Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.
Hebrews 12.28-29
As we come to have a more complete understanding of God, we increasingly realize the need to respond to His glory with gratitude and reverence. Our worship intends to reflect our intimate familiarity and profound respect. As a pattern for worship that is acceptable to God, we look to the apostles’ teachings and examples of the first Christians in the Bible. Our aim is to provoke love and good works (Hebrews 10.24).
Reading & Study
We believe God’s Word is the foundation for everything we do in worship and the basis for our life decision-making. (2 Timothy 3.14-17). Consequently, reading and studying the Scriptures is an integral part of our gatherings.
Singing
Congregational signing is an important part of our worship. We believe singing is a powerful gift for teaching and encouraging each other, as we unite our voices in praise and thanksgiving to God (Colossians 3.16). Singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs regularly cultivates a heart of thankfulness in every singer and thus the congregation.
Giving
One of the ways the gospel changes our lives is giving us a new perspective on our physical possessions. From the beginning of the church, Christians found that an inheritance in heaven allowed them to part with their earthly things when needs arose. We seek to emulate their example and follow the apostles’ teaching by setting money aside on the first day of every week, according to each person’s ability (1 Corinthians 16.1). The funds we collect are used to care for needy believers and to teach God’s Word.
Prayer
Prayer is an awesome privilege we enjoy as part of our relationship with God. What an amazing thought that we can speak directly to the Almighty and pour our hearts out before His throne (Revelation 8.3-4)! Each time we gather, we devote ourselves to prayer for each other’s welfare and God’s glorification.
Communion
On the night Jesus was betrayed, he ate a Passover meal with his disciples, but he also gave it new meaning in light of the impending sacrifice he would make for sin. Following Jesus’s direction and the examples of first-century Christians, we eat a communion meal together on the first day of every week, as a component of our worship. By eating unleavened bread and drinking grape juice, we remember our Savior’s body and blood, proclaiming his death until he returns (1 Corinthians 11.23-26).
Lesson
Distinct from our period of Bible study, we have regular preaching from God’s Word as a part of worship. This is also something we observe being practiced by early Christians (Acts 20.7), and it allows us to consider ways of applying God’s wisdom directly to our lives.