Slipping off my sandals, I remember approaching the place of worship. It was on the edge of the Sahara desert and our shoes were removed to show respect for our God. The walls were not glorious--they were made with millet stalks--yet it was most definitely the house of the Lord.
“They”, the community of believers, had sent word to me that we would worship together and share the Lord’s supper. And I was very glad.
We prayed, sang songs which instructed us in worship, and taught each other what God had showed us in His word. And then we dipped gritty, dust-encrusted bread in hibiscus juice and shared the blood and body of our Lord.
The next day, as word got out that we had worshiped, the sultan arrived and his men burned what portions of scripture we had and tore down our place of worship and hauled off most of the worshipers.
Where we lived at the time, there was a price to be paid for worshiping Christ. But the punishment was freely accepted, as worship led to the spread of the Gospel to the religious judges in our town.
As the men went on trial for worshiping Christ, they told why they worshiped and they played tapes of the Gospel before religious leaders of another faith. An opportunity they had never previously had.
Corporately worshiping our Lord is one of the truly unique experiences we share as believers. Yet so often we take it for granted--neglecting it, forsaking it, forgetting it, not prioritizing it, disrespecting it. Gathering not to bring honor to Christ but for other reasons.
Why do you gather with other believers in worship? David reminds us in Psalm 122 that we should enter into worship together with joy. We are invited to worship by each other and by our God. Even when that worship leads to persecution.
Worship is giving the honor due the name of Christ.
He is worthy.
Worship fuels mission. The spread of the Gospel is inevitable as we worship our Lord.
At Christ City we have tremendous opportunities to worship together in freedom. So let me ask,
“Are you glad” when you enter into worship with your brothers and sisters at Christ City?
Would you be the “they” who reach out to others to offer the “gladness” of worship to a hurting population in East Dallas?
--Ray Brown