What We Believe
The Church
Word, Fellowship, Table, and Prayer
I
f there is one great lesson I have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that for most of us Sabbath morning worship is not a luxury but a necessity. Despite the important role of modern technology, we must admit that Zoom, Facebook Live, or other digital platforms cannot replace the physical gathering of God’s people. Getting ready, dressing up, and leaving home to meet God and fellow believers is not simply a matter of form. It is an affirmation of our belief that Jesus is Lord and that we belong to the household of God. The act of gathering together expresses a leading characteristic regarding the nature of the church—the church as a worshipping community. It is important to remember that when God calls out a people, it is for the primary purpose of worship. God made the purpose of the exodus clear to Moses thus: “When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain” (Ex. 3:12, NIV). He repeated the same to Pharaoh: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness” (Ex. 7:16, NIV). Likewise, the New Testament suggests that worship is the ultimate goal of salvation. At Pentecost, for instance, apostolic preaching led to mass baptisms, which were immediately followed by regular corporate worship (Acts 2:41-47). Faith in Christ is personal, but the Christian faith is not individualistic. New Testament believers delighted in assembling together. As the community called out by God, we, too, “declare the praises of him who called [us] out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9, NIV). Therefore, we can say that the church is the result of God’s redeeming activity with worship as its ultimate purpose. 24
December 2020 AdventistWorld.org
The church as a worshipping community KEY ELEMENTS OF CORPORATE WORSHIP
The question is: How does the church manifest its nature in corporate worship? Acts 2:42 is often regarded as laying down the four characteristics or four pillars of the church: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer” (NIV). This verse encapsulates four important aspects concerning the life and worship of the early church. As such, it provides an essential model for us to follow. The Word: Through the proclamation of the gospel, God is gathering for Himself a people from every nation, tribe, people, and tongue, to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:3-14; Rev. 14:6, 7; 7:9-17). It is through the Bible that God most distinctly speaks to us. It is no surprise, then, that the
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