By Alan Roskos
My purpose is to help young people realize the blessing the five acts of worship are to them. Many children and teenagers seem to think of the worship service as dull or boring. Usually, during the sermon, there is even someone asleep who should be listening. Hopefully, this article will help us all to participate in the worship service in a productive way.
I would like to emphasize here the importance of the worship service over all other activities. If you have a big test Thursday, and you think you have to study for it and miss church service Wednesday night, you are wrong. God’s worship service should come before any other activities.
If you view the worship service of the Lord as boring, you need to change your ways, not change God’s plan. I find that if I am tired, I tend to get bored. So be sure to get plenty of sleep the night before. Also, I find that if I pay my full attention to what is going on, I become a lot less bored. Keep in mind that this is the worship service of God, not just some boring ritual we go through three times a week. The more you learn about God’s plan of salvation, the better chance you have of making it to heaven.
Singing
Singing is a good way to show your love to the Lord. If you just sit there with your mouth open and only a little sound coming out, that is not a very good way to show your love to God. Sing with feeling. I am sure it makes God very proud (Eph. 5:19). If you sing and understand what you are singing, it becomes less boring (1 Cor. 14:15,19). God probably will not think much of it if you just make noise come out of your mouth. By singing loudly, clearly, and with your heart (no matter how off key you are), you can teach yourself and others, and set a good example (Col. 3:16-17). When I am depressed or sad, singing praises to the Lord helps me feel better. Also, when I am happy, it makes me feel like singing to God (Ja. 5:13). So please apply this to your life and take part of the bore out of worship.
Prayer
As you know, prayer is talking to God. That, in itself, should spark you enough to view prayer as a blessing. Talking to God comforts me. He will listen to all your troubles (1 Pet. 5:5).
During a prayer in worship service, you should follow along in your mind. After all, all the man at the front of the building is doing is leading our minds in prayer. If you would like to read a biblical example of a good prayer, please turn to Matthew 6:9-13. This is Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, and he is telling us how we should pray. You should always remember that when you ask for something, or ask for God to help you to do something, to be sure to know that it is his will that will be done. It is also very important to remember to ask him to forgive you of your sins. If you are having trouble with worldly temptations or influences, ask him to guide you. Also remember to thank him for your blessings.
Always remember to pray as many times as you can (1 Thess. 5:17). I am not telling you a certain schedule or that there is a certain number of times you must pray a day. Use your own judgment. You must also remember that it is through Jesus’ name you are praying. If Jesus had not come down to earth to die for our sins, we would not be able to pray to God. Do not worry about whether or not God will hear your prayers. If you are faithful to him, he will (Jn. 14:13).
The Lord’s Supper
The Lord’s supper should certainly not be a bore to you. It is a very important part of the worship service (1 Cor. 11:23-26). The bread that we break every first day of the week symbolizes Christ’s body that was broken for us. Likewise, the fruit of the vine that we drink symbolizes the blood that was shed on the cross (1 Cor. 10:16). It is a time to meditate upon the sacrifice both God and Christ made so that we could go to heaven. Sometimes, my mind has a tendency to stray off and think about other things.
I will work on it, and I hope that you will refrain yourself from the same mistake. Never forget how important this part of our worship is.
The Contribution
Another important aspect of worship is the contribution. You and your family’s contribution is to the Lord, to carry out the work of the church. Be careful that you do not regret what you give to the Lord (2 Cor. 9:7). It is used to improve your local church’s work, which should take away the grudging feeling you may have. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 commands us to “lay by him in store as he may prosper.” That means that if your family has more money than the average family, you should give more than the average person. On the other hand, if your family has less than the average family, God does not expect you to give as much. God very much appreciates it if you give a little more than usual (Rom. 12:8). It shows him that you are glad to help the work of the church.
Gospel Preaching
The final aspect of worship is preaching and teaching the Word. The sermon is perhaps the most likely time for some people to become bored. When you pay close attention to what the preacher is saying and follow along in your Bible, you will be less likely to become bored. Also, do not let what the preacher says roll right out of your head as soon as you leave the building. Try to apply it to your everyday life. All Christians are commanded to “teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19-20). Learning more about God’s Word will give you a much better opportunity to reach heaven.
Also, you should take what is said in the sermon and teach it to others. That is all part of God’s marvelous plan to spread the gospel all over the world (Matt. 28:19-20; 2 Tim. 2:2). All Christians should teach people, whomever they can, whenever they can. Do not be afraid to point out people’s mistakes. If you care about their soul, you will do it. However, you must be patient with your students. You need to tell them exactly what the Bible says, not just what they want to hear. If you do tell them what they want to hear, they may turn away from the gospel of Christ (2 Tim. 2:2-4).Therefore, in all things, set a good example as Paul reminded Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:12.
As I told you in the beginning, always put the worship service before any other activities. You will find time to do other things later.
In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the five aspects of worship (singing, praying, the Lord’s supper, the contribution, and preaching and teaching) are a blessing to you, not a bore. Try to remember this and remember how important it is to do what God says (Rev. 22:14). Hopefully, this article will help people of all ages, not just the young people.
Guardian of Truth XXXIX: 6 p. 5-6
March 16, 1995