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You may have heard the phrase “All of life is worship.” This idea is taken from Romans 12:1, where Paul writes, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.” What a powerful truth. It is a reminder that our whole lives must be consecrated to God. The phrase “living sacrifice” is especially moving. Old Testament sacrifices were killed when they were offered. We, on the other hand, have died to ourselves, having been made alive in Jesus Christ, and the Lord accepts us as living sacrifices.
But as important as this idea is, we cannot allow it to obscure what the Bible teaches about the special importance of gathered public worship. Throughout the Bible, a clear priority is given to the worship services of the Lord’s people on the Lord’s Day.
This emphasis on formal worship begins in the earliest chapters of Genesis. The disobedience of Cain stands in contrast to the obedience of Abel. Both brought an offering to the Lord, and we read, “The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard” (Gen. 4:4–5). At the end of the chapter, we read, “At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord” (v. 26).
From this point forward, we see believers setting aside special times to worship the Lord as He had commanded them. He graciously gives special instructions for the time to gather, on the seventh day of the week under the old covenant and on the first under the new covenant (Ex. 20:8–11; John 20:19; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Rev. 1:10).
It is in the context of this gathered public worship that we hear the Word of God read and preached (1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 4:1–5); we lift our hearts in prayer to God (1 Tim. 2:1–3); we sing (Eph. 5:19–20; Col. 3:16–17). In all these elements, believers are responding to God’s Word, having been called to worship at the beginning and receiving God’s benediction at the end. And then there are the sacraments that Christ has given to the church to be administered in public worship: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. These are gifts to us; they strengthen us in our faith and proclaim visibly the great truths of our salvation.
Our lives as Christians must be shaped and governed by the priority of public worship. We gather with others to meet with God, to hear from and respond to our Creator. In public worship, we honor the One who has saved us and sustains us, and we do so in the manner that He has taught us. This is why it is so important that we treasure worshiping with God’s people in spirit and truth, “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb. 10:25).