A Scriptural Definition of Worship (Sacred Assembly)

How important is the Sunday Assembly of God’s worshipers? Hebrews 10:25 contains this admonition, “Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Apparently the writer of Hebrews, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, thought the Sunday assembly was very important. Most of us have a strong sense that Sunday worship is vital.

There are others who are not so convinced. Christians have come up with many angles to diminish the significance of gathering on Sundays. Some may ask, "Can’t we worship anywhere? Why, we can worship out in nature, you know, fishing or playing golf, can’t we?" Or, perhaps you have heard, “I don’t need the weekly thing, because for me, worship is an every day thing; it is a way of life.”

Others are faithful in their attendance but do not understand the purpose of Sunday gatherings. Many believe worship should entertain them. Others believe they should be inspired. Still others believe worship should put them in a euphoric spiritual state so that they may truly “experience” the Lord. Others desire a practical lesson on some Biblical topic that concerns them. What do we say to address these lines of thinking? In this article I hope to offer a Scriptural response to these misconceptions.

What makes worshiping corporately so important to us as the family of God? Well, the reason we assemble on Sunday for corporate worship may be quite different than you have heard, or that pop culture’s worship proponents would have you believe. Where do we find the answer? Let’s turn to God’s Word and explore the Scriptural definition of corporate worship? By doing so we may avoid defining our worship by preconceived misconceptions, man made traditions, or by the latest trends. And I pray that we will be more committed to worshiping God with His people as we gather each Sunday morning.

If we are going to get this right, to really define our Sunday gatherings Scripturally, we need to go back to the beginning. Let’s consider God's brilliant plan. Throughout the Scriptures God has instituted covenants with mankind. Covenants unite people in relationships - "I will be your God, and you will be my people." Marriage is a covenant. Like marriage, Scriptural covenants create new family bonds. They differ from contracts in that contracts include a transfer of goods or services for a price. Covenants create family. God’s ever expanding covenants began with Adam and Eve as a marriage covenant, then Noah as a family covenant, Abraham as a tribal covenant, Moses as a national covenant, David as a kingdom covenant, and finally, all of the covenants culminate in the New Covenant initiated by the redemptive work of Jesus. This New Covenant is cosmic in scope and encompasses all of creation as it ushers in the new heavens and the new earth. Even now all of creation groans for this. Further, the New Covenant unites to God those of us who are in Christ regardless of our nationality.

Hebrew Covenants typically had two components. First, the expectations of the covenant were clearly spelled out. If these imperatives were followed there were prescribed blessings. If these requirements were not followed, curses would result.

After the word of the Covenant was agreed to, the second component occurred. A sacred sign was instituted. Usually the two parties would take part in a sacrifice and/or they would share a meal together. Did you get that – They read the word and shared a meal – thus agreeing to and sealing the covenant. As an example, consider the Passover. God spelled out what he expected of the Children of Israel. They were to find a first born lamb without blemish, sacrifice him, eat all of him, and apply his blood to their doorposts. The word came, the people complied with a sacrifice, a meal, and the application of the life saving blood of the covenant. The result was the Exodus of God’s people – deliverance from captivity.

At appointed times, the sacred word would be revisited by both parties in the relationship. Why? In order to remember the covenant, the Word would be brought out and read, then, following the Word, the sign of the covenant – the sacrifice or meal - would be shared again to re-present and re-commit both parties to the covenant. This kind of active remembrance helped generation after generation to experience the Exodus as if they were there – as they celebrated the feast and ate the Lamb – they reconnected with the central event in their history.

Now we arrive at the answer to our quest. As we have noted, in the Old Testament, the official name of the meeting held to renew the covenant was called The Qahal Yahweh, or The Sacred Assembly of God. It is from this term that we derive the word Ecclesia which means Church. Are you ready? Here, then, is the definition we have sought. When we gather as the Sacred Assembly – the Church – we are renewing or recommitting to the New Covenant. Our Sunday worship gathering is for the purpose of covenant renewal. Remember the two covenant components? They are the word of the covenant and the Sign of the covenant. The Word of God, expressed as the Gospel, should be read every time we gather. The Gospel should be the content of our Sunday morning assembly.

After the Word is read and we are re-introduced to God’s provision and prescription for faithfully living as His children, then the sign of the covenant should follow. What is the sign of the New Covenant? Jesus gives us the answer. The New Covenant, Jesus says, is “in my blood”. Jesus shed His blood on the cross "once and for all." How do we participate in this sign? Paul gives us that answer. In 1 Corinthians 10:16 he says that the bread we break and the cup over which we say thanks is our participation in the body and blood of Christ. At the Table we actively remember Calvary’s Cross and the atoning work of Jesus.

Paul also called Jesus “our Passover Lamb…sacrificed for us.” This Old Testament typology should inform our understanding of the Lord’s Table today. Also, consider John 6, which contains unmistakable Eucharistic language informing us about the life giving power of Jesus' body and blood. Verse 53 states, “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.” Jesus states this truth more positively in verse 54. “Whosever eats the flesh of the Son of man and drinks His blood has eternal life and I will raise Him up at the last day.” This admonition sounds amazingly similar to the instructions given those poised for the Exodus out of Egypt. Exodus 12:5,8 and 10 states, “Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male…eat the flesh that night…and you shall let none of it remain…” All of this adds up to an active remembrance (anamnesis) that helps us participate in the “once and for all” sacrifice of Jesus. Like generations of God’s chosen people related to coming out of Egypt, our covenant renewal reconnects us with the Christian Exodus - out of bondage to sin, death and hell. Our Exodus is bound up in the passion of Christ. And the Lord makes a way for us to participate in this past event each Sunday at His Table. How are we to understand this? Can God give us a way to participate in a past event? "With God all things are possible." This is God's plan for us to share in the sign of the covenant - the cross of Jesus. At His Table, we recommit and reconnect to the covenant relationship we are so blessed to share. Yes, this is a profound mystery - but one for which we should be very grateful.

There it is. Our Sunday gathering is all about covenant renewal – God’s people with their gracious God – actively remembering through Word and Table…this is the sacred assembly of God’s people. And in this gathering we not only hear again, but we participate in the central event in our history and we join in the sweep of salvation history. That's so much better than considering "ten ways to balance your check book", or a slice into the sand trap for a double bogey. See you Sunday!