first time, the impression they receive of such services will determine if they will return again. “Let all things be done decently and in order.” 1 Corinthians 14:40. “Angels work harmoniously. Perfect order characterizes all their movements. The more closely we imitate the harmony and order of the angelic host, the more successful will be the efforts of these heavenly agents in our behalf. If we see no necessity for harmonious action, and are disorderly, undisciplined, and disorganized in our course of action, angels, who are thoroughly organized and move in perfect order, cannot work for us successfully.
“They turn away in grief, for they are not authorized to bless confusion, distraction, and disorganization. All who desire the cooperation of the heavenly messengers must work in unison with them. Those who have the unction from on high will in all their efforts encourage order, discipline, and union of action, and then the angels of God can cooperate with them. But never, never will these heavenly messengers place their endorsement upon irregularity, disorganization, and disorder. All these evils are the result of Satan’s efforts to weaken our forces, to destroy courage, and prevent successful action.” Testimonies for the Church, vol. 1, p. 649–650
Timeliness
God has appointed the Sabbath as His day, and He gives us this day so that we may assemble together to praise Him without the cares of this world in mind. On other days, when we assemble we have just come from work, or from doing some task, but on the Sabbath we are to assemble having left our earthly cares behind. “Six days shall work be done: but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, an holy convocation.” Leviticus 23:3
“It is a sad failing with many that they are always behind time on Sabbath morning. They are very particular about their own time, they cannot afford to lose an hour of that; but the Lord’s time, the only day out of the seven that the Lord claims as His, and requires us to devote to Him, quite a portion of this is squandered away by sleeping late in the morning. In this they are robbing God. It causes them to be behind in everything; it makes confusion in the family; and finally results in the tardiness of the entire family at Sabbath school, and perhaps at meeting. Now why can we not rise early with the birds, and offer praise and thanksgiving to God? Try it, brethren and sisters. Have your preparations all made the day before, and come promptly to the Sabbath school and meeting, and you will thereby not only benefit others, but you will reap rich blessings for yourselves.” –Counsels on Sabbath School Work, p. 170
“Meetings for conference and prayer should not be made tedious. All should, if possible, be prompt to the hour appointed; and if there are dilatory ones, who are half an hour or fifteen minutes even behind the time, there should be no waiting. If there are but two present, they can claim the promise. The meeting should open at the appointed hour, if possible, be there few or many present.” –The Review and Herald, May 30, 1871 (italics mine)
Reverence in prayer
Today, many people have forgotten how sacred the time was when God spoke with Moses and Joshua. Our prayers become informal and often people do not realize to Whom they are speaking when they are in prayer. The psalmist made it
clear that even in prayer, reverence is essential. “O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.” Psalm 95:6
Reverence in song
Music is a wonderful gift from God. It is a great tool that we can use to open the hearts of the people and implore them to give their hearts to the Saviour. Since it is so powerful, music is an important part of the services of the church. “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise: be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.” Psalm 100:4. “Serve the LORD with gladness: come before His presence with singing.” Psalm 100:2
“Singing is a part of the worship of God, but in the bungling manner in which it is often conducted, it is no credit to the truth, and no honour to God. There should be system and order in this as well as every other part of the Lord’s work.” –The Review and Herald, July 24, 1883
Singing, as a part of religious service, is as much an act of worship as is prayer. “Music can be a great power for good; yet we do not make the most of this branch of worship. The singing is generally done from impulse or to meet special cases, and at other times those who sing are left to blunder along, and the music loses its proper effect upon the minds of those present. Music should have beauty, pathos, and power. Let the voices be lifted in songs of praise and devotion. Call to your aid, if practicable, instrumental music, and let the glorious harmony ascend to God, an acceptable offering.” –Evangelism, p. 505
“Those who make singing a part of divine worship should select hymns with music appropriate to the occasion, not funeral notes, but cheerful, yet solemn melodies. The voice can and should be modulated, softened, and subdued.” –The Signs of the Times, June 22, 1882
Reverence in Sabbath school
The teachers and superintendents of our Sabbath schools should ensure that those under their charge are properly instructed. No student should ever be so forward as to speak without being called upon to do so.
Cleansing of the sanctuary
At the start of Christ’s public ministry, right after the miracle at Cana, Christ cleansed the earthly sanctuary. At the close of Christ’s ministry He was compelled once more to perform this act. “And they come to Jerusalem: and Jesus went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; And would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple. And He taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? But ye have made it a den of thieves.” Mark 11:15–17
So today, Christ is engaged in the work of cleansing the sanctuary in heaven, and we on earth should be engaged in the preparatory work for His soon coming. Let us be sure that our physical sanctuaries are places that are worthy of God’s presence.
Heavenly Sabbaths and worship
Remember that character is the only thing you may take with you to heaven. And in heaven there will be many times when we will assemble together for worship. “For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before Me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before Me, saith the LORD.” Isaiah 66:22– 23. Let us therefore be wise to our need for reverence in the sanctuary today. Let us not be as fools when we meet before the great King.
“When the benediction is pronounced, all should still be quiet, as if fearful of losing the peace of Christ. Let all pass out without jostling or loud talking, feeling that they are in the presence of God, that His eye is resting upon them, and that they must act as in His visible presence. Let there be no stopping in the aisles to visit or gossip, thus blocking them up so that others cannot pass out. The precincts of the church should be invested with a sacred reverence. It should not be made a place to meet old friends and visit and introduce common thoughts and worldly business transactions. These should be left outside the church. God and angels have been dishonored by the careless, noisy laughing and shuffling of feet heard in some places.” –Counsels for the Church, p. 251
It is a great privilege we have in this time of relative freedom to gather together each Sabbath and worship the Lord. But the signs all around us show that this time of liberty will soon draw to a close. Until then, how do we act when we assemble for the worship of God? Other churches have loosened their “formality” during services, opting for “modern” services instead of “traditional” ones. The flavour of the day in the popular churches seems to be one of loose services that are very informal, and supposedly “fun.” Churches have become ordinary places and the holy has been made profane. In our churches within the IMSSDA Reform Movement we praise the Lord that we have not followed the world in this trend. Nonetheless we should ever be watchful of the danger of losing reverence within our churches. I have had the privilege now of visiting many of our churches around the world, and while we do not follow worldly trends, we can do much more to further improve the spirituality of our meetings in many places. Presidents, prime ministers, kings, and other persons of prominence expect that when one is in their presence they should be shown respect. How much more then should we, who worship the true God—the King of kings—show reverence in His presence! Amen.
Victor Shumbusho,
D R Congo / Union Secretary