The church revealed in the New Testament met on the first day of every week (Acts 20:7) to remember Jesus’ s death, burial and His resurrection. They assembled together to worship and praise God, and to encourage one another through song, prayer, and instruction in God’s word. In their worship, they followed the teaching of Jesus. This teaching was passed on by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to the apostles (John 14:26; Acts 2:42). These acts of worship are simple and God-given. We strive, on each and every first day of the week, to be followers of Christ by obeying His simple commands for how God wishes to be worshiped. Thus, we seek to follow the Biblical principle of worshiping in spirit and in truth (John 4:24).  Many ask, “What does your worship look like?” Well, this is what you would see:

Congregational a capella singing that magnifies our faith in God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:19; Colossians 3:16; Romans 15:9; 1 Corinthians 14:15; Hebrews 13:15). We sing as a group of believers. We sing praises to God. The whole congregation sings and all are encouraged to participate. It doesn’t matter if you have a good voice or can read music. It never did. It has always been about the heart of the one worshiping. We sing because He commanded that we should, and because we have something to sing about!

Prayers offered to God through Jesus, consisting of praise, thanksgiving, confession, and requests (Ephesians 5:20; 6:18; Romans 12:12). We go before the throne of God, in Jesus’ name, and bring intercessions to Him. He is the Great Physician and knows our every need (Hebrews 4:16). What a great honor to be able to go before the Creator of the Universe!

Preaching from God’s Word (2 Timothy 4:2; Romans 10:14-15; 1 Corinthians 1:23). Each week we enjoy a lesson from God’s Word. We come together to be encouraged, challenged, and exhorted toward a deeper faith, a stronger walk, and a more meaningful relationship with Jesus. You will also find an opportunity to respond to God’s message during the invitation song at the end of the lesson. Responses may include requests for prayer (James 5:16), a public confession of loyalty to Christ (Matthew 10:32-33), repentance of your sins determining a change in one’s lifestyle to reflect commitment to Christ (Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30), or a desire to become a child of God through baptism (Acts 2:38; Romans 6:3-5; Acts 8:26-39; Mark 16:16).

Sharing with other Christians in the remembrance of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ through the Lord’s Supper (Matthew 26:24-30; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 11:23-29). As He commanded, we remember Jesus’ death on the first day of the week. We do this because Jesus wanted us to remember – as a memorial. Throughout history, mankind has constantly forgotten all that God has done for them. We do not want to forget what God has done for us in the sacrificial death of Jesus for us!

Time for reflection to consider the blessings of God, along with an opportunity to give monetarily. Guests are not expected, pressured or coerced to give, but are welcomed to should they choose to do so (1 Corinthians 16:1-2;   2 Corinthians 8 & 9). We give because He gave everything. Everything we own is a blessing from God (Psalm 24:1). We are just temporary stewards of these material possessions. We give because we are blessed!

There are many more Scriptures that could be included in the study of the first century church. We would be glad to discuss any of these areas with you. Should you have any questions, please feel free to ask one of our elders or our minister so that we can assist you.