Today, we are going to continue talking about questions concerning the New Testament Church. For the past two weeks, we have been considering the question—what function do individual church members serve in the church and the community? In week one, we concluded that God desires and deserves to be worshiped; therefore, it is man’s responsibility to facilitate proper worship to Him. Then, in week two, we started to consider the question—how do we facilitate proper worship to God? Now, we continue this endeavor to better our understanding.

Last week, we learned the first step to properly facilitating worship to God is obedience to Him. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (John 14:15). Colossians 3:17 says, “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus.” If we love Jesus by keeping His commandments and we are to have His authority for everything we do, then it only stands to reason that God would make known how we are to worship Him. This is what Paul told the Romans by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. “Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith” (Rom. 16:25-26).

The Romans were able to be established by God because of the preaching of the gospel, which came from the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret but now made know by the Scriptures. It is in obedience to the faith (the gospel) that the Romans would be established or saved. “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes. . .For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith’” (Rom. 1:16-17).

Preaching is one of the ways worship is to be facilitated; this is how God makes known how He desires to be worshiped. God revealed the mystery to Paul who, by the Scriptures, made it known to all nations. “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ” (Eph. 3:8-9).

Today, we must continue to preach the mystery which was revealed to the apostles, because “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith” (Rom. 1:17). Jesus commanded His disciples to “go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). So, what Jesus was commanding is—Go reveal the message from faith to faith. If we desire to be pleasing to God, then we must preach His message to save the lost. “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe” (1 Cor. 1:21).

If we desire to facilitate proper worship to God and not vain worship (Matt. 15:9), then we must follow the example of the Scriptures for how it facilitates proper worship (1 Cor.15:1-3). In the book of Acts, we fi nd an example of the disciples coming together to facilitate worship. “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread (the Lord’s Supper), Paul continued his message until midnight” (Acts 20:7). Luke recorded this example by inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Tim. 3:16-17); therefore, we have an example of preaching being done when the disciples assembled together (Heb. 10:25) to facilitate worship. If we are going to facilitate proper worship to God, we must follow the approved example given by the Scriptures.

Just something to consider.