Why Worship?

Timothy, like all of us, had a particular mission that God intended for him to carry out - and the fruit of his life provides a strong example for us. Paul writes to him in 1st Timothy 4 that...
(10) ...we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
11 These things command and teach.
12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

Timothy was set up in leadership before the church and called to be an example.  And, in these passages we see certain things in which the Church needs guidance: including the teaching of the word and the way we behave toward each other - when we come together, we are taught and equipped for service and we can be strengthened and grow in our walk with the Lord.  We can always be reminded that we are part of one body, called to a mission and purpose in this world.

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The Bible provides instruction on how we can function as a body, the body of Christ, under the leadership of Jesus, the head of the body. Colossians 3 states:
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

When you attend a church service, what are your expectations?  What are God's expectations?  I think those are challenging questions that can move people from just going through the motions or checking a box to truly experiencing the presence of the Lord, which will change us and deepen our relationship.

Our interaction with the things of God should draw us closer to Him and produce fruit for His glory. We can be strengthened and encouraged by our exposure to His Word, through reading, studying, meditating, and even listening and watching.  Our fellowship with the local church can be instrumental in improving our lives and even the lives of those around us.

A new Barna Group survey is out that explores the residual effect of participating in corporate worship.  According to a story on ChristianHeadlines.com:

The survey, released April 14, 2021, found that an overwhelming majority of practicing Christians and two out of three churchgoers felt encouraged most of the time after worshipping. According to the survey, "over four in five practicing Christians (82 percent) and roughly two-thirds of churchgoers (67 percent)—U.S. adults who have been to church in the past six months—say they leave worship services feeling encouraged at least 'most of the time'."

Another finding: 77 percent of practicing Christians, and 65 percent of churchgoers say, according to the article, "they feel forgiven at least 'most of the time' following church attendance," the survey said.

But, there is a downside: sometimes churchgoers and practicing Christians feel guilty or unforgiven after leaving church - the Christian Headlines article says:

"Even though the majority of both practicing Christians (42 percent) and churched adults (34 percent) say they 'almost never' leave church feeling guilty, roughly one-quarter each says this 'sometimes' happens (29 percent practicing Christians, 26 percent churched adults)." The survey also found that after attending a church service, church-going adults are more likely to say they feel guilty "about half the time", with 18 percent of churched adults and 11 percent of practicing Christians saying they felt guilty "about half the time".

And, this, according to the survey summary: "roughly seven in 10 practicing Christians (71 percent) and three in five churchgoers (59 percent) also affirm that, 'most of the time,' they leave worship feeling as if they've learned something new." 

Here we gain some insight into the purpose of corporate worship and/or church attendance, which includes certain expressions from an encounter with God: encouragement, forgiveness, and learning.  A majority of practicing Christians and churchgoers say they have experienced these things. The key is to do more than have a sporadic experience, but to take what we do on Sunday into Monday and the rest of the week.  Our time at church is not an end unto itself, but the continuation of a deployment into the world and a deepening walk with Him.

We can also develop the mentality that rather than consumers, we are participants in corporate worship. It's not simply a matter of what we want God to do for us or even what we can do for God - we do call on the Lord to do His work through us and He calls us to execute His mission, but it is based on a relationship that is a foundation for how we live. This is strengthened as we come into His presence.