Here is a good question for today with all of the Covid scare going on in our world. Now I understand that it is the believers in Jesus Christ that make up the Church of Jesus Christ, but for the sake of this article I will refer to it even as the place we gather to worship our Lord. I came upon an article written by a man named David Clarkson in which he wrote on the importance of going to church in order to continue in the proper fellowship that God intended for us. Who is David Clarkson? He was a Puritan pastor who ministered in London in the 1680’s, first as the assistant to John Owens, and then as hiss successor. His article started by asking some very good questions to his readers. Here is what he said.
How would you answer these questions? How can we most glorify God on the earth? How can we experience most of his presence? How can we see him most clearly revealed? How can we get the maximum possible spiritual benefits from the Lord? How can we do the most good to our fellow believers? What is the best antidote to backsliding and apostasy? Where can we experience the Lord doing his greatest works on earth? What is the closest experience to heaven we can get in this world? What do you think? What would you suggest?
They’re not trivial questions, are they? Surely every true child of God should been keenly interested in the answers, but I wonder how many of us would be surprised at the answer. For the answer is the same to each of them. The answer is the public worship services of your church.
David Clarkson
I wonder how many Christians today would say that going to church is the best way to accomplish those things. Clarkson’s writing was based on (Psalm 87:2)…..‘The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob’. His point was that the Lord delights in the public worship of his gathered people even more than their private worship as individuals. Since the death and resurrection of Christ, in the New Testament the people of God are built together to comprise the temple of God, built upon Christ as the chief cornerstone (1 Corinthians3:16) (Ephesians 2:21) (1 Pet. 2:5). This doesn’t mean that the Lord doesn’t love it when we read the Bible and pray to Him when we are alone with Him, but He loves our public gathering for worship even more.
His challenge is clear, simple and even more relevant today than in the 17thcentury. As it is with the Lord, so it should be with his people. If the Lord delights most in public worship, so should his people. Do you?
If public worship is the most spiritually significant, momentous thing we can do on earth, is it any wonder that the Devil attacks it more than anything else. We are constantly tempted to devalue the public worship services of our church, for all kinds of reasons. Perhaps through individualism: what really matters is what I do on my own, what God says to me personally. Perhaps through pride: ‘I can look after myself spiritually; I don’t need pastors, elders, deacons and other Christians. For some the temptation might lie in self-preservation: maybe you’ve been badly hurt by other Christians and you want to protect yourself by withdrawing from church life. It could even be from arrogance: you don’t like being challenged by the word of God; your itching ears want to hear only nice, pleasant, encouraging things. Maybe you’re a bit of an introvert and you find it exhausting and daunting to be around people. Even the best churches are full of messy, frustrating people. If you put a lot of sinners, even sinners who are being sanctified, in one place together, there are going to be problems. Yep! So true! People will say insensitive things, there will be different perspectives, there will be weak and immature Christians to deal with. It would be so much easier to stay at home and avoid it altogether! Wouldn’t that be the easy way? And now we have the lure of online ‘church’. The church had to sacrifice public worship during the the Covid lockdown and make do with an online substitute like You-Tube or Zoom. And it became the venue to reach the church body for a time. It has even proven to be a good medium to reach those who are shut ins, or who are sick, who are elderly, who have no means to come to church, and more. But perhaps over the weeks and months many Christians started to prefer it to the real thing. After all, it is very convenient! We don’t need to get dressed for church, we don’t need to drive to church, I can just watch the tv in my own home. You could visit any church in the world. Except for the one the Lord called you to. What habit will we have when the panic is gone? Will people just want to stay home? Now maybe the vast majority of are unlikely to give in to that temptation, but we do need to guard our hearts and remind ourselves that the public worship of God that is the most important thing we can ever do, and that it’s here that we will find most blessing.
David Clarkson wrote down twelve points to counter act the temptation to downplay the importance of public worship, and as a tremendous way to prepare for returning to public worship, if you haven’t already done so.
- The Lord is more glorified by public worship than private. God is glorified by us when we acknowledge that He is glorious, and He is most glorified when this acknowledgement is most public.
- There is more of the Lord’s presence in public worship than in private. He is present with His people in the use of public worship in a special way: more effectually, constantly, and intimately.
- God manifests Himself more clearly in public worship than in private. For example, in Revelation, Christ is manifested ‘in the midst of the churches.’
- There is more spiritual advantage in the use of public worship. Whatever spiritual benefit is to be found in private duties, that, and much more may be expected from public worship when rightly used.
- Public worship is more edifying than private. In private you provide for your own good, but in public you do good both to yourselves and others.
- Public worship is a better security against apostasy than private. He who lacks or reject public worship, whatever private means he enjoy, is in danger of apostasy.
- The Lord works His greatest works in public worship. Conversion, regeneration, etc., are usually accomplished through public means.
- Public worship is the nearest resemblance of heaven. In the Bible’s depictions of heaven, there is nothing done in private, nothing in secret; all the worship of that glorious company is public.
- The most renowned servants of God have preferred public worship before private. The Lord did not withdraw from public ordinances, though they were corrupt. Public worship was more precious to the apostles than their safety, liberty, and lives.
- Public worship is the best means for procuring the greatest mercies, and preventing and removing the greatest judgments.
- The precious blood of Christ is most interested in public worship. Private worship was required of, and performed by Adam and his posterity, even in a sinless state, but the public preaching of the Gospel and the administration of the sacraments have a necessary dependence on the death of Christ.
- The promises of God are given more to public worship than to private. There are more promises to public than to private worship, and even the promises that seem to be made to private duties are applicable and more powerful for public worship.
Have you been staying home and avoiding the gathering together with the body of Christ? Are you staying away from the body of Christ because it is easier than going to church? Again, if it is for your health, then do so. If it is because you just have no way to get there, I understand. But if you are capable, then you need to be at Church. So find a God loving, Bible believing, Bible preaching, Bible loving body of Christians, and join them in the worship of our God (Hebrews 10:24-25).